Lamentable Nights: Act 04.2 - "How to Train Your Stray"

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marcien
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Lamentable Nights: Act 04.2 - "How to Train Your Stray"

Post by marcien »

(short post. i miss writing redmist okay. also, sort of a time-skip?)

Date: 10 Jun, Thursday
Time: 0213
Weather: Clear, windy
Location: Dreamworks Rainbow Stadium
PCs: Z. Redmist, Makoto
================


In two days time, there would be a huge festival. It may have been remotely interesting to most people, but one more chore to Redmist.
Going around checking on the many cameras and microphones was a part of his routine. Sometimes, some of them are worn-out and have to be replaced by a newly upgraded one. Tonight he has to check on the devices placed at the stadium and sports complex two weeks ahead of schedule.
Usually, hardly anything of interest goes on in the stadium or sports complex. These constructions are new, so ether activity near them is low. But due to the coming festival being, for the first time, held there, he had to make sure everything is in fine working condition. (All earlier years, the festival was held at the field near Admirals Walk.)

So equipped with a modified haversack of scanners and electronic monitoring devices and new cameras, Redmist went to every camera to test them. Their status appear on the screen of the tablet computer that he carried with him
Camera S07210 above blue seats in working order.
Camera S07209 above blue seats in working order.
Camera S07208 above green seats has a rusting pivot. Send a little flying mistbot up there to oil it a bit.
Camera S07207 above green seats in working order.
Camera S07206 above yellow seats in working order.
Camera S07205 above yellow seats is a little blur. Automatic lens wiper is a little loose. Flying mistbot goes up to tighten the screw.
Camera S07204 above orange seats is blur too. Lense wiper is dirty and needs to be replaced. Mistbot unscrews wiper and takes it down. He replaces it with a new sponge. Mistbot carries it back up and fixes it. This needs quite a lot of concentration, so Redmist's eyes are closed as he controls the mistbot wirelessly.
Camera S07203 above orange seats is surprisingly in order. Thank god.
Camera S07202 above red seats is spoilt. Ugh. How high do people have to kick their balls? Send mistbot up to dismantle camera.

Oh. It is heavy. Crap, it is going to hit the floor. Put down tablet and haversack of equipment. Run forward. Jump over the seats. Arrrgh. The bottom of his pants are trapped on the seat armrest. Twist to get free. Backflip. Hands up to receive camera. Back of head slams on seat. Leg probably getting a muscle sprain from being pulled unnaturally. Body stretched in-between seats uncomfortably.
But camera somewhat safe in his palms. Good.
Image
Redmist disentangled himself and snarled at himself for his carelessness. Camera S07202 in one hand and mistbot in the other, he walked back to when he left his haversack.

And found a familiar stray staring at him from a distance.

Oh no.
[img]http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1452/assignment23.jpg[/img]
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AYC
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

(Wow, it's been a long time since I've written anything. This is also the first time I've written Redmist. ._.)

Date: 10 Jun, Thursday
Time: 2:15 am
Weather: Clear, windy
Location: Dreamworks Rainbow Stadium
PCs: M, Redmist
================


Being cooped up in the house for too long isn't good for his body. Dead as it is.

He wasn't really expecting to witness some sort of weirdo performing circus stunts though, when he casually walks into the nearby stadium on a pure whim.

Honestly, the sight is rather disturbing.

The place isn't very well illuminated at all, but there's something awfully, vaguely familiar about that figure. The gleam from what looks to be a sleek tablet PC reveals a rather disgruntled profile scrunched up in concentration. Or dismay.

It's hard to tell when the guy is like, keeled over on his side or back something like that. The pitiful appearance does jog his memory though.

It's that one guy... the one that Martin totally... bitch-slapped that one time or something.

It's not like M doesn't consider himself much of a wimp, but damn. You've gotta be extra wimp-ish to take any kind of shit from King Grouchy. Ladies aside, of course.

Although he's not so much concerned as weirded out, he can't help but wonder what and why the hell this dude was here in the first place doing something like looked like a bad pirouette over some seats. Or something akin to a back flip or something. Does he have like, some sort of secret double life as a performer or some sort of crazy stunt like that?

The image of the surly-looking man prancing around on a stage in a frilly pink tutu is exceptionally scarring. M goes terribly blind in the process.

His glassy, secretly traumatized stare is more than enough to finally garner the attention of the man, who immediately freezes up and turns around in a slow, creaking motion.

M can't stop staring. Even if he has dropped back to the Earth from the Land of Terrible Things.

The man's expression is unreadable and horribly stiff, like it's been carved out of stone or something like that. Actually, with how white and drained it looks, he wouldn't be surprised if it really was stone.

M takes it that that's how the guy expresses the feeling of total horror.

Suddenly this seems very amusing.

His mouth starts to spread into a seamlessly evil grin just as the man strides up to him with alarming speed, and brandishes the metal - what the hell is that? - object in his hand dangerously close to his face.

"You." M notices that the dude is using his other hand to cover his mouth as he speaks, and if anything, he can't help but find it really weird.

If not a little ga --

"You," says the man again, "Did not see anything."

His deadpan tone makes it hard for M to take him seriously. His attempt to swat the strange metal contraption in the guy's hand results in said guy immediately retracting it at an snappingly fast pace before his ghostly hand even makes contact with it. What, is he like, horribly possessive of his stuff or something? It's not like his dead, ethereal body would've done anything to it.

Man, this guy might just be even more of a freak than Jacket is. Or maybe he's just got issues.

The raised eyebrow of disbelief does not go unnoticed, nor does the man miss a beat in his threats, even without the device being thrust into the perimeter of his face. "You will not speak of this to anyone," he says firmly, but the fact that he keeps averting his eyes and his idea of a stern tone is just monotone isn't really effective.

But M plays along. "Right... gotcha. I totally did not just see a fully grown man do something most fully grown men don't do in stadiums. Whatever the hell that was."

The man makes something that kind of sounds like a mix between a sigh and a strangled cough. "You will not speak of this to anyone," he repeats again, and this time the message seems to have gotten across, as he uses a bit more force and general oomph behind his words. There's a pause before he adds with much more gravity and an actual attempt at eye contact, "Especially not to a certain, evil black bird."

... Say what?

M is mind-blown. He's not sure if his face is showing bewilderness or just plain mind-effery but he knows... actually he doesn't know anything. The hell is this guy on?

Apparently he's also nuts. In addition to being plain weird.

"... Right. Yeah. I'll stay away from... those black birds, dude." M doesn't even need to back away from the contagion of this man, because the aforementioned man makes the first move. Which is some kind of awkward shuffle backwards.

"As long you understand," he mutters flatly, and promptly makes his getaway with the turn of his heel. As if he had long since wanted to run far, far away and lock himself into his room like Sanae's hikkikomori housemate and play with computers.

But he can't be that much of a wimp right? He's gotta be seeing things.

M briefly contemplates the idea of going on a hunt on the town for black birds. Just because he's an ass and wants to scorn the guy.

But then he realizes that he'd probably have caught whatever that guy had if he even considered the possibility of chatting like it was normal to birds.

Honestly.

So he settles for the next best thing. An Oriole bird.
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Pictor
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Re: Jacket Journal - Festival Intermediate Days

Post by Pictor »

Date: ???
Time: ???
Weather: ???
Location: ???
PC: Jacket
NPCs: ???
================


"Eh...."

The Phantom Jacket found himself in the darkness. To both his left and to his right, endless rows of shelves lined themselves into the distance, eventually disappearing into the blackness. Below his feet, a single roll of bright-red carpet lined a path between the shelves, stretching on just as infinitely. The place was curiously well-lit, despite there being darkness all around, and no obvious sources of light

It seemed that he had ended up in yet another peculiar place.

"Hrrmmm..."

Jacket crossed his arms and thought hard. But he simply couldn't recalled how he ended up in this place, nor what he was doing beforehand. Was this another dream? He didn't remember sleeping or anything, so...

"Ennnngh....!" The Stray grimaced haplessly as he deduced what that must have meant. "I... probably got knocked out again..."

There was a moment of silence for his own dignity, and then--

"-- Aaaaaaaargh!!"

An implosion, as he furiously scratched his head and tossed himself violently around.

What an embarrassment!! This shit has been happening too much lately! At this rate, he'll end up like some kind of a retarded running gag! A sick joke!!

"Huff... huff... huff..." After the long wave of self-resentment subsided, Jacket was eventually able to calm himself down. "Hah.... Well. It's not like it really matters. Life's not some cheap light-novel or anything."

"Hahahaha... are you sure about that? It sure seems like it is one, sometimes."

"Well, maybe. You'd have to be a pretty demented guy to write a novel about my life tho-" Jacket recoiled in surprised as he found himself face-to-face with another person.

Well, not a person... exactly. The figure was dark and hazy, and shifted around constantly. Like some sort of mirage. But it was clearly very short, and had the voice of a young boy.

"UWAH!! Who're you?!"

"Hmmm, I wonder..." The person replied in a friendly, casual tone.

"What is that supposed to mean? You don't know...?"

"Hehe, why? Is that strange?"

"Ah... s-sorry." Jacket suddenly felt very ashamed at having asked so bluntly. After all, he was the last person to talk. Almost everyone he's met knew more about him than himself. "But, wait a minute, are you a Stray then? Like me"

"... Stray? I don't know what that means."

"Hmmm... well, how'd you get in here then?"

The shadow boy seemed to perk up at the question.

"That's something I should be asking you!"

"Huh? Well... this is my dream... isn't it?"

The boy giggled. He seemed to have been amused by Jacket's answer.

"This place..." The shadow stretched out what appeared to be his arms, motioning to the area around them. "... Is mine! I've always been here. From my perspective, you're the stranger."

"Wha-?! Really?"

"Yep! It's the last place I have, actually. I don't really know what that means either, but that's how things are."

Jacket rubbed his neck in awkward silence. Being put in his place twice in a row... talk about a double whammy. For some reason he was starting to feel like a bully.

"Ugh... I didn't know."

"It's okay. I wouldn't have let you back in if I minded."

"Huh? What do you mean 'back in'?"

"Well, you've been here once before."

The shadow boy's tone of voice seemed to imply an obvious fact, but this was news to Jacket. I didn't recall ever being someplace like this...

"I don't remember that at all!"

"It doesn't surprise me. The last time you were here, you were so out of it that you started throwing a tantrum and wrecking the whole place! I almost had to kick you out!"

"Gah! I-I did?"

One newsflash after another! It certainly didn't feel like this kid was lying. Dammit... he felt like a sorry drunk who caused a scene and then forgot about it all.

"Hey, don't look so down. I said I didn't mind, right? Besides, you look like you've sobered up since then."

"Y-Yea. I'm sorry anyway though..."

"Hehe, it's fine."

It seemed like the boy was one to easily forgive. Seeing as how many people he's managed to either piss off or cause trouble for lately... he counted himself fortunate.

"Hey, um, if you don't mind me asking, what is this place anyway? It seems like some kind of library."

In fact the more he looked around, the more he started to think it resembled the library in Pebbleton. Well actually, it was the only library he'd ever been in since becoming a Stray.

"Hmmm..." The shadow thought for a while before speaking again. "I suppose to a guest like you, it could be called a library. It's really more of a storage space though. After all, these books were all written by me."

"A-All of them?!" But the place was huge! Infinitely huge. The bookshelves themselves were already pretty big, and each one was stacked completely full. Mirto would adore this place. "Wow... that's... a lot of writing."

"Hehe, I've had lots of time to spare. Loooots of time." Even if he said that, Jacket couldn't imagine how long it'd actually take to write this many books.

Just then, the boy perked up, as if struck by brilliance.

"Hey! Wanna take a tour?"

"S-sure."

The shadow boy grabbed Jacket by the wrist and began to lead him enthusiastically down the carpeted path. As they walked, the endless wall of advancing shelves on either side nearly made him dizzy. He noticed that the first shelf in each aisle was labeled clearly in letters etched into the side panels. The Stray was able to catch a glimpse at a few.

"Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Horror..."

"No Non-Fiction, huh?"

"That's because those are boring!"

"Oh." Eh, maybe Mirto wouldn't love it so much after all, then.

After a bit more walking, the carpet suddenly ended. Beyond was simply a featureless sea of black.

"Well, that's it for now."

"For now?"

"Yep. I make more shelves when I need them. But for the time being, this is all there is."

'Make', more shelves? Jacket hoped the poor kid didn't actually have to build them all from scratch. For one thing, there didn't seem an obvious place to get the materials. Though, seeing as this was some kind of dream-space, he most likely just conjures them up or something.

"Huh?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jacket noticed something. Behind the last row of shelves, there was a plain-looking wooden pedestal. Seeing as how there was nothing before but shelves, books, and the carpet underneath their feet, the new piece of furniture stuck out like a sore thumb. Resting on top of the pedestal, was a single volume.

"What about that one?"

Jacket pointed to the book on the pedestal. It was quite thick, and had a plain, purple cover with golden lettering inscribed on it.

Huh.

Hasn't he already encountered something like that?

But before he could dwell upon the thought, the shadow boy quickly brushed past him and motioned toward the pedestal with his hand. Almost instantly, the pedestal sank into the darkness of the ground and disappeared from sight.

"Whoa!"

"Whoops. Not that one. It's... not finished yet."

There was a strange hint of urgency in the boy's voice, but Jacket managed to stave off his curiosity. According to what the boy said, he was already kind of an intruder. He shouldn't push his luck.

"Oh. I, guess I was being nosy. Sorry."

The boy giggled once again.

"Hehehe. Why are you apologizing so much? I've already said I don't mind you being here, right?"

