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 Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2024 4:10 pm
Quote: The Gargoyles (3) : Even when you thought you’d seen the last of them, it seems like you’re never really in the clear. A while back, there was an infestation of awful gargoyle creatures–and while every Star Festival had its fair share of oddities, this one seems to have introduced a permanent infestation upon the city. Maybe you see them perched on the roof, or hiding in the shadows, but not all of these grotesque creatures are satisfied with just escaping their interdimensional prison–some of them still have a bone to pick. They seem stony; some of them will watch with a penetrative gaze and never strike to attack, but some of them will dive down to target anyone who gets too close. The monsters come in an array of sizes and shapes, but they are no more than half the size of their target. Their goal is uncertain, but they will crumble into a pile of rocks and dust if struck hard enough. Ako had had enough, lately. She had already made up her mind on the path she was going to forge for herself, and all that was left was to walk it. So why was she still bothering with patrols? She supposed that she still cared about innocent civilians getting caught up in powered affairs, after all. But how much longer that would be true was beyond her realm of knowledge. Besides, weird crap always tended to happen around this time of year in Destiny City, outside of the regular power struggle of Chaos and Order, magic that wasn't belonging to either faction that tended to threaten all who had the misfortune of stumbling across it. That, she supposed, was at least worth the patrol. She wasn't completely heartless, just tired on the level of the soul. So that was how the senshi found herself walking along her usual route at night, keeping her eyes open for anything decidedly weird. She wasn't exactly itching for a fight, but she was prepared should it come to that. And judging by the feeling of eyes on her, she had the sinking feeling that it likely would. Lovely. "Alright, if whatever is watching me could just show itself and make tonight easy, that would be lovely."
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Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2024 7:59 pm
It was a fine autumn evening, and Akaganeite was, truly, enjoying it.
It had been years, now, since she lost herself and became an officer, and she had spent so long trying to find a way for herself that it felt as if she had neglected her duties, particularly since recieving her promotion. The Negaverse had been good to her; had given her a new life, after her old one was wiped away.
(By them, strictly speaking, but that wasn't the point, really.)
The point was: she owed them for the investment placed in her, and she needed to do more than just coast.
Perhaps she could help someone else.
There was a Senshi nearby--of little concern, as far as Akaganeite thought, but perhaps worth speaking to, since she wasn't actively draining energy or carrying starseeds. Make the pitch, as it were. So she approached, casual, weapon sheathed at her hip, and when she was within sight of the (very pretty, very fiery) Senshi, she heard her ask for something to come out.
"Mm, not me, I don't think," she said, as she stepped into view, "but perhaps we can suss it out together."
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Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2024 9:22 pm
A light prickle at the back of Ako's neck alerted her to the fact she wasn't alone, and that whoever it was, was decidedly not Order. She did her best to ignore her instincts, turning slowly to assess the voice. "I definitely wouldn't mind a hand, if you're offering. I'm Ako." She gave the woman a small smile, feeling the faintest flush rise on her cheeks. It was hard not to appreciate the woman's visage, especially with how confidently she stood. And tall. Very tall. Taller than Ako, which surprised her. "I know weird s**t happens around this time of year in this city, so for all we know, we might be up against something neither of us has seen yet."
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Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2024 9:43 pm
"Captain Akaganeite." She bowed, and moved a hand to rest on the hilt of her blade as she straightened. "I would not offer if I wasn't serious."
She scanned the area, frowning. "Not a youma. Doesn't seem to be anyone else powered, either." The only aura she felt nearby was a single Senshi--the woman in front of her. So whatever it was--because she was sure there was something, the feeling of eyes on her crawled up her back--was definitely not something of that variety of magic.
Didn't mean it was mundane, of course. Ako was right that the city got strange at this time of year.
And then something came flying out of the air, diving at Ako.
"Behind you!" She shouted, and without hesitation, she grabbed Ako and pulled her out of the way as the....gargoyle?? ?A ******** gargoyle??? flew past them, right where Ako had been.
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Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:04 pm
Ako nodded in agreement, trying to feel around her but coming to the same conclusion. Whatever it was, it wasn't of their sort of magic. She opened her mouth to say something and gasped as she felt herself pulled, falling against the Captain as the creature swooped through the spot she had been standing. "Are you shitting me right now??? Is that what I think it is?" Her caramel eyes widened at the creature in disbelief. "Are we seriously being dive bombed by a gargoyle right now?" She glanced up at Akaganeite, not spending time to think about why she felt her cheeks heat up. "Thanks for pulling me out of the way. Are you alright?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 3:15 pm
Akaganeite carefully set Ako aside, taking a moment to assure that she wasn't injured. Fortunately, it seemed she'd been fast enough.
"I'm fine," she assured Ako, "and yes, it indeed seems that our foe is....a stone gargoyle."
Ridiculous.
