Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Around 7 PM - Evening
Weather: Clear Skies
Location: An empty street
PC: Hailey, Z. Redmist
================
Redmist had not gone a few blocks away from the vehicle when a distinct noise caused him to freeze in his tracks. The light fluttering of feathered wings. The very sound made his sweat run cold and his hair stand on end. Without even turning around, Redmist spat a mediocre salutation.
"Isn't it past your bed time? What are you doing here?"
Atop a telephone pole overlooking the anxious man, an obsidian-black bird cackled what sounded peculiarly like a laugh.
"Hoo! I could ask you the same thing! But I suppose even house-rats have to leave their dens every now and then, hmm?"
Redmist let out a low groan. Deciding on the spot that he wasn't about to bring his evening to further ruination, he began to walk away without a word. A sharp flutter of air told him that he was being pursued by the skies.
"Fufufufufu... come on now, don't take it too hard. Try a bit to be more social, maybe you can evolve into a hamster some day! Those things are rather cute, don't you think?"
Even Redmist had a boiling point. As he turned around to swat an annoying avian pest out of the way, his hand was instead blocked by the arm of a dark-haired woman.
"No need to get frisky now."
Hailey shot the gent a wry smile. Redmist was slightly less amused, quickly withdrawing his arm back into his shirt pocket.
"Tch. I don't suppose you're actually here for anything significant?"
Hailey's maintained her bemused expression as she replied to the irritated introvert.
"On the contrary, little house-rat, I've come to give you a little heads-up."
"Hmph. If it's about the train, I didn't need to wait for your sorry face to show up. I can actually do my job half decently. Sue and a subordinate of hers have it taken care of."
"Funny you should bring her up. That's part of the reason why I came."
"... What are you on about?"
Hailey leaned herself against a nearby mailbox.
"The first thing about Noco that you have to understand is that she is a textbook officer. As much as she wants to make herself out to be a rebel, she ain't got what yours truly's got. Noco's as preppy as they come when it comes to the line of duty."
"Okay..? I'm gonna guess you didn't fly all the way out here to talk trash abo--"
"--Which means, little rodent, Noco Berry would never engage in the field unless explicitly ordered to."
Redmist raised an eyebrow in jest.
"So, what you're saying... is that someone issued an order for Sue to intervene in the situation?"
"Heh, not just anyone. Noco's a Gate Sentry, which makes her pretty high tier back home. The only ones capable of bossing her around... are the head honchos."
A switch instantly clicked inside Redmist's head as he realized what Hailey was playing at.
"You... can't be saying that the Panzer high command are involved?! They don't concern themselves with human affairs, even those involving Ether beings! You told me this yourself...!"
Hailey brushed a strand of her hair aside and stepped towards the surprised Redmist.
"Hmmm... maybe times have changed. I'm not one to know, I couldn't give less of a shit about those yellow-bellied bastards."
Redmist swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, calming himself.
"So... does that mean Sue, and Graciel too...?"
Reading his mind, Hailey shook her head.
"No. In all likelihood, they don't know a thing yet. They're probably just following orders. Noco... might be a bit suspicious, but she's not one to stick it to the higher ups. And that kid, Graciel, he's still young and eager. A cadet like him wouldn't have second thoughts."
Redmist breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, he wasn't exactly a people-person, but the thought of... potential backstabbing did tug at some microscopic heartstrings.
"What now then? I don't suppose you know exactly what they're up to?"
Hailey shrugged nonchalantly.
"Beats me! But..."
Suddenly, Hailey put a hand on Redmist's shoulder and pulled herself within earshot. In a low, but serious whisper she uttered a small warning.
"... Whatever it is, this town's about to become grounds for something big. Keep your guard up, and remember... we play it neutral. Don't go trying to be a hero."
Just as quickly as she switched tones, Hailey went back to a smug grin.
"Aaaanyway. Like you said it's getting late, and I'm no fan of pulling overtime! Later, loser!"
Giving Redmist a firm smack on the arm, the Panzer sauntered a few steps away before disappearing into a burst of black feathers.
Left alone in the darkening streets, Redmist stood, rubbing his tenderized shoulders.
"... Bitch."
Lamentable Nights: Act 01 - "You're Waiting for a Train..."
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Pictor
- Posts: 557
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Last edited by Pictor on Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Sentrovasi
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:55 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: Tuesday, 1st June
Time: When?
Weather: In the train again
Location: The Train
PC: Randall Kayne
Other PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia
It was funny how one second they could be so close to salvation and the next they were back in the thick of it.
Or he was, anyway.
Randall's head was swimming, but he knew from the familiar creeping sensation that his Ether was being sapped away by the train yet again. It puzzled him what manner of saviour would get so distracted by a minor diversion that they wouldn't notice a huge Blight flying away with their rescuees. It made him feel a little sore, being a security guard and all.
Still, now wasn't the time to get too frustrated. He could feel the train's tendrils, thicker this time, sucking with a relentless energy he didn't recognize from before. A thought struck him that this was no longer the same blight; its emotions seemed more bestial; more primal... and also more desperate.
It wasn't trying to use him as a generator anymore; he was more like fossil fuel this time.
With an effort, Randall opened his eyes. Goatee was unconscious, and his Stray seemed torn between helping him and trying to wake her Crosser. Randall knew better than to try and attract attention to himself: besides the fact that she didn't seem all too useful on her own (a Stray was pretty much a ready meal without the candy shell), every action of his was costing him precious energy, and he didn't have much left to do what he had to.
His eyes spied the long tendrils of Ether which drew his own energy from him binding him on either side; the incorporeal limbs were excellent conductors of his life energy, something he knew enough about to try to make use of.
"... Unh...!"
Willing his body into action, his hands spread on either side of his body as he attempted to concentrate the ethereal chains which bound him. The train's limbs, unused to anyone actually channeling Ether through them, bought the bait almost instantly. Using the last of his energy, he created a shell of the train's own Ether about him, solidifying the tendrils and making them corporeal. In a moment he was suspended in a black web, still unable to escape, but at least stoppering the train's advances for now. The train would continue to draw energy from him, but the solid interface acted as a blocked nose would, preventing it from fully sapping his energy... until it could repair itself.
He didn't really think Martin or Sophia could rescue him, but he did find some hope for another miracle. And so it was that when Martin actually awoke, Randall found some small amusement in making him perform all kinds of useless stunts which would in no way help awaken his latent Crosser power.
Time: When?
Weather: In the train again
Location: The Train
PC: Randall Kayne
Other PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia
It was funny how one second they could be so close to salvation and the next they were back in the thick of it.
Or he was, anyway.
Randall's head was swimming, but he knew from the familiar creeping sensation that his Ether was being sapped away by the train yet again. It puzzled him what manner of saviour would get so distracted by a minor diversion that they wouldn't notice a huge Blight flying away with their rescuees. It made him feel a little sore, being a security guard and all.
Still, now wasn't the time to get too frustrated. He could feel the train's tendrils, thicker this time, sucking with a relentless energy he didn't recognize from before. A thought struck him that this was no longer the same blight; its emotions seemed more bestial; more primal... and also more desperate.
It wasn't trying to use him as a generator anymore; he was more like fossil fuel this time.
With an effort, Randall opened his eyes. Goatee was unconscious, and his Stray seemed torn between helping him and trying to wake her Crosser. Randall knew better than to try and attract attention to himself: besides the fact that she didn't seem all too useful on her own (a Stray was pretty much a ready meal without the candy shell), every action of his was costing him precious energy, and he didn't have much left to do what he had to.
His eyes spied the long tendrils of Ether which drew his own energy from him binding him on either side; the incorporeal limbs were excellent conductors of his life energy, something he knew enough about to try to make use of.
"... Unh...!"
Willing his body into action, his hands spread on either side of his body as he attempted to concentrate the ethereal chains which bound him. The train's limbs, unused to anyone actually channeling Ether through them, bought the bait almost instantly. Using the last of his energy, he created a shell of the train's own Ether about him, solidifying the tendrils and making them corporeal. In a moment he was suspended in a black web, still unable to escape, but at least stoppering the train's advances for now. The train would continue to draw energy from him, but the solid interface acted as a blocked nose would, preventing it from fully sapping his energy... until it could repair itself.
He didn't really think Martin or Sophia could rescue him, but he did find some hope for another miracle. And so it was that when Martin actually awoke, Randall found some small amusement in making him perform all kinds of useless stunts which would in no way help awaken his latent Crosser power.
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AYC
- Posts: 228
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- Location: In hibernation.
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 7:00 pm, Evening
Weather: Partially Cloudy
Location: Telston Mall
PC: M
Other PCs: Randall, Sophia, Martin
NPCs: Lanette
================
Hold up. Something isn't quite right.
Suddenly he has a very bad feeling about... something. It feels quite familiar, but he can't quite put his finger on it.
At least, not until he turns around, that is.
Oh.
At first, his face goes blank with shock. And then, without missing a beat, he runs for it.
Oh my frea- HOLY SHIT.
M knows he's dead already, and that's he's been really lazy with uncovering his missing memories and his previous identity and blah blah blah, but he's just decided that he's not quite ready to disappear just yet. Especially not via consumption by big, giant, oddly beat-up looking trains. It's just not a cool way to go.
Or alternatively, it's not very impressive to go out without a fight. After all, he's pretty sure that his chance of outrunning this Blight is very, very slim. Hell, the crazy thing even speeds up when he desperately switches from running to flying away like a ghost should. In the end, it doesn't make much of a difference, because he's wasting more ether for speed that doesn't widen the gap between him and that Blight. It's a lose-lose situation.
M chances a brief glance back. Damn, that thing looks hungry. Whatever happened to the person he had seen inside it earlier this morning? Already ate the poor guy? Well, whatever the case, it's rather clear that a lot of shit must've happened for it to have come after him all... torn apart and the like.
If he wasn't prey at the moment, he would've almost felt sorry for the Blight - but since it's an "every man for himself" kind of situation right now, M decides that bloody thing can just go to hell.
Or where ever Blights and Strays go after they disappear. Still, now's not the time to be musing about the grand philosophy of Ether Being Transcendence, or Descendence or whatever.
Back to the task at hand.
His attempts to distract the mechanical ether beast end up being futile. Ultimately, the small amounts of ether he shoots out don't do a particularly good job at persuading the Train to change its path, even by a little bit. Great. He's just wasted some more of his dwindling store of energy. It looks like the time for him to give up will end up coming much quicker than he expected.
At the same time, it's probably time for him to pull his last trick.
M gathers the ether around him into a concentrated, monochrome shadow spiral, and as expected the Train makes a mad rush for the ether bait. Now it's all up to the timing.
3 -
2 -
1 - !
At the expense of his remaining ether, he zooms out of the ether spiral just as the Train clamps its mouth over the bait, and dashes down through the floor, fully expecting to expend the rest of his ether supply in the process.
But what he didn't expect was colliding head-first into a small, dark-skinned girl standing on the subway platform the floor below.
Ouch.
Time: 7:00 pm, Evening
Weather: Partially Cloudy
Location: Telston Mall
PC: M
Other PCs: Randall, Sophia, Martin
NPCs: Lanette
================
Hold up. Something isn't quite right.
Suddenly he has a very bad feeling about... something. It feels quite familiar, but he can't quite put his finger on it.
At least, not until he turns around, that is.
Oh.
At first, his face goes blank with shock. And then, without missing a beat, he runs for it.
Oh my frea- HOLY SHIT.
M knows he's dead already, and that's he's been really lazy with uncovering his missing memories and his previous identity and blah blah blah, but he's just decided that he's not quite ready to disappear just yet. Especially not via consumption by big, giant, oddly beat-up looking trains. It's just not a cool way to go.
Or alternatively, it's not very impressive to go out without a fight. After all, he's pretty sure that his chance of outrunning this Blight is very, very slim. Hell, the crazy thing even speeds up when he desperately switches from running to flying away like a ghost should. In the end, it doesn't make much of a difference, because he's wasting more ether for speed that doesn't widen the gap between him and that Blight. It's a lose-lose situation.
M chances a brief glance back. Damn, that thing looks hungry. Whatever happened to the person he had seen inside it earlier this morning? Already ate the poor guy? Well, whatever the case, it's rather clear that a lot of shit must've happened for it to have come after him all... torn apart and the like.
If he wasn't prey at the moment, he would've almost felt sorry for the Blight - but since it's an "every man for himself" kind of situation right now, M decides that bloody thing can just go to hell.
Or where ever Blights and Strays go after they disappear. Still, now's not the time to be musing about the grand philosophy of Ether Being Transcendence, or Descendence or whatever.
Back to the task at hand.
His attempts to distract the mechanical ether beast end up being futile. Ultimately, the small amounts of ether he shoots out don't do a particularly good job at persuading the Train to change its path, even by a little bit. Great. He's just wasted some more of his dwindling store of energy. It looks like the time for him to give up will end up coming much quicker than he expected.
At the same time, it's probably time for him to pull his last trick.
M gathers the ether around him into a concentrated, monochrome shadow spiral, and as expected the Train makes a mad rush for the ether bait. Now it's all up to the timing.
3 -
2 -
1 - !
At the expense of his remaining ether, he zooms out of the ether spiral just as the Train clamps its mouth over the bait, and dashes down through the floor, fully expecting to expend the rest of his ether supply in the process.
But what he didn't expect was colliding head-first into a small, dark-skinned girl standing on the subway platform the floor below.
Ouch.
Last edited by AYC on Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:27 am, edited 3 times in total.
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AYC
- Posts: 228
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:35 pm
- Location: In hibernation.
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 6:40 pm, Evening
Weather: Clear
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================
Um.
For some reason, she's still sitting there in the park, twiddling her thumbs like it's nobody's business. Maybe it's because she's still in shock.
One minute Miss Shadow Buster Lanette was sitting at the fountain, rocking back and forth like a little child rather than a depressed teenager, and the next minute, she was jumping up and running off into the horizon, declaring her intentions to "Defeat evil completely" or something like that. Mirto suspects that it probably had something to do with how the supposedly rising black ether hadn't exactly been evaporating to the atmosphere - in fact, unbeknownst to them, it had been slowly reforming itself into its previous train shape, along with the small group of people that had been inside it before.
Personally, she's a bit surprised that they hadn't run while they had had the chance. Even if one of them had been... out on the ground... unconscious...
...
Maybe there are better things to think about. Like, for instance, what she's going to do with Jacket. Her conscience is telling her that it's probably not a particularly good idea to leave him there, especially after the happenings they've through. Not to mention that there were probably questions she still had yet to receive an answer for.
It looks like it can't be helped. She'll probably end up asking him to go home with her, and he can... hide up on the balcony outside her room or something.
Mirto pokes her unconscious partner a few times in the face. As expected, there's no response. Surely she won't have to carry him home?
Needless to say, her attempts to sling his arm over her shoulder ends with her collapsing immediately under his weight.
"Ah... I feel like I'm going to die..."
That had definitely not been a smart idea - and now she's literally stuck in pretty painful position. Vaguely, Mirto wonders how long it's going to take for her to remember that the guy, ghost or not, is practically a giant human-shaped block of metal. Or at least, he's as solid and as heavy as one.
She elbows him a few times in the chest, but all it results in is a painful 'pop' when she dislocates her shoulder in the process. Silently, Mirto laments her misfortune, especially since she knows that it's her increasing level of stupidity that's at fault here. Something must've happened to her personal idiot radar, because it sure hasn't been working very well recently.
Sigh.
Now that she thinks about it, she hopes dearly that no one suddenly decides to take a stroll in the park right now. What would they think, if they saw a teenage girl pinned under a heavy, masked (and though sleeping) person - er, physical ghost - in the middle of the park? The sheer thought of that aspect sends makes her shudder in horror. She really needs to do something about this, and quick.
It's a real shame that her upper body strength sucks though, and that she's face down on the ground. Even if she could feel her legs, the position makes it impossible for her to kick or even knee him off her.
It's one thing to drag the guy around, but it's another thing all together to carry him, even if it is in a half-assed way. Mirto quietly stores the information into her mental library of stupid things she's done, and resignedly pounds her fist on the dirt in frustration.
"DAMMIT JACKET! WAKE UP ALREADY!"
Time: 6:40 pm, Evening
Weather: Clear
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================
Um.
For some reason, she's still sitting there in the park, twiddling her thumbs like it's nobody's business. Maybe it's because she's still in shock.
One minute Miss Shadow Buster Lanette was sitting at the fountain, rocking back and forth like a little child rather than a depressed teenager, and the next minute, she was jumping up and running off into the horizon, declaring her intentions to "Defeat evil completely" or something like that. Mirto suspects that it probably had something to do with how the supposedly rising black ether hadn't exactly been evaporating to the atmosphere - in fact, unbeknownst to them, it had been slowly reforming itself into its previous train shape, along with the small group of people that had been inside it before.
Personally, she's a bit surprised that they hadn't run while they had had the chance. Even if one of them had been... out on the ground... unconscious...
...
Maybe there are better things to think about. Like, for instance, what she's going to do with Jacket. Her conscience is telling her that it's probably not a particularly good idea to leave him there, especially after the happenings they've through. Not to mention that there were probably questions she still had yet to receive an answer for.
It looks like it can't be helped. She'll probably end up asking him to go home with her, and he can... hide up on the balcony outside her room or something.
Mirto pokes her unconscious partner a few times in the face. As expected, there's no response. Surely she won't have to carry him home?
Needless to say, her attempts to sling his arm over her shoulder ends with her collapsing immediately under his weight.
"Ah... I feel like I'm going to die..."
That had definitely not been a smart idea - and now she's literally stuck in pretty painful position. Vaguely, Mirto wonders how long it's going to take for her to remember that the guy, ghost or not, is practically a giant human-shaped block of metal. Or at least, he's as solid and as heavy as one.
She elbows him a few times in the chest, but all it results in is a painful 'pop' when she dislocates her shoulder in the process. Silently, Mirto laments her misfortune, especially since she knows that it's her increasing level of stupidity that's at fault here. Something must've happened to her personal idiot radar, because it sure hasn't been working very well recently.
Sigh.
Now that she thinks about it, she hopes dearly that no one suddenly decides to take a stroll in the park right now. What would they think, if they saw a teenage girl pinned under a heavy, masked (and though sleeping) person - er, physical ghost - in the middle of the park? The sheer thought of that aspect sends makes her shudder in horror. She really needs to do something about this, and quick.
It's a real shame that her upper body strength sucks though, and that she's face down on the ground. Even if she could feel her legs, the position makes it impossible for her to kick or even knee him off her.
It's one thing to drag the guy around, but it's another thing all together to carry him, even if it is in a half-assed way. Mirto quietly stores the information into her mental library of stupid things she's done, and resignedly pounds her fist on the dirt in frustration.
"DAMMIT JACKET! WAKE UP ALREADY!"
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Pasonia
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:43 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: 1 June
Time: A little over 7pm
Weather: ???