"Erm, well, it's just that..." For some reason, the Stray felt like he owed it to him to at least give an honest answer. "I've been causing a ton of trouble for a bunch of people lately."

"A bunch of people?"

"... Yea. Good people. People that I liked a lot."

"Do they like you back?"

The boy couldn't have asked anything better to catch Jacket off guard. He certainly hadn't expected something like that from a mere kid. Then again... none of the 'kids' he's met up until now were very normal.

"... Haha... that's... I can't really tell you that, I guess. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't though, after the hell I caused for them."

"I think you should loosen up on yourself."

"... You think so, huh?"

"Yea! Or else you might become some sort of a loner if you keep beating yourself up."

"...."

That would be terrible, wouldn't it? In fact, it was the last thing Jacket wanted. The pain of being unwanted, or worse; feared. It was a loneliness that he was quite familiar with, and frankly, never wanted to experience again. But that didn't matter. He was better off being by himself if it meant keeping danger away from others. The time he spent with Mirto, for all the hecticness that it came with, he'd begun to take it for granted until the catastrophe on the cliff. Maybe this was the kind of punishment he deserved.

"Hey!"

"W-What?" The shadow boy had shouted so suddenly that Jacket was startled out of his own daydream.

"When you first saw me, you got surprised and asked 'Who are you?'. Why?"

"Uh, I dunno? Isn't that what you usually ask people when you first meet them? I mean, how would you know what to call them and stuff?"

"Is knowing who someone is really that important?"

"Well, of course. You can't really get along with someone unless you know who they are..."

"You can't be friends with everyone, though."

"Yea, well, it's better to get along with someone, rather than to be enemies, right?"

"But neither of us know who we are, right? I can't introduce myself because I can't remember. The same kind of applies for you, too. Despite that, we're getting along just fine, wouldn't you say?"

"Um... yea. I-I guess."

"And all those people who you say you liked... didn't you get along with them, too, despite not understanding yourself as well?"

Man, what was with this kid? He asks a bunch of questions and then answers them for himself. Jacket couldn't deny that he had some sort of point though.

"You wanna know what I think?"

"... What?"

"I think that being with someone you like is much more important. If you spend enough time with someone, you'll naturally come to know who they are."

Jacket didn't know how to reply. The shadow boy simply gave a laugh.

"Hahaha, did that seem obvious?"

"... A bit, yeah."

"It's the obvious things we tend to forget though the most, though."

The boy began to walk back the carpeted path in the other direction. When Jacket realized he wasn't going to wait, he dashed to catch up.

"Y-Yo, wait up"

"Haha, what's the rush? Scared to be left alone? It's just a straight path, you know."

"... Argh."

The boy continued to speak as they journeyed back through the array of bookshelves.

"I also think that we don't simply just ask who others are, but rather, we jump at the chance to introduce ourselves as well, even if we don't realize it."

This kid certainly 'thinks' a lot.

"People naturally want to be with others. No matter how much someone might try to deny it, being alone is painful. We want our existences be acknowledged by someone else who exists. We naturally attempt to reach out, and hope that a hand takes ours in return."

"Er, when you put it that way, it seems pretty selfish."

"It does, doesn't it? But at the same time, we welcome others into our lives as well! A meeting goes both ways, doesn't it?"

After that, the shadow boy said nothing until they arrived back at the beginning. Jacket hadn't bothered to turn around when he was here last, but it turned out that both sides of the carpet path stretched on into darkness.

"Beyond simply wishing to be with others... I think that we find ourselves in others, too. More than anything else, we can mark our lives by the people we meet."

The boy raised a finger and pointed ahead into the black expanse.

"Take a look there, do you see anything?"

At first, Jacket thought it was some kind of a trick question, but after a short moment he simply gave up trying to figure out what was running through the blurry child's mind.

"... Nope. I don't."

"If I told you to run ahead without looking back, would you do it?"

"A-Are you for real?"

"Hehe, it's not a threat."

"... Um, that'd depend on what's out there."

"Even I don't know that."

"Well then, it'd be kind of freaky."

The shadow boy gave a chuckle as he nodded in agreement.

"I think so, too! But what if we went together?"

The masked Stray paused for a bit before answering.

"... That'd be a bit less freaky."

The boy laughed again at Jacket's clumsy answer. Was this kid being serious, or just teasing? It was hard to tell.

"It's weird how that works, huh? If the path is well lit and laid out, we're okay. But as soon as it gets dark and we can't make out the road underneath us, it's much more comforting to have someone else around. Even if the other person does nothing but walk with you, their presence alone makes the darkness bearable. Of course, you could try to be brave and do it anyway."

The boy then turned and looked in Jacket's direction. Despite the fact that his face was just as hard to make out as ever, the Stray could feel an honest stare.

"... Although, there's a fine line between being brave and being foolish."

Jacket wasn't sure where it came from, but the boy gave off a strange air of maturity as he said those words. Was he really a boy to begin with...? He said he had a 'lot of time', but...

"Hehehehehe~!"

Jacket's train of thought was interrupted by a burst of laughter.

"Sorry! I must have been blabbing a lot, huh? I don't get to talk to others often, so I ran my mouth there."

So, he doesn't get many visitors then.

"Do you... get lonely in here?"

"A little bit, sometimes! But I'm not as alone as you might think."

"Huh? Are there others here besides you?"

"Nope!"

"...I don't really get it."

"Me neither. But that's fine. You visited me today, right? I got to have some fun."

"But all we did was walk around and talk. Was it really all that fun?"

"Yep! Don't you think so?"

Hmmm, well, Jacket never really asked to be here himself. Hell, he still wasn't even sure where 'here' was. But... it wasn't too bad.

"Heh... Well, I didn't hate it."

"Hahaha, you like to act cool, don't you?"

Gah... sharp kid...

"I think it's time we wrapped this up, though."

"Why, you got somewhere to be?"

"Nope. Not me, but you!"

"Umm..." Jacket scratched his head in confusion.

"Come on, don't look so lost! You have a lot of important things to take care of, right? Don't you think it's time you got going?"

"A lot... of important things, huh?"

"That's right!"

"Well, if you say so. But... just one thing."

"What's up?"

"How do I actually get out of here?"

"Hehehehe..." The boy's laughter was a mischievous one this time around. "Like this!"

Out of nowhere, the boy ran forward and tackled Jacket with all of his might. The Stray was knocked forward and sent flying off the carpet path and into the darkness. To his horror, there wasn't actually any solid ground. It was an endless abyss.

"HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

The boy peered over the ledge of the path. Bringing his hands beside his mouth, he shouted after Jacket, who grew was falling farther away by the second.

"Remember! Don't beat yourself up, too much! Don't always think everything is your fault!"

"W-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOOOOOUT?!"

"Hehehehe! I'll see you later! Go get 'em, tiger!"
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Sentrovasi »

Last post and first post of arcs? I'm on a roll!

Date: 09/06 Wednesday
Time: 00:00 AM
Weather: Cloudy
Location: 4 Peddington Lane
PC: Threads
Other PCs: Leuel

The trip back to Lilia's place was uneventful, but that hardly registered as his mind raced through the impossibilities of the day, trying to find any implication – any at all – that it would have ended quite that way.

Nothing, and at the same time everything, came to mind. In a day full of improbably positive coincidences, could there have been any more fitting end? How much more of a difference did it make? Hadn't he seen death before? Hadn't her death been far more painful than this?

The difference, he knew, was that before, he was able to ascribe a cause to the death, and a reason behind it: Lucifer, however callous and cold he was, had his own twisted rationalization for what he did. But this... this was senseless and arbitrary. It was death he could ascribe no reason to, other than the fact that the only anomaly had been himself. Threads faltered in his steps for a moment before pressing on. There was something at work here, and it was not the rational, calculative method he had been afraid of.

It was far worse.

Before he knew it, he was back at 4 Peddington Lane. The streetlamps reflected the sheen of water which still clung to puddles in potholes on the road. No shadows, no reflections. It meant little to him but he couldn't help thinking back to the scene he had just left. Probably the police would have been alerted. Perhaps they hadn't. Maybe everything he'd seen had been a huge illusion – an Enomena, he reminded himself.

And maybe nothing. He knew that it had happened, and he knew that sanguine denial wouldn't give him the answers he wanted. Right now, though, there was little he could do about it that he wanted to do. The day would bring with it new revelations, and for now all he had to do was –

He paused as he walked up to the door. His hand hovered for a moment over the door handle, unsure of what the proper course of action was. Lilia was less a friend than a mere acquaintance: she had asked him to stay with her, certainly, but he was certain that had it been him, he would have hesitated before offering to share his house with someone that could go through walls, manipulate Ether and was largely invisible to the rest of the world.

First sign of trouble and you head back here, he chided himself. What's wrong with you?

It wasn't only that he had no reason to expect a stranger's protection, but that he was bringing trouble to others: the fact that these 'others' had only made their existence known a short time ago made the prospect no less distasteful to him. These were problems of his own, and he had no intention of getting anyone else involved in them. He stepped back.

Why did I even –

Before he could get any further, the door swung open and through him: reflexively Threads activated his scarf.

“Threaaa – oof!”

For a moment, there was a sudden surge of relief. It was quickly replaced by consternation.

“Leuel, what were you doing? And how did you know I was out here?”
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

(I was this close to making Threads a tsundere at the end. This close. It wouldn't have suited him that much though.)

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 12:00 am
Weather: Cloudy
Location: 4 Peddington Lane
PC: Leuel/Lazarus
Other PCs: Lilia, Threads
================


Nnn.

Even after all this time, her heart is still weeping for the loss of her new, jacket-wearing friend. Even if she knows that the sentiment, most likely, might be one-sided.

But a friend is a friend! Who cares if she's more worried for his wellbeing than he is - after all, he's in the same boat as she was in a while ago, being a unlinked Stray and stuff. If anything, he might've already been mauled by Blights.

But now! Now Threads is gone too! And if anything, Leuel's heart can hardly take the potential loss of someone else dear to her.

W-w-what if he too, also got torn apart by Blights lurking in the shadows? W-what if he was turned into some kind of... some kind of... weird Ether pancake and was gobbled up by a most ginormous, behemoth Blight?

The terrifying image causes Leuel to jump to her feet in horror. NOOO, THREADSSSS - !!!

Fortunately or unfortunately, she barely makes it across the threshold of the door before Lilia blocks her way with a partially amused, mostly exasperated expression on her face.

"Leuel, where are you going?"

"I-I-I NEED TO SAVE THREADS, LILIA!"

Her Crosser lets out a sigh, and plants both of her hands firmly on her shoulders. "Leuel. I've already told you many, many times during the last hour and a half, but Threads is probably okay. He'll find his way back home soon enough."

"B-b-b-but Lilia..."

"Leuel. It'll be okay. Just go back and sit down, alright?"

"... O-okay..."

Her attempt to jump out the window falls short too as Lilia grabs onto her leg with surprisingly fast reflexes before she can even pass through the glass. The drop of her ethereal body onto the floor mirrors the drop of hope in her heart - fast, and pretty darn relentless.

"Leuel," says Lilia again, up with her elbows on the shiny floor, "Although you managed to make it halfway down the street the first time you tried escaping this way, what makes you think you'd make it the other five times?"

"It doesn't hurt to try..." she replies, but all the tears in her stuffed bear head makes it come out as some sort of gurgling choking sound.

Lilia helps her Stray get to her feet, and casts a soothing Colour Overlay on her for the umpteenth time as they make their way back to the sofa. "Now Leuel, let's just sit here and wait, okay? Threads will be back soon."

Leuel only sniffles in response.

She can only sit still for barely ten minutes before she feels some sort of weird prickling sensation on the back of her neck. It's definitely something new to her cycle of panic-get up-get down for the last hour or so, but there's also something really, really familiar about it that she can almost place her finger on...

Definitely not a Blight, despite the moping around feeling about it. Blights don't mope. They just have this pitch black negativity around them. It's like.... lesser negativity! Like... grey and dreary.

Like... like... like Threads!

Threads? Threads!

And so with this realization, Leuel hops up once again and dashes to the door faster than Lilia can detain her, crashes into the door, then slams open the wooden slab and rushes into supposedly thin air -

"Threaaa - oof!"

Ow.

“Leuel, what were you doing? And how did you know I was out here?”

THREAAADDSSS - !!

Leuel promptly latches onto him, much to the other Stray's chagrin.

"Augh - !! L-lu-leuel... let go of me..!"

"I was waiting for you Threads! I don't know when you left, but you suddenly disappeared and I thought you... you got turned into some sort of fried fillet and eaten by a big Blight or something!"

Threads does not appear so much worried about the tears overflowing her bear head as preoccupied with getting her off of him. "Huh? What are you talking about? Those... things can't eat you - AUGH! Leuel! Let go -"

"Yes they do," she says with so much certainty that even Threads looks like he's tempted to believe her. Or maybe he just want her to loosen her death grip on his abdomen.

"... Right. Look, I'm flattered you were worried and all, but... can you just let go?"

And so she does, and watches blankly as he rubs his sides in pain.

"Alright, so tell me how you figured out I was out here."

Leuel gives him a perplexed look, head tilting and all. "Why wouldn't I know Threads? You're my friend! What kind of friend would I be, if I couldn't recognize your aura when I feel it?"

She wisely doesn't mention the split second it took for her to actually confirm that it was in fact his, but judging by the vaguely mystified expression on Threads's face, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Not that she wants to keep secrets, but...

"Er... right. Is that how you detect those Blight things too?" The sarcasm dripping from his voice is mild, but Leuel is a little more concerned with his weary appearance that she ignores it and instead pushes him towards the still open door.