She unhooked her sheath from her belt--no point in dulling her blade on this creature, but a sheathed sword was a usable blunt weapon. "We'll have to take this thing down together," she said. "What sort of magic do you have?"
The creature circled, like it was looking for an opportunity for another attack.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 4:05 pm
"Firestorms. But it's....not likely to be helpful here." She frowned at the creature. At best, her attack could obscure vision and singe clothing. At worst? It would do nothing against this creature. Not if it didn't rely on sight. "What about you?" She stole a glance up at the woman, feeling anxious and... seriously why was she blushing? Ako decided to seriously shelve that for later. Now was not the time to be getting a dumb crush and feeling butterflies. Now was the time to try how to figure out how to kill a damn lawn ornament. "If it relies on sight, I might be able to do something about that much." She had never felt more inadequate as a senshi than she did right now. Normally if she got herself into a mess, it was just her on her own, and she could be as reckless as she wanted to be. Now, however, there was another person involved, and she had to actually be careful.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 4:30 pm
"Unfortunate," Akaganeite said. "Against a more organic opponent, likely useful. Against rock...." She shook her head. "We will have to rely on more basic methods."
She brandished her sword. "The blade will be useless, I suspect, but sheathed it is a fine blunt weapon."
The gargoyle screeched, and came in howling, and Akaganeite positioned herself with her sheathed blade in front of her to catch its claws.
It latched on, foolishly. That gave her the chance to spin and throw it off, slamming it into the ground.
"Quickly! Blunt force sohuld do, to shatter it."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 4:43 pm
Ako moved quickly, thankful for her speed and strength as a senshi. She lifted her leg and slammed her heel down on the creature, watching with a smug satisfaction as it shattered. She turned in a slow circle to appraise the surroundings, making sure nothing else was lurking in the shadows before turning back to Akaganeite with a smile. "We make a...surprisingly good team."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 5:09 pm
Good. The beast was downed. So much dust and broken stone on the ground, and no longer a threat.
"Perhaps not so surprisingly," Akaganeite said. "Some might posit that we are natural enemies, but there is benefit in finding common ground." And she would be quite pleased to find common ground with someone as lovely as Ako.
But perhaps more direct flirtation was best saved for another time.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 5:19 pm
"We're less enemies than you might think." After all, she had already made her decision to take the offer presented to her, to let the burden of pain and memories fall away in exchange for her service to Chaos. Not that Akaganeite needed to be worried about that. This wasn't emotional venting hour. "After all, I'm the sort of idiot who decided to try and feed snacks to a youma to see if it would let me pet it since it wasn't attacking me." She couldn't help but laugh at her own stupidity. She gave the woman a warm smile, the vibrance seeming to come back to her eyes just a little after all this time. "My rule of action is if I'm not attacked, I don't attack back. We're both people, after all, right?" So maybe she was prolonging the conversation in hopes of learning more about the woman. Maybe it had nothing to do with the butterflies in her stomach. Maybe. But then again, maybe she just wanted to talk with her more because she thought she was lovely.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 6:15 pm
Akaganeite raised her eyebrows. Well, that was good, then. It seemed she'd found one of the more reasonable Senshi. "Youma are fascinating creatures," she said, "but I hope it didn't try to take your hand off. They're deeply unfond of Senshi."
To say the absolute least. Her understanding was that even Chaos Senshi had trouble from youma that sensed Senshi first, chaos second. Some sort of inborn enmity. Fascinating, really, but probably wrapped up in the long history of the war that Akaganeite wasn't particularly interested in.
"I'm glad you're sensible about these things," she said. "I'd like to hope I was when I was a Knight, but I can't remember anymore, unfortunately."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 6:27 pm
Ako laughed and shook her head. "No, Voce quite enjoyed the chin scritches actually. Youma really area fascinating. I never knew they could actually talk until I met them."She frowned a little. "Does it....bother you that you can't remember?" She couldn't help the question, wondering if she herself would be distressed once she no longer had her own memories. "Sorry if that's personal. I absolutely understand if you don't want to talk about it."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 9:30 pm
Akaganeite nodded along. That made sense--a named youma was undoubtedly intelligent enough to overcome its instincts, or under the control of an officer who would control those instincts for them.
"It does not," Akaganeite said, with no hesitation. The question was a fair one,. she supposed. But...well. "I did not come to the Negaverse of my own will. I know this. But there is no purpose in looking back for a life I no longer remember and would feel no connection to when instead I can push forward. Become something better. Instead of being in service to an empty, dead planet, I can aid in protecting Earth from hostile external and internal forces. A much better deal, I think."
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2024 9:36 pm
Ako looked up at her in surprise of such a practical response. The surprise gave way to a warm smile though and she nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose. You're pretty practical, Akaganeite. It's a good way of looking at it." She glanced around the area again, though she didn't feel any more eyes on her. "I....suppose we should probably part ways then. I.....thank you for your help." She sounded almost disappointed as she spoke, admittedly wanting to speak with her longer.
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