Location: Underground, south of Pebbleton Subway Station
(directly underneath Telston Mall)
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia, Randall
Other PCs: M
==================================
Martin hadn't tried carrying a person this heavy for long stretches at a time, so by the time the trio got to Telston Mall, he was already as wiped out as Randall had been.
"This is so god damn fucking tiring!" Growled Martin. "Shit, it looks like I'm missing my class today as well."
Sophia's ears tweaked a little upon hearing the word "class". Although young as she is, she was quite certain that the word "class" was for school-going children only.
"Mister Martin, are you still in school?"
Sophia asked her question so bluntly it made Martin cringe.
"Um, well, it's kind of... hard... to explain..."
"Kyaaaaa!"
That interruption was due to Sophia suddenly sprawled on the floor along with something she can't quite make out. But whatever it was, it cannot have been human if it could actually bring her down to the floor.
"Ugh... damn, what the hell did I just hit? Aw, shit, don't tell me it's another Blight...?"
Though burdened by the deadweight known as Randall on his shoulders, Martin couldn't help but look back at the ruckus behind of himself when he heard the clashing of something against something right behind himself.
His link and another thing were on the subway floor, apparently floored by each other or something. The thing was just purely hissing in pain - looks like the bump wasn't exactly a light one either.
The one thing he couldn't stand was girls crying, and then it happened as Sophia suddenly broke down in choke-sobs.
"Ugh, what the... Sophia?"
Sophia couldn't control her sobbing.
"I'm... I'm not a Blight... I'm a.. I'm a Stray! ...uwahhhhhh..."
Martin swore, if he got past this day mentally and physically in one piece he'll be giving his parents three times the usual offerings. Still, he needed a way to calm his sobbing charge.
"Hey... you over there, whatever you are!"
"What now?" The teenager un-human replied in a coarse tone, but less rougher than earlier.
"You ain't got no manners or what, jack? No male should ever make a girl cry. Apologise to Sophia right now!"
"Huh? What?"
M was thankful to not be totally dead yet, so he decided to just give the goatee man what he wanted rather than debate about it.
"Ah, whatever. Sorry... umm... Sophia's the name right? Well, I'm sorry alright? Didn't mean it."
Martin could totally hear the insincerity coming from this un-human, but whatever makes Sophia stop crying, really. And voila, it did work, Sophia's sobbing beginning to slow down.
"Ah, hell, first I'm dead and now some random train wants to eat me up. Jeez..."
Train...? Martin froze when he heard that word.
"Uhh... did you just mention a train?"
Martin thought hard. Randall being surrounded by black tendrils. Now this.
Practically every player he knew were underground, but for what reason really
And whatever happened to that hero girl wannabe, wasn't she gonna 'vanquish' the train like she had said earlier?
"Yea, some random Train Blight wanna eat me up. Does it concern you?"
"...seriously now, what do you think?" Deadpanned Martin, pointing at Randall and then Sophia. "Do we look like we're having a leisurely stroll here?"
Time: A little over 7pm
Weather: ???
Location: Underground, south of Pebbleton Subway Station
(directly underneath Telston Mall)
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia, Randall
Other PCs: M
==================================
Martin hadn't tried carrying a person this heavy for long stretches at a time, so by the time the trio got to Telston Mall, he was already as wiped out as Randall had been.
"This is so god damn fucking tiring!" Growled Martin. "Shit, it looks like I'm missing my class today as well."
Sophia's ears tweaked a little upon hearing the word "class". Although young as she is, she was quite certain that the word "class" was for school-going children only.
"Mister Martin, are you still in school?"
Sophia asked her question so bluntly it made Martin cringe.
"Um, well, it's kind of... hard... to explain..."
"Kyaaaaa!"
That interruption was due to Sophia suddenly sprawled on the floor along with something she can't quite make out. But whatever it was, it cannot have been human if it could actually bring her down to the floor.
"Ugh... damn, what the hell did I just hit? Aw, shit, don't tell me it's another Blight...?"
Though burdened by the deadweight known as Randall on his shoulders, Martin couldn't help but look back at the ruckus behind of himself when he heard the clashing of something against something right behind himself.
His link and another thing were on the subway floor, apparently floored by each other or something. The thing was just purely hissing in pain - looks like the bump wasn't exactly a light one either.
The one thing he couldn't stand was girls crying, and then it happened as Sophia suddenly broke down in choke-sobs.
"Ugh, what the... Sophia?"
Sophia couldn't control her sobbing.
"I'm... I'm not a Blight... I'm a.. I'm a Stray! ...uwahhhhhh..."
Martin swore, if he got past this day mentally and physically in one piece he'll be giving his parents three times the usual offerings. Still, he needed a way to calm his sobbing charge.
"Hey... you over there, whatever you are!"
"What now?" The teenager un-human replied in a coarse tone, but less rougher than earlier.
"You ain't got no manners or what, jack? No male should ever make a girl cry. Apologise to Sophia right now!"
"Huh? What?"
M was thankful to not be totally dead yet, so he decided to just give the goatee man what he wanted rather than debate about it.
"Ah, whatever. Sorry... umm... Sophia's the name right? Well, I'm sorry alright? Didn't mean it."
Martin could totally hear the insincerity coming from this un-human, but whatever makes Sophia stop crying, really. And voila, it did work, Sophia's sobbing beginning to slow down.
"Ah, hell, first I'm dead and now some random train wants to eat me up. Jeez..."
Train...? Martin froze when he heard that word.
"Uhh... did you just mention a train?"
Martin thought hard. Randall being surrounded by black tendrils. Now this.
Practically every player he knew were underground, but for what reason really
And whatever happened to that hero girl wannabe, wasn't she gonna 'vanquish' the train like she had said earlier?
"Yea, some random Train Blight wanna eat me up. Does it concern you?"
"...seriously now, what do you think?" Deadpanned Martin, pointing at Randall and then Sophia. "Do we look like we're having a leisurely stroll here?"
-
Pictor
- Posts: 557
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:50 am
- Location: Inside your heart
- Contact:
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 7:15 - Nightfall
Weather: Growing Cloudy
Location: Peddington Avenue
PC: Jacket, Mirto, Graciel
NPC: Lanette
===================
Lanette stumbled despondently through the near-empty Peddington Avenue. The growing lack of people and darkening skies only served to stab her troubled young mind. The sudden flickering of a nearby streetlight as it detected the presence of nightfall jolted her out of her stupor.
"Yikes!"
The ever-vigilante Shadow Buster... caught off guard by a dumb lamp post. Recent events came flooding back into her head. She had it. The Train Blight that is. It was weakened and in pieces. It should have just been a matter of taking out the trash!
========
After Lanette helped the foul-mouth geezer, a Stray girl, and an unhealthy-looking security guard out of the monster, she had her trusty weapon returned to her.
"Alright ol' man, just leave this to Shadow Buster Lanette! I'll vanquish the monster once and for all, so get yourselves to safety!"
As much as Martin wanted to snap back at the brat's obnoxious attitude, he had a half-dead man on his shoulders. He grunted a small gesture of thanks, and jogged off with Sophia in tow.
Turning back to the collapsed monster, she cracked her knuckles.
"I don't usually pick on leftovers, but justice is blind. Time to meet your maker, Blight!"
Raising her gavel high, Lanette felt the rush of Ether flow to her fingertips. The small gavel shined brightly with a mighty flux of energy, immediately changing into a superfluously large and fearsome-looking mallet. With a mighty, explosive dash, Lanette brandished her weapon at full force.
"HIIYAAAA!"
And that was it. With a last cry of utter defeat, the Train blew up into a billion tiny pieces. Shadow Buster Lanette had saved the day once more.
*Sigh....* If only that was the case. But it was not.
At the last second the Train, with what must have been a pentultimate bout for survival, shattered the rear-end of its own engine. Caught completely off guard, Lanette stumbled face-first into the subway tracks as she attempted to dodge the incoming shrapnel. A last-second front-flip barely saved her from a smashed skull.
Groaning and roaring in a drunken fit, the Train began to chug and trundle away. Even in its current state, it had impressive speed. Lanette could not hope to catch it now on foot.
"HEY YOU, OUT OF THE WAY! Graciel, take it down!"
Suddenly a flurry of Ether-charged bullets whizzed passed above her head. With pin-point precision, they pierced the Train and shattered more of its body to pieces, but failed to stop it from escaping. Lanette whipped around to find two people charging down the aisle in her direction.
"Tch... no good ma'am, it's out of my sights!"
"Damn. Girl, what the hell were you doing?!"
As the pair came to a full stop on the landing above her, she finally realized the two were Panzers. The woman was dressed in what looked like a receptionist's uniform, while the other younger boy was decked out in combat fatigues. Tapping a device on her watch, a holographic radar appeared in front of the woman's face.
"Tracking it now... it's headed to the mall! Should be closed, so no civilian casualties should be expected. Graciel, you can take care of this right?"
The car-eared boy nodded confidently at his commanding officer.
"Ay ma'am! I'll have this monster KIA'd quicker than you can say 'boom, headshot!'"
With a small hop down into the track, Graciel disappeared with cat-like speed into the darkness of the tunnels. The woman sighed and rubbed her temples, then turned and stared down at the Crosser girl with serious eyes.
"Miss. Hindfell, I presume? You do realized you just helped botch what was supposed to be a quick and easy operation?"
Lanette was stunned, she opened her mouth but no words came. As much as this dog lady grated her nerves... she was right. Lanette had messed up.
Noco turned and did more tapping at her holographic device. Panels of translucent-green popped up and disappeared.
"Great... more damage control. At least I can count on Graciel to clean up."
Noco shut her device off. Turning to go, the Panzer woman shot one last look over her shoulders at Lanette.
"As I know it, your family's been looking for you. Go home, Miss. Hindfell. A princess has no business playing the knight."
========
And that was how it went down.
"Grrrrrr...."
Lanette grated her teeth and clenched her fists. How dare that hag... calling her a princess...
"D-DARN IT!"
As she scratched her head in frustration, the lingering population of the street turned. A couple of raised eyebrows, some giggles here and there.
"Eh heh.. heh..."
Flushed, Lanette could only wave them off with a nervous chuckle. Letting out a pitiful whimper she continued her depressed walk back to White Waters, and the small room in the hotel section that was her temporary abode.
In just the last few hours, Lanette had been booted out of everything she thought she knew. First of all she messed up a surprised attack and lost her gavel, then her arch-villain turned out not to be a Blight... he wasn't even evil! And just a few moments ago, she got outwitted by the dying husk of a Train, and scolded by some arrogant dog-lady!
Suddenly, a familiar growl emanated from her aching stomach.
For the first time in her life, Lanette felt a little homesick. This wasn't what she had anticipated at all. The glorious battles for justice... the pursuit of criminals and evil... it was all wrong. Once the rush was over, she was always just hungry and alone. It was more than the young girl could bear. She felt the lump welling up in her throat. Patting herself on the face was all she could do to keep in the waterworks.
"No, no! Keep it together! A h-heroine never despairs, even in the darkest of times..."
With a sniffle and a sigh, Shadow Buster Lanette continued her walk down the lamp-lit street. Maybe there's some leftover ramen in her room...
Time: 7:15 - Nightfall
Weather: Growing Cloudy
Location: Peddington Avenue
PC: Jacket, Mirto, Graciel
NPC: Lanette
===================
Lanette stumbled despondently through the near-empty Peddington Avenue. The growing lack of people and darkening skies only served to stab her troubled young mind. The sudden flickering of a nearby streetlight as it detected the presence of nightfall jolted her out of her stupor.
"Yikes!"
The ever-vigilante Shadow Buster... caught off guard by a dumb lamp post. Recent events came flooding back into her head. She had it. The Train Blight that is. It was weakened and in pieces. It should have just been a matter of taking out the trash!
========
After Lanette helped the foul-mouth geezer, a Stray girl, and an unhealthy-looking security guard out of the monster, she had her trusty weapon returned to her.
"Alright ol' man, just leave this to Shadow Buster Lanette! I'll vanquish the monster once and for all, so get yourselves to safety!"
As much as Martin wanted to snap back at the brat's obnoxious attitude, he had a half-dead man on his shoulders. He grunted a small gesture of thanks, and jogged off with Sophia in tow.
Turning back to the collapsed monster, she cracked her knuckles.
"I don't usually pick on leftovers, but justice is blind. Time to meet your maker, Blight!"
Raising her gavel high, Lanette felt the rush of Ether flow to her fingertips. The small gavel shined brightly with a mighty flux of energy, immediately changing into a superfluously large and fearsome-looking mallet. With a mighty, explosive dash, Lanette brandished her weapon at full force.
"HIIYAAAA!"
And that was it. With a last cry of utter defeat, the Train blew up into a billion tiny pieces. Shadow Buster Lanette had saved the day once more.
*Sigh....* If only that was the case. But it was not.
At the last second the Train, with what must have been a pentultimate bout for survival, shattered the rear-end of its own engine. Caught completely off guard, Lanette stumbled face-first into the subway tracks as she attempted to dodge the incoming shrapnel. A last-second front-flip barely saved her from a smashed skull.
Groaning and roaring in a drunken fit, the Train began to chug and trundle away. Even in its current state, it had impressive speed. Lanette could not hope to catch it now on foot.
"HEY YOU, OUT OF THE WAY! Graciel, take it down!"
Suddenly a flurry of Ether-charged bullets whizzed passed above her head. With pin-point precision, they pierced the Train and shattered more of its body to pieces, but failed to stop it from escaping. Lanette whipped around to find two people charging down the aisle in her direction.
"Tch... no good ma'am, it's out of my sights!"
"Damn. Girl, what the hell were you doing?!"
As the pair came to a full stop on the landing above her, she finally realized the two were Panzers. The woman was dressed in what looked like a receptionist's uniform, while the other younger boy was decked out in combat fatigues. Tapping a device on her watch, a holographic radar appeared in front of the woman's face.
"Tracking it now... it's headed to the mall! Should be closed, so no civilian casualties should be expected. Graciel, you can take care of this right?"
The car-eared boy nodded confidently at his commanding officer.
"Ay ma'am! I'll have this monster KIA'd quicker than you can say 'boom, headshot!'"
With a small hop down into the track, Graciel disappeared with cat-like speed into the darkness of the tunnels. The woman sighed and rubbed her temples, then turned and stared down at the Crosser girl with serious eyes.
"Miss. Hindfell, I presume? You do realized you just helped botch what was supposed to be a quick and easy operation?"
Lanette was stunned, she opened her mouth but no words came. As much as this dog lady grated her nerves... she was right. Lanette had messed up.
Noco turned and did more tapping at her holographic device. Panels of translucent-green popped up and disappeared.
"Great... more damage control. At least I can count on Graciel to clean up."
Noco shut her device off. Turning to go, the Panzer woman shot one last look over her shoulders at Lanette.
"As I know it, your family's been looking for you. Go home, Miss. Hindfell. A princess has no business playing the knight."
========
And that was how it went down.
"Grrrrrr...."
Lanette grated her teeth and clenched her fists. How dare that hag... calling her a princess...
"D-DARN IT!"
As she scratched her head in frustration, the lingering population of the street turned. A couple of raised eyebrows, some giggles here and there.
"Eh heh.. heh..."
Flushed, Lanette could only wave them off with a nervous chuckle. Letting out a pitiful whimper she continued her depressed walk back to White Waters, and the small room in the hotel section that was her temporary abode.
In just the last few hours, Lanette had been booted out of everything she thought she knew. First of all she messed up a surprised attack and lost her gavel, then her arch-villain turned out not to be a Blight... he wasn't even evil! And just a few moments ago, she got outwitted by the dying husk of a Train, and scolded by some arrogant dog-lady!
Suddenly, a familiar growl emanated from her aching stomach.
For the first time in her life, Lanette felt a little homesick. This wasn't what she had anticipated at all. The glorious battles for justice... the pursuit of criminals and evil... it was all wrong. Once the rush was over, she was always just hungry and alone. It was more than the young girl could bear. She felt the lump welling up in her throat. Patting herself on the face was all she could do to keep in the waterworks.
"No, no! Keep it together! A h-heroine never despairs, even in the darkest of times..."
With a sniffle and a sigh, Shadow Buster Lanette continued her walk down the lamp-lit street. Maybe there's some leftover ramen in her room...
-
Pasonia
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:43 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
(We're one or two posts from ending this arc, so I took the liberty to do a long post)
Date: 1 June
Time: The following events take place between 7.30pm to 9.00pm
Weather: ???
Locations:
1) Telston Mall
2) Martin's Home
3) On the way back home from Telston Mall @ Peddington Avenue
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia, Randall
Other PCs: M
NPCs: Lanette Hindfell
==================================
7.30pm - The hasty scramble
"...THE TRAIN!"
It was an unmistakable rumbling of a train. The trio-turned-quartet turned around to the sound of the train. Martin was the first to bolt upon hearing the train, leaving M wondering for the life of him (pun intended) how a human gets this much energy to bolt while slinging another person on himself while they kept right on running.
07:38:28... 07:38:29... 07:38:30 PM.
But plain running down the tracks alone ain't gonna help them get away from the train while it's speeding at them.
"Sophia, get the light up and guide us to the nearest fucking door!"
Sophia complied, willing her Ether into the air as an overhead torch. Soon the nearest door showed itself to Martin, who wasted no time kicking it down and urging everyone inside. Nearby, a subway worker yelled at them to stop trespassing, but Martin couldn't give a shit. He urged everyone inside, then slammed the door shut just as the train whizzed by; Martin thought it was almost hell bent on eating them up yet again.
Then...
"Don't you guys find the feel of this train a little strange...?"
Martin peeped through the eyehole, then laughed uncontrollably, to the point where even Randall was awakened from the laughter. It left the two Strays looking at Martin in bemusement.
"Ahahahahaha... we just fled a real train... ahahahahaha..."
M took the liberty of peeping through the same eyehole, then broke into laughter himself.
"Hahaha... damn!" M laughed out really loud as he realised what Martin was laughing at. "We must look like bloody fools bolting into here... hahahahahaha..."
Randall didn't laugh with them, but broke into a grin himself.
It looks like the worst is finally... finally... over.
07:43:28... 07:43:29... 07:43:30 PM.
******
7.55pm - Home Sweet Home, eh?
07:55:28... 07:55:29... 07:55:30 PM.
With all the subtle care he could muster (read: quite little), Martin placed Randall on the floor while he reached for his house keys.
"Uh... so..." Martin began, not quite sure how to start talking once everything's settled. To his credit, it's rather difficult to have an uninvited person follow you all the way home...
...furthermore, it's a Stray that's doing the following.
M, to be exact, had inexplicably chosen to follow Martin all the way back to his Oceanside Drive apartment.
"...What? Don't mind me, you know, do what you normally do."
"Excuse me? Could you tell that I am not inviting you into my home?"
"I didn't say I'm going into your home," blurted M.
"Then why are you here...?"
"Can't I? You know, even us Strays have freedom to do what they want."
"Mister Martin... stop arguing..."
Martin gritted his teeth. By his own admission, Martin would never have stopped bickering if it wasn't for Sophia asking so nicely.