"Not really Threads! It's close, but also a little different. Like! It only works on nice people! Like you Threads, or Lilia, or that jacket-wearing guy earlier!" For a moment, she pauses and then adds with a lightbulb flourish, "I call it, my Friend Sensor!"

A brief look flashes across Threads's face at the anti-climactic name, and for that brief second he almost looks like he wants to do one of those facepalm things. Luckily, Lilia appears in the hallway to close the door behind them before he can entertain the action.

"Welcome back Threads. Leuel in particular was very worried about your sudden disappearance."

"... I can tell," he replies with a faint wince. Leuel makes a silent note to restrain herself more around Threads, especially since he's still unlinked and not that strong yet. Given the chance, she could probably take him out with ease...

Sorry, Threads...

"By the way, Threads... Why were you waiting outside for a while anyway? Why didn't you just come in? We were waiting for you!"

At this, he hesitates and glances around uneasily, as if in internal debate with himself. Leuel waits for him patiently, but after several minutes of no answer, Lilia breaks the silence with smile and light push in the right direction.

"Threads. You're always welcome here. You don't have to have second thoughts about returning to a place you can call home, you know."

His face changes slightly, but in what way, Leuel isn't really sure. It doesn't seem bad though.

"...Right."
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Re: Jacket Journal - Festival Intermediate Days

Post by Pictor »

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 9:43 AM
Weather: Slight fog, cool breeze
Location: ???
PC: Jacket
NPCs: Lanette, Lin
================


"BWAH!"

Jacket flailed himself into an upright position. He was falling! Falling into infinity! He was...

... On a sofa?

It took a second or two for a dumfounded Jacket to realize it, but that seemed to be the case. Jacket shifted around on the soft red cushions just to make sure he hadn't somehow ended up in yet another dream. It certainly felt real enough...

After verifying that he was in fact awake, Jacket took a moment to gain his bearings. It seemed that he'd awakened someplace indoors. The room was a bit peculiar though; it was narrow like a hallway, and everything was arranged against the walls to form a walkway through the centre. Immediately across from him was a home entertainment set, and a rather grand one at that. The flat-screen television was bigger than any of the ones on display in front of the mall! Were you supposed to watch it while sitting from here? Somehow, it felt unnecessarily luxurious.

Silently leaning forward, the Stray glanced precariously down the rest of the "hallway".

"W-What the?!"

Jacket was shocked to realize that there seemed to be an entire home contained in this place. To his left, past an opened door, was a miniature kitchen, and beyond that was what looked like a small dining area. There wasn't much to see in the other direction, though. The pathway just ended with another door a short distance away from where he was sitting. This one was closed, but was a bit fancier than the one preceding the kitchen. It was made of polished wood, and had a golden handle. A bedroom, perhaps? It wouldn't be too surprising... what with everything that was here.

*Ka-shunk!!*

A metallic commotion from above caused Jacket jump from his seat. The sound had come through the ceiling. Was someone up there?

*Shunk-a-shunk!"

Jacket got to his feet and slowly followed the sound to its source.

Huh. Weird. There appeared to be some kind of a hatch on the ceiling-space. The noise was coming through there.

*KA-CHACK--!!*

Suddenly the hatch flew open, streaming blinding sunlight into the room. Immediately after a set of ladders slammed down mere inches away from the Stray's face. Jacket's ears snapped rigid as he froze in speechless terror. If he had a heart, it'd have exploded at that moment. Scratch that; he was pretty sure something inside him had exploded anyway. Just when he was sure he'd finally gone insane, a familiar voice spoke.

"Oh hey! Look who's awake!"

The person who spoke was paused halfway down the ladder, with one hand in the process of drawing the hatch shut behind her. Instead of continuing to descend, she simply hopped off and landed energetically onto the floor. After getting back up, she brushed at her short, orange hair and smiled.


"Finally came around, huh? I thought you were gonna sleep all day!"

"Cheeee..... Y-You?!"

"Yep. It's me." The girl seemed to be indifferent to Jacket's terrified expression as she pushed the ladder back up into a slot in the ceiling.

"You almost hit me with that thing!"

"Huh?"

"The ladder!"

Lanette glanced back up toward the ceiling and stared at the contraption. It seemed to take a second too long for her to register what Jacket had meant.

"Oh! That. Haha... whoops! My bad." The girl put a hand behind her head and grinned innocently. "You're fine though, right?"

"Well yea, but--"

"Great!"

"No it's not!!"

"Geez, it was an accident. Quit being so high-strung."

"How can I not be?! I don't even know where the hell I am!"

Lanette gave a huff and frowned impatiently.

"Way to be ungrateful. I lugged your sorry butt out of the streets and into my home. This is how you thank me?"

"... Huh? Your... home?"

"Yea! Where did you think this was?"

"Uh... I hadn't given it much thought." Well, Jacket had already assumed that this was a residence of some sort, but he hadn't expected that the person who lived here was this brat, of all people. "You really live here? I thought you lived in an apartment!"

"Well I moved! Er... sort of." The girl closed her eyes and cast a hand outward proudly. "So this is now my secret home base!"

"... S-Secret base, huh?" Jacket wondered how much of a secret anything could possibly remain with this girl in charge. Loose lips sink ships, after all.

"Yea! Here, check this out!" Lanette dashed to the couch that Jacket had been resting on. Clambering across, she reached up and drew apart a pair of curtains behind it that Jacket hadn't noticed was there before. She turned motioned him over excitedly.

"Whoa!"

Despite a thin presence of fog, when Jacket looked outside, he discovered that the "home" he was standing in was situated in a large parking lot. What's more, it seemed that it was actually an extremely large vehicle of sorts. Taking notice of Jacket's mystified expression, Lanette couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Are you surprised?"

"Yeah. Kinda." It was obvious he was downplaying the situation, but he really wanted to avoid to giving the girl too much credit.

bile home! Neat, huh? I didn't even know we had one of these until Lin showed it to me!"

"Lin? Who's that?"

"Oh yea. You haven't met her yet."

As if on queue, a door opened a ways down the hall, and a voice rang called out into the vehicle.


"Young Miss! I thought I had warned you about entering through the--" The woman paused as she noticed her charge and an awake Jacket sitting on the couch. "Hmm."

Lanette eagerly skipped over and pulled Lin into the room.

"This is Lin! She's my caretaker. You should thank her too, she helped me carry you here!"

Caretaker? Ah, that's right. This girl came from a prestigious family or something. Was this sort of arrangement common for rich children? Now wasn't exactly the best time to wonder, though. Bringing himself out of his tangential thoughts, Jacket turned nervously towards the older woman and gave a polite nod.

"Er, t-thank you." Immediately afterward Jacket considered throwing himself out the window and placing himself in front of the next oncoming vehicle. Was that really all he had to say? Was that all he could say? Since when was he the type to freeze up like that. How embarrassing...

Lin narrowed her gaze on the Stray. Her expression was as cold as stone.

"... Interesting. So it really is capable of speech.

"Uhm..."

Jacket could feel an obvious wave of hostility from the new individual. It wasn't exactly something that he was a stranger to, but for some reason, he felt that he should take extra care not to cross this particular woman.

Lanette shot her caretaker a disapproving glare.

"Lin... come on..."

The woman simply closed her eyes calmly.

"My apologies. I was simply making an observation." She brought her right hand in front of her and gave a light bow of her own in return. "My name is Lin. I am a caretaker of the Hindfells in charge of Miss Lanette's well-being. I had been instructed to bring you here... as a guest. Upon the Young Miss' insistence."

Jacket noticed she took special care to emphasize the last bit of her explanation.

"Well, that's... um." He wasn't sure what to say. It seemed like any response he could give would only serve to make the situation even more awkward. So, instead, Jacket simply settled for another firm nod of respect.

That was, until an urgent point popped into his head.

"W-Wait a second!"

"Hmm?"

"If you guys had to 'bring' me here... than that means..." The more he approached his question, the more he realized the dreadfulness of what he was about to admit by asking. "... I lost to you, didn't I?"
Last edited by Pictor on Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

"Ch-Cheer up. It's not that bad.."

Jacket, sitting with his head slumped down against his chest, didn't move from his sorry position.

"Hey. A-Anyone could have lost. After all, I'm a pretty mean fighter! Hehe... heh..."

The shadows cast on Jacket's face were of a darker and more negative variety than usual. Lanette on the other hand, instead of growing more concerned, actually began to get fed up with his behavior.

"Come on, what's done is done! Just take your loss like a man!"

A masked face, frozen in an exaggerated expression of both disgust and scorn, appeared from between Jacket's shoulders.

"Tch... easy for you to say. You're the one who picked a fight with me in the first place."

At this point, Lin, who had been sitting alone in a seat on the opposite side of the room, glanced to her charge with a raised brow.

"Is that so, Young Miss?"

Lanette winced as she flushed to the ears, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"It doesn't matter who started it! The point is, you were being an impossible idiot! And you still haven't given me a proper answer!"

Jacket turned to avert Lanette's accusing gaze.

"... Hmph. I dunno what you're talking about."

The girl simple moved herself in front of him again. Obviously she simply wasn't going to let it go. She crossed her arms sternly and furrowed her brows.

"Why didn't you go and see Mirto?"

"..."

Lanette didn't budge an inch, and Jacket simply sat with an elbow on one leg, propping up his face. Just like that, the two remained at a standstill for what seemed like ages. Finally, Jacket furrowed his brows and muttered an answer under his breath, looking even further aside as he did.

"... I don't deserve to."

"Eh?"

"Rrrrrr..." Jacket gave a frustrated grumble. She was doing this on purpose. He just knew it. "It's... it's because I don't deserve to, okay?!"

He had shouted a lot louder than he had intended, but it was too late to take it back now. Instead, the rambling continued.

"I was the one who brought all that upon her in the first place! I lead that stupid Train right to her! Before she'd met me, her life was just fine!"

He wasn't sure why he was spouting all of this now. Lanette was the last person on Earth he'd expected to spill his guts to, but for some reason he wasn't able to shut himself up.

"And then I had the gal to swear that I'd protect her or some dumb shit like that. Cheh. Can you believe it?"

He thought he'd cleared it all up for himself already. Earlier, with Oriole and that hooded guy... the weird crow lady... and Lilia and Leuel. Hadn't he already gotten past that hurdle? Hadn't he already cemented his resolve?

"... Not only did I manage to mess that up, but I actually put her in more danger than before...!"

So then why did it hurt so much to say all of this? Why were his thoughts in such a jumble? It ached more and more with each passing moment. It was as if he was staring into a giant kaleidoscope that someone wouldn't stop churning. Jacket felt as though he were throwing up each and every word until nothing but disgusting emotional bile came out.

"And... it wasn't only her. But you, too... You also got hurt because of me."

It was painful to admit your own uselessness. In the end, he hadn't really gotten over anything. All he did was pretend to be a saint. As if everything was all right. What a load of bullshit.

"So there. I'm just some worthless scum who can't even protect the people who I owe it to the most. On top of all that I have some demented group of crazies hunting my ass. I put other people in danger just by being around them."

"..." Lanette unfurled her arms from in front of her and slowly lowered them to her sides. If Jacket had bothered to look up, he would have noticed she was clenching their rather hard. "So that's it, huh?"

"Tch. Yea. Pretty much." The masked Stray shifted quietly in his seat and brought his arms to rest on his knees. "I appreciate you guys picking me up, but if you don't want any trouble, I'd suggest you kick me out soo-"

*--K'THWAK--!!*

Before Jacket knew what had happened, he found himself bouncing off the back cushions of the couch so hard that he tumbled onto the floor in recoil. Then, an incredible pain struck him upside the head. When he looked back up, Lanette was standing in front of him with one fist still raised.

"G-GAAAaaaah!!" Jacket clapped his hands over his temples, which were now throbbing unbearably. "Stop friggin' hitting me!"

"Well? How was that? Did it hurt??"

"Obviousl-"

"--GOOD! Maybe some sense will finally start flowing through that thick skull of yours!"

The girl stamped solidly onto the ground, placed her hands on her waist, and took a deep breath.

"You don't deserve to??' Give me a break! What kind of a moronic sob story was that?"

Jacket struggled to pick himself up as he was being bombarded by an onslaught of reckless shouting. But as soon as he got himself to his feet, he was forced back onto the couch by an angrily advancing Lanette.

"You were all 'I this' and 'me that'! You think you're taking others into consideration, but really, you've only been talking about yourself! Stop for a second and think about how others feel!"

"W-Wha-"

"Tell me. Do you think she hates you or something?"

"Nnnrrggg... Shut up. What do you know?"

"Idiot!!" Lanette had thrust her face so adamantly toward Jacket's that he had to shrink himself into the cushions to avoid a collision. "Don't assume everyone's as brain-dead and selfish as you are."

"...."

Lanette drew herself back and brushed at the hair along the nape of her neck.

"Do you honestly think Mirto is that shallow of a person? She's worried about you, did you know that?"

The bright-haired girl's fervor suddenly ground to a skid as she looked away nervously.

"A-And for that matter, I can't stand to see you in such a story state either."

Jacket couldn't help but be a little but shocked at those words. He really hadn't expected anything like that.

"I-Is that so...?"

"It is so!" Twirling herself around, Lanette plopped resolutely onto the seat next to Jacket's.

"I don't get it. Why do you keep trying to do everything on your own? Did you think you could fix everything by yourself? Come back a big hero or something after beating all the bad guys?"

"... Don't be ridiculous. I'm just trying to stop anyone else from getting hurt."

That was a half-lie, of course. To be honest... he couldn't really deny that she was all that far from the mark.

"By acting like a martyr? That's the same as throwing yourself to the dogs, like a piece of meat." Lanette smiled and pumped a fist up, pointing a thumb to herself. "I'm supposed to be the hero around here!"

