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 Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 11:28 am
Quote: One Foggy Night (6) - As the seasons shift, the temperature changes too. It’s not uncommon for fog to roll in, sometimes from the mountains, sometimes out of nowhere. This fog is particularly thick and difficult to see through; Destiny City has issued several weather warnings and cautions being out or driving at night. It’s easy to get lost and difficult to see obstacles. Not to mention the strange, smothering sensation of dread and fear that rolls in with the fog. While there is sometimes the sensation of being watched, it worsens when the sun goes down. Some have even said they’ve caught glimpses of a tall, horned figure traveling with the fog. The news has reported that this is probably just a side effect of climate change and suspects that weather patterns should return to normal towards the end of the month. Mocona, personally, did not like coming down from the mountain during Halloween. Down in the city there was always some sort of crazy nonsense going on and he was most certainly not about that life. Nah, he loved his peace up high in the woods at their campsite. A little private party with lots of drinking, food, and spooky things he set up himself was plenty enough! But something was strange this year. Something was lingering in the woods, and he already had like, 30 hikers come to him scared and out of breath when the fog rolled in. They screamed and hollered about something *watching* them and stalking them. And Mocona had already combed the top of the mountain four times. That lead him to believe that whatever it was came up the mountains at night and just liked spooking people. SO! This evening, He took his motorcycle down from the mountainside, into Destiny city proper to patrol along the edge of the town. A little ways off from the big lights meant less chance for a fight... Probably. Either way, he was going back and forth and back and forth, along the same route, just to see if he could get a glimpse of this creepy figure everyone spoke about. And maybe hush it up so they could drink and be merry later.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 11:44 am
Ekanite loved the spookier season, having always delighted in the paranormal and the strange. This year, his excitement was a little more tempered than before. He had seen a lot more, after all, and experienced things that were nothing short of magic in his time while powered up. It was harder to surprise him, maybe, but he still took delight in the wonder surrounding the unknown. The thrill of figuring it out, even if the answer ended up being something senshi, space, or youma related.
The thrill of the hunt, rather than the thrill of the kill, maybe. The answers did not matter so much to him.
Unfortunately, he had a job to do, a job he was taking more and more seriously. He saw less of his Boss, though his new apprenticeship was going well. All he wanted to do was rescue Painite from herself, and those that might do her harm. To do that, he needed to be stronger, and he needed to show her that the Negaverse was a force for good. She had used her powers to save his life, and he would never forget that. If she was wavering, if her loyalty was being doubted, then he would do whatever he could to remind her that Chaos could be her home. It was more than just the connotation it implied.
So he thought he might take care of two things at once: investigate all the reports of crazy fog and monsters at the edge of town, and catch some unsuspecting civilians off guard and get their energy. He would take as much as he could, for himself and Painite, no longer sure she was even participating in her duties any more.
It did occur to him that someone from the White Moon would consider a plan like his, and would already be patrolling, but he felt strangely excited by the idea. Let them be there, waiting (but not too strong, if he could get lucky) and he would take them on. It would just go better for him if it was someone close to his own rank.
He felt an aura almost before he saw any fog, swallowing hard and reminding himself that this was what he wanted. Summoning his drumsticks to his hand, he trotted toward it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:02 pm
Mocona wasn't exactly the fighting type. Nah, when push came to shove, he ran most of the time with the idea of 'I got other s**t to do, I shouldn't be dallyin' here.' So when his little patrol and hunt for that strange creature had the feeling of something blipin up on his radar, he let out the hugest sigh. His mindset was always 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'. People off the mountain, he genuinely couldn't give a rats a** about (unless they were just lil ol kids. He was always fiercely protective of kids) so he just didn't bother.. Maybe that's why he was page still after three years. But this *was* his monkeys this time around, and instinctively he pulled out his own weapon of a long piece of fancy silk tied up like a lasso. "Woah there! Hey! Now what are yah doin' all the way out here?" He shouted to the person heading his way. How creepy it looked coming out of the fog like that. Maybe the hikers were right, maybe there was a big of a thing in it. But People like this? He could handle. "You monster huntin' too round these parts?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:16 pm
Lieutenant Ekanite was not exactly brave. Foolish, yes, and brash. Reckless, Painite would tell him, and an idiot. He did not tend to seek fights for the sake of it, mostly due to her teachings, but his new mentor was making it clear that she had lost her perspective. She was in danger, thinking the way she did, and it was up to him to protect her.