"Pedo... uhh... can we like, have you put me down somewhere nice...?"
Martin growled at M, who just shot a nonchalant look in the other direction while hanging around the outside of his apartment.
"What a pain, you..."
"Oi, Tung Jin ah! Who are you talking to?"
Martin spun around - he was very sure that it was Aunt May calling out from the apartment unit below.
"Aunty May, I'm just talking to some friends! Is anything the matter?"
"I can't see who you're talking to! And you're talking very loudly! It's disturbing my Boy ah!"
"Can't see who I am talking to...?" Martin then came to a very abrupt conclusion - he is probably the only one who could see the Strays around him right now!
"Ah ha ha... No ah, Aunty! You know, we got this technology called Lan Ya," Martin bluffed, using the Chinese term for Bluetooth, "I am just talking to one of my friends on the phone with this technology!"
"You sure ah? Sure you didn't just bump into a ghost ah!?"
Martin cringed, just as he had done so far too many times today.
In a way, Aunty May was really spot on with her observation.
Still, Martin had to keep up the pretense. It does nobody any good to have them know that Martin Chang has "opened his yin-yang eyes", as they would probably describe new Crossers.
Particularly not himself - he knew exactly how unpopular he would become if word spread about this matter.
"The Seventh Month is still a distance away ah! Don't scare me so early, Aunty May! I'm going in now, see you tomorrow!"
"Don't forget to come down and teach my Boy Weiqi ah!"
"I won't forget, Aunty! Good night!"
Martin hastily opened his apartment door, and quickly scooted in before more neighbours start asking questions.
It was rather annoying for Martin, still, because right then the unknown Stray followed him into his home without invitation. As Martin flipped the light switches on, he was rather miffed to see the teenage Stray casually flipping his newspapers and magazines and anything he could touch that is around the living room.
"..."
Martin threw the annoyance aside; he couldn't be bothered. There is grocery to be done this week and he's already behind. On top of that, he still has to take Randall, whom he laid on the sofa, to someone who could fix him better - the kid was in no shape to even walk to any doctor, much less one of the Ether variety.
Martin turned around as he laid Randall into a more comfortable position.
The two Strays, meanwhile, started to play around with each other.
"Maybe an ethereal playmate for this Stray mate of mine isn't such a bad thing after all... Oh, right, there's the email."
Martin booted up his ancient PC - he knew very well, with its current configuration and age, that it would take approximately six minutes to boot up to full operation. That gives the newly-made Crosser enough time for a quick bath before he delivers an SOS email to whoever sent him that warning message this morning. Hopefully the trash button's self-clear function hasn't been triggered yet.
******
08:05:28... 08:05:29... 08:05:30 PM.
"Good quick baths, ahh," grunted Martin in showered satisfaction. "It's time to shoot my email out and hope whoever sent the message this morning would be able to help me out here..."
Martin quickly clicked into his inbox to check for the sender's address... but it was a little late. The self-clear function was indeed triggered.
"It's already twelve hours since? Damn, time flew fast," blurted the goatee-man.
He then closed his eyes again...
"... ahh... there... 271413@sea.co.pb..."
Martin suddenly realised that he was actively utilising his newfound ability when he saw the email message appear to him in full color... at least, as much as black and white would allow, anyway. He then noticed his right shoulder being a bit wet, and saliva coming out of the side of his mouth.
Then, turning his head door-wards, he noticed Sophia and M staring at him blankly.
"Um... Mister Martin..."
"..."
I didn't know this thing made me looks like shit, exclaimed Martin internally. Why didn't you tell me earlier, you little blight?!
"...uuu..."
Martin realised - too late - what he had just said.
He now has a new B-word - one he is cursed never to utter!
"Holy shit, no, I wasn't scolding you Sophia! Please don't cry!"
And try as she will, the Stray girl just couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheek, even though she wasn't openly bawling as she did earlier.
God fuck, not again!
"Okay, okay, hush, hush, Sophia, hush, I don't mean it, I'm so so so sorry! So... please, I beg of you, stop crying..."
Beside him, M grinned like a mocking Cheshire cat, as Martin could only think so much about how life is biting him so many times into his ass today.
08:10:28... 08:10:29... 08:10:30 PM.
******
8.40pm - Encounters of the ____ kind.
Martin sighed as the traffic pulled up. It was indeed a really, really, really long day. He had had to go back to the Complex to apologise for his absence, then quickly rush to Rosen's to get his grocery done...
"...and yet another week of overspending," Martin grunted, looking begrudgingly at a packed meal that he bought specially for Randall. In all truth, Martin could afford the overspending because he isn't already a spendthrift by nature, but he doesn't really like to spend what he terms as "unexpected costs".
One fine example of that is the sequence of events today.
And then...
*bump*
"Whoa, hey, watch where you're going --- eh?"
08:40:28... 08:40:29... 08:40:30 PM.
It was a rather familiar... yet... very desolate-looking figure, her utter despair lit up brightly, clearly and mercilessly by the street lamps that hung above. She held whatever she was carrying by hand, but the way she looked, it wasn't far-fetched to say that a gust of wind would throw her onto the roads right about now.
"This getup... hey, wait up!"
Martin jogged back towards Lanette, with grocery in tow and all.
Then, that freak gust of wind did come, and Lanette was blown road-wards.
"Watch it!" Martin had to push Lanette back before she got onto the road and gets herself hit by some random car. This act prompted Lanette to look up, despite herself.
"Huh...? Oh... it's you, goatee grouch..."
Never mind that insult, Martin realised he was looking at the shadow of a self-proclaimed superhero girl, whose eyes were thoroughly reddened. Having seen a pair of reddened eyes not so long ago himself, Martin was adamant that Lanette must have cried in between the time he got away and now.
If she hadn't, thought the bearded one, then kudos to her... because she somehow managed to swell her eyes without dropping any tears!
"What on earth happened? I thought you got me outta there and took down the train? You look like horrid shit on a bloody stick!"
Lanette's head was hung low.
"Well... whatever. I mean, you got me out so probably I shouldn't give a damn---"
It was then that they both heard very loud rumbling noises emanating from Lanette's mid-section. Instantly Lanette's head dropped again, leaving Martin slightly confused for a moment. But when it happened again, all Lanette could do was to grab at her stomach awkwardly, as though she was chiding it for showing weakness to a person she thoroughly disliked. All she could will herself to do is to trudge over to a nearby bench and park her bum down.
"..."
Without giving his budget a second thought, Martin dropped all his grocery onto the same bench and dashed back to Telston Mall.
***
08:52:28... 08:52:29... 08:52:30 PM.
And when Martin came back running, he saw Lanette still hanging her head low, tugging at Martin's grocery bag.
"She must've seen the packed meal," thought Martin. "Uh, whatever your name... here."
Lanette turned her head, at first slowly, then suddenly perking up to an oasis of sorts.
"...is that food?!"
Without giving her superhero image any second thought, Lanette just grabbed whatever Martin had on hand and quickly fed herself on whatever the food was.
A golden chance like this won't come by again any time sooner!
Martin looked on in utter, utter amazement. He thought he had been amazed enough today, but it seems like there's always something better.
This girl before his eyes, was eating hot-off-the-stove ramen...
...with her bare hands.
While Martin didn't actually drop his jaw, he did look around sheepishly to see if anybody else is looking - hoping for it to be not the case - alas, he immediately found himself looking at stunned diners from a nearby cafeteria. It didn't actually help that her "off-with-the-image!" outburst was accompanied by loud slurping and chewing noises.
"This... this is embarrassing. Yo, hero girl, don't get your hands burnt already! Here's the fork!"
It was then that Lanette stopped to absorb what she was doing, and then...
"Yeowwwch! Hot hot hot hot hot!"
In her haste, and by a stroke of freak luck, she accidentally flung whatever remained of the hot bowl of ramen, right into the face of the "bearded grouch".
Date: 1 June
Time: The following events take place between 7.30pm to 9.00pm
Weather: ???
Locations:
1) Telston Mall
2) Martin's Home
3) On the way back home from Telston Mall @ Peddington Avenue
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia, Randall
Other PCs: M
NPCs: Lanette Hindfell
==================================
7.30pm - The hasty scramble
"...THE TRAIN!"
It was an unmistakable rumbling of a train. The trio-turned-quartet turned around to the sound of the train. Martin was the first to bolt upon hearing the train, leaving M wondering for the life of him (pun intended) how a human gets this much energy to bolt while slinging another person on himself while they kept right on running.
07:38:28... 07:38:29... 07:38:30 PM.
But plain running down the tracks alone ain't gonna help them get away from the train while it's speeding at them.
"Sophia, get the light up and guide us to the nearest fucking door!"
Sophia complied, willing her Ether into the air as an overhead torch. Soon the nearest door showed itself to Martin, who wasted no time kicking it down and urging everyone inside. Nearby, a subway worker yelled at them to stop trespassing, but Martin couldn't give a shit. He urged everyone inside, then slammed the door shut just as the train whizzed by; Martin thought it was almost hell bent on eating them up yet again.
Then...
"Don't you guys find the feel of this train a little strange...?"
Martin peeped through the eyehole, then laughed uncontrollably, to the point where even Randall was awakened from the laughter. It left the two Strays looking at Martin in bemusement.
"Ahahahahaha... we just fled a real train... ahahahahaha..."
M took the liberty of peeping through the same eyehole, then broke into laughter himself.
"Hahaha... damn!" M laughed out really loud as he realised what Martin was laughing at. "We must look like bloody fools bolting into here... hahahahahaha..."
Randall didn't laugh with them, but broke into a grin himself.
It looks like the worst is finally... finally... over.
07:43:28... 07:43:29... 07:43:30 PM.
******
7.55pm - Home Sweet Home, eh?
07:55:28... 07:55:29... 07:55:30 PM.
With all the subtle care he could muster (read: quite little), Martin placed Randall on the floor while he reached for his house keys.
"Uh... so..." Martin began, not quite sure how to start talking once everything's settled. To his credit, it's rather difficult to have an uninvited person follow you all the way home...
...furthermore, it's a Stray that's doing the following.
M, to be exact, had inexplicably chosen to follow Martin all the way back to his Oceanside Drive apartment.
"...What? Don't mind me, you know, do what you normally do."
"Excuse me? Could you tell that I am not inviting you into my home?"
"I didn't say I'm going into your home," blurted M.
"Then why are you here...?"
"Can't I? You know, even us Strays have freedom to do what they want."
"Mister Martin... stop arguing..."
Martin gritted his teeth. By his own admission, Martin would never have stopped bickering if it wasn't for Sophia asking so nicely.
"Pedo... uhh... can we like, have you put me down somewhere nice...?"
Martin growled at M, who just shot a nonchalant look in the other direction while hanging around the outside of his apartment.
"What a pain, you..."
"Oi, Tung Jin ah! Who are you talking to?"
Martin spun around - he was very sure that it was Aunt May calling out from the apartment unit below.
"Aunty May, I'm just talking to some friends! Is anything the matter?"
"I can't see who you're talking to! And you're talking very loudly! It's disturbing my Boy ah!"
"Can't see who I am talking to...?" Martin then came to a very abrupt conclusion - he is probably the only one who could see the Strays around him right now!
"Ah ha ha... No ah, Aunty! You know, we got this technology called Lan Ya," Martin bluffed, using the Chinese term for Bluetooth, "I am just talking to one of my friends on the phone with this technology!"
"You sure ah? Sure you didn't just bump into a ghost ah!?"
Martin cringed, just as he had done so far too many times today.
In a way, Aunty May was really spot on with her observation.
Still, Martin had to keep up the pretense. It does nobody any good to have them know that Martin Chang has "opened his yin-yang eyes", as they would probably describe new Crossers.
Particularly not himself - he knew exactly how unpopular he would become if word spread about this matter.
"The Seventh Month is still a distance away ah! Don't scare me so early, Aunty May! I'm going in now, see you tomorrow!"
"Don't forget to come down and teach my Boy Weiqi ah!"
"I won't forget, Aunty! Good night!"
Martin hastily opened his apartment door, and quickly scooted in before more neighbours start asking questions.
It was rather annoying for Martin, still, because right then the unknown Stray followed him into his home without invitation. As Martin flipped the light switches on, he was rather miffed to see the teenage Stray casually flipping his newspapers and magazines and anything he could touch that is around the living room.
"..."
Martin threw the annoyance aside; he couldn't be bothered. There is grocery to be done this week and he's already behind. On top of that, he still has to take Randall, whom he laid on the sofa, to someone who could fix him better - the kid was in no shape to even walk to any doctor, much less one of the Ether variety.
Martin turned around as he laid Randall into a more comfortable position.
The two Strays, meanwhile, started to play around with each other.
"Maybe an ethereal playmate for this Stray mate of mine isn't such a bad thing after all... Oh, right, there's the email."
Martin booted up his ancient PC - he knew very well, with its current configuration and age, that it would take approximately six minutes to boot up to full operation. That gives the newly-made Crosser enough time for a quick bath before he delivers an SOS email to whoever sent him that warning message this morning. Hopefully the trash button's self-clear function hasn't been triggered yet.
******
08:05:28... 08:05:29... 08:05:30 PM.
"Good quick baths, ahh," grunted Martin in showered satisfaction. "It's time to shoot my email out and hope whoever sent the message this morning would be able to help me out here..."
Martin quickly clicked into his inbox to check for the sender's address... but it was a little late. The self-clear function was indeed triggered.
"It's already twelve hours since? Damn, time flew fast," blurted the goatee-man.
He then closed his eyes again...
"... ahh... there... 271413@sea.co.pb..."
Martin suddenly realised that he was actively utilising his newfound ability when he saw the email message appear to him in full color... at least, as much as black and white would allow, anyway. He then noticed his right shoulder being a bit wet, and saliva coming out of the side of his mouth.
Then, turning his head door-wards, he noticed Sophia and M staring at him blankly.
"Um... Mister Martin..."
"..."
I didn't know this thing made me looks like shit, exclaimed Martin internally. Why didn't you tell me earlier, you little blight?!
"...uuu..."
Martin realised - too late - what he had just said.
He now has a new B-word - one he is cursed never to utter!
"Holy shit, no, I wasn't scolding you Sophia! Please don't cry!"
And try as she will, the Stray girl just couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheek, even though she wasn't openly bawling as she did earlier.
God fuck, not again!
"Okay, okay, hush, hush, Sophia, hush, I don't mean it, I'm so so so sorry! So... please, I beg of you, stop crying..."
Beside him, M grinned like a mocking Cheshire cat, as Martin could only think so much about how life is biting him so many times into his ass today.
08:10:28... 08:10:29... 08:10:30 PM.
******
8.40pm - Encounters of the ____ kind.
Martin sighed as the traffic pulled up. It was indeed a really, really, really long day. He had had to go back to the Complex to apologise for his absence, then quickly rush to Rosen's to get his grocery done...
"...and yet another week of overspending," Martin grunted, looking begrudgingly at a packed meal that he bought specially for Randall. In all truth, Martin could afford the overspending because he isn't already a spendthrift by nature, but he doesn't really like to spend what he terms as "unexpected costs".
One fine example of that is the sequence of events today.
And then...
*bump*
"Whoa, hey, watch where you're going --- eh?"
08:40:28... 08:40:29... 08:40:30 PM.
It was a rather familiar... yet... very desolate-looking figure, her utter despair lit up brightly, clearly and mercilessly by the street lamps that hung above. She held whatever she was carrying by hand, but the way she looked, it wasn't far-fetched to say that a gust of wind would throw her onto the roads right about now.
"This getup... hey, wait up!"
Martin jogged back towards Lanette, with grocery in tow and all.
Then, that freak gust of wind did come, and Lanette was blown road-wards.
"Watch it!" Martin had to push Lanette back before she got onto the road and gets herself hit by some random car. This act prompted Lanette to look up, despite herself.
"Huh...? Oh... it's you, goatee grouch..."
Never mind that insult, Martin realised he was looking at the shadow of a self-proclaimed superhero girl, whose eyes were thoroughly reddened. Having seen a pair of reddened eyes not so long ago himself, Martin was adamant that Lanette must have cried in between the time he got away and now.
If she hadn't, thought the bearded one, then kudos to her... because she somehow managed to swell her eyes without dropping any tears!
"What on earth happened? I thought you got me outta there and took down the train? You look like horrid shit on a bloody stick!"
Lanette's head was hung low.
"Well... whatever. I mean, you got me out so probably I shouldn't give a damn---"
It was then that they both heard very loud rumbling noises emanating from Lanette's mid-section. Instantly Lanette's head dropped again, leaving Martin slightly confused for a moment. But when it happened again, all Lanette could do was to grab at her stomach awkwardly, as though she was chiding it for showing weakness to a person she thoroughly disliked. All she could will herself to do is to trudge over to a nearby bench and park her bum down.
"..."
Without giving his budget a second thought, Martin dropped all his grocery onto the same bench and dashed back to Telston Mall.
***
08:52:28... 08:52:29... 08:52:30 PM.
And when Martin came back running, he saw Lanette still hanging her head low, tugging at Martin's grocery bag.
"She must've seen the packed meal," thought Martin. "Uh, whatever your name... here."
Lanette turned her head, at first slowly, then suddenly perking up to an oasis of sorts.
"...is that food?!"
Without giving her superhero image any second thought, Lanette just grabbed whatever Martin had on hand and quickly fed herself on whatever the food was.
A golden chance like this won't come by again any time sooner!
Martin looked on in utter, utter amazement. He thought he had been amazed enough today, but it seems like there's always something better.
This girl before his eyes, was eating hot-off-the-stove ramen...
...with her bare hands.
While Martin didn't actually drop his jaw, he did look around sheepishly to see if anybody else is looking - hoping for it to be not the case - alas, he immediately found himself looking at stunned diners from a nearby cafeteria. It didn't actually help that her "off-with-the-image!" outburst was accompanied by loud slurping and chewing noises.
"This... this is embarrassing. Yo, hero girl, don't get your hands burnt already! Here's the fork!"
It was then that Lanette stopped to absorb what she was doing, and then...
"Yeowwwch! Hot hot hot hot hot!"
In her haste, and by a stroke of freak luck, she accidentally flung whatever remained of the hot bowl of ramen, right into the face of the "bearded grouch".
-
Sentrovasi
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:55 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: Tuesday, 1st June
Time: 8:11 PM
Weather: Partly cloudy
Location: Martin's Apartment
PC: Randall Kayne
Other PCs: Sophia, M
"Hoookay, now that that guy's gone..."
Randall winced as he slowly got into a sitting position. His body felt like it had been put through a wringer, but the feeling had been coming back into his joints for quite a while since they had been rescued, so he felt at least strong enough to walk again. Looking about him, he noticed Sophia and M, the former exploring the place curiously, while the latter just stood about looking bored.
"Huh," M was the first to notice Randall was awake. "Didn't think you were going to be able to move so soon." The Stray's tone seemed nonchalant, but Randall could tell he was curious.