Jacket raised a brow, apparently having not understand her meaning at all. Lanette returned an impatient sigh.

"What I mean is... Y-You don't have to deal with it all alone. I'm upset about it too, you know."

"Huh?"

"... I wasn't able to do anything back then either. Besides..." She threw her hands gently behind her head and rested herself lightly on the sofa. "... Being all alone is miserable, isn't it?"

"..."

He'd never heard her speak in such a way before. There was a certain somberness carried in her voice that, for some impossible reason, put Jacket a little bit at ease. Maybe he really had gone nuts if he was beginning to empathize with this girl.

Lin, who had remained so quiet up until now that Jacket almost forget she was there, exhaled softly from her seat in the corner. Was there some sort of a secret understanding here?

Jacket closed his eyes and grumbled a reply in exactly the way someone who's just been chastised would.

What do you want me to do then? Just show up at her door like everything's fine?"

"Mmmaaaaybe." The girl glanced over and flashed an almost impish grin. "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care."

"... As if. That'd be stupid."

"Heh. I guess it would be, after you made such a big deal about it, huh?"

Lanette kicked up her legs and sprung off the cushions with a miniature flip. She remained silent with her back faced to him for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Hey. You want to get better than you are, right? Stronger! Faster!"

Jacket looked up as she asked her question. A smile was still spread across her face as she turned to meet his gaze, but the expression seemed a much more serious one. A smile pumped full of determination. It would be a sin to answer dishonestly to that kind of face.

"... Of course I do."

"Hehehe...! Then we have the technology!"

Lanette giggled shamelessly at her own silly joke.

"And I do too!" The girl pounded her a fist to her palm as she made her declaration. "Whenever I think about what happened back then... grrrrr it gets my blood boiling! The next time I meet that guy, I'm gonna hammer him into the ground! Literally!"

Jacket didn't need any extra guesses to know who she was referring to. Because he had the exact same sentiment.

"So enough beating around the bush!" The girl threw out a fingerless glove-wearing hand to her seated guest. "What do you say? Wanna level up together?"

Jacket stared at the hand being offered to him. There was an odd sense of déjà vu. It seemed that, no so long ago, he was in a similar situation. But right now, he couldn't help but feel it was a foreign thing.

"... Y-You sure?"

To rely on another instead of standing alone. Could he really count on himself to cherish such a connection again? He found himself glancing over in Lin's direction. The caretaker made no movement.

This one was solely between him and the girl.

"Hehehe...! Don't you remember what I said before? The most exciting stories are the ones where--"

He knew where this was going.

"--Heroes and villains team up... right?"

For a split second Lanette seemed to have been surprised he that had managed to finish her sentence like that. But the expression was quickly replaced by bubbly laughter.

To think, he he'd come to have this kind of relationship with this bratty, nosy girl. It's true, he'd known her for most of his existence as a Stray, but it was always as... well... "that bitch with a mallet". At the time, it was nothing short of terrifying... but looking back, it actually kind of amusing. In a sick and masochistic sort of way.

This conversation between them wouldn't have been possible if he had never met Mirto. As weird as it sounds, she was the mediating force that brought the "hero" and the "villain" together. With all her resolute maturity, and insufferable snarkiness. How many times had he been yelled at? How many times had he been threatened by the blunt-edged spines of books? How many times had he been carefully patched up after being beaten half-dead by that light green glow?

He wished for that again. All of that. The good and the bad. And not just that, but many other things, too! He wanted to ruffle Oriole in the hair as she smiles delightfully. He wanted to exchange insults with that hooded ass until they eventually threaten to knock each others' teeth out. He wanted all of that back, and he wanted it back as soon as possible! Without the fear of bringing danger with him wherever he went. It was childish and selfish. It really was.

But was it okay?

A proud, cheesy grin with a head full of bright orange hair was telling him it was alright. The hand floating staunch and unmoving before him was telling him it was perfectly fine. After all, it's no crime to wish for happiness, is it? Even as a Stray. Even as a strange, masked anomaly that made no sense; as himself.

Jacket drew in a breath and exhaled deeply. As he did so, he couldn't help but feel a bit of weight being sloughed off his shoulders.

It was no use. In the end, he was defeated again. No matter how hard he tried, it looked like he simply wasn't able to attain even one victory over this girl. Go figure. His luck just that horrible. How stereotypical of an arch-villain.

The peculiar creature with a masked face reached out, and felt a hand firmly take his.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by marcien »

Date: 9 Jun, Wednesday
Time: 08:11am
Weather: Misty morning
Location: 4 Peddington Lane
PCs: Lilia Auen
Other PCs: Leuel (Lazarus), Threads, Graciel Flay
================


Lilia was dismayed to realise that she had woken up later than usual today. She attributes it to being woken up in the middle of the night several times by an easily excitable new stray.

Nonetheless, she gives Leuel and Threads (mostly directed at Threads) some quick instructions and readies for work.

She sees a young man in the yard next door.

'Ah! Good morning.'

' 'morning! You must be the new neighbour, right? Good to see you! I'm Graciel Flay.'

'I am Lilia Auen. It's nice meeting you too.' She shares a handshake with Graciel.

'Are you new in this town? I'll be happy to help you with anything if you need--'

'IT'S THE CATBOY!!!'

Cat what?! ... no. Ignore Leuel. Do not respond. That's right, no one else can see--

'Uh... H-hello to you too!' Graciel turned to greet the stray behind her.

He can see her?
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by marcien »

Date: 9 Jun, Wednesday
Time: Morning
Weather: the sun is peaking through the clouds, and it's kinda warm
Location: Uptown Pebbleton
PC: Sophia (Oriole)
Other PCs: Makoto (M), Graciel Flay, Leuel (Lazarus), Lilia Auen
================


Makoto follows Sophia for what now seems like a daily ritual of a walk around town. Today, the agenda was to ask Graciel about how Cassius is doing. Then it was to look for Jacket again. Then to visit the stadium which will host the festival on Saturday. And then pay his own crosser a visit.

To be honest, it was all very bothersome. But is was not as if Makoto had anything else to do (morning's cartoons were over). And accompanying Sophia on her little adventures was marginally more enjoyable than wandering about town alone.

'Wow, Mister Mad Hooder, how do you even remember the way to Mister Graciel's house? This is a big town!'

'It isn't that big of a town,' it's just you moving way too slowly around the place. Oh wait she can hear this... Makoto turns to see Sophia sulking, then grinning.

'Eheeheehe, I heard that! But... it is okay... right?' she knits her brows slightly, 'Umm, since I hold on to Mister Mad Hooder's arm and he moves about fast.'

'... Yea, sure.'


Makoto averts his glance away from his arm. Ahead, he sees... a Teddy Bear? (And Graciel who was talking to it. With another woman looking on.)

'What's a "Teddy Bear"?'

Makoto directs Sophia's sight to it. 'That. Well, that's not exactly one, real teddies are all furry and snuggly, that one's just a wannabe from neck up.'

At their arrival, the Teddy-headed-person appeared to be flailing.

'Oh, this one can see us.'

'Yeps! Wannabe Teddy is a stray!'

'Wanna...? I AM NOT A WAH-- Eeeekk!!!' A child? She's coming nearer! No no no-

'Good morning Mister Graciel!'
'Yo.'

'Good day you two! ... Ah, meet my neighbours: This is Lilia Auen, a crosser, and Leuel, her stray.'

'Hello Madam Lilia! Hello Madam Leuel!!'

Stop, don't come over-

Graciel turns to the woman. 'And these two are Sophia and Makoto. Their crossers live in this town too!'

... don't come near me--

Makoto looks at Leuel. 'Yo, Teddy head.'
Sophia tilts her head in confusion at Leuel's thoughts. 'Eh? So-sorry...?'

He's not a child, he's okay--

'Woah can you even see through plastic buttons.'

I'm okay... We're okay...

'Hey Sophia, over here. This is how a Teddy bear's head looks like.'

Everything is okay, everyone is fine...

'I see!' Sophia reaches out to touch the head.

We're... all... right...

'Wow, it's soft and fluffy!'
'Told you so.'

... ...
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by SavviG »

Date: 9 Jun, Wednesday
Time: 08:11pm, Morning
Weather: Misty morning
Location: 2, 4 Peddington Lane Yard
PCs: Graciel Flay
Other PCs: Leuel (Lazarus), Threads, Lilia Auen, Sophia (Oriole), M (Mad Hooder)
================


He can see her?

Leuel approaches and hid behind Lilia. Hands on each shoulder, she shakes Lilia a bit, 'Thats the Cat Boy I saw last night!' she whispers from behind.

So that's whats the fuss was about last night...

'So, how come you can see her? Are you a Crosser too?' Lilia tried to get out of the grips of Leuel.

'I'm no Crosser, I'm a Pa-'
'CAT BOY COSPLAYER!'
'-anzer, I can see Strays, sense Ether beings like yourself.' Then Graciel motioned his hand to Leuel, gesturing that this implies to her as well.
'May I ask what a Panzer is?'
'COSPLAYERS!'

'We're sort of like Crosspla-... Crossers--'
'Crossdressers!!'
'Leuel, sshhh...!!'
'-like Crossers! But we bond with animals instead. And so, when we are born we are combined with a animal. 2 souls become 1.'

Gracial scans about for strangers, when it was clear, he demonstrates by releasing his hold on human form. Cat ears open out like a bud blooming, fanning out from below his hair. He spins around to show his tail too. Leuel reached out to stroke the tail but misses as Graciel spun a 360.
'aw...' wimpered Leuel, missing the catch.

Lilia was sort of surprised that there are other beings, first a Stray now a Panzer. She wonders how many more kinds she'll meet.

Graciel retracted his animal features now.

'Can you turn into a full cat?! Like that dog lady?!' cried out the excited Leuel.

Dog lady? 'Of course I can. Some, most Panzers can fully morph into their animal halves and not all can hold a human form.' He smiles.

'Show us! show-' She stops in mid sentence and then she starts to flail.

'Oh, this one can see us.'

'Yeps! Wannabe Teddy is a stray!'
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 8:15 am
Weather: Mist
Location: 4 Peddington Lane
PC: Leuel/Lazarus
Other PCs: Lilia, M, Sophia, Graciel, Threads
================


It's weird for a Stray that controls electricity, but the shock that shoots through her body is very, very numbing and far from comforting.

For a long moment, Leuel is rendered immobile by the small, ether-sensitive creature that seems to be stroking the soft plush of her bear head. Immobile with fear, that is.

W-w-what is... this?!

Her thoughts are having difficulty sorting themselves in order. This is definitely... a child... Stray, isn't it? She's fairly certain normal Crosser children don't float, after all.

At the thought of Crosser children, Leuel's fear quickly escalates into something more akin to absolute terror.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE - !!!!

The little hand on her head is lifted away slightly, and it gives her just enough time to calm herself and reassess her situation to the best of her ability. Which is more or less akin to panic and heart attack inducing anxiety.

She didn't notice it earlier, but this little Stray... actually looks a little bigger than her previous Crossers. Briefly, Leuel considers forgiving her.

... She's probably older, right? Maybe it's not so bad..!

But then she realizes that all children, no matter the size, can be the most deceitful creatures given the opportunity. Th-they may look cute and act nicer and sweeter than a day's worth of raw sugar, but if there's anything she knows about children, it's that they're always hiding something truly sinister and uncontrollable under the surface! It-it's like... wolves in sheeps' clothing!

At this thought, Leuel reverts to quaking in fear. So visibly in fact, that the little Stray's companion raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Eh... Mr. Mad Hooder, Madam Leuel is shaking..." says the small Stray, with a curious look in her direction.

"Yeah. I can see that."

"I think she's scared," she adds slowly.

The other Stray crosses his arms across his chest. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"I don't really get it... something about wolves? Maybe she met a scary wolf Panzer?"

"... Huh." He shrugs disinterestedly.

"What should I do, Mr. Mad Hooder?"

He shrugs again. "What do you usually do to comfort someone who's scared?"

There's a long pause. Leuel does not stop quivering in terror, but she shakily wonders if she's going to be okay and that they'll just leave her alone and chat with the catboy and Lilia instead.

... And then the little Stray reaches out, and wraps her arms around the fluffy bear head... on Leuel's head.

...

. . .

Somewhere in the background, the male Stray falls to his knees at the stabbing, unbearable pang of envy in his nonexistent heart.

Elsewhere, in a lonely RV parked in the middle of an abandoned parking lot, a jacket-wearing Stray spasms briefly in his sleep at the sensation of pure and searing jealousy erupting in his chest.

... And so on.

Meanwhile, Leuel appears to be struggling with a series of fits in the grasp of the small Stray.

Actually, it's more like her quivering with terror levelled up into complete unadulterated horror. So much so that she seems more or less ready to blow a fuse. Literally.

A-a-ah...

This Stray...

AAH...

I-i-i-is...!

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

If this was any other occasion, Leuel would feel terribly sorry for blasting everyone in the nearby vicinity with giant blasts of electricity, but right now, she's too busy reliving her past trauma and running away to care. Though she does mentally promise to apologize properly later.

I'm sorry...!

The tears overflowing her bear head makes it exceptionally difficult to tell for sure, but the familiar colors around her must mean that she must've fled into Lilia's house. Vaguely she can hear some kind of strangled sounds from outside, and Leuel hopes greatly that she didn't do too much damage. The image of frying her own Crosser. a couple of Strays and the catboy makes a few more tears waterfall down her face.

Her sniffles sound like a bunch of stuffy gurgles. Even though she's like totally dead and doesn't exactly need to breathe, it is a bit uncomfortable to walk around with something like a fishbowl of water on your head. Also, all this water is making her eyesight kind of bubbly and really hard to see in general.

