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 Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2024 9:50 am
Pan decided that she enjoyed stalking through the darkened streets of the city. Sure, she might not always encounter people, but when she did, it was almost always an easy harvest, energy or… otherwise. She did her best to leave the obvious children alone other than a touch of energy harvesting. She had scattered bits and pieces of memory of her own that acted as a sort of maybe conscience. Being a runaway was difficult. But the kids deserved a chance to build a better life if possible.
The adults, however, had no such hold over her. They had had their chance and squandered it. Therefore, they were more than fair game. Such as the two that had so generously donated the starseeds she was juggling.
Well, trying to juggle. It wasn’t the easiest of skills to learn.
She hadn’t indulged in a snack since the starseed she’d eaten in front of that funny little boy senshi. She rather thought she might keep one of this pair for munching purposes and give the other to her General. Or maybe she’d be greedy and keep both. Treat yo’self, after all.
With a sigh, she tucked herself away at a bus stop and focused on trying to get the juggling down just a bit more. It wasn’t as if anyone was going to bother her. The buses had stopped running hours ago and the homeless all had better berths in the park.
She would have plenty of time to herself to play.
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2024 10:22 pm
Asuka really didn't like to get involved with the Negaverse. There was supposed to be a polite detente or whatever, they were supposed to play nice for the most part, and honestly, considering that spooky stories, mysterious deaths, and haunted houses were her stock in trade, it would only make sense that she ought to get out of the Negaverse's way and let them do what they did best, which was generate all those things.
So when she wandered in the general direction of a quiet bus stop, looking for any stragglers worth draining, and spotted a Senshi with wild hair that had the itch of Negaverse to her magic-sense (or at least, she assumed it was probably that Senshi, given proximity and general guessing) her initial plan was to turn away and leave, just....let whatever was happening here happen. Because that was the smart play, in the end.
Until she saw the glimmers of color in the air.
The shine of a starseed, extracted from its host.
Really, Asuka wanted to walk away. Wanted to decide that was None of Her Business. That it didn't matter, they were randoms. Except....except she just couldn't.
So she stormed over, hoping that she looked as intimidating as her magic made her feel.
"Hey!" Asuka called, and she hoped it got the Senshi's attention, and she whispered "Onryo's Curse," under her breath once she was sure she was close enough for her magic to work.
"Put. Those. Back."
Perhaps, backed by the illusory form of a vengeance ghost, she might successfully scare this Corrupt into doing the right thing.Quote: Asuka speaks the name of her attack, and is briefly surrounded by a thick, cold fog. When she emerges, she has the form of a classic onryo -- long, stringy hair, bloodstained funeral kimono, porcelain-white skin -- and anyone in an 8-foot radius around her will relive a memory in which they caused harm to another person (always larger wrongs at this stage), paired with a feeling that Asuka is here to revenge that wrong. The magic lasts for 35 seconds at this stage, and can be used twice per battle.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2024 8:22 am
Intent on keeping the starseeds in the air, Pan had, at first, ignored the shouted ‘Hey!’. Judging by the aura, it was just a senshi, a bit stronger than her, but ultimately not something she was going to allow to interrupt her just as she was finally getting the hang of the tricky bit. Nodding to herself, she tucked the starseeds away and turned to look at the senshi, ready to laugh in their face and refuse their silly little demands…
Only to be faced with a horrifying apparition that apparently had come to bring all her sins home to roost. Mouth working silently for a moment, Pan’s eyes widened enough for the whites to be visible even in the poorly lit night. This was it, this was how she was going to die, she thought. For a moment, panic gripped her, making her want to run screaming into the night to escape the ghost and the memories it brought.
Only, her Fight or Flight instinct kicked in and very much landed on the side of Fight. If she was going down, she was damn well going to take Sadoko down with her. Dropping the starseeds from trembling fingers, Pan hurled herself at the apparition, part of her remembering a different senshi who’d sicced ghost on her in the past. That part of her brain was convinced that this was another senshi and not an actual vengeful spirit.
Frankly, Pan hoped that part of her brain was right or this was probably going to end very badly.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2024 2:53 pm
Oh, s**t.
Asuka had not really been entirely prepared for a "fight" response. Perhaps she should have been; it was like, one of three major options, and probably someone who was busy ripping out souls and juggling them like bouncy balls wasn't the type to get scared by a creepy ghost telling her to do things. So, yeah, that was probably a miscalculation.
All of this came home to roost in her little brain very quickly when the other Senshi launched herself at Asuka, and it was Asuka who hit that third f in fight or flight--she froze, rooted tot he spot, and only very belatedly did she think to try and move, and by that point it was too late and all she could do was swing a fist, hoping the impact of her fist and the other Senshi's face was enough to at least pause the incoming assault so she could run away.
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 10:07 am
Pan had half a breath’s time to gloat mentally over having been correct in thinking the ghost was senshi trickery. Unfortunately, her speed and trajectory didn’t allow for sharp changes in direction and she took the ghost girl’s fist directly to the jaw. Rolling and stumbling, she shook her head dazedly. Testing her jaw and teeth, she could tell at least one molar was significantly looser than it had been before this little meet up. And her jaw would swell but was still attached in all the ways that mattered.