"Yeah, well," Randall shrugged. "I did what I could; I guess I'm just lucky that way."
"Lucky?" M gave something that seemed halfway to a laugh, but didn't manage to make it through his lips. "I saw that Blight, and I know how long you were in there. 'Lucky' doesn't come close to describe how close you were to death."
Sophia seemed to tense a little as she heard M describe their near-death predicament so blandly. "Mister Randall wouldn't have died, nuh-uh. Mister Randall and Miss Hindfell and everyone else were all saving him."
"And doing a rather poor job of it, from what I saw." M seemed to be taking some small amusement by distressing Sophia, and Randall felt he had to step in.
"It didn't look like you were doing too well yourself out there." His voice and strength was coming back to him; thankfully precious little physical damage (apart from malnourishment) had taken place. He made to stand and almost fell over again, grabbing onto an old cupboard for support. He thought he heard some clinking, but nothing that sounded like it broke. "If it wasn't for them, a Stray like you wouldn't have had much more of a chance."
Sophia had floated over to try and assist Randall as he made his way into Martin's kitchen. Leaning his head over the sink, he turned the tap on and let the water run across his parched mouth and tongue. Much better.
"Yeah, well," M seemed a little less sure of himself, "it really shouldn't --"
"Hold that thought," Randall lifted a finger before turning back to the fridge he'd just opened. Rummaging through it a bit, Randall found just what he was looking for. "Hey, Sophia, you're sure to have some juice left, right?"
Before Sophia could reply, the disheveled man had pushed a large slice of pie into her hands. "Warm it up, please?"
The poor Stray didn't know where to look. "I... uhh... can't, Mister Randall! It's wrong to be eating Mister Martin's food like this." She hastily tried to push the cold slice of pie back to the man. Randall sighed.
"I'll just leave some money on the counter for him and that'll settle it," he told her in his best persuasive voice. "Come on, I'll just eat it cold otherwise. Pretty please?"
"Are you going somewhere with this?" M asked impatiently, walking into the kitchen himself. Sophia had nervously begun to heat up the pie, and the smell of pastry soon filled the air around them.
"Patience, kid; I need to eat and you don't, so that's something for you to be grateful about." Taking the pie from Sophia, he sank to the ground (his legs were tired) and began to ravenously devour it.
"You're Strays," he said between mouthfuls of pie, "and that means you can't do much without someone to help you along." He grimaced for a moment. "What's in this, tofu? Anyway, point is, you really should be the last people to complain about help." He swallowed the next mouthful practically unchewed. "Get a little perspective."
"And one more thing," Randall added, as M's mouth opened to complain, "you probably expended most of your Ether just escaping that one time. Any more and you'll disappear."
The feeling of fullness in Randall's belly was wonderful, even if it would only last a moment. He was still too weak to go back to work, and he'd definitely have to stay in bed for at least a week once he got home, but he had at least enough Ether now to do this.
He opened his palm, willing stray Ether in the air and within his body to coalesce in his hand. Having done it once in the presence of a Blight, the effort now was almost negligible. A small seed at first, it grew into a large, almost tangible orb. "Here, take this."
M took a step back, slightly suspicious. "What is it?"
"Exactly what you think it is, Mr. Ungrateful. I'm the odd-job man around here, so don't go around expecting charity everywhere you go, but this much I can do." Too tired to quarrel anymore, Randall leaned forward and literally pushed the orb into M's body.
"Unh..." Surprised, M stepped back just a moment too late. "It's... really warm." M's body seemed to tingle, as though a thirst he didn't realize existed had been quenched. The warmth seemed almost familiar.
"Of course, you dolt." Randall finished off the rest of the pie, secretly wondering why Martin would ever buy such a horrible-tasting pastry. "Most of the Ether I can gather from the area is residual from Sophia and Martin, so it's going to be just a little bit fiery. Help me up here, please."
M and Sophia followed Randall to the door. "Both of you just wait here till that salaryman comes back. Tell him I got better or something."
"You were able to walk since quite a while before, weren't you?" M guessed, his placid features belying a small smile. Randall shrugged.
"Sorry, Sophia, but your Master is just a little too uptight to not have fun with, you know?" He took a few practice steps out the door until he was sure of his way. "I'll find my way home from here, tell him thanks for me too."
Randall made as if to walk off, then stopped and turned back.
"Oh, and about the pie..." He tossed a few spare coins to Sophia, who adeptly caught them. "I can tell whoever made it didn't like him very much."
And, stumbling (slightly) down the hall, he was gone.
Time: 8:11 PM
Weather: Partly cloudy
Location: Martin's Apartment
PC: Randall Kayne
Other PCs: Sophia, M
"Hoookay, now that that guy's gone..."
Randall winced as he slowly got into a sitting position. His body felt like it had been put through a wringer, but the feeling had been coming back into his joints for quite a while since they had been rescued, so he felt at least strong enough to walk again. Looking about him, he noticed Sophia and M, the former exploring the place curiously, while the latter just stood about looking bored.
"Huh," M was the first to notice Randall was awake. "Didn't think you were going to be able to move so soon." The Stray's tone seemed nonchalant, but Randall could tell he was curious.
"Yeah, well," Randall shrugged. "I did what I could; I guess I'm just lucky that way."
"Lucky?" M gave something that seemed halfway to a laugh, but didn't manage to make it through his lips. "I saw that Blight, and I know how long you were in there. 'Lucky' doesn't come close to describe how close you were to death."
Sophia seemed to tense a little as she heard M describe their near-death predicament so blandly. "Mister Randall wouldn't have died, nuh-uh. Mister Randall and Miss Hindfell and everyone else were all saving him."
"And doing a rather poor job of it, from what I saw." M seemed to be taking some small amusement by distressing Sophia, and Randall felt he had to step in.
"It didn't look like you were doing too well yourself out there." His voice and strength was coming back to him; thankfully precious little physical damage (apart from malnourishment) had taken place. He made to stand and almost fell over again, grabbing onto an old cupboard for support. He thought he heard some clinking, but nothing that sounded like it broke. "If it wasn't for them, a Stray like you wouldn't have had much more of a chance."
Sophia had floated over to try and assist Randall as he made his way into Martin's kitchen. Leaning his head over the sink, he turned the tap on and let the water run across his parched mouth and tongue. Much better.
"Yeah, well," M seemed a little less sure of himself, "it really shouldn't --"
"Hold that thought," Randall lifted a finger before turning back to the fridge he'd just opened. Rummaging through it a bit, Randall found just what he was looking for. "Hey, Sophia, you're sure to have some juice left, right?"
Before Sophia could reply, the disheveled man had pushed a large slice of pie into her hands. "Warm it up, please?"
The poor Stray didn't know where to look. "I... uhh... can't, Mister Randall! It's wrong to be eating Mister Martin's food like this." She hastily tried to push the cold slice of pie back to the man. Randall sighed.
"I'll just leave some money on the counter for him and that'll settle it," he told her in his best persuasive voice. "Come on, I'll just eat it cold otherwise. Pretty please?"
"Are you going somewhere with this?" M asked impatiently, walking into the kitchen himself. Sophia had nervously begun to heat up the pie, and the smell of pastry soon filled the air around them.
"Patience, kid; I need to eat and you don't, so that's something for you to be grateful about." Taking the pie from Sophia, he sank to the ground (his legs were tired) and began to ravenously devour it.
"You're Strays," he said between mouthfuls of pie, "and that means you can't do much without someone to help you along." He grimaced for a moment. "What's in this, tofu? Anyway, point is, you really should be the last people to complain about help." He swallowed the next mouthful practically unchewed. "Get a little perspective."
"And one more thing," Randall added, as M's mouth opened to complain, "you probably expended most of your Ether just escaping that one time. Any more and you'll disappear."
The feeling of fullness in Randall's belly was wonderful, even if it would only last a moment. He was still too weak to go back to work, and he'd definitely have to stay in bed for at least a week once he got home, but he had at least enough Ether now to do this.
He opened his palm, willing stray Ether in the air and within his body to coalesce in his hand. Having done it once in the presence of a Blight, the effort now was almost negligible. A small seed at first, it grew into a large, almost tangible orb. "Here, take this."
M took a step back, slightly suspicious. "What is it?"
"Exactly what you think it is, Mr. Ungrateful. I'm the odd-job man around here, so don't go around expecting charity everywhere you go, but this much I can do." Too tired to quarrel anymore, Randall leaned forward and literally pushed the orb into M's body.
"Unh..." Surprised, M stepped back just a moment too late. "It's... really warm." M's body seemed to tingle, as though a thirst he didn't realize existed had been quenched. The warmth seemed almost familiar.
"Of course, you dolt." Randall finished off the rest of the pie, secretly wondering why Martin would ever buy such a horrible-tasting pastry. "Most of the Ether I can gather from the area is residual from Sophia and Martin, so it's going to be just a little bit fiery. Help me up here, please."
M and Sophia followed Randall to the door. "Both of you just wait here till that salaryman comes back. Tell him I got better or something."
"You were able to walk since quite a while before, weren't you?" M guessed, his placid features belying a small smile. Randall shrugged.
"Sorry, Sophia, but your Master is just a little too uptight to not have fun with, you know?" He took a few practice steps out the door until he was sure of his way. "I'll find my way home from here, tell him thanks for me too."
Randall made as if to walk off, then stopped and turned back.
"Oh, and about the pie..." He tossed a few spare coins to Sophia, who adeptly caught them. "I can tell whoever made it didn't like him very much."
And, stumbling (slightly) down the hall, he was gone.
-
Pasonia
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:43 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: Tuesday, 1 June
Time: 9.10pm
Weather: Partly cloudy
Locations: Martin's Home
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia
Other PCs: M
==================================
Martin didn't say a word as he entered the apartment block's lift. One could forgive Martin if they knew how indignant Martin felt about fifteen minutes ago.
"I try to be nice, and shit happens to me. I try to be bad and shit happens to me all the same. Why do I even fucking bother..."
He took a step out of the lift, then looked in the direction of his own apartment unit. The lights were on.
"Mum and Dad... wait, no, how could that be?" Martin mumbled to himself, almost forgetting that he left the lights on for Randall, just in case that bloke needed to get around and couldn't even lift himself off the sofa.
For just a fleeting moment there, he thought everything returned to approximately seven years ago. Thinking about that suddenly reddened his eyes.
"I think too much."
******
"Welcome home, Mister Martin!... eh?"
Martin didn't reply in voice, but he did nod an acknowledgement as he headed straight for the refrigerator. The first thing he looked for was Randall, but the kid was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Mister, you lookin' for that Crosser dude? He left around half an hour ago." M chirped, sprawling himself over the sofa while reading one of the many Go magazines that Martin doesn't keep properly.
"Oh, that's good to hear," chirped Martin. "I save this packed meal for myself then." He then opened his fridge, then began to wonder why there was something missing from it.
"... by any chance am I missing anything from my fridge?"
M hissed at Sophia, who vehemently refused M's urging her to lie to Martin about the pie's disappearance.
"Mister Martin... Mister Randall took your pie and ate it all..."
Martin turned around, his face looking genuinely shocked.
"Eh... he ate the WHOLE PIE? You serious?"
Sophia nodded apprehensively, expecting Martin to scold her for that. But whatever worry she had was instantly dispelled by a howling laughter from the goatee-man; he grabbed at his stomach, flapped his hand repeatedly and came close to tears while laughing like he's being constantly tickled.
By Sophia's own account, "Mister Martin's laughing even harder than he did in the subway..."
"Wahahahahahaha... ahahahaha... oh my fucking god that was just too funny..."
M couldn't understand why, but every time Martin burst into laughter he was inclined to laugh along just as well.
"Aha... *hyuk* gahahaha... oh, man, that was just so awesome... You guys wanna know what he just ate and why I'm laughing, right?"
Both Strays nodded.
"Well, I got this cousin who likes to make pies - she's really good at it too - but, to put it very nicely, she doesn't like to play Go as much as I do and is practically forced by her mother to do so. So whenever her mother asks her to make pies to double-inverted-comma-thank me for teaching her, I noticed she will always bake two identical pies."
"What's so funny about that, then?" M couldn't help but ask.
"About those pies? One meant for me, and the other she feeds to the strays."
Sophia winced a little, but M saw that the funny was beginning to emerge. "So you mean..."
"You see, she grounded doggie treats into those pies. When I eventually learnt of that, I usually take the pie home for one day, then throw it away into the main refuse. I just wasn't expecting..."
Martin tried to stifle his own laughter, but the recurring funny thought of Randall wolfing down the doggie-treat pie was too much to contain. M couldn't help but burst out laughing as well. Sophia didn't really want to laugh at Mister Randall's misfortune, but her Master's thoughts and imaginations were too strong for her to resist; soon, the whole room simply erupted into unbridled laughter.
Time: 9.10pm
Weather: Partly cloudy
Locations: Martin's Home
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia
Other PCs: M
==================================
Martin didn't say a word as he entered the apartment block's lift. One could forgive Martin if they knew how indignant Martin felt about fifteen minutes ago.
"I try to be nice, and shit happens to me. I try to be bad and shit happens to me all the same. Why do I even fucking bother..."
He took a step out of the lift, then looked in the direction of his own apartment unit. The lights were on.
"Mum and Dad... wait, no, how could that be?" Martin mumbled to himself, almost forgetting that he left the lights on for Randall, just in case that bloke needed to get around and couldn't even lift himself off the sofa.
For just a fleeting moment there, he thought everything returned to approximately seven years ago. Thinking about that suddenly reddened his eyes.
"I think too much."
******
"Welcome home, Mister Martin!... eh?"
Martin didn't reply in voice, but he did nod an acknowledgement as he headed straight for the refrigerator. The first thing he looked for was Randall, but the kid was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Mister, you lookin' for that Crosser dude? He left around half an hour ago." M chirped, sprawling himself over the sofa while reading one of the many Go magazines that Martin doesn't keep properly.
"Oh, that's good to hear," chirped Martin. "I save this packed meal for myself then." He then opened his fridge, then began to wonder why there was something missing from it.
"... by any chance am I missing anything from my fridge?"
M hissed at Sophia, who vehemently refused M's urging her to lie to Martin about the pie's disappearance.
"Mister Martin... Mister Randall took your pie and ate it all..."
Martin turned around, his face looking genuinely shocked.
"Eh... he ate the WHOLE PIE? You serious?"
Sophia nodded apprehensively, expecting Martin to scold her for that. But whatever worry she had was instantly dispelled by a howling laughter from the goatee-man; he grabbed at his stomach, flapped his hand repeatedly and came close to tears while laughing like he's being constantly tickled.
By Sophia's own account, "Mister Martin's laughing even harder than he did in the subway..."
"Wahahahahahaha... ahahahaha... oh my fucking god that was just too funny..."
M couldn't understand why, but every time Martin burst into laughter he was inclined to laugh along just as well.
"Aha... *hyuk* gahahaha... oh, man, that was just so awesome... You guys wanna know what he just ate and why I'm laughing, right?"
Both Strays nodded.
"Well, I got this cousin who likes to make pies - she's really good at it too - but, to put it very nicely, she doesn't like to play Go as much as I do and is practically forced by her mother to do so. So whenever her mother asks her to make pies to double-inverted-comma-thank me for teaching her, I noticed she will always bake two identical pies."
"What's so funny about that, then?" M couldn't help but ask.
"About those pies? One meant for me, and the other she feeds to the strays."
Sophia winced a little, but M saw that the funny was beginning to emerge. "So you mean..."
"You see, she grounded doggie treats into those pies. When I eventually learnt of that, I usually take the pie home for one day, then throw it away into the main refuse. I just wasn't expecting..."
Martin tried to stifle his own laughter, but the recurring funny thought of Randall wolfing down the doggie-treat pie was too much to contain. M couldn't help but burst out laughing as well. Sophia didn't really want to laugh at Mister Randall's misfortune, but her Master's thoughts and imaginations were too strong for her to resist; soon, the whole room simply erupted into unbridled laughter.
-
Sentrovasi
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:55 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: Tuesday, 1 June
Time: 7.15 PM
Weather: Partly cloudy
Location: 34 Noir Lane
PCs: Kayte Aios
Other PCs: -
Perhaps it was foolish to assume that beginning things would help bring things to an end. She had never been one to rush into things; daring was for the people with something to prove, but immortality had changed that. Nonetheless, something had to be done, and so she had begun it.
When Randall Kayne had come to her for employment, she thought it serendipity. Here was a Crosser with the potential to be the catalyst, and the curiosity to go along with it. All he needed was a light push... and a few simple steps to ensure he was in the right place at the right time.
She yawned luxuriously from her place on the bed. Sleeping in was a bad habit of hers born of necessity, but now was not the time. The Command had answered her call, to some extent, although she didn't think that obnoxious Gate Sentry or the young upstart were the reinforcements she had expected. Nonetheless, that gambit had paid off, and the prelude was almost coming to a close.
She hadn't expected Randall Kayne to be in mortal danger. Despite her predisposition against humans, she had no real reason to take his life, nor had he warranted any such end. What had complicated matters were the interference of other Crossers, inexplicably awaking at the same time, all of which only served to confirm her fears.
In Ancient Egypt, she had been one of those readers of the Akasha; that ancient artifact was lost to the winds now: a victim of its own probability and the entropy which followed. But in it she had learnt of several key events; forks of prophecy which could lead to an era of peace... or one of destruction. The sinking of Atlantis in 1600 BC, the human war of 1942 which had destroyed their HQ in Nagasaki...
"S'il n'y avait pas le meilleur parmi tous les mondes possibles, Dieu n'en aurait produit aucun."
All readings - not just her own, but those of other Panzers who had chosen to study the ancient Panzer artifact known as the Akashic Record - all readings had led up to this period in time. Then... nothing. Most put it down to the limitations of such ancient technology; technology which scarcely anyone understood at all. But there were many others convinced that the Akasha was really a warning device: one which they should do well to heed.
The yawning abyss into which no future could be seen: it was what they called the Nights of Lament.
She had been monitoring things on her own, of course. At the very most, her fears about the Akasha were just that: wild rumors which could mean little at all. Not for nothing had she chosen to move to Pebbleton; it existed on what would be considered an event horizon in Enomena, and was thus a perfect spot to observe. Besides, the Enomena-rich areas around Pebbleton meant that stolen artifacts were very likely to find their way there first. But as time went by, she began to observe anomalies. Small, at first, such as the movements of more and more Crossers into the town. The presence of Blights in a small town such as Pebbleton were unusual, but she attributed that to the speedy growth of the town after the construction of the docks.
But that had been twenty years ago. Now she was certain that Pebbleton's sleepiness was merely the calm before the storm. The appearance of the Material Blight had been something she knew needed to be stopped before it could give rise to even greater threats. Randall had been a bargaining piece to push the Command into action, but she needed them to see the problem for what it really was.
Moving to the full-length window which spanned the east wall of her bedroom, she stared for a moment at the moon in its pale, waning glow before switching her MPUD's spectrum to look for strong Ether concentrations. Almost immediately she spotted the outline of the train and the two Panzers which were battling it. It had taken them long enough.