The only way to do that was to get strong, like she was. Stronger than she is.
"I was monster hunting, in a way!" Ekanite chirped happily, always brightening up when he had someone to talk to. Even if he did know he was going to have to fight that person, and the monster he was hunting was actually the knight, or Page, at hand. Not that either of them had known it before setting out this evening, he supposed.
He remembered dark, painful whispers. Lessons that literally had to be beaten into him. Move fast. Strike first. Hit hard. Don't hold back. Taking a breath and holding it, he charged, his friendly tone of greeting still ringing in his ears as he lunged and stabbed one of his drumsticks, thicker bottom side out, toward the other's gut. It was not sharp and would certainly not cut, but it might do something painful if he was lucky and threw all his weight into it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:21 pm
"Well then, maybe we can work together! I been hearin' somethin' about some Creepy creature--- Oi! Hey now!" Mocona was way too easy going for his own good. Fighting youma happened time and time and time again, but he hadn't actually fought another people outside of a quick spar from time to time. Was this supposed to be one of the enemies everyone warned him about? The hit kinda landed, but also kinda slipped off to the side as He took a quick step out of the way. Wrangling horses and cattle, goats and sheep with all them horns helped him not get poked too badly when things came charging at him. But it wasn't the same when it came to people. "Now that ain't necessary, kid!" The silks wrapped around his hands were quickly spread apart, held taught between them as he tried to grab Ekanite with him in a make shift sort of bear hug. "Now I ain't do nothin', why you gotta come at me like that?!"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:45 pm
Ekanite caught his footing after throwing a lot of his balance into that swing. It took a moment to right himself, but he did his best to move back into a useful stance as he bounce back and lifted his drum sticks again. One was still backwards, but the other looked exactly as if he were readying for a solo.
They were not the most intimidating of weapons, that he knew, but he would make them work for him. He was getting better at it, even catching Crocoite off guard now and then. Well. Maybe once. Still, he counted it as a win.
Even if, ultimately, he had lost that fight, too. It was a moral victory.
He was still too slow, and got caught up in the silk, yelping and struggling before his training reminded him not to panic. The White Moon were generally less inclined to cause harm, and that made them easier to escape. There were always exceptions, but Crocoite told him to consider them as a whole and adapt to the anomalies when they showed.
Shifting the sticks in his hand, gripping them with as much of his hands as he could in an effort to keep them from snapping, he jabbed them both at the page, though he shut his eyes tightly as he did it.
"It is necessary, I'm sorry1"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 1:32 pm
Mocono had no idea what this kid was thinking, or doing, but he knew how to hogtie a beast, a man wouldn't be too different! The sticks though, they were a problem, and he felt one jab into his side again. Oh boy it stung! But he wasn't about to let the kid go just yet! Kid, he said, but this was still a grown a** man, so he wasn't exactly Gentle When he threw all 200lb of pure muscle ontop of the man in a half body slam, half drag down to the ground move. "No it ain't! I was mindin' my own goshdamned business and you comin' up in here and attackin' me like this! I ain't no monster, and you ain't either, so calm the hell down! Quit it!"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:02 pm
"Argh!" Ekanite yelped as he was hauled to the ground, his tall and lanky frame not offering him much help. He had been working on his form a lot, doing his best to get into some kind of shape, but he was also a bit of a goof ball and did things more leisurely than he probably should, no matter how devoted to the cause he was.
He definitely believed in what he was doing, with all his heart, but he still had a lot to learn about the reality of things.
Struggling, he tried to find a wall to call out for help. If he could contact one of her superiors, then he would be in a much better position. Or if she was nearby... but did he really want Boss showing up and seeing him like this? Even if it meant losing a fight, was it really worse than the disappointment that would be on her face?