Yeah, something like that...

She's sitting there not doing anything for a bit when a realization hits her with the impact of a speeding train.

...

...

. . .

W-W-W-WAIT, SINCE WHEN COULD I SEE?!?!?!

In a frenzied burst of movement, she crawls and stumbles her way to the nearest mirror and plops herself down in front of it. With a small squelch and a torrent of water, the head comes off with a small pop and a great deal of dreadful anticipation.

...

Hm.

Yeah.

... It's the same face. Albeit kind of damp from tears.

...

That's no good then.

A despondent reflection stares back at her, but she completes her mission anyway by shoving her head back into the hole from whence it came. It's not like she doesn't like wearing this bear head all the time - actually, she's gotten rather fond of it, exempting what had just happened - but it does sadden her that she can't possibly afford to let her guard down even after bonding with Lilia. At least if her face was different, she wouldn't have to worry so much about her previous Crossers leaping out of the bush and recognizing her on the spot...

The sensation of the weak, flickering flame of hope being extinguished makes her shed a few more tears underneath the plush of her head.

No, wait, I can't keep crying after I just dumped out all that water!

Leuel shakes her head as if to rid herself of all her woe-striken thoughts, but in the process, she notices someone staring at her, rooted to the spot at the top of the stairs.

"Oh, hi Threads!"
Last edited by AYC on Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Pictor
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 10:30 AM
Weather: Slight fog, dense atmosphere, air conditioning
Location: Car
PC: Jacket
NPCs: Lin
================


Jacket sat with a tense silence in the backseat of a car as it traveled westward across town. The driver was none other than Lin who was, herself, sitting in the driver's seat situated to the front-left of the vehicle. Most of the cars in the country had the driver's seat at the front-right, but not this one. In fact Jacket hadn't ever seen one like this before, and briefly wondered what that might have meant. The car was unique in more ways than one, for sure. Even someone with no relative expertise in automobiles knew without a doubt that it was a luxurious model. Just the outside appearance, with its sleek and polished jet-black design was a straight give-away. The inside of the vehicle contained so much leather that it seemed as though someone had turned a cow inside-out, and Jacket had the sneaking suspicion that the dashboard was ripped straight off the set of a science fiction movie. On top of that, the interior was also completely clean and spotless, so much so that Jacket was initially hesitant to get in for fear of desecrating the untainted sanctuary. A quick glare from his escort was able to fix that reluctance relatively quickly, though.

These were the things that Jacket fumbled through his mind as he adamantly watched the outside scenery roll past the window. Anything was good enough to alleviate the excruciating stillness of the current situation.

"......"

Jacket shot a lightning-quick glance at the rear-view mirror, catching a glimpse of the driver's dark green hair and eyes. Lin was focused on the road ahead, and paid no heed to her passenger at all. Or, at least, she didn't show it. In fact, Jacket was certain she was deliberately not showing it. Perhaps some sort of a psychological intimidation tactic. After all, for the entire walk to the vehicle... no, for the entire time since they've first met, she had been staring daggers into him.

Our masked hero certainly wasn't somebody to dismiss a pretty lady when he sees one, perhaps that's what made Lin's glare so oddly upsetting. And by "oddly upsetting", he actually meant "terrifyingly intimidating." Jacket absentmindedly painted a mental picture of the scenario:

A tiny, cowering stick-figure brandishing a wilted twig as a massive, coiling dragon thousands of times his size rose from a molten crevice in the ground. It bellowed smoke from its maws and raged embers from its glowing eyes.

... Yea. Something like that. Maybe the pattern on her top played a part in influencing his impression, but "dragon-like" was a very fitting way to define Lin's fierce and unrelenting gaze. Even when she isn't looking directly at you, it feels like she always has her eyes on you. Say, for example, if she was the driver of a vehicle and you were sitting as a passenger in the back seat.

It doesn't take a genius to see that the Hindfell caretaker was a stoic woman... but it would also take an absolute idiot to not notice the fact that she clearly doesn't seem to like him all that much. At the very least, a level of idiocy that Jacket had not yet fallen unceremoniously into... just yet.

The silence grew more stagnating and awkward with each passing minute. It was mighty difficult sitting up so straight (and so still, for that matter), but the Stray didn't dare to shift his position even a nanometer. Any sound he'd make, despite the commotion of the bustling streets and the car itself, seemed like it would somehow declare war on the woman in front of him in the loudest, and the most grotesquely profane way possible.

Of course, the one who had placed him such a situation was none other than Little Miss Superhero herself.

------
"I call it Project Training Arc!"
"... Why?"
"Haha, what do you mean? Because it sounds cool!"
"I don't really get it. What's a 'Training Arc'?"
"Nevermind that. Hmm, now... with this schedule, I've already got the day planned for you so...-"
"Huh? We're starting today?"
"Of course! Time is money! Money that's falling into evil hands! The sooner we start, the better!"
"That.... That doesn't even make any freakin' sense."

------

The thing was, even though the brat had distinctively said "we"...

"Haaah... I can't help but notice she didn't come along at all."

"The Young Miss cannot accompany us today, as she has dutifully occupied herself with some accumulated work"

Jacket nearly ejected himself through the roof of the car from the sudden sound of Lin's voice.

Sh-Shit! Had he wondered that thought out loud? How stupidly careless!

"Ah... Ah Ha~! Work... huh? I-Is that so? How... very... responsible of her...!"

Talk about mashing bullshit through a strainer. Even if Jacket had hardened his guts with his Stray powers, he couldn't have suppressed the impulse to cringe at his own words.

"Yes. The Young Miss has amassed quite a collection of unattended lessons and homework material during her... absence."

The caretaker paused for but a second between sentences, and it was at that moment that Jacket thought he caught a hint of bemusement in the woman's tone. Just a hint. Ever so slight. In fact, he could have even imagined it. But for some reason the thought carried an unspeakable horror more deadly than the entire sequence of silence up until then.

"... Of course, as a daughter of the Hindfells, it is imperative that the Young Miss keeps up with her studies. The Young Miss would never forgive herself if her academic career was jeopardized due to selfish ventures."

There was no doubt about it. This woman was pure evil.

Why?! Why does he always get stuck with the crazy ones?!

After that, the very definition of conversation committed suicide for the remaining duration of the ride.

=============

Meanwhile, a few miles back whence Lin and Jacket came, a tuft of bright orange was in danger of drowning amongst a sea of textbooks and photocopies.

"Uuuuuuuh.... S-Someone... Someone help me...."
Sentrovasi
Posts: 163
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:55 am

Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Sentrovasi »

Threads' day began later than he'd meant to, because of, or perhaps despite the late night. It had been a lot to think about, and he was beginning to wonder if there was any better way to go about finding new information.

From his position lying on the bed he could hear a conversation going on downstairs. Apparently the person who lived in the neighbouring house had returned. His interest piqued, he sat up and moved towards the window. From his vantage point he noticed that the neighbour in question was not, in fact, the woman from the day before. Lilia and Leuel were talking - or rather, Lilia was talking, and Leuel was making loud and rather inaccurate exclamations. For a moment a spirit of experiment took over him, and he contemplated going down to check if their neighbour could see him too. The coincidences didn't seem to have stopped. But he stayed, partly out of caution, but also because he rather preferred it like that; it was the days of watching people, he knew, but he'd grown to rather like the calm that came from watching people live their lives normally, without them having to mind his feelings or pretend that he was important to them.

None of the few passers-by seemed to notice anything untoward about the conversation, so he could assume that the neighbour, at least, was visible to them, and not another -

"Oh, this one can see us."

"Yeps! Wannabe Teddy is a Stray!"

Really? These ones weren't even trying. The guy, at least, was walking like a normal person, but the girl's small form was suspended in mid-air, gravity seeming to have no effect on either her nor the white gown she was wearing.

His eyes turned to look at Leuel, who had indeed stopped and noticed the pair as they sauntered over. For some reason, she hadn't seemed very excited at their arrival at all. At their words, she began to protest indignantly, but then let out a sharp shriek. Threads leant forward: were they people from her past?

Nobody else seemed to notice, as they appeared to exchange niceties with each other. Perhaps they were used to overreactions like Leuel's; after all, he was already certain that Lilia and Leuel were either stupid or insane, so why not the rest of them?

"And these two are Sophia and Makoto. Their crossers live in this town too!"

"Crossers...?" It suddenly occurred to him that while he was aware of the term, he had no idea what they crossed. The neighbour seemed to talk as if being bonded was perfectly natural and expected, but he hadn't yet met more than two Crossers, the cat-eared neighbour included.

"Yo, Teddy head - whoa, can you even see through plastic buttons? Hey Sophia, over here. This is how a Teddy bear's head looks like."

"I see!"

It annoyed him that the two seemed to be treating Leuel as though she was fundamentally different from them. Sure, she certainly didn't look human, but weren't they all in the same boat? He felt a little sorry for her as she was looked over like an animal in a zoo.

"Wow, it's soft and fluffy!"

"Told you so."

As the girl rubbed her palm against the bear's head, some part of Threads began to remember something. He knew if he checked his notebook now that he'd be able to find exactly what worrying thought was nagging at him, but he knew he hadn't the time to think about it.

"Eh... Mr. Mad Hooder, Madam Leuel is shaking..."

"Yeah, I can see that."

Instinctively he could tell that Leuel, inexplicably, was on the verge of losing control again. Inwardly he marveled at how he could be so sure after just a day of knowing her, but Leuel had proven herself to be rather predictable and not at all subtle.

"... Crap." He briefly considered trying to help, but he knew he was too far away, and given the fact that all these other Strays were apparently bonded, they were probably in less danger than he would be.

"... what do you usually do to comfort someone who's scared?"

Or not. He felt like he was watching a train wreck going in slow motion, except that in this case the conductor was being very, very stupid.

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

He ducked for cover as a burst of light shone through the window, followed quickly by a ripple of what felt like thunder but was eerily silent. The pressure of the ether was intense as he felt the blasts of lightning coalesce in the air around the house.

"Watch out, Sophia!"

The pressure suddenly seemed to mute itself, as though it had simply ceased to exist. Threads stayed where he was behind the sill, nonplussed, then turned and ran out his room. He had to stop Leuel before -

He heard the sound of a door slamming open, and then sobbing from downstairs, interspersed with an odd and rather disturbing gurgling noise. Apparently Leuel had entered the house. He found himself oddly relieved that her crying was more miserable than hysterical: at least it meant that she was no longer in a berserk state.

As he cautiously approached the stairs, he could hear muffled, strangled noises from outside; apparently not everyone had taken that blast well. Part of him was surprised that the houses hadn't been damaged in the least, but then he realized that if there were others like Leuel, there wouldn't be much of a town left at all.

He had taken half a step down the stairs when he noticed the figure of a rather ridiculous-looking bear sitting in front of a mirror. He noticed with a mild sense of wonder that she had her hands about her head, as though...

pop

He winced involuntarily as the head was pulled off. Part of him expected to see nothing there, but that made no sense. The splatter of a torrent of (water?) made the effect all the more dreadful. But then...

Huh.

Her face was surprisingly normal; attractive even. Her shoulder-length hair was tinged a shade of blue that couldn't possibly be natural, but it was hard to believe that she was the same neurotic, child-hating, out-of-control bear that he'd thought her to be just a moment ago.

Harder to believe, though, was the sheer volume of tears which lay in a pool around her. Neurotic was definitely still on the cards.

She seemed to be looking intently into the mirror for something; Threads couldn't help but think she was just as surprised about her face as he was. And wasn't it uncomfortable wearing a bear head like that? There were days when wearing so many layers of clothing felt unwieldy to him. He paused there for a moment, unsure of whether or not to approach her, but then she stuffed her hair back into the opening and set it firmly on her shoulders again.

As she visibly shook herself, presumably to keep it together, Leuel noticed him, still lost in hesitation that was really awkward indecision.

"Oh, hi Threads!"

"... Oh. Hi. Yes." He was struck by how unperturbed she seemed; part of him realized now that he'd imagined himself privy to a secret of hers, when it certainly didn't seem to be the case.

"You shouldn't be crying there..." he started, then stopped himself. What was he saying? It didn't make any sense; didn't he have something he wanted to say before?

"... I mean... you shouldn't... be crying," he tried again, "when you're the one who went all berserk again. They might be really hurt."

Despite his admonishing tone, he realized as he said it that of course she knew that, it was probably part of why she was crying. The bear face just seemed to stare at him blankly. It was a moment before he noticed the faint sobbing and the slight shoulder movements that suggested that his words hadn't quite the desired effect.

But it was her fault, Threads thought to himself. He had no reason to feel guilty pointing it out. And yet...

"Don't you want to see if they're alright at least? You can't do that if all you're going to do is mope."

He winced inwardly. He was trying to be patient, but to tell the truth it was difficult to rationalize the bear's actions, and he didn't think he'd be doing her any favours to encourage her, even if to patronize her.

Lazarus sniffed softly. The bear head rose a little, although it was difficult to tell if she was actually looking in his direction as she spoke.

"Yes, but..." her body seemed to stiffen and her fists clench as the shiny black eyes of the bear seemed to look directly at him. "There's a kid out there!"

"And? Did she hurt you?" He was less than impressed by her declaration, and didn't feel like he had any reason to be patronizing with her. Perhaps it was the fact that he had seen her face; she was a normal, mature girl, and she had to learn how to act like one.

"Yes..." she grew silent for a moment, then took a glance in the mirror. "No? Kind of..."

"She hugged you," he stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "Which is a tremendously stupid thing to do in and of itself, considering you're a stranger in a bear costume."