She let the moonlight play on her fingers for a moment as she reflected. Had she been perpetrator to the crime?
"Allwissend bin ich nicht; doch viel ist mir bewusst."
She had done her part here. Only time would tell now.
Time: 7.15 PM
Weather: Partly cloudy
Location: 34 Noir Lane
PCs: Kayte Aios
Other PCs: -
Perhaps it was foolish to assume that beginning things would help bring things to an end. She had never been one to rush into things; daring was for the people with something to prove, but immortality had changed that. Nonetheless, something had to be done, and so she had begun it.
When Randall Kayne had come to her for employment, she thought it serendipity. Here was a Crosser with the potential to be the catalyst, and the curiosity to go along with it. All he needed was a light push... and a few simple steps to ensure he was in the right place at the right time.
She yawned luxuriously from her place on the bed. Sleeping in was a bad habit of hers born of necessity, but now was not the time. The Command had answered her call, to some extent, although she didn't think that obnoxious Gate Sentry or the young upstart were the reinforcements she had expected. Nonetheless, that gambit had paid off, and the prelude was almost coming to a close.
She hadn't expected Randall Kayne to be in mortal danger. Despite her predisposition against humans, she had no real reason to take his life, nor had he warranted any such end. What had complicated matters were the interference of other Crossers, inexplicably awaking at the same time, all of which only served to confirm her fears.
In Ancient Egypt, she had been one of those readers of the Akasha; that ancient artifact was lost to the winds now: a victim of its own probability and the entropy which followed. But in it she had learnt of several key events; forks of prophecy which could lead to an era of peace... or one of destruction. The sinking of Atlantis in 1600 BC, the human war of 1942 which had destroyed their HQ in Nagasaki...
"S'il n'y avait pas le meilleur parmi tous les mondes possibles, Dieu n'en aurait produit aucun."
All readings - not just her own, but those of other Panzers who had chosen to study the ancient Panzer artifact known as the Akashic Record - all readings had led up to this period in time. Then... nothing. Most put it down to the limitations of such ancient technology; technology which scarcely anyone understood at all. But there were many others convinced that the Akasha was really a warning device: one which they should do well to heed.
The yawning abyss into which no future could be seen: it was what they called the Nights of Lament.
She had been monitoring things on her own, of course. At the very most, her fears about the Akasha were just that: wild rumors which could mean little at all. Not for nothing had she chosen to move to Pebbleton; it existed on what would be considered an event horizon in Enomena, and was thus a perfect spot to observe. Besides, the Enomena-rich areas around Pebbleton meant that stolen artifacts were very likely to find their way there first. But as time went by, she began to observe anomalies. Small, at first, such as the movements of more and more Crossers into the town. The presence of Blights in a small town such as Pebbleton were unusual, but she attributed that to the speedy growth of the town after the construction of the docks.
But that had been twenty years ago. Now she was certain that Pebbleton's sleepiness was merely the calm before the storm. The appearance of the Material Blight had been something she knew needed to be stopped before it could give rise to even greater threats. Randall had been a bargaining piece to push the Command into action, but she needed them to see the problem for what it really was.
Moving to the full-length window which spanned the east wall of her bedroom, she stared for a moment at the moon in its pale, waning glow before switching her MPUD's spectrum to look for strong Ether concentrations. Almost immediately she spotted the outline of the train and the two Panzers which were battling it. It had taken them long enough.
She let the moonlight play on her fingers for a moment as she reflected. Had she been perpetrator to the crime?
"Allwissend bin ich nicht; doch viel ist mir bewusst."
She had done her part here. Only time would tell now.
Last edited by Sentrovasi on Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
Pictor
- Posts: 557
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:50 am
- Location: Inside your heart
- Contact:
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 9:00 PM - Night
Weather: Partly Cloudly, Full Moon
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Jacket, Mirto
============
*GONG....!*
*GONG....!*
*GONG....!*
The melancholy chime of the fountain's bell sounded one final time to announce the end of a long day. For most, it was the end of a simple day of work, be it studying, stacking shelves, or stapling documents behind a desk. For a particular posse of supernatural beings however, these clear chimes signaled the closing of a long and arduous battle for their lives. The end of one conflict, and the beginning of countless others.
One particular member of the mentioned posse, a young mint-haired schoolgirl clad in a ruffled sweater-jacket, sat wordlessly in the park. The lack of lamp posts in the park meant that she was shrouded by near complete darkness, but that did nothing to deter her from waiting in silence. The beautiful moonlit view of the ocean, and a thermos of warm tea in one hand was plenty to keep her company. Suddenly, a stirring lump of leaves and branches in the nearby bushes signaled that her long wait was finally over. Giving a relieved sigh, she set down her drink and made her way over to the source of the commotion.
"Uhhh... mnuh... ooh..."
A strange-looking individual rose groaning groggily from the bushes, covered with leaves and muck still half-wet from the morning's rain. His white, masked-face seemed to float eerily in the dark, an effect emphasized by his pure-black body. As the figure blinked, a pair of glowing white eyes focused in their sockets. If anything, this figure seemed dangerous and frightening, but the girl knew otherwise as she approached him.
"Good morning, Jacket. Oh wait, it's NINE."
"Mirto...? Oh... man. What the heck-"
Jacket stopped his speech abruptly as he saw what poor condition his filthy self was in. The stare he returned to Mirto was so utterly hapless and confused, that she almost had to stifle a laugh.
"I'll explain after you get yourself out of there."
As commanded, Jacket got off his mud-covered buttocks and out of the bushes, following Mirto over to her seat. As Mirto reclaimed her thermos, she explained to Jacket that the reason why he was lying in a ravine was because she had put him there.
"So basically, there was no way I could lug you all the way home. But I couldn't just leave you lying around in the open either. With your luck, I'd probably come back to find you smashed to smithereens. Or worse yet... discovered."
Still rubbing his aching skull, Jacket took a minute to absorb what the girl had told him.
"So... you dumped me in a ditch?"
Jacket's "what-the-hell" stare was answered by a simple shrug on Mirto's end.
"Anyway, I made a trip back home to gather some supplies. First of all, here..."
Mirto reached behind her seat, fished out a towel from the darkness, and tossed it at Jacket. Getting the message, Jacket began wiping himself off, when he suddenly noticed...
"H-Hey! Where's my jacket?! A-AND MY HAT?!"
"Ah. That old thing? It was in tatters after your brawl with the Train monster. There wasn't even a point to wearing it anymore, so I trashed it. As for your hat... I took it home and cleaned it off for you, I have it here too."
Jacket, still halfheartedly cleaning himself off, stuttered a panicked reply.
"B-B-B-But I'm naked!"
Mirto rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, you're not even human. There's nothing to look at."
Miffed by what he took as an insult, Jacket returned a pouting huff. Right back at ya, princess.
"Anyway, I got caught trying to sneak back home unnoticed, so I had to convince my folks that a friend of mine was seriously contemplating suicide, and that I was her only savior. Of course the police couldn't get involved, that would only push her over the edge."
"Wow. You're pretty much an expert at lying to family, huh?"
A death glare from the girl's emerald eyes was enough to have the Stray shut up and flinch in anticipation for another critical blow. Still irritated, Mirto bent down and retrieved yet another item.
"Anyway, you can wear this for now."
Finished ridding himself of wet leaves and forest grime, Jacket tossed aside the now disgustingly soiled towel and took the item Mirto draped in her outstretched hand. It was a yellow jacket, almost identical to the one he used to own.
"I found this in one of my uncle's old clothing trunks. It's almost brand new, so I don't think he wore it much... if at all. I dunno if it fits bu-"
"Ha, it's perfect! Thanks!"
"Good, I guess. Of course, don't forget about your precious baby."
From seemingly nowhere, Mirto pulled out a black newsboy cap. As tattered as it was, at least it was relatively clean now. Performing a light hop, she slapped the hat onto Jacket's noggin.
"Yesss! The Phantom Jacket is complete once again!"
Mirto shook her head as she watched the immature Stray prance around in his new attire, striking poses at nobody in the dark.
"So... Jacket. I've been doing some thinking while I was waiting for you to come around."
The masked Stray froze mid-pose when he heard his name mentioned.
"...What's up?"
"Normal ghosts can make themselves unseen, right? But you're kind of handicapped in that area. I... I'm not sure how well I'd be able to hide you if you back at my house. And...-"
The Stray simply chuckled back at her.
"I get it. You don't have to worry about housing me, miss princess. The Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton can take care of himself just fine."
"But what about your Ether supply, and all that junk?"
"The bond between a Crosser and Stray is something that transcends mere distance. No matter how far I go, your Ether will find a way to me! So don't sweat it, I'll find my own place to crash for the night. Besides... I'm not really interested in hiding out in a schoolgirl's room anyway."
Besides the snide comment Jacket snuck in, Mirto was relieved. At least that's one problem down.
"Then... we'll meet up during the day, I guess?"
"Of course! I'll know where to find you, that's part of our bond too!"
Jacket hopped on top of a bench and jabbed a thumb proudly at his own chest.
"I'm your guardian angel, after all! I'll be your shadow 'til the day our contract expires."
Mirto could not help but smile. At both the silliness of his posture and the confidence at which he's spouting all this pseudo heroic nonsense.
"It's getting late, I'd better head home."
"Shall this knight escort the princess home?"
Ugh... still pulling that stupid charade.
"Er... I think I can take care of myself."
The Stray took his cap in hand and get a light bow.
"Then nighty-night, fair princess."
"Ugh. Night, Jacket."
Mirto groaned sarcastically as she began her walk home. Just as she turned around, however, she suddenly remembered something very important.
"Oh yea! I almost forgot, I met your friend Lanette while you were out cold! She's a weird one, to be sure, but I don't think you'll have to worry about her anymore!"
With that, the mint haired girl left her awe-stunned ghost friend behind in the dust.
As she cleared the park, a familiar, paranoia-filled howl of fear rang out from behind her. That ought get him back for all that teasing!
Time: 9:00 PM - Night
Weather: Partly Cloudly, Full Moon
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Jacket, Mirto
============
*GONG....!*
*GONG....!*
*GONG....!*
The melancholy chime of the fountain's bell sounded one final time to announce the end of a long day. For most, it was the end of a simple day of work, be it studying, stacking shelves, or stapling documents behind a desk. For a particular posse of supernatural beings however, these clear chimes signaled the closing of a long and arduous battle for their lives. The end of one conflict, and the beginning of countless others.
One particular member of the mentioned posse, a young mint-haired schoolgirl clad in a ruffled sweater-jacket, sat wordlessly in the park. The lack of lamp posts in the park meant that she was shrouded by near complete darkness, but that did nothing to deter her from waiting in silence. The beautiful moonlit view of the ocean, and a thermos of warm tea in one hand was plenty to keep her company. Suddenly, a stirring lump of leaves and branches in the nearby bushes signaled that her long wait was finally over. Giving a relieved sigh, she set down her drink and made her way over to the source of the commotion.
"Uhhh... mnuh... ooh..."
A strange-looking individual rose groaning groggily from the bushes, covered with leaves and muck still half-wet from the morning's rain. His white, masked-face seemed to float eerily in the dark, an effect emphasized by his pure-black body. As the figure blinked, a pair of glowing white eyes focused in their sockets. If anything, this figure seemed dangerous and frightening, but the girl knew otherwise as she approached him.
"Good morning, Jacket. Oh wait, it's NINE."
"Mirto...? Oh... man. What the heck-"
Jacket stopped his speech abruptly as he saw what poor condition his filthy self was in. The stare he returned to Mirto was so utterly hapless and confused, that she almost had to stifle a laugh.
"I'll explain after you get yourself out of there."
As commanded, Jacket got off his mud-covered buttocks and out of the bushes, following Mirto over to her seat. As Mirto reclaimed her thermos, she explained to Jacket that the reason why he was lying in a ravine was because she had put him there.
"So basically, there was no way I could lug you all the way home. But I couldn't just leave you lying around in the open either. With your luck, I'd probably come back to find you smashed to smithereens. Or worse yet... discovered."
Still rubbing his aching skull, Jacket took a minute to absorb what the girl had told him.
"So... you dumped me in a ditch?"
Jacket's "what-the-hell" stare was answered by a simple shrug on Mirto's end.
"Anyway, I made a trip back home to gather some supplies. First of all, here..."
Mirto reached behind her seat, fished out a towel from the darkness, and tossed it at Jacket. Getting the message, Jacket began wiping himself off, when he suddenly noticed...
"H-Hey! Where's my jacket?! A-AND MY HAT?!"
"Ah. That old thing? It was in tatters after your brawl with the Train monster. There wasn't even a point to wearing it anymore, so I trashed it. As for your hat... I took it home and cleaned it off for you, I have it here too."
Jacket, still halfheartedly cleaning himself off, stuttered a panicked reply.
"B-B-B-But I'm naked!"
Mirto rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, you're not even human. There's nothing to look at."
Miffed by what he took as an insult, Jacket returned a pouting huff. Right back at ya, princess.
"Anyway, I got caught trying to sneak back home unnoticed, so I had to convince my folks that a friend of mine was seriously contemplating suicide, and that I was her only savior. Of course the police couldn't get involved, that would only push her over the edge."
"Wow. You're pretty much an expert at lying to family, huh?"
A death glare from the girl's emerald eyes was enough to have the Stray shut up and flinch in anticipation for another critical blow. Still irritated, Mirto bent down and retrieved yet another item.
"Anyway, you can wear this for now."
Finished ridding himself of wet leaves and forest grime, Jacket tossed aside the now disgustingly soiled towel and took the item Mirto draped in her outstretched hand. It was a yellow jacket, almost identical to the one he used to own.
"I found this in one of my uncle's old clothing trunks. It's almost brand new, so I don't think he wore it much... if at all. I dunno if it fits bu-"
"Ha, it's perfect! Thanks!"
"Good, I guess. Of course, don't forget about your precious baby."
From seemingly nowhere, Mirto pulled out a black newsboy cap. As tattered as it was, at least it was relatively clean now. Performing a light hop, she slapped the hat onto Jacket's noggin.
"Yesss! The Phantom Jacket is complete once again!"
Mirto shook her head as she watched the immature Stray prance around in his new attire, striking poses at nobody in the dark.
"So... Jacket. I've been doing some thinking while I was waiting for you to come around."
The masked Stray froze mid-pose when he heard his name mentioned.
"...What's up?"
"Normal ghosts can make themselves unseen, right? But you're kind of handicapped in that area. I... I'm not sure how well I'd be able to hide you if you back at my house. And...-"
The Stray simply chuckled back at her.
"I get it. You don't have to worry about housing me, miss princess. The Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton can take care of himself just fine."
"But what about your Ether supply, and all that junk?"
"The bond between a Crosser and Stray is something that transcends mere distance. No matter how far I go, your Ether will find a way to me! So don't sweat it, I'll find my own place to crash for the night. Besides... I'm not really interested in hiding out in a schoolgirl's room anyway."
Besides the snide comment Jacket snuck in, Mirto was relieved. At least that's one problem down.
"Then... we'll meet up during the day, I guess?"
"Of course! I'll know where to find you, that's part of our bond too!"
Jacket hopped on top of a bench and jabbed a thumb proudly at his own chest.
"I'm your guardian angel, after all! I'll be your shadow 'til the day our contract expires."
Mirto could not help but smile. At both the silliness of his posture and the confidence at which he's spouting all this pseudo heroic nonsense.
"It's getting late, I'd better head home."
"Shall this knight escort the princess home?"
Ugh... still pulling that stupid charade.
"Er... I think I can take care of myself."
The Stray took his cap in hand and get a light bow.
"Then nighty-night, fair princess."
"Ugh. Night, Jacket."
Mirto groaned sarcastically as she began her walk home. Just as she turned around, however, she suddenly remembered something very important.
"Oh yea! I almost forgot, I met your friend Lanette while you were out cold! She's a weird one, to be sure, but I don't think you'll have to worry about her anymore!"
With that, the mint haired girl left her awe-stunned ghost friend behind in the dust.
As she cleared the park, a familiar, paranoia-filled howl of fear rang out from behind her. That ought get him back for all that teasing!
-
SavviG
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:01 am
- Location: Between worlds.
- Contact:
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 19:45 - Nightfall
Weather: Growing Cloudy
Location: Peddington Avenue
PC: Graciel
NPC: Noco
===================
[The Train's Final Destination]
Graciel dashed up the stairs out of the subways and headed towards the direction that the Blight fled. The direction lead to Telston Mall.
From the way towards the mall, he halt to a stop. Beyond the doors is the public shopping mall. It's still open, I must not be seen, better look for another way in. From the corner of the eye he see a maintanence staircase. he turned and dashed for it.
"Hooo ha ha ha... - This is tiring ... ha ha.. " At this moment, the MPUD called. "Hello, this is Noco, Where the hell are you?!"
She sounded mad, "Heading to a higher ground (ha) so I can - shoot that - Blight mam, - No casaulties then ... - Oh, need to add one more thing, (ha) can you tell me the situation now?"
Silence, then she called back. "It's chugging around the mall on the ground floor. From the looks of it, whoever it's after is still around. hop to it."
"Yes mam!"
Graciel exited the stairs and headed over the edge. Aiming his rifle down. He sees the blight. Like a eagle looking down on its prey in broad daylight. He aimed and fired a few shot on the head of the Blight. The hots punctured the top, shrapnel pieces flew about and it turned away to flee.
"Agh!" Graciel steadied his aim, fired in rapid session chipping, breaking apart the train. the hull was beginning to lose its form, the wheels were falling and the fleeing train was at its end.
"Shhhh~ it's ok, it's ok." whispered Graciel as he fired the last round. The Blight, what's left of it started to disintegrate. "Thank god it didn't escape." Graciel exhaled and scoped for casaulties ... -
- "Status?" cried from behind. Graciel let out a cry in his mind, little did he know that Noco was behind him. When did she get here?. "Mam! No one injured, Blight is dead."
"Good." She got her MPUD out and started to tap on it. For the few moments, it was silence and then she looked up and told Graciel to return home. Graciel nodded "O.K Mam, I'll see you later. Nights!" he turned back into a cat and made a dash.
Wondering home at last. So much has happened in one day and so many people was involved. The Crosser and Phantom popped into my mind throughout the journey home.
Back at home, he unloaded everything and wore the usual attire. The fridge still had a sandwich with a bite taken out of it and a cake. So, he spend the last evening eating cake and scanning through the MPUD for Phantom. "huh, this is... it's... EH!" There was nothing about the Phantom at all. He gave up looking him up and finished his cake.
Time: 19:45 - Nightfall
Weather: Growing Cloudy
Location: Peddington Avenue
PC: Graciel
NPC: Noco
===================
[The Train's Final Destination]
Graciel dashed up the stairs out of the subways and headed towards the direction that the Blight fled. The direction lead to Telston Mall.