Though he was struggling, he really wasn't getting anywhere. Instinct told him to apologize, and it really was on the tip of his tongue, but he resisted. He couldn't be sorry just because he was losing, even if he had felt bad about starting the fight in the first place. He did the only thing he could really think to, amid flailing arm and legs desperately seeking to land a hit: he attempted to drain some energy to slow the other down.
And maybe loosen his grip.
"Just doing my job, sir, you know how it is!"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:12 pm
With Ekanite on the ground below him, Mocona quickly switched things around, letting the silks drop in favor of shifting to just sit on him. He could struggle and squirm all he wanted, but keeping him pinned was easier than bull riding, and he had done plenty of that before. The Energy drain had him relax a bit more.. And in a way, that would only make it harder to move him away, since relaxed muscles were heavier than stiff ones. "So what yer saying is, you go around attackin' people at random? Now that ain't very kind of yah, is it? Why you gotta do that in the first place?" His southern drawl was thick, and he was a bit out of breath so it almost came out airy, in a way. Irritated? Most definitely, but he still smiled, amused at how this guy was fighting. "So you mean yer one of them there Negaversers? Goin' round, causin' trouble.k What's a kid like you doin' that for anyway?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:20 pm
Ekanite was not sure if his plan was going exactly the way he wanted it to. While the fight had eased, he was in no better a position to free himself. If he were a little stronger, he could at least attempt to teleport away, but no.
Like this, he was stuck, and for one of the first times he felt genuinely pathetic for it. And not in a way he could cover up with his relentless optimism and joviality. Not right away, at least.
"Well, it's not random! Okay, I guess I didn't exactly have a plan and I didn't one hundred percent know someone would be out here. And I definitely didn't know it would be you, specifically, so no I wasn't targeting you, but... uhm. I still don't think it's random! You're a knight, after all. I get the biggest experience bonus for defeating knights."
At least, that was how he chose to understand the challenge his mentor had put before him. Target knights, get them to use their weapons or see if they had magic. Note the useful ones, and kill any that he could. So far, his count was 0 in all departments.
"I fight for the Negaverse because I wouldn't be alive without it. My Boss deserves the best life I can give her, because she gave me mine: I'm going to do everything I can to get strong, and protect her! That means I have to defeat people like you!"
He paused, then added.
"Though you do seem very nice! Even if you're crushing my organs."
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:30 pm
Ah, there we go! It looked like he was finally getting some answers. A soft 'tsk' was made, but he did shift a little of his weight off of the kid. Less squishing organs, more using his thighs to squeeze Ekanite's arm's to his sides, and focus the weight more on his butt. A more ready spot to handle that sorta thing. "So what yer saying is... You just went with the flow, and the flow led you to comin' at me? I mean, okay, I get the whole loyalty cuz yer life was saved thing, I get that way too much, but you don't just fight people for no reason. If your Boss deserves the best life, you know what you do? You don't HURT people in her name, nah, you kinda sorta like..." His thoughts went to Hawara, and his tense expression softens just a bit. "You do things they love. You show them what else there is in the world to be happy. Like, you know, maybe findin' her a new hobby? Offer her a trip? You know.... If you go an make friends with some folks like me, we can even show ya'll new cool places. Cuz have you ever been to someone's wonder? We got cool magical stuff there, like oasis's and pretty oceans... Besides, if she cares about you too, how is she gonna feel if she hears yer goin' out and gettin' hurt?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:42 pm
Ekanite looked sad, but was immediately distracted from his thoughts of battling his way to power and glory at the chance to talk about his Boss. He shook his head, no longer struggling, but instead considering the other's words and letting them sink in.
"I wish that would work, believe me! She's never happy any more. Ever. But she doesn't talk to me about it, and she definitely doesn't like... well. Anything, as far as I can tell." He sighed, almost whining. He was a simple young man, and he knew two things vividly. He knew that Painite was a kind person at heart, and he knew that she was not who she used to be.