He didn't see the need to inform her that he considered the two new arrivals to be as insane as the rest of them, but his tone was tinged with that incredulity regardless.

Leuel scrambled onto her knees to face him, and set her arms at her side in a rather emphatic display. "I know right! How could you do such a thing?!"

There was a moment of silence, during which Threads tried to come up with a way to tell her that she was missing the point for his aside.

"... But Threads, you saw the whole thing? Why didn't you help me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Help you blast lightning down a street at a few innocent bystanders? You seemed to have that well -" he stopped himself. "Lazarus, if I'd tried to help you then and you'd lost control, I would have died."

"... But we're already dead."

She stated it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. But Threads couldn't accept it. "... Weren't you the one who wanted me to save you from the Blights? Aren't you trying to survive?" He spread his arms wide to try to emphasize his point. "That's what living is, struggling to survive."

Yes, that's what he'd come to terms with. "Don't trivialize death by thinking that this is all it is."

She had been silent as he tried to find the words to express himself. Now she seemed a little indignant. "But Threads, I wanted you to save me from that child!" Almost immediately she was struck by a new thought. "Blight? What Blight? WHERE?!"

She turned, almost as though the Blight might have been behind her. Threads couldn't help but feel like his message had sailed right over her bear head.

"Laz- Leuel. There was no Blight. You didn't need saving. You released a huge amount of electricity point-blank while a girl was hugging you. You have a Crosser." He tripped over the word a little as he said it. "Don't you think Lilia would have done something if she'd thought you were in any danger?"

He slowed down for a moment as he tried to distill what he wanted to say. "Point is, if you keep losing control like this, you're going to hurt the people you care about. You need to get over your irrational fears." Easier said than done, he thought to himself.

"... But I know Lilia is okay. I can still feel her." Despite this, Leuel didn't seem nearly as sure of herself. It wasn't a denial, just a qualification so she'd feel better.

"What should I do then, Threads?"

Why are you asking me? he thought to himself, but out loud he knew he had to press his advantage. "At the very least, you have to go out and apologize to everyone. Make sure they're alright."

He smiled wanly as a thought came to him. "If you're lucky, that kid will have been scared off you, but if they're as dumb as I think, then explain that you don't like to get too near kids. Lilia will be on your side, I'm sure." He paused. "And I guess I'll be there too."

Leuel looked between the door and Threads, looking as though she was unsure of whether or not it was worth it. The bear's face was impossible to read. But eventually she bounced up and grabbed Threads by the arm.

"Okay! ... I guess we should go now, right?"

"While they're still there, sure." Knowing better than to try to pry her off, Threads decided to be satisfied with his small victory. Once he'd coaxed her out of the house, Lilia could take over.

"Lead on."
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AYC
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Location: In hibernation.

Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 8:25 am
Weather: Mist
Location: 4 Peddington Lane
PC: M
Other PCs: Sophia, Lilia, Leuel, Graciel, Threads
================


The pain in his chest is splitting. He's not even really sure why it hurts but for some reason or another, he just dropped to his knees in agony and his heart feels like its on fire and being tightly squeezed. Maybe this is what heartburn feels like.

Through his bangs, he can see Sophia lightly hugging that stuffed bear head, while the other Stray seems to be shaking with increasing vigor. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost say that this new pedo Stray was actually... afraid of chil -

And then he sees it happening in slow motion.

Or maybe not exactly slow motion, but since M's kind of unnaturally fast he's definitely perceiving it all a lot better than everyone else can.

The first pulse knocks Sophia off harmlessly, but the second pulse is huge, ginormous and not something he'd ever expect from any ordinary Stray. The bright ether-infused lightning is not only blinding and probably really painful, but also insanely fast and explosive.

M really wishes he could marvel a bit more, but the image of himself turned into Mad Toast is not particularly appealing.

"Watch out, Sophia!"

But the idea of Martin snapping him in half for not protecting his Stray is not really pleasant either.

He dashes to Sophia in almost an instant, and against his better judgement, extends and wraps the shadow of his cape around the large mass of Ether blasting towards them. It makes him grit his teeth as the ether struggles and wears his shadows thin as it's caught, but he just fortifies his ether around it until it stifles as much as the blast as he can get into submission.

The fact that it won't stop violently pulsing is pretty damn frustrating and M doesn't even waste a second of thought to decide that he sure as hell won't be able to hold this whole thing for very much longer. Despite all he's doing to keep it literally under wraps, it's already stretching the coating of ether to ripping state and it's becoming a real pain in the ass.

UGH.

So he digs his shoes into the ground, rips off the ether and the shadows and his cape, whirls around and throws the entire mass into the sky as a guy as scrawny as he is can - which is actually pretty high for someone who isn't built... like a certain jacket-wearing Stray. M watches at the bundle flies up, floats there, and then subsequently blows up in a giant etherplosion that makes his eyes bleed at the bright mix of lightning and glowy shadows.

"Hot damn."

He sure hopes that his eyes are watering because of the brightness and not just because he just lost his cape.

Holy shit, he feels so naked right now. Even though he's technically not.

Internally, M laments.

"Oh dear. Are you alright?" It's that Crosser woman, brushing off small bits of debris from her shirt.

"Yes, ma'am! I mean, I took care of my share of the blast." Even through his woes, M raises his eyebrow at the sight of what appears to be a small device in Graciel's hand. It looks like some kind of flimsy piece of plastic, but the wiser side of him knows that whatever it is, he'd never ask to be put on the receiving end of any kind of Panzer technology.

"You are fine as well, right Miss Lilia?"

"Yes, I am fine." She waves her hand dismissively and M concludes that she had used some kind of Enomena to deflect the blast while he was obviously not paying attention. Not that he cares too much.

"How about you, Sophia?"

Oh yeah. In his haste and self-absorbed lamentations, he had completely forgotten about the Stray he was trying to protect. Unfortunately, however, M turns around only to find Sophia with the most wobbly eyes he's seen from her in a while.

O-oh. Fuck.

"Sophia - Sophia, don't cry - where did you get hurt?" Screw his supposed self-consciousness, he'd never be able to forgive himself if he made her cry. Actually, a part of him feels like he'd be condemned by the entire world if he let that happen.

DAMMIT.

"Uuu... Mr. Mad Hooder... w-why... did... Madam Leuel..."

Huh?

"Why... did Madam Leuel... do that? Did... did... Sophia do something wrong..? Uu..."

Huh? So it's not about him or his fault?

Yeah?

Well. Holy shit. That's pretty bloody reassuring. So much so that he doesn't even know what to say next.

Hrk - !

"Sophia, is it?" says the Crosser (Lilia, was it?), putting a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "It's okay. You did nothing wrong. Leuel is just a little... scared of children, that's all."

M makes a sound that's kind of like a retarded fusion of a choke and a scoff.

Oh. So he was right. What the hell, man. Why would you wear a bear head like that and be afraid of kids? Just doesn't make sense.

"Really? But..."

"It's not your fault, Sophia. Don't worry, we'll get Leuel to apologize."

Uh. Right. If anything, M would suspect that Stray to freak out again and blow the place up for real.

"I don't know about that. Maybe we should get a move on and look for that meathead..." As soon as it finishes coming out of his mouth though, what appears to be another Stray marches out of the nearby house, with the aforementioned offensive Stray in tow.

... Dammit.

The first thing that comes to mind is, Is this woman running some kind of shelter for Strays or something? And why didn't I hear of this earlier?

The second thing, of course, is to facepalm at the imminent doom that is sure to happen by having Sophia and that monster Stray within ten feet of each other.

And the third thing is to give the once-over to this new person. M has to a blink a few times to make sure he's seeing it all correctly, but is this guy wearing the most random, mismatched clothes or what?

Yeah, he is. He sure is being rendered speechless a lot recently.

"Leuel," mutters the mismatched Stray, grimacing in what seems to be pain, "Stop holding on so tightly."

Surely enough, the guy's arm's being held in an alarmingly vice-like grip. If M didn't have his misgivings, he'd almost feel sorry for the dude.

But in any case, the other Stray doesn't relinquish its grip by much. She only mumbles slightly, and her companion ends up sighing in response.

"Leuel. Hurry up and apologize then."

She mumbles again, and it's by this time that M considers wagering his soul on the fact that she won't pull it off. It's pretty obvious with how she's starting to shake again while everyone's just waiting expectedly.

"I... I..." Her shaking is getting so fierce that the even the mismatched Stray she's holding onto is shaking in time with her.

"I-I..."

Oh man. Here it comes.

"I... I-I... I'M SORRYYYYYYY!!"

Uh, what? M's mouth flattens into a thin line as the Stray ends up running away in a flash, leaving nothing but a stunned, really awkward silence in her wake.

Huh. To be honest, he's not really sure whether she's apologizing for blasting them, or apologizing for running away. He doesn't really care though, because at least Sophia looks satisfied... sort of.

Man, M never thought he'd see the day he'd meet a Stray even more of a freak than Jacket. Just goes to show that all Strays come in different shapes and color. And mentalities as well, apparently.

Eh.

Well, at least she didn't spew mountains of lightning this time around.

And at least he hadn't wagered his soul either.
Sentrovasi
Posts: 163
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:55 am

Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Sentrovasi »

Date: 09/06 Wednesday
Time: 8:29 AM
Weather: Mist
Location: 4 Peddington Lane
PC: Threads


For a moment, he'd thought he was dead. Inwardly he sighed in relief.

"Yep. She's sorry." Inside, Threads was a little sorry, himself, that they'd had to see that. The look on Lilia's face, though, prompted him to the next part.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure." The look on her face didn't change.

"Fine." He finally relented after another moment of stunned silence. As he left, he remembered that the others hadn't seen him before now.

"Oh, and hello to you all too. No hard feelings?"

Then he was gone. Not that it really mattered, but he felt like a whole lot of the crazy was going to be around them, for some reason or another.



Date: June the 9th, Wednesday
Time: 0832
Weather: Mist
Location: Herston Public Library & Museum
PC: Randall Kayne


He handed the keys over to the day guard, two minutes late, and left the museum. Under his breath he groaned; that left only thirteen minutes for him to get to Telston Mall; it was lucky he'd managed to fix up the bicycle he'd dredged up from the shore the day before. Of course it had taken a little Enomena, and Noa wouldn't talk to him after he accidentally stained her skirt with the oil (he promised to buy her a new one), but at least now he didn't have to run all the time; even with his Enomena, it took a lot out of him to run the tens of kilometres a day just to get by.

Not that he minded the practice. As he grew more confident with his abilities, he was beginning to take on more and more jobs, fitting in any amount of part-time work that he'd been unable to take before and trying to optimize his routes. The breakfast crowd at Café Parfait were a crowd he knew well, and it helped that his way with Ether gave their dining experiences a little boost; there weren't many other morning jobs he'd prefer to take, although he made sure to still get some sleep in on weekends.

As he concentrated on steamlining the ether flow both of his pedaling legs and the chain of his bike, his stomach grumbled on the single can of coffee he'd bought from the museum's vending machine. Regardless of how well-liked he was there, however, he knew he wouldn't be allowed to eat on the job; he sighed and tried not to think of the club sandwich he'd be having for lunch.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pasonia »

Date: 9th June, Wednesday
Time: 8:15AM
Weather: Mist
Location: Dawnview Park -> Lighthouse
PC: Martin Chang, ???
==============================


The mist was a slight clog on Martin's vision, but in his mind, it wasn't so much a problem as learning how to master the Ether flow.

Martin has had enough of being on the sidelines. Twice he's found himself barely getting out of situations alive, and at times he's found himself more of a hindrance, such as the battle near the museum which, he mused, he found a Panzer stuck, and generally milling around doing nothing to help Sophia, or even fight.

"Even the Panzers have problems of their own. These fuckers aren't making it easy for me to rely on their little squads at all, but Sophia trusts them to the absolute. On top of that, snow? What's going to happen next, whirlpools? Firestorms?"

He held himself back at the last thought, musing again that it would be much likelier that Sophia conjures that up.

It was through the self-amusement that he allowed Ether to flow through his body freely. In seconds, in full view of a bunch of people nearby, he leapt.

Very high.

And very far.

To be exact, he found himself about 20 feet above ground, giving himself a bird's eye view of Dawnview Park. It was serene and beautiful, and with the mist doing shenanigans to the light, it looked mysteriously spooky, too.

Spook turned to pain as he found himself being attracted by the force of gravity. In seconds, he was falling through the air, with the air billowing like mad around his ears. He could feel his face change shape, but he wondered if it was just his own imagination. Whatever it was, it managed to bring him full speed towards...

...the park statue.

In all its 10-feet-high glory.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

Martin abruptly swerved his hip's orientation while falling, saving himself from slamming full-force into the statue, but completely failing to avoid the water fountain. In seconds, within full view of park-going exercise rats, he slammed face-first into the fountain, creating an amazing arc of watery explosion as he does so.

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

******************

"What the fuck... atchoo!"

Martin cursed aloud, while taking his tee off to wring and dry by the beach. At least, going to the beach made sense because it doesn't give everyone else impetus to call him a pervert.

"How the fuck did I even manage to jump? I don't remember doing anything at all!"

Martin then stretched out again; the fatigue from the previous day hasn't really gone away.

And once again he found himself in the air, with his shirt in hand, still in a wring-shape. His surprise led him to accidentally drop the shirt, but that wasn't really the worrying bit.

From his point of view, it was the eventual pull of gravity that is going to kill him. But in the instant he took to reach terminal height, he stretched his body again, wanting to see what had happened.

"There's... Strange energy in my heels?!"

And then, the expected pull of gravity strikes again, and his destination is, thankfully, the sand beneath him.

"If this works like I think it might..."