From the way towards the mall, he halt to a stop. Beyond the doors is the public shopping mall. It's still open, I must not be seen, better look for another way in. From the corner of the eye he see a maintanence staircase. he turned and dashed for it.
"Hooo ha ha ha... - This is tiring ... ha ha.. " At this moment, the MPUD called. "Hello, this is Noco, Where the hell are you?!"
She sounded mad, "Heading to a higher ground (ha) so I can - shoot that - Blight mam, - No casaulties then ... - Oh, need to add one more thing, (ha) can you tell me the situation now?"
Silence, then she called back. "It's chugging around the mall on the ground floor. From the looks of it, whoever it's after is still around. hop to it."
"Yes mam!"
Graciel exited the stairs and headed over the edge. Aiming his rifle down. He sees the blight. Like a eagle looking down on its prey in broad daylight. He aimed and fired a few shot on the head of the Blight. The hots punctured the top, shrapnel pieces flew about and it turned away to flee.
"Agh!" Graciel steadied his aim, fired in rapid session chipping, breaking apart the train. the hull was beginning to lose its form, the wheels were falling and the fleeing train was at its end.
"Shhhh~ it's ok, it's ok." whispered Graciel as he fired the last round. The Blight, what's left of it started to disintegrate. "Thank god it didn't escape." Graciel exhaled and scoped for casaulties ... -
- "Status?" cried from behind. Graciel let out a cry in his mind, little did he know that Noco was behind him. When did she get here?. "Mam! No one injured, Blight is dead."
"Good." She got her MPUD out and started to tap on it. For the few moments, it was silence and then she looked up and told Graciel to return home. Graciel nodded "O.K Mam, I'll see you later. Nights!" he turned back into a cat and made a dash.
Wondering home at last. So much has happened in one day and so many people was involved. The Crosser and Phantom popped into my mind throughout the journey home.
Back at home, he unloaded everything and wore the usual attire. The fridge still had a sandwich with a bite taken out of it and a cake. So, he spend the last evening eating cake and scanning through the MPUD for Phantom. "huh, this is... it's... EH!" There was nothing about the Phantom at all. He gave up looking him up and finished his cake.
Last edited by SavviG on Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Twitter SavviMaple
-
marcien
- Posts: 480
- Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:43 am
- Location: Land of Dreams and Stories
- Contact:
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
i didn't forget your npc, sent, nor your super descriptions of the train. heh heh.
in-universe history time...? and my record longest post i think. even i am bored by it
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 1905 - 2015
Weather: Cloudy, no stars.
Location: Telston Mall → Dawnview Park Beach
PC: Z. Redmist
NPC: Heisel Warren
================
Why does it have to be her. Redmist could have swore that his day could not possibly get any worse. A series of miscalculations, and two encounters with that bird. The only thing that could top that would be a third time seeing that accursed bird.
By the time Redmist reached the park (he took the bus), much of the smoke caused by the blight's crash had dissipated. He continued down to beach.
He climbed over the safety barrier headed closer to the water. The smell of salt. Seawater. More than he would like to admit it, Redmist feels unnaturally comfortable near the sea. But this feeling was not why he came here.
After doing search of the area and ensuring no one was near, Redmist removed his top layer of clothes (he is wearing double layers) and walked into the sea. There, some distance from the shore and barely submerged by the sea water (it must have disconnected and landed there during the crash), was the fifth carriage of the Train blight.
-- -- -- -- --
"That's surprising. I was hardly expecting to see anymore of the living for today."
Redmist found himself in a surprisingly modern room furnished with simple furniture. The air smelt of coffee. Sitting unperturbed, on a chair at a dining a table, near the side of the room, is a clean-shaven, dark-haired man who looked to be about his late 30s. Redmist immediately deduced that he is a crosser.
"Heisel Warren."
"You even know my name. Did some research, didn't you?"
"I did. And you being here brings me more questions."
"He was my stray, Diesel was... It's a funny name for something that runs on steam, isn't it."
Redmist remained silent while the older man reminisced.
"But, I knew who he was. My great-grandfather. He engineered her, this beauty. But on her first commercial journey, she disappeared, along with every one of her passengers."
What Warren was saying made sense so far, to Redmist's knowledge. A hundred years ago, a steam train matching the appearance of the Train blight had disappeared, and no one could find clue of it. And the name of the train's designer was Gisbert Warren.
"But he could not simply let the matter rest," continued Heisel Warren, "He combed and searched, and after months, he too disappeared...
"He would only show up many decades later as a ghost, and of all people, he met his offspring. Not that he knew that, of course, for he had no memory.
"I found out who he was in a while. But I did not tell him. I was young then. Out of my own selfishness, I wanted Diesel always to be my stray."
"If he bonded with you long enough, his past will return to him."
"We eventually met her. Or what remained of her. We probably were the ones to awaken her. Which is the cause of all that has happened today and the days before."
And this was what troubled Redmist. "The crash site and remains of the Galactic Cloud were officially discovered sixteen years ago." He waited to hear what Warren would say, but the man remain silent, staring back at him with clear hazel eyes. Redmist pressed on, "If what you say is true, then this Train blight would have existed since then."
"She did."
"I am not nine years old, Warren. A blight of this scale cannot remain hidden for sixteen years."
"I must be getting along in years... can't seem to remember stuff nowadays..."
Redmist snarled.
Warren chuckled, "I am not getting out of this, am I?"
No.
"Sixteen years ago, we awoke and met and defeated that blight that resulted from the deaths of all of the Galactic Cloud's passengers. That's what we thought for a while. But that wasn't so, was it, young one? Can you think of what else that could have happened?"
Redmist frowned at his question. Then he remembered Warren's first words...
"You can't mean... But that... should not happen to a linked stray!"
"It did."
"That... no way...! And then you... a crosser... cannot--"
"I did."
"How...?"
"I believe you know the answer to that one."
Before Redmist could gather his thoughts, the floor of the fifth carriage started sinking.
"Ah. He has finally been... put to rest." Heisel put his palms on the wall of the room-carriage. "Goodbye... Thank you... And sorry."
He then turned to face Redmist, "I'll be leaving now then."
The floor disappeared, and other walls began disintegrating. White foam danced about the saltwater that came rushing in from the bottom. Heisel Warren appeared slightly stunned, perhaps by the change in temperature.
"The fifth carriage was dropped into the sea when the train crashed," Redmist smirked,
"I hope you can swim."
-- -- -- -- --
Redmist walked out onto the beach, removed his wet clothes and dressed himself. He climbed over the safety barrier. It smelt of iron. Back on familiar ground.
He took the bus home. And soaked himself the bathtub for a full six hours.
(so, martin's email will have to wait till after that)
in-universe history time...? and my record longest post i think. even i am bored by it
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 1905 - 2015
Weather: Cloudy, no stars.
Location: Telston Mall → Dawnview Park Beach
PC: Z. Redmist
NPC: Heisel Warren
================
Why does it have to be her. Redmist could have swore that his day could not possibly get any worse. A series of miscalculations, and two encounters with that bird. The only thing that could top that would be a third time seeing that accursed bird.
By the time Redmist reached the park (he took the bus), much of the smoke caused by the blight's crash had dissipated. He continued down to beach.
He climbed over the safety barrier headed closer to the water. The smell of salt. Seawater. More than he would like to admit it, Redmist feels unnaturally comfortable near the sea. But this feeling was not why he came here.
After doing search of the area and ensuring no one was near, Redmist removed his top layer of clothes (he is wearing double layers) and walked into the sea. There, some distance from the shore and barely submerged by the sea water (it must have disconnected and landed there during the crash), was the fifth carriage of the Train blight.
-- -- -- -- --
"That's surprising. I was hardly expecting to see anymore of the living for today."
Redmist found himself in a surprisingly modern room furnished with simple furniture. The air smelt of coffee. Sitting unperturbed, on a chair at a dining a table, near the side of the room, is a clean-shaven, dark-haired man who looked to be about his late 30s. Redmist immediately deduced that he is a crosser.
"Heisel Warren."
"You even know my name. Did some research, didn't you?"
"I did. And you being here brings me more questions."
"He was my stray, Diesel was... It's a funny name for something that runs on steam, isn't it."
Redmist remained silent while the older man reminisced.
"But, I knew who he was. My great-grandfather. He engineered her, this beauty. But on her first commercial journey, she disappeared, along with every one of her passengers."
What Warren was saying made sense so far, to Redmist's knowledge. A hundred years ago, a steam train matching the appearance of the Train blight had disappeared, and no one could find clue of it. And the name of the train's designer was Gisbert Warren.
"But he could not simply let the matter rest," continued Heisel Warren, "He combed and searched, and after months, he too disappeared...
"He would only show up many decades later as a ghost, and of all people, he met his offspring. Not that he knew that, of course, for he had no memory.
"I found out who he was in a while. But I did not tell him. I was young then. Out of my own selfishness, I wanted Diesel always to be my stray."
"If he bonded with you long enough, his past will return to him."
"We eventually met her. Or what remained of her. We probably were the ones to awaken her. Which is the cause of all that has happened today and the days before."
And this was what troubled Redmist. "The crash site and remains of the Galactic Cloud were officially discovered sixteen years ago." He waited to hear what Warren would say, but the man remain silent, staring back at him with clear hazel eyes. Redmist pressed on, "If what you say is true, then this Train blight would have existed since then."
"She did."
"I am not nine years old, Warren. A blight of this scale cannot remain hidden for sixteen years."
"I must be getting along in years... can't seem to remember stuff nowadays..."
Redmist snarled.
Warren chuckled, "I am not getting out of this, am I?"
No.
"Sixteen years ago, we awoke and met and defeated that blight that resulted from the deaths of all of the Galactic Cloud's passengers. That's what we thought for a while. But that wasn't so, was it, young one? Can you think of what else that could have happened?"
Redmist frowned at his question. Then he remembered Warren's first words...
"You can't mean... But that... should not happen to a linked stray!"
"It did."
"That... no way...! And then you... a crosser... cannot--"
"I did."
"How...?"
"I believe you know the answer to that one."
Before Redmist could gather his thoughts, the floor of the fifth carriage started sinking.
"Ah. He has finally been... put to rest." Heisel put his palms on the wall of the room-carriage. "Goodbye... Thank you... And sorry."
He then turned to face Redmist, "I'll be leaving now then."
The floor disappeared, and other walls began disintegrating. White foam danced about the saltwater that came rushing in from the bottom. Heisel Warren appeared slightly stunned, perhaps by the change in temperature.
"The fifth carriage was dropped into the sea when the train crashed," Redmist smirked,
"I hope you can swim."
-- -- -- -- --
Redmist walked out onto the beach, removed his wet clothes and dressed himself. He climbed over the safety barrier. It smelt of iron. Back on familiar ground.
He took the bus home. And soaked himself the bathtub for a full six hours.
(so, martin's email will have to wait till after that)
[img]http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1452/assignment23.jpg[/img]
-
AYC
- Posts: 228
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:35 pm
- Location: In hibernation.
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
(Backtracking a bit. In which Mirto panics, and provides perfect blackmail material.)
Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 7:50 pm, Evening
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================
It's a miracle.
Much to her great relief, Jacket actually stirs and rolls off her nearly flattened body after her little outburst. Unfortunately though, he doesn't do anything else to follow up, and just keeps snoring away.
Mirto briefly contemplates the idea of scribbling "Sleeping Beauty" on his forehead with a marker from her bag. It would definitely teach him to stop calling her "princess", that's for sure - but as funny as it would be, she decides against it out of the kindness of her bitter, bitter heart.
But now what?
After that little... ordeal, it's absolutely out the question for her to take him anywhere outside of the perimeter of the park - she would probably die in the process from exhaustion, even if she dragged him. Not to mention that the likelihood of her being able to do it discreetly and without being seen was practically nonexistent.
Mirto gives Jacket's slumbering form a brief once over. They're partners, but it's not like she feels obligated to stay with him for that sole reason - it just doesn't feel right to abandon him, especially when she knows that he would probably watch over her if their positions were switched - hell, didn't he already do that when they were back at the library? They weren't even bonded then.
What should I do?
She could just... leave and come back - it's not like she's abandoning him! - yes, she'll just drop her stuff and come back quickly, maybe get some things to fix him up with... It's not a very good idea to leave him out here though - even though it doesn't look like Jacket's planning on waking up anytime soon, there's no telling what could happen to him. The Train might come back or maybe another Blight might get him while's he's out... or maybe even the police will come and arrest him for his suspicious appearance!
It's no good, she'll have to hide him somewhere. Maybe the bushes?
It's almost funny when her first tug of his jacket sends a loud rrriiipp cutting through the air. Mirto looks down at the shred of yellow material in her hands, and then at the tattered strips that had previously covered Jacket's upper torso. Well.
Um.
It was already ruined behind help in the first place. Might as well get rid of it, yeah. Ha ha h-
In a panic, Mirto quickly makes a note to herself to find him a replacement jacket as soon as possible. As luck would have it, maybe her uncle has a similar jacket lying around somewhere. She hopes.
Torn fabric discarded, Mirto proceeds to drag her partner's bulky form towards the bushes, and with a hard shove, pushes him through the leaves. It's not the best hiding place, but at the very least, it'll be hard for anyone to find him, especially now that he's without his bright clothing. As an afterthought, she also picks up his hat - might as well fix it up for him too, while she's at it.
Good. Hopefully he'll be okay while she's gone.
Her run home goes smoothly, and she manages to toss Jacket's cap into the washer without any problem, but it's in the middle of rifling through the bathroom's closet that she's caught red-handed.
"Mirto? I thought it was you who came home. Come have some dinner."
Ooohhh crap.
She doesn't even need to turn around to know that the whole gang's there, watching her every move with a curious, mildly amused expression. Even the Caputain.
"Umm... yeah... in a b- "
"Now that I think about it," her uncle interrupts, "but aren't you home a little later than you usually are today, Mirto?"
A soft jingle of earrings tells her that her aunt is nodding in agreement. "And what are you doing, Mirto? Are you looking for something?"
CRAP.
"Um. About that." It's very hard to think of a plausible excuse, but when she finally manages to turn around and face them, Mirto ends up spewing the first thing that comes to her head. "My friend. She's trying to kill herself."
Her expression turns unreadable when her aunt gasps loudly in horror, and her uncle turns pale from shock.
"That's horrible!" Her mouth drops open slightly as her aunt sniffles and spills a few tears. Maybe her excuse was a little too extreme, or her aunt and uncle are just saps.
"Mirto," her uncle tells her solemnly, "Surely you're going back to help her, right?"
"O-of course."
Her uncle nods in approval, and ushers his wife and the Caputain out the door. "I leave it to you. Tell us what happens to your friend later, okay? I hope you can save her."
For a full minute, Mirto stands in front of the open door in utter surprise. She honestly didn't expect it to go that well, but now that she has a towel in hand, it's time to get a move on.
Thirty minutes later, her attempts at jacket hunting prove to be very difficult, and by the time she reaches her uncle's last trunk of clothing, her panic meter has jumped up as she imagines Jacket's reaction to his missing article of clothing.
Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it - ARGH I'm thinking about it -!
Mirto's about ready to cry with happiness when she pops open the lid and sees none other than a bright yellow jacket folded up inside. In fact, she snatches it up, hugs it to her chest, and nuzzles her cheek into the fabric in utter relief that, GOD, she doesn't have to worry about what Jacket will think when she tells him that his jacket is gone in the disposal.
That is, until she stops and wonders, What the hell am I doing?!
And obviously, Mirto promply jumps up, tucks the garment under her arm, and strides out of the room like she had not just lost her composure for a second there.
Ahem.
Alright, it looks like she has everything. Time to go, she's probably kept Jacket waiting long enough already. If he's not still asleep.
Five feet from the door, however, she's stopped by none other than her worst enemy, the Caputain, of course. Mirto gulps, because judging by the chipper, twinkling look in his eyes, he knows exactly what's going on - there's no suicidal girl waiting for her to rescue, but something else; he can tell by the scent. His leg moves forward, and her leg moves back; his other leg moves forward, and Mirto freezes in fear. They say animals are more perceptive than humans, and the Caputain is definitely no exception.
He stops inches from her foot, and surveys her for a brief moment. It's too close. Mirto's grip on her bag tightens as he sits there, but she can't give up yet, can't back down, not yet -
And with a small, cheerful bark, the Caputain gets up and walks past her, sending shivers down her spine in terror when he brushes past her leg. In a flash, Mirto bolts out the door.
Ugh, Jacket. The things I do for you..!
Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 7:50 pm, Evening
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================
It's a miracle.
Much to her great relief, Jacket actually stirs and rolls off her nearly flattened body after her little outburst. Unfortunately though, he doesn't do anything else to follow up, and just keeps snoring away.
Mirto briefly contemplates the idea of scribbling "Sleeping Beauty" on his forehead with a marker from her bag. It would definitely teach him to stop calling her "princess", that's for sure - but as funny as it would be, she decides against it out of the kindness of her bitter, bitter heart.
But now what?
After that little... ordeal, it's absolutely out the question for her to take him anywhere outside of the perimeter of the park - she would probably die in the process from exhaustion, even if she dragged him. Not to mention that the likelihood of her being able to do it discreetly and without being seen was practically nonexistent.
Mirto gives Jacket's slumbering form a brief once over. They're partners, but it's not like she feels obligated to stay with him for that sole reason - it just doesn't feel right to abandon him, especially when she knows that he would probably watch over her if their positions were switched - hell, didn't he already do that when they were back at the library? They weren't even bonded then.
What should I do?
She could just... leave and come back - it's not like she's abandoning him! - yes, she'll just drop her stuff and come back quickly, maybe get some things to fix him up with... It's not a very good idea to leave him out here though - even though it doesn't look like Jacket's planning on waking up anytime soon, there's no telling what could happen to him. The Train might come back or maybe another Blight might get him while's he's out... or maybe even the police will come and arrest him for his suspicious appearance!
It's no good, she'll have to hide him somewhere. Maybe the bushes?
It's almost funny when her first tug of his jacket sends a loud rrriiipp cutting through the air. Mirto looks down at the shred of yellow material in her hands, and then at the tattered strips that had previously covered Jacket's upper torso. Well.
Um.
It was already ruined behind help in the first place. Might as well get rid of it, yeah. Ha ha h-
In a panic, Mirto quickly makes a note to herself to find him a replacement jacket as soon as possible. As luck would have it, maybe her uncle has a similar jacket lying around somewhere. She hopes.
Torn fabric discarded, Mirto proceeds to drag her partner's bulky form towards the bushes, and with a hard shove, pushes him through the leaves. It's not the best hiding place, but at the very least, it'll be hard for anyone to find him, especially now that he's without his bright clothing. As an afterthought, she also picks up his hat - might as well fix it up for him too, while she's at it.
Good. Hopefully he'll be okay while she's gone.
Her run home goes smoothly, and she manages to toss Jacket's cap into the washer without any problem, but it's in the middle of rifling through the bathroom's closet that she's caught red-handed.
"Mirto? I thought it was you who came home. Come have some dinner."