Well. Real ghosts certainly didn’t punch like that.
Once the world stopped spinning, she staggered towards the other senshi, grinning through blood and rapidly purpling bruises. Spitting out a glob of blood, she managed a hoarse cackle.
“Good trick. My turn now.”
She would not allow this senshi to get away easily. Not after that punch and the ghost shenanigans. But Pan knew she needed a few moments to get her full wits back.
“Thirteen O’Clock,” she hissed, letting her own magic pour out..
”Noir Songbird” Thirteen O’Clock Effects: Pan is able to use this attack up to 3 tmies per battle. Each instance lasts for 30 seconds and can affect one target within a 5’ radius, creating an illusion/hallucination of ghostly strains of music playing along with brief, confusing flashes of ghostly, masked dancers. Common side effects are confusion, extremely mild dizziness and a general feeling of What The Hell.
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 3:45 pm
The longer this went on, the more sure Asuka was that this was a devastatingly bad decision. She never should have gotten involved, never should have picked a fight she wasn't ready for, never should have relied on a fear response to get her out of a bad situation.
Because now this was getting much, much worse. Her magic had failed her. Her fists had seemingly only made her enemy more eager to fight. She started scrambling backwards, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid the magic--to avoid the dizzying sensation of strange music and flashes of---
Dancing--??
She moved backwards, but staggered, and ended up on her a**, hand on the side of her head.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay, I thought--you shouldn't play with people's souls like that, it's--it's wrong."
She probably wouldn't be able to talk her way out of this, but....no harm in trying, right?
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 10:17 am
”Oh, no sweetie. We’re gonna dance,” Pan snarled as she moved through the dancing wisps, hand reaching out to seize on Ghost Girl’s hair and pull hard. “After all, I owe ya and payback is only fair!”
Talking hurt. Moving really hurt. Her jaw might not be broken, but it was assuredly Not Happy and Pan wanted nothing more than a little retribution. The starseeds she’d plundered earlier were glinting in the street where she’d dropped them. She’d simply pound this senshi into the mud, collect her prizes and go. Ghost Girl could live and that would be that.
Doing her best to pull the senshi in close enough, Pan wound up and released her own haymaker, desiring nothing more than to break something. Anything.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 5:58 pm
When the Corrupt's hand twisted in her hair, Asuka screamed. As loud and as high as she could, in the hopes that it would either attract attention or maybe scare the other Senshi off. She also reached up behind her with both hands, clawing with her nails in an effort to get her to let go.
This was so stupid, she was such an idiot, getting involved in things that weren't her business was always a dumbass idea--
The Corrupt's fist slammed into her face, and she screamed again--this time from pain, as much as a purposeful attempt to get attention. She was pretty sure nothing was broken, but she was going to have a massive bruise--that was going to be a pain in the a** to work around.
"Okay! Okay! I get it! We're even! Do whatever you do with starseeds, I don't care anymore!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 6:30 pm
"Damn ********' right," Pan growled. She gave the senshi's head a hard shake before releasing her hair and stepping back, utter contempt clear on her bruised face. What a useless little s**t, she thought. For a moment, she was tempted to order the senshi to go fetch her dropped starseeds and bring them to her, but... no. People like this would think they were being smart by taking things and running.
It was better to retrieve her rightful property herself.
Instead, she contented herself with hissing insults and abuse. "Coward! No wonder your side is losing when it's got snivelly little weasels like you fighting. At least I was willing to stand up and fight!"
Snorting in disgust, Pan took a calculated risk and turned her back on the other girl, walking to where the starseeds lay and scooping them up. Then, turning to make pointed eye contact, she dropped both into her corset in a clear sign of claiming. Let the other girl trying something now. She'd be ready.
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Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2024 7:49 pm
Asuka stayed, right where she was dropped. She wasn’t stupid, she liked to think—well, maybe a little stupid, but not so stupid that she’d restart a fight she was losing for a moral point.
What was she gonna do with a pair of random starseeds anyway? Hope she found the right owners? Put them in a jar? Make decorations? All stupid options, because she was an idiot.
When the Corrupt dropped them into her bodice, Asuka pushed herself up, standing and dusting off her skirts.
“I’m leaving,” she said c and she started to back away, slowly at first, “so don’t bother following me.” Turning her back in the clearly-mad Senshi was a risk, but it was one she decided to take, if only so she could actually run to get out of there.
If she’d learned one thing tonight? It was to leave the Negaverse the hell alone.
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Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2024 10:09 am
Snorting in derision, Pan watched the other senshi turn and leave. As if she’d waste her damn time on such small potatoes!
“Don’t worry, honey. Y’ain’t worth the time or effort to chase,” she called out. “I got bigger chickens to fry.”
Was she being petty and very childish? Yes. No doubt. Did she deserve to let it run rampant for a few minutes after all of this? Also yes. Big yes. Soooooo much yes.
After a few moments, she realized that she couldn’t feel any auras nearby and concluded that the senshi had made good on her word to leave. Sighing, she carefully checked her surroundings before doing the same. She knew there was a UC not too far that was a 24/7. She wanted to get her jaw checked out before she passed out for the night.
Soon, the little patch where the bus stop stood was completely empty.
”Noir Songbird” and… fin. Thank you, lovely!
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