Martin willed himself to concentrate pockets of energy in his four limbs. He felt a strong, almost bloat-like sensation in his fingertips, palms, toes and feet.

"Great!"

Theoretically speaking, what he surmised was that the jump was a result of him abruptly stretching his upper body. Just as stretching his lower body gave him the energy required to propel small objects at insane speeds, stretching his upper body apparently is giving the same effect to his gait, allowing him to propel to heights never previously imagined. Therefore, willing the energy on his limbs, rather than allowing them to expel, will likely act as a dampener if he releases his Ether in time before he hits the ground.

The ground rapidly approached, and, much as Martin was confident, there was always the shred of doubt niggling at him.

If it fails, he'll end up head-first in a pile of sand.
If it succeeds, he'll become awesome.

Martin willed himself to not be over-excited; the ether was threatening to exit from the anticipation, and that was the last thing he had wanted.

And then, the first sensations of sand.

Martin took it as his signals to bring his two palms forward, which brought his Ether in his feet inwards. As the Ether does so, it creates a vacuum between his feet and the floor, severely reducing the amount of downward force acting on his body.

But the closing of the legs inadvertently created problems for him - it had the exact draw-in effect on his palms, which were by now in front of his chest. So even while Martin successfully landed, the effect of his palms' stored Ether acting on his chest threw him backwards, ensuring he still lands head-first into a pile of sand - albeit with much less force and injury than he expected.

FWOOP!

"Ptooooey! *hack hack cough cough* I almost made it..."

Martin recollected everything that happened, and quickly came to a conclusion as he rid himself of the sand on his upper torso and mouth - his newfound ability is a spring-like mechanism to anything, even his own limbs. Why this hadn't acted up before, though, was a curious question.

"Wait a minute... 'hasn't this acted up before'?"

It was then that Martin abruptly realised something, from the crashing encounter with Sanae, to the biking that popped his cousin's bike tires, as well as give him and Sanae the most dramatic of escapes from MVD.

There was so much in common!

"THAT'S IT! SO THAT'S WHAT ALLOWED ME TO CYCLE SO FAST AND RUN SO FAST!"

The realisation hit so hard that Martin almost felt a migraine setting in on cue, but he doesn't care; discovering something new always makes him happy, an exuberant pulse of exhilaration that brings joy to him inwardly.

"Damned, that was awesome!"

Martin then wondered where his shirt had gone to; he had apparently released it in the air by accident.

When last he saw a certain someone holding on to his wrung-up tee, though, it made him go absolutely beet-root.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding my ass..."
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 10:55 AM
Weather: Fog
Location: Far-West side of town
PC: Jacket
NPCs: Lin
================


While Jacket was desperately curious as to exactly where it was they were headed, he nonetheless remained quiet. And so for the entire duration of the car ride, he never said a word. As they parked at the edge of a remote lot that bordered the dense woods to the left side of town, he never said a word. Even as they trekked through a forest path that seemed as if it hadn't been used for ages, he never said a word. He simply followed Lin. Through the overgrown brush, across small creeks, and over boggy ravines. The Hindfell caretaker's back had slowly begun to seem like a static entity; pushing onward at a perpetual pace and never turning back even once. Jacket wondered more than once if she hadn't completely dismissed the fact that he was even there.

As staunch as he tried to perform, inside, the Stray's patience had been grated rice paper-thin. So, at about ten-or-so minutes into their excursion, Jacket finally broke down and disturbed the silence.

"Um. Miss Lin... wh-"

"We are here."

"Oh." And it was there that Jacket silently debated whether or not he should ever speak to this woman again without first being spoken to.

Ahead of him, Lin brush aside a final branch of leaves to reveal their destination. Although it wasn't very bright out due to the fog, Jacket still found himself needing to shield against the light of the open sky after having been in the forest for so long. When his vision finally returned, he was a bit surprised to find where their trip had taken them.

"This is... the highway?"

Indeed, seemed as though they had arrived right underneath a giant overpass, but it didn't take much further inspection to see that it was unusual. There was just a section of it, about twenty-five meters across. It was as though somebody had lopped off a chunk of elevated road and planted it in the middle of a clearing in the forest, away from the rest of the path. Vegetation had found its way into just about every nook and cranny of the structure. Vines had snaked itself up and around its massive concrete pillars, and tufts of grass and flowers were growing out from the various cracks and faults found all over the architecture. The ground beneath it was tempered with signs of construction. Piles of gravel and other construction materials were littered all over the place. Jacket had even spotted a few old and abandoned construction vehicles laying around that had long been consumed by weathering and rust.

It was a strangely melancholy sight to behold; such a massive thing standing alone in the middle of the mist. It was as if it had been entirely forgotten by the rest of the world.

"Hmm 'highway'... So you even know of a term such as that. Interesting."

Judging by her thoughtful posture, the woman might have meant to entertain that thought in her head. Although Jacket had the suspicious that it was more a case of her simply not caring than it was an absentminded blunder.

"Correct. This is a highway. Part of one, at any case." Her keen, verdant eyes scanned the lone structure towering above them. "It would seem that a mistake of some sort was made during the construction, and those responsible simply never bothered to demolish this segment."

As soon as she had finished speaking, Lin stepped forward and aligned herself with the ledge of the highway section. Then, after shooting Jacket a brief glance, she leapt gracefully into the air and landed on the platform high above.

"Gah!"

It seemed as though the jump took Lin no effort at all, but her take-off generated a small gust strong enough to catch Jacket off guard and make him stumble backwards. The Stray traced the trajectory of Lin's leap with a star-struck expression. The plateau of the highway must have been at least nine meters tall!

"What's with that brat and her family? I-Is every Hindfell a monster? Jeez..."

Coming from him, someone who actually did resemble a monster, that should mean something. Jacket wasn't sure if he was still capable of sweating, but he was feeling something cold and unnerving pouring down his face right now.

Well, it's a given that the lady wants him to follow so...

"Allez hop!"
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

(Martin vs. Mirto. Let's see how this'll turn out.)

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 8:45 am
Weather: Mist
Location: Pebbleton Beach Park
PC: Mirto
Other PCs: Martin
================


thwap

Of all the things Mirto expected to get hit with while helping the Rozen Company set up their beach stall for the festivities...

It just had to be a wet T-shirt.

Personally, she was expecting worse. But that doesn't mean it wasn't so ridiculously painful that it defied the laws of physics. Or maybe she's just thinking of the trajectory wrong.

Because there's no way that a shirt would just come flying out of the -

...

... sky.

There's a man up in the sky. Flying and overall looking kind of stupid with the way he's flailing his arms about and pushing at the air while he's falling and slowing down and -

She knows that man. And he's using his Enomena. Unbeknowst to Mirto, her hands have wrung the T-shirt completely dry in her escalating irritation.

You have got to be kidding me.

She stalks up to the man just as he turns in her direction, and tosses him the T-shirt with one hand.

"You again," she says when he catches it.

"Huh? I'm sorry?"

Her tone is becoming frighteningly level as her annoyance meter nearly maxes out. "You doing all these stupid things out in public like that... What are you going to do when someone sees?" She gestures to the wooden skeletons of stalls and scuttling people in the background. "We're setting up for the festival this week, sir. You'll be found out sooner or later if you keep trying this stuff."

"By who?" It wasn't like she was expecting him to comply so easily, but he says it in a way that makes her eyebrow twitch more than slightly when he comments next, "The cosplaying lass-with-a-cape did something more extravagant - "

Lanette.

" - Huh," he adds with a brief pause and stroking of his goatee in thought, "But speaking of which, I haven't really seen her around... anyway, there's still that example of that black guy in a jacket -"

Jacket.

"Isn't that worse than whatever I'm doing now?"

A part of her flares up inside in defense. A part of her wants to tell him that he can't compare himself to them - Jacket, who couldn't help being physical, and Lanette, who was raised to be this way - and a part of her wants to tell him he can't talk that way about her friends. But it's just her irritation clouding her judgement and if anything, it wouldn't be fair or right.

"Fine," she says thinly, crossing her arms across her chest. "If you think it's okay, why don't you do it now?" She glances at the surroundings over her shoulders. "See, no one's looking. No one's around to watch. Why don't you try it out then?"

It makes her raise her eyebrow when his eye twitches and his tone takes a slight condescending lilt to it when he responds, "You have problems with publicity, I'm fine. But I'll live my life a little freer from being scared."

... Wait, what?

"I thought getting fired from a job was scary, but turns out it was because I was afraid to let go," he continues, while Mirto gets increasingly more confused about what he's trying to get at. She can almost imagine the question marks appearing over her head.

"Now, I find it a little more liberating to be free from those thoughts." He says this last part with confident-looking grin, and it's more than enough for Mirto to turn suspicious.

Enough so that he eyes automatically narrow when he adds nonchalantly, "I'll see you at the festival then... Mirto, right?"

Huh. She certainly doesn't remember ever giving him her name, even if he is Sophia's linked Crosser.

"Oh, you don't know my name yet? Dang, sorry about that." He must've sensed her apprehension, but the smooth delivery does little to help. In fact...

"My name is Martin Chang, and I can fly!"

I knew it.

He barely gets two feet off the ground before she nets him with her own Enomena. Mirto watches with a less than impressed expression as the newly introduced Martin Chang has a very elegance-lacking fall onto his face.

Che. Don't think you're the only one that's been practicing his own Enomena.

She might not be as good as Lanette or Randall yet, but at least Mirto has a better grip of how her powers work now. All she has to do is not think, but feel it - if she just goes for it without another second thought or doubts about herself, it works according to plan. And apparently doesn't work like an ordinary shield, but that's not to say she's entirely sure of what it is yet either. Ultimately, it's far from perfect, but at least it's functional when she's exceptionally annoyed.

Like now.

Much to her chagrin, he gets up and attempts to jump off again, and Mirto repeats the use of her modified Impact Shield against him. The third time he tries, Mirto lets him get over her height before slicing through the ether in the air around him and sending him back down with a rather painful sounding thump.

"I said stop that."

He does.

But it's probably due to the fact that by now, he's most likely figured out that what's malfunctioning isn't himself, but the extra variable that's her Enomena. Even now, she can practically visualize the little gears turning in his head as he tries to work out what's happening.

When the light bulb goes off over his head, he straightens up a fair distance away from her and says the most unbecoming thing she could've expected.

"Hmmmm, NAAAAH!"

Oh my god. Please shoot me.

"I'm not asking you to not use your Enomena," she says through gritted teeth and increasingly low patience. "I'm just asking you to stop using it where other people can see."

It's to her great dismay when she gets the feeling that he either doesn't seem to be listening or he just doesn't care. "So, Mirto... exactly what are you afraid of? Blights? Strays? I personally dislike Panzers. At least, I think that's what those animal people are called."

"Well, I'm certainly not afraid of you." This time he raises an eyebrow in a kind of mock disbelief.

"Huh, I'm lost. You're telling me not to do stuff because of your fear. Or, is there a greater purpose to Crosser business that demands secrecy?"

What is he talking about?

"Because insofar as I know, I've always been on the receiving end. From what you've just said, it's evident you've been on the end of serious business!"

'Serious business'? Is this about fighting Blights or something?

"If you are, I want to know everything you know."

Ugh. Can you not sound like a total creeper while saying that?

"You make it sound like I've known about this stuff since forever. I am not Lanette."

The Crosser opens his mouth to speak, but Mirto cuts him off before he can. "I don't know where your misconceptions have been coming from, but I am not involved in any serious business."

"The fact that my Stray told me your name tells me otherwise. Really now? You, that scrawny kid, and my Stray fought a monster at the Cliff. That tells me enough that I am not having a misconception."

It takes all of her effort not to roll her eyes. Nevertheless, he seems to notice, and then another lightbulb seems to go off in his head.

"Ah, I see. I just realized what you meant. Basically, you and I treat 'serious business' differently." He nods briefly, as if confirming his suspicions from her lack of reaction. "All I want to know are the things you've encountered and how you think Crosser business should be conducted. It will be easier for the both of us if we can freely share this kind of information, no?"

...

Is he trying to set up some kind of Crosser-Stray network or something? Couldn't he just make some kind of website for this kind of stuff?

And how Crosser business should be conducted? What is this, some kind of interview for a magazine? Something about the whole thing just doesn't quite click, or else it just seems kind of poorly organized.

In any case, Mirto gives him a still slightly annoyed look, before turning around without much flourish.

"Pass."

"Huh."

"I can't possibly think of what I could know that you don't already. Since you seem so reassured." She shrugs and waves a hand dismissively in the air beside her. "If you want to use your Enomena as you please, go ahead. I won't stop you."

She really won't. Maybe he'll be totally okay. Or maybe he won't. It'll be his problem when it happens.

"Stop goading me. You and I both know you're not even serious about it."

He seems clearly offended and at this point, Mirto really just does not care what he does anymore. She stops and says as plainly as she can, "I'm not afraid of those Panzers and Blights or whatever you say I am. I'm only afraid of the people that'll get hurt because of them."

Her hair swishes around her shoulders as she turns on her heel again with what she hopes to be finality. "Good day, sir."

Apparently, it's not enough, because the other Crosser runs up to her and cuts off the path back to the boardwalk. He holds his arms out in front of him in what appears to be a disarming manner, and she almost releases the urge to sigh in exasperation.

"Okay, you know what, my bad," he apologizes, but Mirto can tell he doesn't really hold a lot of sincerity behind it. "I really need to know more so I can piece all of this up for all of us."

"Us? Are you sure it's not just you?"

"No, I intend to cross-reference with the other Strays I know so we can be better prepared. I'm serious, I'm jobless anyway!"