Ooohhh crap.
She doesn't even need to turn around to know that the whole gang's there, watching her every move with a curious, mildly amused expression. Even the Caputain.
"Umm... yeah... in a b- "
"Now that I think about it," her uncle interrupts, "but aren't you home a little later than you usually are today, Mirto?"
A soft jingle of earrings tells her that her aunt is nodding in agreement. "And what are you doing, Mirto? Are you looking for something?"
CRAP.
"Um. About that." It's very hard to think of a plausible excuse, but when she finally manages to turn around and face them, Mirto ends up spewing the first thing that comes to her head. "My friend. She's trying to kill herself."
Her expression turns unreadable when her aunt gasps loudly in horror, and her uncle turns pale from shock.
"That's horrible!" Her mouth drops open slightly as her aunt sniffles and spills a few tears. Maybe her excuse was a little too extreme, or her aunt and uncle are just saps.
"Mirto," her uncle tells her solemnly, "Surely you're going back to help her, right?"
"O-of course."
Her uncle nods in approval, and ushers his wife and the Caputain out the door. "I leave it to you. Tell us what happens to your friend later, okay? I hope you can save her."
For a full minute, Mirto stands in front of the open door in utter surprise. She honestly didn't expect it to go that well, but now that she has a towel in hand, it's time to get a move on.
Thirty minutes later, her attempts at jacket hunting prove to be very difficult, and by the time she reaches her uncle's last trunk of clothing, her panic meter has jumped up as she imagines Jacket's reaction to his missing article of clothing.
Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it - ARGH I'm thinking about it -!
Mirto's about ready to cry with happiness when she pops open the lid and sees none other than a bright yellow jacket folded up inside. In fact, she snatches it up, hugs it to her chest, and nuzzles her cheek into the fabric in utter relief that, GOD, she doesn't have to worry about what Jacket will think when she tells him that his jacket is gone in the disposal.
That is, until she stops and wonders, What the hell am I doing?!
And obviously, Mirto promply jumps up, tucks the garment under her arm, and strides out of the room like she had not just lost her composure for a second there.
Ahem.
Alright, it looks like she has everything. Time to go, she's probably kept Jacket waiting long enough already. If he's not still asleep.
Five feet from the door, however, she's stopped by none other than her worst enemy, the Caputain, of course. Mirto gulps, because judging by the chipper, twinkling look in his eyes, he knows exactly what's going on - there's no suicidal girl waiting for her to rescue, but something else; he can tell by the scent. His leg moves forward, and her leg moves back; his other leg moves forward, and Mirto freezes in fear. They say animals are more perceptive than humans, and the Caputain is definitely no exception.
He stops inches from her foot, and surveys her for a brief moment. It's too close. Mirto's grip on her bag tightens as he sits there, but she can't give up yet, can't back down, not yet -
And with a small, cheerful bark, the Caputain gets up and walks past her, sending shivers down her spine in terror when he brushes past her leg. In a flash, Mirto bolts out the door.
Ugh, Jacket. The things I do for you..!
Last edited by AYC on Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
marcien
- Posts: 480
- Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:43 am
- Location: Land of Dreams and Stories
- Contact:
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
aaaand blackmail material made use of.
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Night
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Martin's home → Dawnview Park Beach
PCs: Sophia (Oriole), M
================
"Man, this guy's a bore! There's hardly anything to do in here!"
"Mister Martin is an adult human. I think they have something called work, and it makes them less fun."
"That's just too bad. I hope I was never one of those.
Oriole chuckled at the thought. After all, who is to say what any of them might have been like when they were human?
"Want to go out for a bit, Sophia? Mister here doesn't seem like he will be providing entertainment very soon."
After requesting permission of Martin, Sophia and M left his home.
-- -- -- -- --
"... and then Mister Nice Hat got hit by the heavy hammer!"
"Ouch! I imagine that must... Really hurt."
Oriole was animatedly recounting her day to M. The strange pair were floating northwards along the edge of the sea. They were now near Dawnview Park. As Oriole continued, M slipped off.
"Mister Mad Hooder...? Where are you going to?"
M appeared to have found something interesting. "Hey check this out, Sophia. I'm the one with the Nice Hat now right?" He had on his head something like garbled yellow cloth which he wore like a turban.
Oriole laughed. "Hahaha! I don't think that is a hat, Mister Mad Hooder, it looks more like a... shirt!"
"I know what it is. It's just too torn up to look like anything now though. Look, it is a cape now!"
Oriole laughed again. Then her laughter trailed off. That shirt... no, jacket looks familiar. She tugged the jacket away from M.
"Uuu... Uu... Mister Nice Hat..." and Sophia began to bawl aloud.
M rolled his eyeballs. Again? What now.
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Night
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Martin's home → Dawnview Park Beach
PCs: Sophia (Oriole), M
================
"Man, this guy's a bore! There's hardly anything to do in here!"
"Mister Martin is an adult human. I think they have something called work, and it makes them less fun."
"That's just too bad. I hope I was never one of those.
Oriole chuckled at the thought. After all, who is to say what any of them might have been like when they were human?
"Want to go out for a bit, Sophia? Mister here doesn't seem like he will be providing entertainment very soon."
After requesting permission of Martin, Sophia and M left his home.
-- -- -- -- --
"... and then Mister Nice Hat got hit by the heavy hammer!"
"Ouch! I imagine that must... Really hurt."
Oriole was animatedly recounting her day to M. The strange pair were floating northwards along the edge of the sea. They were now near Dawnview Park. As Oriole continued, M slipped off.
"Mister Mad Hooder...? Where are you going to?"
M appeared to have found something interesting. "Hey check this out, Sophia. I'm the one with the Nice Hat now right?" He had on his head something like garbled yellow cloth which he wore like a turban.
Oriole laughed. "Hahaha! I don't think that is a hat, Mister Mad Hooder, it looks more like a... shirt!"
"I know what it is. It's just too torn up to look like anything now though. Look, it is a cape now!"
Oriole laughed again. Then her laughter trailed off. That shirt... no, jacket looks familiar. She tugged the jacket away from M.
"Uuu... Uu... Mister Nice Hat..." and Sophia began to bawl aloud.
M rolled his eyeballs. Again? What now.
[img]http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1452/assignment23.jpg[/img]
-
Sentrovasi
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:55 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: Tuesday, 1 June
Time: 7.45 PM
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Dawnview Park Beach
PCs: Kayte Aios
Other PCs: -
A white figure seemed almost to dance in the moonlight, the pale rays making her pale skin seem almost ghostly as she glided across the night sky. Gravitics couldn't replicate true flight: that much both Kate and her bonded hawk knew. The natural grace and speed of a peregrine falcon in flight was beyond this artificiality. She had learnt to use the unique adaptability of this hovering to her advantage in combat, but for long-distance runs, she preferred the simplicity of freefall, using the momentum of a dive to accelerate herself beyond the limits of the MPUD.
Kate had left this location for last for a reason. She had noticed the Crosser's Ether reading a while back, and saw no real need to disturb him. For a human, he was making decent progress, and any interference on her part would only create more complications for herself. The Crosser wasn't on her agenda today; unlinked he was of little threat, and the primitive network of cameras he used were of no consequence either.
Her long skirt billowed in the crisp sea breeze as she landed on the beach, her pale figure blending into the white sand which surrounded her. Keeping low, she waited for him to leave. After all, what she was interested in was the Blight - a material Blight of such magnitude as to be strangely incongruent with Pebbleton's sleepy neighbourhood.
She watched as the Crosser emerged from the Blight, climbing onto dry land and changing into his dry clothes. His name was Redmist, she now remembered. Metamorphosis in a mere decade: something she had seen too often while she, herself, was left behind. Lost in thought for a moment, she shook herself out of her reverie as Redmist disappeared into the darkness. It was time to check things out for herself.
Almost nonchalantly she walked right into the water, ignoring the fact that her sandals and skirt were almost immediately wet. As she was waist-deep in the water, though, something caught her eye that made her start: a second Crosser, and one which, her MPUD informed her, should not have been anywhere near this place... or time.
And he was drowning.
There were things here she should know. Answers to questions only maybe he could tell her. And yet this man had no authorization to be alive. If he had been responsible for the Blight...
There wasn't the time to think. The man was close to death, and she was the only one who was on the scene. She hesitated but for one more moment.
"Whereto serves mercy
But to confront the visage of offense?"
And then the beach was empty.
Time: 7.45 PM
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Dawnview Park Beach
PCs: Kayte Aios
Other PCs: -
A white figure seemed almost to dance in the moonlight, the pale rays making her pale skin seem almost ghostly as she glided across the night sky. Gravitics couldn't replicate true flight: that much both Kate and her bonded hawk knew. The natural grace and speed of a peregrine falcon in flight was beyond this artificiality. She had learnt to use the unique adaptability of this hovering to her advantage in combat, but for long-distance runs, she preferred the simplicity of freefall, using the momentum of a dive to accelerate herself beyond the limits of the MPUD.
Kate had left this location for last for a reason. She had noticed the Crosser's Ether reading a while back, and saw no real need to disturb him. For a human, he was making decent progress, and any interference on her part would only create more complications for herself. The Crosser wasn't on her agenda today; unlinked he was of little threat, and the primitive network of cameras he used were of no consequence either.
Her long skirt billowed in the crisp sea breeze as she landed on the beach, her pale figure blending into the white sand which surrounded her. Keeping low, she waited for him to leave. After all, what she was interested in was the Blight - a material Blight of such magnitude as to be strangely incongruent with Pebbleton's sleepy neighbourhood.
She watched as the Crosser emerged from the Blight, climbing onto dry land and changing into his dry clothes. His name was Redmist, she now remembered. Metamorphosis in a mere decade: something she had seen too often while she, herself, was left behind. Lost in thought for a moment, she shook herself out of her reverie as Redmist disappeared into the darkness. It was time to check things out for herself.
Almost nonchalantly she walked right into the water, ignoring the fact that her sandals and skirt were almost immediately wet. As she was waist-deep in the water, though, something caught her eye that made her start: a second Crosser, and one which, her MPUD informed her, should not have been anywhere near this place... or time.
And he was drowning.
There were things here she should know. Answers to questions only maybe he could tell her. And yet this man had no authorization to be alive. If he had been responsible for the Blight...
There wasn't the time to think. The man was close to death, and she was the only one who was on the scene. She hesitated but for one more moment.
"Whereto serves mercy
But to confront the visage of offense?"
And then the beach was empty.
Last edited by Sentrovasi on Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.
-
Pasonia
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:43 am
Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: Tuesday, 1 June
Time: 11.30pm
Weather: Drizzle -> Clear
Locations: Martin's Home
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia
Other PCs: M
==================================
Martin rocked back and forth in a ten-year-old chair that wasn't really meant for such rocking. Still, there is a reason for everything; today's reason was that he was simply vexed by too much information.
For the first time in nearly four years, his nightly past-time became a chore.
demyst: Sup bro? You're late on today.
kingchang: Uhh... well, I got some personal matters to do today
demyst: Ha, srs? Didn't know u haf personal matters and stuff.
blackandwhite: Hey kc wanna play today?
kingchang: Eh.
demyst: Hey I was here first!
blackandwhite: u screw off he always plays with me on Tuesdays
demyst: Since when was that a rule blackandwhite??!?!?!?!?!!
kingchang: ... shut it you both, I'll fuck off for today. No mood.
demyst: WTF?
blackandwhite: What the?
[kingchang has logged off]
"Haaaaaaaa... what the fuck..." Martin could only groan, his head still in a swirl. Beside him, Sophia still didn't dare touch anything without Martin's permission and M was just plain restless; the trip out for the two Strays seemed to have ended rather abruptly and Martin was able to read the vestiges of a dwindling choke-sob.
"Thought ya gonna go online to play Universe of Spacecraft or something," blurted M casually, flipping through the news, while Sophia began toying around with a crumpled and unwanted little paper ball.
Martin stayed silent for a while, before turning his chair around and breaking the silence.
"Hey, dude, whatever your name is... tell me where I could find information on this bloody plot."
M stopped for a moment. "Well, I'm sorry I can't help you there, dude. I don't exactly know why things are this way, either. All I know is, they *are* this way since more than ten thousand years ago."
"Ten thousand years? You may as well say 'since time immemorial' eh?" snorted Martin, going off to the kitchen to grab some milk. "Then again, I'm worse than you, a complete novice to this game. Y'know, in chess games, it's like a casual player up against a complete novice with a move book. I am the source and Sophia's my power, but other than that, that's it. That sucks."
"So ya sayin' you want to be a player?"
Martin shot him an annoyed "well duh!" look.
"Look, I'm already stuck in this... bonding thing, with a little girl in tow. Yet I don't know jack about her other than the fact that she's good at fire. As to me, other than the fact that I can see my memory in high-definition now, everything else is still what-the-fuck to me."
"Can you please stop saying 'other than the fact'? Not everything about what you just said is a real fact, you know. Don't speak like you know."
"So tell me what the facts are, and what I can do... while that fucker who sent me the mail this morning takes his own bloody sweet time to reply."
M was originally going to say "don't bother me", but then the unlinked Stray reconsidered his circumstances.
Here was a clueless linked Crosser that had, despite himself, permitted his residence; Martin was not obliged to put up with M, that's for sure. If Randall was the one doing the rescuing, he would definitely be status quo as the days before. And in his state back there at the subway, any more and he would either dissipate to nothingness, or, Heaven forbid, become a Blight himself.
"Tch... I thought humans always said 'just fucking google it'. Ah heck, here goes."
And, despite Martin's own reservations, he still ended up listening to M explain whatever he knew for a good hour. Which, by Martin's account, was still rather pathetically little and full of holes in understanding, but good enough for now in terms of rearranging his knowledge in order of importance.
It was when M broached the topic of the Panzers that he started to be a little unsure of himself. Just when the Stray was about to stop talking and brush it off as nothing, Sophia suddenly interjected him.
"Um... Mister Martin... Panzers are really nice people... but, I can't really call them 'people'... I... don't know how to explain."
"Strange. They're 'people' that you can't call 'people'. They can't be half-animals, can they?"
M cocked his eye up a little while Sophia nodded slowly.
"Now this is getting a little far-fetched. So a human who can, or knows how to use Ether is called a Crosser, some ghosts are Strays, the particularly shitty ones are called Blights... and then there's a race of half-human half-fucks called Panzers?"
Martin crossed his eyebrows and closed his eyes, groaning out aloud. This whole thing is even harder to memorise than 'the most confusing game ever with the 5-5 opening followed by the tengen'.
"Sophia, didn't you tell me before you knew a number of Panzers?" M blurted, reminding her of the earlier conversation outside.
"Yes, Mister Mad Hooder, I know some of them..."
M then flipped around, lying on the sofa in a relaxed position.
"Well, dude, your darling knows 'em. First thing you do tomorrow---"
"--- is go to work. Unless you can pay me my salary, I am still a bloody working-class," blasted Martin. "Either this shit waits for the weekend, or more stuff will crop up tomorrow. Also, Sophia is my Stray, so do watch how you mouth off, mate."
"Pot calling the kettle black... tch," snorted M in utter disdain. "Good night!"
Time: 11.30pm
Weather: Drizzle -> Clear
Locations: Martin's Home
PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia
Other PCs: M
==================================
Martin rocked back and forth in a ten-year-old chair that wasn't really meant for such rocking. Still, there is a reason for everything; today's reason was that he was simply vexed by too much information.
For the first time in nearly four years, his nightly past-time became a chore.
demyst: Sup bro? You're late on today.
kingchang: Uhh... well, I got some personal matters to do today
demyst: Ha, srs? Didn't know u haf personal matters and stuff.
blackandwhite: Hey kc wanna play today?
kingchang: Eh.
demyst: Hey I was here first!
blackandwhite: u screw off he always plays with me on Tuesdays
demyst: Since when was that a rule blackandwhite??!?!?!?!?!!
kingchang: ... shut it you both, I'll fuck off for today. No mood.
demyst: WTF?
blackandwhite: What the?
[kingchang has logged off]
"Haaaaaaaa... what the fuck..." Martin could only groan, his head still in a swirl. Beside him, Sophia still didn't dare touch anything without Martin's permission and M was just plain restless; the trip out for the two Strays seemed to have ended rather abruptly and Martin was able to read the vestiges of a dwindling choke-sob.
"Thought ya gonna go online to play Universe of Spacecraft or something," blurted M casually, flipping through the news, while Sophia began toying around with a crumpled and unwanted little paper ball.
Martin stayed silent for a while, before turning his chair around and breaking the silence.
"Hey, dude, whatever your name is... tell me where I could find information on this bloody plot."
M stopped for a moment. "Well, I'm sorry I can't help you there, dude. I don't exactly know why things are this way, either. All I know is, they *are* this way since more than ten thousand years ago."
"Ten thousand years? You may as well say 'since time immemorial' eh?" snorted Martin, going off to the kitchen to grab some milk. "Then again, I'm worse than you, a complete novice to this game. Y'know, in chess games, it's like a casual player up against a complete novice with a move book. I am the source and Sophia's my power, but other than that, that's it. That sucks."
"So ya sayin' you want to be a player?"
Martin shot him an annoyed "well duh!" look.
"Look, I'm already stuck in this... bonding thing, with a little girl in tow. Yet I don't know jack about her other than the fact that she's good at fire. As to me, other than the fact that I can see my memory in high-definition now, everything else is still what-the-fuck to me."
"Can you please stop saying 'other than the fact'? Not everything about what you just said is a real fact, you know. Don't speak like you know."
"So tell me what the facts are, and what I can do... while that fucker who sent me the mail this morning takes his own bloody sweet time to reply."
M was originally going to say "don't bother me", but then the unlinked Stray reconsidered his circumstances.
Here was a clueless linked Crosser that had, despite himself, permitted his residence; Martin was not obliged to put up with M, that's for sure. If Randall was the one doing the rescuing, he would definitely be status quo as the days before. And in his state back there at the subway, any more and he would either dissipate to nothingness, or, Heaven forbid, become a Blight himself.
"Tch... I thought humans always said 'just fucking google it'. Ah heck, here goes."
And, despite Martin's own reservations, he still ended up listening to M explain whatever he knew for a good hour. Which, by Martin's account, was still rather pathetically little and full of holes in understanding, but good enough for now in terms of rearranging his knowledge in order of importance.
It was when M broached the topic of the Panzers that he started to be a little unsure of himself. Just when the Stray was about to stop talking and brush it off as nothing, Sophia suddenly interjected him.
"Um... Mister Martin... Panzers are really nice people... but, I can't really call them 'people'... I... don't know how to explain."
"Strange. They're 'people' that you can't call 'people'. They can't be half-animals, can they?"
M cocked his eye up a little while Sophia nodded slowly.
"Now this is getting a little far-fetched. So a human who can, or knows how to use Ether is called a Crosser, some ghosts are Strays, the particularly shitty ones are called Blights... and then there's a race of half-human half-fucks called Panzers?"
