Lamentable Nights: Act 01 - "You're Waiting for a Train..."

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SavviG
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by SavviG »

Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 4:11 pm, late noon
Weather: Clear skies
Location: Dawnview Park
PC: Graciel

♪♫♪♪♪♫♫♪♫♪♪♫♪♫♪♪♪♫♫


Running back home. Graciel never prepared for something this huge. A Blight that's a huge train running wild in the town. He needs something to get onto the train, but what? The obvious solution was to jump on to it. The stupid thing to do is wait at the train platform. "Like hell it's going to stop at the platforms..."

Just 10 more minutes to make it home at a steady speed.
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Sentrovasi
Posts: 163
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Sentrovasi »

Date: Carriageday
Time: Hour the Twenty-Seventh
Weather: Blurry
Location: The Train
PC: Randall Kayne
NPC: Heisel


His eyes opened to a shade of gold.

"Ah, that's a lot better," he murmured to himself.

Pulling himself up into a sitting position, he turned to the haggard old man in the top hat, looking much more solid than he had before.

"Hey, Heisel? What's with the murals and stuff?"

After Randall's first attempt at producing Ether, that thing had appeared. He hadn't been sure it was human at first, but it was at least the one other speck of Ether he could identify within the place. It hadn't taken him long to realize that each time he expended Ether, it poured into the room, making it more whole and bringing it back, restoring it, perhaps even allowing him to have a glimpse at the true nature of what it was he was stuck within.

By the eleventh time he had shorted himself out (and first time he had gone unconscious), the wispy figure had turned into a shadow of an elderly gentleman in classic formal wear: just the kind of image that made Randall suspect he was dreaming again.

Since then he had been sustaining the shadow, even despite its warnings not to repeatedly do so, if only so he could listen to all the things he had to say: fascinating stories about Crossers, Strays and Blights - things he had only online anecdotes to account for before, but now had something that, he knew, was a lot less credible. Still, it fit everything perfectly, and even if everything was an illusion in his mind, he felt proud that perhaps he had managed to come up with such a convoluted theory on his own.

So after blacking out for the thirteenth consecutive time (he wasn't actually sure he had more life in himself than the shadow did now), he realized that the room itself had changed. Again. But more substantially this time.

Heisel, which was what the gentleman (now mostly solid) had told Randall to call him, looked about the room with the same melancholic expression in his eyes. Randall thought that he didn't seem sad about anything in particular, just weary as though he'd seen it all before.

"You really shouldn't have done that, but you're restoring the Blight's Purpose by bringing back its memories."

Randall rose from the floor, shrugging as he did and looking out the window, which now seemed to be showing him pictures from the pages of Pebbleton's old history books. It was just as well those were some of the first few books he had checked out in his search to learn about Ether.

"Memories? You mean, by trying to get you to remember things for me?"

Heisel had known little to begin with, but after a while Randall had managed to learn that he had once been a Crosser: a term he took to mean someone who could manipulate Ether like he could. Heisel had told him about different disciplines of Crossers, but he didn't really understand what that meant. He now knew that there were such things as Crossers and Strays and Blights, and what Ether was. It had been an enriching if exhausting lesson.

"I told you about Material Blights... like this Train... which take on a definite form when they manifest." Heisel seemed to pull a lit cigar out of nowhere, and took a long drag on it before continuing. "These Blights are born with a... grudge, or a Purpose, and without that Purpose they simply return to being random spirits of malevolence."

"I took you for a... historian, and from what you've done here, I'm fairly sure you are at least... slightly acquainted with the origin of this Blight, and of myself... whether you know it or not. But by reacquainting the Blight with memories of its origin... you are feeding a fire that... you know not exists. And all for this knowledge?"

Randall managed a wry smile. "It's been very valuable so far."

The gentleman smiled back a trifle wearily. "Yes, but all it's taught you... is how to feed this monster more efficiently. Ironic?"

"I'd say so."
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Pictor
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 4:40 - Late Noon
Weather: Clear Skies
Location: Herston Public Library & Museum - Library Attic
PC: Jacket, Mirto

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

"Uuuughhhnnn..."

Finally, the girl on the ground stirred.

"Hey! You. Uh... you okay?"

"I... what... happened?"

Groggily, the girl sat up, mumbling and rubbing her head.

"Oh thank GOD. I thought, like, maybe I'd killed you or something! Damn. That would have sucked. Guess I'm getting kinda rusty at gauging how... er... alive someone is."

The girl returned to me a blank stare. Oh boy, I hope she hadn't knocked herself too hard.

Oh well. Maybe that's a good thing, since then she'd forget about this whole thing, right?

"Alright, now that I've made sure you're not dead, I'm getting out of here. Bye!"

"Huh? Oh.... oka- H-HEY, WAIT A MINUTE! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Already halfway out the window I came through, I looked back over my shoulder. The girl was already on her feet once more, posing dramatically with a finger in my direction.