What that meant, however, was still unclear. He just knew she was once considered a monster. Now, he was pretty sure only she considered herself that. Which sort of made it worse.
"But people are all different. Maybe the person you know, or that you would fight for and be loyal to, is one way, and mine is another. She might not like me getting hurt, but if it's something that has to happen so I can get to where I need to be... it's worth it, isn't it? Even doing things you might not have done before."
Though, Wonders did sound cool.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:48 pm
"... Kid, that sounds like depression. What you're gonna do isn't gonna help her. She needs *professional help*. Now, I heard before that there might be some health and wellness in the Negaverse. Like, based on what my own mentor taught me... Not sure how good that is, but that's what she needs." Mocona knew all too well about that idea, of just not loving anything any more. Finding no joy, just watching people change into nothing at all. His own heart ached a little for this kid. "I mean... Yer not wrong. Some people are worth fighting, and gettin' strong is why I'm out here too. Cuz just like you, I got someone I want to protect. But you know how much more sad they'll be if I go kaput out here while trying to get stronger? I ain't about to do that to them. I already had enough people die for no reason." At that, he gave a little shuffle, half tempted to let the Nega up. "How about this. I'm no master teacher or nothin' but I can still maybe give a bit of advice? Man to man, that sorta thing. Ain't no reason we can't get along if we got the same sorta goal of helping the person we love, yeah? So... Just relax, and I'mma stand up. No attackin' me. Cuz do I look like I'm gonna fight anyone else anymore? Just be cool."
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:01 pm
"I won't attack," Ekanite said, and of course he meant it. If it were his mentor, he would have been encouraged to seize the opportunity and get a good sneak attack in, maybe one strong enough to end the fight, but because that ran so far counter to his already strained instincts, he did not even consider it.
The wind had been taken out of his sails, anyway.
"After my mom died, I was sad," he sighed, thinking about things. "But Painite took care of me. She hated it, I think, because I was a burden and she had no idea what she was doing, but she did it anyway. She didn't abandon me. I know she still does everything for me, but I feel like I've ruined her life. I don't know what she's going through, now, and she doesn't share."
He sighed. He knew she was thinking about purifying, but Crocoite told him the way the White Moon worked. It was just as corruptive a force as chaos, creeping into one's mind and eating at their weaknesses, their sorrows, and drowning them in guilt. Of course, it did not occur to him that the crocodile with ulterior motives was lying to him.
All he knew was that he wanted to help Painite be free of that unfair influence, which ate at her like battery acid. He wasn't sure he was going to get the answer here, but he was more than willing to listen.
"I could use whatever advice I can get..."
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:14 pm
"Okay good. You don't make a really good cushion." Mocona didn't trust him entirely, but... Damn did he look sad. Even if he tried to punch, he probably wouldn't mean it. He rolled off him first, quick up on his feet, then offered Ekanite a hand. "... I don't think she hates you for that. Or that you've ruined her life. Most people when they get to the point where she sounds like she's at will say it out loud. They ain't lovin' nothing, so they just vent out everything." A quick dusting off of his own pants came, then as another sign of peace, he desummoned his weapon. No need for that now. "Besides like... Actual therapy, which you can't force no one to do, you can just kinda talk with her more. Or spendin' time with her. People like that, just being close and not talking. The company matters, it feels like yer ain't being abandoned. And tellin her you support her. I don't know what she's goin' through or feeling, but... You know, just tell her that where she goes, you go. Cuz that's how I feel about my own mentor. If he suddenly goes 'well, I'm headin' over yonder', I'm right on his heels. Cuz all this?" A hand was waved towards the area around them in general. "This war? This fighting? None of it matters to me, only him. And I got a feelin' that's how you feel about yours, right? Then again, you gotta think about what you can lose if you follow them..." Mocona was lucky... When he awakened, his partner was already on the same side... He couldn't imagine having to choose to change, but he knew that there would only ever be one choice. "What's yer priority? What do you want outta life? Yer still a kid, you got alot goin' on too, I'm sure, so don't be forgettin' about taking care of yourself."
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