She has no idea what that last bit has to do with anything, but his declaration doesn't seem all that impressive nor his gameplan exceptionally practical.

"Right. And I said I'm not interested."

"Really now? Much as I know you find me irritating for being persistent, your lack of the big picture worries everyone."

You think? And who is this 'everyone'?

"Why can't you understand that every little thing counts in a long-term war?"

Mirto doesn't know who this man thinks he's kidding, because she has never heard anything about a war, not even from Lanette. Obviously he certainly knows more than her to have any use for retired information she must possess. But she ultimately decides to keep silent.

"You think, what, we could do away with this in a year or so, it'll just be a bad dream?"

...

Her insides freeze up with ice. For a long moment, time seems to pass at a rate of one-millionth of a second.

A bad dream? You think this is a bad dream?

...

Are you insinuating that I have regrets about what I've done so far?

You think I'm wallowing in some kind of stupid self-pity about how my life would be like if I hadn't been pulled into this ether business?

Do you think I've hated bonding with a Stray and fighting Blights and running around like an idiot around town and Lanette always being late to training sessions and being worried sick about Jacket and -


The ice flares up and turns into a frigid fire. She doesn't know where it was before, but the level of her annoyance has skyrocketed beyond what she would have ordinarily thought possible.

Vaguely, she hears someone calling her name in the distance, and reality comes crashing back down.

"Wars can be lost through one photo. A moment of carelessness will cost us all, and you're telling me here you're 'not interested'? You call yourself a Crosser? How do you even expect to not let anyone get hurt if that's the way you are?"

I don't call myself a Crosser.

Because as far as she knows, she's always been a person before anything else. Just like a Stray is essentially person before he is a dead, wandering spirit.

Mirto just wants him to shut up. Her eyes narrow to slits as she says icily,"I'm not saying your request does not make sense. I have no interest in complying with the request of a person unwilling to pay in kind."

The man pauses briefly before quickly realizing what she's referring to. "Okay, see? No ether shenanigans. I'm sorry. Now can we talk?"

"No." It comes out as a level as she can get it to. "I don't care about how you'll look upon me for saying this, but I will do things the way I want. Do not tell me what to do."

It's not like she was expecting anything else, but his expression becomes unreadable. "Okay, cool. I've said what I needed to. No, it's cool, I'm not telling you what to do other than share the information. If you're not cool with that, I'm cool."

Liar. Someone's obviously not cool about this.

"But just in case you ever need help from Sophia or myself..." He digs through the pocket of his pants and pulls out a crinkled looking business card. "My contact by mobile. Disregard the logo and everything else, just my mobile will do. Thanks for your time, sorry about all that."

Someone calls her again in the distance. Mirto doesn't need the incentive.

She spares him one last look before running past him, his card still in his outstretched hand.

"Mm, it's cool," he says casually behind her. "I'll be frank, you're plain disheartening me. But I'll be fine. Take care."

His tone is falsely light and gives away his disappointment. If he wasn't so presumptuous, she might've considered sympathizing.

But no.

Her colleague tosses her a set of laminated signs to hang up when she arrives, and shields his eyes from the sun as he squints into the air behind her. "Did I just see a man flying through the air?"

Mirto presses her lips into a thin line. Her voice comes out softer than she intends it to.

"... No."
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 11:05 AM
Weather: Fog
Location: Abandoned Overpass
PC: Jacket
NPCs: Lin
================


"...This platform is approximately 25 meters long and 18 meters, there is plenty of space to maneuver..."

"Wait, hold on... what do you mean 'we're gonna fight?'"

"...I had not counted on the weather conditions, but it only serves us good. With this layer of mist, we're completely hidden from sight..."

"Yea but, what do you mean 'we're gonna fight?!'"

"...Furthermore the distance from civilization should be sufficient. No commotion we can made would reach public ears..."

"YEA BUT--"

"... Any questions?"

"-- Huh? Uh.... I..."

Despite his protests, Jacket found himself at a temporary loss for words when addressed directly. Lin, standing a few yards away from him, stared in patient silence. Her green eyes pierced even through the dense forest fog. Just that alone seemed to exude a strange kind of pressure that put him on the spot. An image flashed briefly across Jacket's mind.

Dragons.

He shuddered mentally before gathering his wits.

"Um... Miss. Lin. What did you mean when you said... that we were going to fight?"

"You are mistaken. We are not going to fight."

"Oh. Phew."

Jacket exhaled in relief. He'd been tensing up ever since he thought the caretaker had mentioned something odd. How fortunate that it seems he'd make a mista-

"We are not going to fight." The woman repeated firmly, this time placing emphasis in her words. "You are. I will simply be responding to your movements."

"W-W-Wait, what?!"

"Is something the wrong?"

"I just... Why do we have to fight??"

"Your wish was to become a more adequate combatant, yes? What were you expecting the 'training' of such an endeavor to involve?"

"Well... urgh...."

The Stray rubbed his neck anxiously. To be honest, he hadn't really expected anything. Perhaps it was because he got caught up in the spur of the moment, but he had simply relinquished himself to Lanette's plan without really paying any mind. It's not as if he had any other options anyway. While he contemplated his situation, the Hindfell caretaker continued.

"The Young Miss had instructed me to provide you some lessons in the way of battle. However, unlike herself, I have yet to see you in action..."

Jacket groaned with a tinge of shame; no doubt she'd heard the stories, though.

"...A spar would be the most direct means of assessing your worth in a fray. Naturally."

Frankly, none of this was "natural" to Jacket at all. But that wasn't his primary concern right now.

"... I'll lose."

Lin crossed her arms and snorted, as if he had done nothing but mention the obvious.

"Of course you will. If you cannot even best the Young Miss, then you will stand no chance against myself."

Jacket had thought as much. The orange-haired brat, as much as Jacket hated to admit it, was a monstrous powerhouse. He had no idea how that knife-throwing jackass had managed to beat her back on the cliff, but he himself had never once come out on top whenever they butted heads.

It's a fact he's very familiar with. After all, it's something that he'd had pounded time after time into him (sometimes literally) over a duration of nearly four months. If this Lin lady could put that girl in line... didn't even want to think about how strong she would be.

"However, winning or losing is not the point, as I have already explained. So instead of wasting the morning away why not let us get on our way?"

Jacket gulped nervously. What did he get himself into?

"Um I've never... fought a friendly fight before. H-how do I start?"

"Any way you wish."

"Er... s-sure."

"However... though this engagement is to evaluate your current limits, I will give you one piece of advice."

"... What's that?"

Without unfolding her arms, Lin narrowed her gaze until Jacket felt as though it would bore a hole through him if he stood in its path for too long.

"Do not hold back. Come at me with everything your have. Intend to strike me down."

"Argh. I knew it would be something along those lines..."

"If you were already anticipating it, then what is the matter?"

"Well... it's just... I don't think I can just rush at someone who's not an enemy like that."

"Oh? Are you concerned for me?"

Her tone of voice changed to one of intrigue.

"N-No! Well, a little. I-I mean, I'm not saying I'm gonna hurt you or anything... or even if I could hurt you... or... ergh...."

Dammit! What the heck was he rambling about?!

"I find that curious. From what the Young Miss told me, you seemed to have no problems facing her."

There was something dangerous laced between those words.

"Uh! Well... um...! She's... kinda... not the same..."

Ah shit. That's right. He'd gone nuts on the girl the night before. Sure, he had his ass handed to him, but that didn't excuse the fact that he'd tried to beat up Lin's charge.

As if reading his mind, the woman replied firmly.

"Hmph. Do not worry yourself. I am not holding it against you."

"Oh.... t-that's good."

"Judging by your condition when I had first arrived on the scene, you couldn't have been any threat to the Young Miss anyway."

"K-Kah...!"

Jacket cringed where he stood. It felt as though someone had kicked him in the gut with a steel toed boot. Or perhaps somewhere a few inches lower... The woman was merciless...

"But none of that is of importance. If it helps, then for this exercise, consider me an enemy."

"Even if you say that... I can't just--

"You do not understand. I am ordering you to view me as an enemy."

"H-Huh?"

"As soon as I agreed to play along with the Young Miss's whims, I resigned myself to an instructor. You, likewise, are now a pupil." Lin's expression was as stoic and regal as ever, but her speech seemed to suggest that her patience was wearing thin. "As I have said before; come at me with all that you have. Intend to strike me down. Anything less, and I would consider it disrespectful!"

"Y-Yes Ma'am!!"

Right.

Right. An order's an order...

So here goes.

Here goes nothing at all!
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pasonia »

(about 50% of what I intend to write.)
Date: 9 June, Wednesday
Time: 9:00 am
Weather: Mist
Location: Pebbleton Beach Park -> Cliff
PC: Martin Chang
================


"Isn't that worse than whatever I'm doing now?"

Martin is fine-tuning the leaping en route to the cliff, although he's been careful to do it a little less obvious. The indirect dressing-down from Mirto had weighed on his minds a little.

"I'm not asking you to not use your Enomena... I'm just asking you to stop using it where other people can see."

But why? It's not like people would believe what they see in plain sight. At least, not in Pebbleton!

"I don't know where your misconceptions have been coming from, but I am not involved in any serious business."

What is she so afraid of? Martin remembered that the lass had a bond with that black-guy entity thingy - "Jacket", he remembers. If they had to severe the bond, the circumstances under which it occurred was strange, considering the Jacket wasn't exactly the weakest... person... in town.

After all, Jacket managed to smash up the taxi he was in on the day Martin was fired.

Speaking of skills and strength, even Sanae had abilities to talk to "otherworld entities" that the hooded kid was a little scared of. By sharp contrast, he's got nothing but object-throwing and memory abilities to his name, and he's going to do what, change his career into a professional pitcher at the ripe old age of twenty-nine? Everyone he knows would be laughing their asses off.

"I can't possibly think of what I could know that you don't already. Since you seem so reassured."

How did he give off that air? Martin thought to himself, then realised it was completely his own fault. Years of mistreatment at the company might, maybe just, made him this pretentious, mock-confident guy. He treats everything with an inexplicably hollow, albeit prominent, tinge of confidence, as he had witnessed many of the staff being hired and fired over the years. Even for him, one moment of miscalculation lost him the job he'd been holding on to.

Or maybe it was Go. That was the only thing Martin was confident about. It was also the powering ideology behind his statements - make some statements, probe around, making sure the other party is responding in like. Martin wondered how it became so natural to him; it must have been stifling for everybody else to try understanding him.

Why couldn't I just approach this problem without trying to come up tops? What the fuck was I trying to win? What the fuck am I doing?

As he becomes increasingly self-reproaching, a misstep projects his next jump straight into a tree nearby. He barely evaded the problem by palming his ether off of the tree, but he couldn't stop himself from a hard landing ground-wards.

FWOOSH!

He ends up in a pile of leafy overgrowth. Martin shook the leaves off of him; his heart was bogged down by all the negative thoughts, nevertheless he continued his journey toward the cliff on foot.

"Why can't you understand that every little thing counts in a long-term war? You think, what, we could do away with this in a year or so, it'll just be a bad dream?"

"I'm not saying your request does not make sense. I have no interest in complying with the request of a person unwilling to pay in kind. I don't care about how you'll look upon me for saying this, but I will do things the way I want. Do not tell me what to do."


Martin shut his eyes, continually chiding himself for the costly mistakes and assumptions, as the guilt of his mistakes assaulted his mind. He *was* telling her what he wanted, without considering matters from her angle.

Sure, he has the time, but not everyone else does.

The most obvious tell-tale being the Rozen Company uniform she's wearing - Martin remembers seeing Mirto in various uniforms prior from a long time ago, though at the time they both weren't involved in each other's lives. She couldn't have been twenty. Martin must've pounced on the age factor, but certain he did not expect to come out second best.

Sometimes, one's maturity level is not congruent with their current age, and Martin is beginning to realise that it might just be the case for him.

Soon he found himself pacing towards the edge, but he decided to stop from a safe distance before going over the edge. Over the years, there had been far too many idiots who'd walked the whole way, and lost their footing. Simply put, most people didn't survive the fall. Martin was content just to let the cool sea wind continually smack his face, the "whoosh-whoosh" sound almost telling him just how stupid he had been.

Twenty-nine without a job.
Twenty-nine without a life.
Twenty-nine without a notable accomplishment.
Twenty-nine getting dressed-down by an under-twenty.


He took in one sharp breath, then bellowed out the pent-up hurt in the loudest way he could, into the sea winds.

FFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!

He felt his eyes go hot, simultaneously in stupid anger and equally stupid self-reproach, but it didn't eke out anything watery.

He wasn't even going to fucking cry, Martin realised. There was nothing to cry over. But it was just plain fucking stupid.

Fuck this shit! Fuck ALL these useless shit!
==========================
Time: 9:40 am
Weather: Mist
Location: Cliff -> MVD
PC: Martin Chang

==========================

Martin hated MVD with all his might. He didn't know why he did, but it was a very caustic taste, an extremely sore dislike, something that touches his heart like pH1 acid to metal. The building itself would have been described as an adorning sight, with its architecture adding to the small-town allure of Pebbleton; Martin calls it an abomination instead.

His reasoning: The one guy who made him flip a table in the national inter-high ten years ago, came from this so-called elite school. As irony would have it, that same bastard now nurtures more slit-eyed bastards as a senior lecturer in MVD. The evil cycle continues, and not a single fuck was given.

But that was history.

Martin now watched the students and lecturers stroll in. Where Martin was seated, it was the best vantage point to observe the flow of people in and out of the school.

Because he'd made his way up the top of MVD without anyone spotting.

And he was literally going to give the security guards another run for their money.

A mischievous grin spread out across Martin's face.

This is going to be so much fun.
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