Martin crossed his eyebrows and closed his eyes, groaning out aloud. This whole thing is even harder to memorise than 'the most confusing game ever with the 5-5 opening followed by the tengen'.
"Sophia, didn't you tell me before you knew a number of Panzers?" M blurted, reminding her of the earlier conversation outside.
"Yes, Mister Mad Hooder, I know some of them..."
M then flipped around, lying on the sofa in a relaxed position.
"Well, dude, your darling knows 'em. First thing you do tomorrow---"
"--- is go to work. Unless you can pay me my salary, I am still a bloody working-class," blasted Martin. "Either this shit waits for the weekend, or more stuff will crop up tomorrow. Also, Sophia is my Stray, so do watch how you mouth off, mate."
"Pot calling the kettle black... tch," snorted M in utter disdain. "Good night!"
-
Pictor
- Posts: 557
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:50 am
- Location: Inside your heart
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP
Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 10:00 PM
Weather: Partly Cloudly, Full Moon
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Jacket
NPC: Lisken'Pell
============
Jacket sat, perched atop a high-rise situated on the property known as White Waters. As he absent mindedly scanned the horizon, it occurred to him how different Pebbleton was to the big cities. By now, most of the town had gone dark, with only major business buildings, street lamps, and random speckles or residences bearing any sort of light. The streets were already devoid of activity, human or otherwise. Despite it being 10 PM, one could argue the night was still young. In any larger city, the entire landscape would still be bustling, and alive with lights.
Despite his decidedly unchivalrous behavior earlier, Jacket nonetheless made sure his Crosser partner made it home safe. He tailed her in stealth, bounding building-to-building from the skies above until he finally watched as Mirto card-swiped her way into a condo building.
"Huhuhu... so this is where she lives, eh? Fancy. But as expected from a princess!"
Jacket had briefly contemplated investigating which actual apartment she lived in, before it dawned on him that he was leading a rather pointless (and not to mention creepy) train of thought. Besides he could just, you know, ask her.
After ensuring his partner's safety, Jacket pondered what to do next. The wisest course of action would be to first secure a place to crash for the night. Preferably, someplace seclusive enough that he could effectively reuse for a while. But after failing to come up with any quick solution, Jacket's wandering mind began to drift to other things.
Today had been, arguably, one of the strangest and most eventful days thus far in his afterlife. That's saying something! Despite having the relative post-mortem age of approximately four months, Jacket's day-to-day life as been fraught with considerable peril. It ached Jacket's undead heart to think about just how unfortunate he's been. Of course, he owed most of his troubles to this malfunctioning body of his.
... Ah, right. Didn't Mirto say something about having met her? Lanette Hindfell, that is. Oh how even mentioning her name sends shivers of both fear and frustration coursing through his very soul.
She was the start of all his problems.
Mirto mentioned that she would no longer be a thorn in his side, but Jacket wasn't betting on it. At least now, he knows for sure she's in this town.
"I'd been wondering how long I could keep this up before she crashed the party."
Eight days, counting today, had Jacket been free of the Lanette's wrath. As he dictated earlier, it was a new record... the longest he's ever had this sort of freedom since his first encounter with the wannabe superhero... and her stinking mallet.
Jacket whipped his arms behind his back and let himself fall backward, laying on the roof of the building with legs still half dangling off the edge of his seat. Man, Strays aren't supposed to feel tired or anything, especially now that he had a Crosser partner of all things, but Jacket felt absolutely drained. Raising an opened hand toward the skies, Jacket furrowed his brows and focused. As he clenched a fist, his fingers flashed faintly with light, instantly solidifying into hardened steel. Jacket sighed, releasing his grip and letting his fingers soften back into their original, fleshy black form.
The Ether replenished itself, completely and almost instantaneously. Just this morning even forming a light armor to brace against a fall was a life-and-death gamble... and now he could use his powers without any restraints what-so-ever. It almost felt like cheating. Heh, almost!
Suddenly, Jacket's goofy smile was gone from his face as quickly as it came. He sensed something... some one. He was not alone on this roof. Flipping up with lightning speed, Jacket spun around alertly as he silently scanned the moonlit rooftops.
"... Who's there?."
A light, male chuckle from behind him confirmed his suspicions. Whipping around, Jacket came face-to-face with an amused set of eyes.
"Oh ho~ Well done, Stray-kin. I was being rather careful to obscure my presence as well. You've improved."
This person was a Stray to be sure. For one, he was floating a few feet away from the edge of the building. He was dressed completely in formal attire, donning a sophisticated-looking set of suit and dress pants. The man's slender face and sharp eyes gave an air of femininity, something only accentuated by his waist-length white hair. The entire body of this mysterious being seemed to glow intricately with a soft, ambient blue light.
Jacket slowly backed up a few steps, keeping up his guard. Something told him this particular character was no small fry. As if sensing his anxiety, the man relaxed his hands in his pockets and smiled.
"Come now, surely you have not forgotten me this soon, Stray-kin?"
"... What are you---"
Wait a minute... it couldn't be.
"... Lisken'Pell...?"
Jacket slowly lowered his guard as he came to recognize the individual. The man's face brightened up at the sound of his name. Withdrawing his hands from his suit-pockets, Lisken'Pell lightly applauded Jacket for his efforts.
"Oh ho ho~ So you do remember, Stray-kin. How wonderful! I was beginning to think this reunion was for naught."
Yes Jacket knew him, from what seemed like a long time ago. Lisken'Pell was the first other spirit Jacket ever met. It was when he was lost and clueless... and of course, still had his original body. Lisken'Pell taught Jacket everything about life in undeath, and the world of Ether*.
(Jacket was taught about his predicament after death, but that's not to say all Strays necessarily follow this case. For some, it might even just come with the territory.)
"Well you... do look way different. I mean the last time I saw you, you were wearing some sort of fancy, medieval armor getup. Now you're just kinda fancy."
The floating man chuckled as he smoothed out the brims of his attire.
"Hmmm, I had thought a change of pace was in order. Being unseen by mortals does not excuse the ignorance of proper dress etiquette in any given era, do you not agree, Stray-kin?"
"Uh... right. Anyway, what are you doing here?"
The Lisken'Pell's expression remained unchanged as he looked away toward the now-risen moon.
"I was in the area on a business venture, and simply decided to drop by."
"Business...? Hold on, this doesn't have to do with that Train, does it?"
The floating Stray slid his hands back into his pockets, his friendly smile unwavering.
"I see your perceptiveness has not waned since our last encounter, Stray-kin. Indeed, that Blight was the reason for my presence in this small town."
"Was, huh? I'm guessing you got rid of it, then? Thank goodness, that thing's a monster!"
As Jacket breathed a sigh of relief, Lisken'Pell's seemingly eternal smile faded slightly.
"... No. It would seem that I had been, as you modern folk say, 'beaten to the punch' by an external party."
Uh oh. Jacket tugged at his collar nervously.
"It... it wasn't me was it? I mean, I knew I hit it pretty hard, but..."
The floating Stray shook his head lightly.
"The destruction of the Blight was wrought by a Panzer's hand. Quite the meddlesome bunch, they are. Still, let us try to avoid any unneeded scuffles in the future, shall we?"
For a moment Jacket sensed Lisken'Pell's cheeriness fade, but shook off the thought. He could not to bring himself to imagine what this guy would be like if he was ever displeased. In any case, it'd probably be in his own best interest to take this little chastisement to heart.
"... But what's done is done. There is no sense in delving over such trifling details. The elimination of the Blight was the required result. As long as that was ensured, my task is complete. Such is the duty of a Reaper."
Ah yes... 'Reapers'. Spirit harbingers of order for the world itself. Lisken'Pell enunciated the label with such pride and delicacy. Jacket, on the other hand, would rather keep his mind off it. The thought of chatting casually with what was essentially a supernatural force-of-nature was too daunting for his liking.
"Ah, but enough about myself, Stray-kin. Your journey has seen some progress of its own, has it not?"
"Ungh... tell me about it. I mean, look at this body. There's no way you can do anything about it, can you?"
Lisken'Pell only returned a helpless shrug.
"Alas, Stray-kin, for wayward spirits such as yourself I can function only as a mere guide. It is unfortunate, but not my place to intervene in such matters."
"Pffft. Figures."
Jacket couldn't say he was too disappointed, he had expected an answer along those lines. After all, it would have been too good to be true.
"But you are doing well for yourself regardless. I see you've chosen quite the charming soul-partner. I trust you'll care for her well."
"Huh? Oh, uh, yea... I guess."
Jacket flushed nervously on the spot. Ugh... he even knew about Mirto?! As if sensing his distress, Lisken'Pell breathed a gentle sigh and performed a familiar chuckle.
"Do not fret, Stray-kin, I was merely making banter. The Bonding Rite is a sacred ritual well within the natural order. It is a step many such as you have, and will take. You would not invite the wrath of a Reaper for it. I am simply glad for you."
"T-That's... good to hear."
Jacket couldn't say that helped his unease at all. There was something about this conversation that was a little too similar to a brother teasing a younger sibling for his liking.
Just then, Lisken'Pell suddenly perked his head skyward, as if sensing something far off in the distance.
"Ah, it seems our little meeting would have to be cut short."
"Duty calls, eh?"
The Reaper nodded.
"Indeed. So you must excuse my leave. But know that I look forward to your victory, Stray-kin. May you one day find the path back to the eternal cycle. Should fate smile upon us, our paths may cross again. Until then, I bid you farewell."
And so, just as quickly and abruptly as he had appeared, Lisken'Pell was gone. Once more, Jacket stood alone on the building's rooftop.
Let's not hope our next reunion isn't too soon, Jacket thought.
As much as he was grateful to the Reaper, Lisken'Pell kinda gives him the creeps. Shuddering off the lingering sentiments from the awkward engagement, Jacket decided that it was also time for him to move out as well. With a mighty leap, the Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton bounded off into night.
A light flutter of wind-swept cloth, silhouetted by the ambient moonlight.
Act 1 - You're Waiting for a Train: Fin.
Time: 10:00 PM
Weather: Partly Cloudly, Full Moon
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Jacket
NPC: Lisken'Pell
============
Jacket sat, perched atop a high-rise situated on the property known as White Waters. As he absent mindedly scanned the horizon, it occurred to him how different Pebbleton was to the big cities. By now, most of the town had gone dark, with only major business buildings, street lamps, and random speckles or residences bearing any sort of light. The streets were already devoid of activity, human or otherwise. Despite it being 10 PM, one could argue the night was still young. In any larger city, the entire landscape would still be bustling, and alive with lights.
Despite his decidedly unchivalrous behavior earlier, Jacket nonetheless made sure his Crosser partner made it home safe. He tailed her in stealth, bounding building-to-building from the skies above until he finally watched as Mirto card-swiped her way into a condo building.
"Huhuhu... so this is where she lives, eh? Fancy. But as expected from a princess!"
Jacket had briefly contemplated investigating which actual apartment she lived in, before it dawned on him that he was leading a rather pointless (and not to mention creepy) train of thought. Besides he could just, you know, ask her.
After ensuring his partner's safety, Jacket pondered what to do next. The wisest course of action would be to first secure a place to crash for the night. Preferably, someplace seclusive enough that he could effectively reuse for a while. But after failing to come up with any quick solution, Jacket's wandering mind began to drift to other things.
Today had been, arguably, one of the strangest and most eventful days thus far in his afterlife. That's saying something! Despite having the relative post-mortem age of approximately four months, Jacket's day-to-day life as been fraught with considerable peril. It ached Jacket's undead heart to think about just how unfortunate he's been. Of course, he owed most of his troubles to this malfunctioning body of his.
... Ah, right. Didn't Mirto say something about having met her? Lanette Hindfell, that is. Oh how even mentioning her name sends shivers of both fear and frustration coursing through his very soul.
She was the start of all his problems.
Mirto mentioned that she would no longer be a thorn in his side, but Jacket wasn't betting on it. At least now, he knows for sure she's in this town.
"I'd been wondering how long I could keep this up before she crashed the party."
Eight days, counting today, had Jacket been free of the Lanette's wrath. As he dictated earlier, it was a new record... the longest he's ever had this sort of freedom since his first encounter with the wannabe superhero... and her stinking mallet.
Jacket whipped his arms behind his back and let himself fall backward, laying on the roof of the building with legs still half dangling off the edge of his seat. Man, Strays aren't supposed to feel tired or anything, especially now that he had a Crosser partner of all things, but Jacket felt absolutely drained. Raising an opened hand toward the skies, Jacket furrowed his brows and focused. As he clenched a fist, his fingers flashed faintly with light, instantly solidifying into hardened steel. Jacket sighed, releasing his grip and letting his fingers soften back into their original, fleshy black form.
The Ether replenished itself, completely and almost instantaneously. Just this morning even forming a light armor to brace against a fall was a life-and-death gamble... and now he could use his powers without any restraints what-so-ever. It almost felt like cheating. Heh, almost!
Suddenly, Jacket's goofy smile was gone from his face as quickly as it came. He sensed something... some one. He was not alone on this roof. Flipping up with lightning speed, Jacket spun around alertly as he silently scanned the moonlit rooftops.
"... Who's there?."
A light, male chuckle from behind him confirmed his suspicions. Whipping around, Jacket came face-to-face with an amused set of eyes.
"Oh ho~ Well done, Stray-kin. I was being rather careful to obscure my presence as well. You've improved."
This person was a Stray to be sure. For one, he was floating a few feet away from the edge of the building. He was dressed completely in formal attire, donning a sophisticated-looking set of suit and dress pants. The man's slender face and sharp eyes gave an air of femininity, something only accentuated by his waist-length white hair. The entire body of this mysterious being seemed to glow intricately with a soft, ambient blue light.
Jacket slowly backed up a few steps, keeping up his guard. Something told him this particular character was no small fry. As if sensing his anxiety, the man relaxed his hands in his pockets and smiled.
"Come now, surely you have not forgotten me this soon, Stray-kin?"
"... What are you---"
Wait a minute... it couldn't be.
"... Lisken'Pell...?"
Jacket slowly lowered his guard as he came to recognize the individual. The man's face brightened up at the sound of his name. Withdrawing his hands from his suit-pockets, Lisken'Pell lightly applauded Jacket for his efforts.
"Oh ho ho~ So you do remember, Stray-kin. How wonderful! I was beginning to think this reunion was for naught."
Yes Jacket knew him, from what seemed like a long time ago. Lisken'Pell was the first other spirit Jacket ever met. It was when he was lost and clueless... and of course, still had his original body. Lisken'Pell taught Jacket everything about life in undeath, and the world of Ether*.
(Jacket was taught about his predicament after death, but that's not to say all Strays necessarily follow this case. For some, it might even just come with the territory.)
"Well you... do look way different. I mean the last time I saw you, you were wearing some sort of fancy, medieval armor getup. Now you're just kinda fancy."
The floating man chuckled as he smoothed out the brims of his attire.
"Hmmm, I had thought a change of pace was in order. Being unseen by mortals does not excuse the ignorance of proper dress etiquette in any given era, do you not agree, Stray-kin?"
"Uh... right. Anyway, what are you doing here?"
The Lisken'Pell's expression remained unchanged as he looked away toward the now-risen moon.
"I was in the area on a business venture, and simply decided to drop by."
"Business...? Hold on, this doesn't have to do with that Train, does it?"
The floating Stray slid his hands back into his pockets, his friendly smile unwavering.
"I see your perceptiveness has not waned since our last encounter, Stray-kin. Indeed, that Blight was the reason for my presence in this small town."
"Was, huh? I'm guessing you got rid of it, then? Thank goodness, that thing's a monster!"
As Jacket breathed a sigh of relief, Lisken'Pell's seemingly eternal smile faded slightly.
"... No. It would seem that I had been, as you modern folk say, 'beaten to the punch' by an external party."
Uh oh. Jacket tugged at his collar nervously.
"It... it wasn't me was it? I mean, I knew I hit it pretty hard, but..."
The floating Stray shook his head lightly.
"The destruction of the Blight was wrought by a Panzer's hand. Quite the meddlesome bunch, they are. Still, let us try to avoid any unneeded scuffles in the future, shall we?"
For a moment Jacket sensed Lisken'Pell's cheeriness fade, but shook off the thought. He could not to bring himself to imagine what this guy would be like if he was ever displeased. In any case, it'd probably be in his own best interest to take this little chastisement to heart.
"... But what's done is done. There is no sense in delving over such trifling details. The elimination of the Blight was the required result. As long as that was ensured, my task is complete. Such is the duty of a Reaper."
Ah yes... 'Reapers'. Spirit harbingers of order for the world itself. Lisken'Pell enunciated the label with such pride and delicacy. Jacket, on the other hand, would rather keep his mind off it. The thought of chatting casually with what was essentially a supernatural force-of-nature was too daunting for his liking.
"Ah, but enough about myself, Stray-kin. Your journey has seen some progress of its own, has it not?"
"Ungh... tell me about it. I mean, look at this body. There's no way you can do anything about it, can you?"
Lisken'Pell only returned a helpless shrug.
"Alas, Stray-kin, for wayward spirits such as yourself I can function only as a mere guide. It is unfortunate, but not my place to intervene in such matters."
"Pffft. Figures."
Jacket couldn't say he was too disappointed, he had expected an answer along those lines. After all, it would have been too good to be true.
"But you are doing well for yourself regardless. I see you've chosen quite the charming soul-partner. I trust you'll care for her well."
"Huh? Oh, uh, yea... I guess."
Jacket flushed nervously on the spot. Ugh... he even knew about Mirto?! As if sensing his distress, Lisken'Pell breathed a gentle sigh and performed a familiar chuckle.
"Do not fret, Stray-kin, I was merely making banter. The Bonding Rite is a sacred ritual well within the natural order. It is a step many such as you have, and will take. You would not invite the wrath of a Reaper for it. I am simply glad for you."
"T-That's... good to hear."
Jacket couldn't say that helped his unease at all. There was something about this conversation that was a little too similar to a brother teasing a younger sibling for his liking.
Just then, Lisken'Pell suddenly perked his head skyward, as if sensing something far off in the distance.
"Ah, it seems our little meeting would have to be cut short."
"Duty calls, eh?"
The Reaper nodded.
"Indeed. So you must excuse my leave. But know that I look forward to your victory, Stray-kin. May you one day find the path back to the eternal cycle. Should fate smile upon us, our paths may cross again. Until then, I bid you farewell."
And so, just as quickly and abruptly as he had appeared, Lisken'Pell was gone. Once more, Jacket stood alone on the building's rooftop.
Let's not hope our next reunion isn't too soon, Jacket thought.
As much as he was grateful to the Reaper, Lisken'Pell kinda gives him the creeps. Shuddering off the lingering sentiments from the awkward engagement, Jacket decided that it was also time for him to move out as well. With a mighty leap, the Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton bounded off into night.
A light flutter of wind-swept cloth, silhouetted by the ambient moonlight.
Act 1 - You're Waiting for a Train: Fin.
Last edited by Pictor on Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:38 am, edited 5 times in total.