"Yeap. I'm really gonna listen to someone who just came at me with a bat at full force. I think I'll continue getting the heck out of here."

"Wha-? I'm not the bad guy here! You were the one sneaking around unauthorized, and in that creepy costume no less! Everything about you is suspicious. I ought to call the cops on you! Don't you dare move!"

"Lady, isn't this a public library?"

"That's not the point. There are still places that are off limits civilians! Now, don't make a fuss and just come with me."

While talking to me, the girl stepped slowly to the side and picked up the intimidating looking weapon she'd barged in here with. I have no idea what the heck that thing is supposed to be. But it's big and dangerous, and looks like it'd hurt. Kneeling down to retrieve it, she never once took her eyes off me. Very, uh, professional-like. Has she done this before or something?

With the bat in her right hand, she placed the other on her hips.

"Besides. We're on the fifth floor. What did you plan to do? Jump? I don't know how you got in here, but you're certainly not getting out the same way."

Damn. She actually has a point, but for a completely different reason. Normally this height would be a cakewalk. But I'd expended the last of my energy just getting here. I'm in no shape to make a run for it... time to play the pity card.

"Look. I just wanted a place to crash for a bit, okay? You knocked yourself out for nearly half an hour smashing through the door like an idiot. I could have been a million miles away by now, but I stuck around to make sure you were all right. Give a guy a break."

The girl knitted her eyebrows. I've probably just made myself out to be even more a of weirdo.

"I appreciate your concern, but that's not going to work. If you just wanted a place to stay you could have walked through the front door like a normal person. We've got bums loitering around all the time. Like you said, this is a public library, right? ...But since you decided to break in all dressed up, I can't just let you go. If you don't make such a big fuss, maybe they'll let you off easy."

Ouch. No dice, huh? What the heck is this chick's deal? She's like, what, 16? And she's already trying to be my mother.

Suddenly I felt a chill down my non-existent spine. Brief images flashed through my head.

Spoiled princess attitude. Giant hammer. Unshapely, tomboyish figure...

T-Teenaged girls are terrible...

"Either way, you're not getting off the hook. Take off that mask already, and just come with me."

"W-Wait, what?!"

"I said, take off that mask. You can't hide behind that thing forever. Be mature and face the consequences!"

Uh oh. What the heck do I do now? Even in my state, I'm pretty sure I can overpower her and make a run for it... but I have a feeling that'd make things worse. Besides, what happens if she calls for help? Then shit would really hit the fan.

Suddenly a voice from below breaks the chilling stand-still.

"Mirto? What's going on up there? Is everything alright?"

Still not relinquishing her gaze, the girl... "Mirto", I'm assuming, turns her head slightly and returns the call.

"Just dealing with some guy who thought he could sneak in here! Get security on this!"

The tattering of footsteps spelled my doom. Looks like I really can't do anything. Never saw this shit coming. I probably should have split as I soon as I could. But no, I had to stick around and wait for this girl to come to her senses. What the heck is wrong with you, Jacket?

Whatever, I guess it doesn't really matter whether or not you take that thing off. They'll probably pry it off you later anyway.

I slid off my windowsill perch, and plopped down crossed-legged on the room floor. Crossing my arms, I resigned to my fate.

"...I made my own bed, I sleep in it, huh? Fine. The Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton is many things, but irresponsible he is not."

"Huh? Did you say... the Phantom Jacket?"

"That'd be me. Or, at least that's what they're calling me these days. Figured, if I'm gonna be stuck with you, I might as well introduce myself. Right, Miss. Mirto?"

The look on her face suggested she didn't like me calling her by name like that. It kinda made me smile... on the inside. Nevertheless, she put a hand to her chin, and looked as if she was lost in thought.

"Phantom Jacket.... I think, I'd read about that name somewhere before..."

Suddenly a light rumbling of the floor. Footsteps?

"Finally! Took them long enough."

No.

These were no fricken footsteps! Dammit!!! Why now of all times!

The rumbling grew ever more intense, until the floorboards rattled and the entire room was pretty much being rocked around. The girl nearly lost her footing and stumbled toward the doorframe for support.

"Wha-? An earthquake? So suddenly?"

Wait a sec...

"Y-You! You can feel this too?"

"Huh? Of course I can!! How can anyone not?!"

So, this girl is---!

*GRRRRROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!*

My thought was cut short by a deafening sound.

An abyss of twisting, sheering metal. Otherworldly, but strangely organic. Like the awakening roar of an ancient, bloodthirsty beast.

Then, a thundering mass of darkness. So incredibly massive and malevolent, you barely had time to think before it overwhelmed you.

Just like last time... straight out of the floor beneath.

Unlike last time... I wasn't sent flying.
Last edited by Pictor on Mon Nov 01, 2010 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AYC
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 4:40 pm, Late Noon
Weather: Clear
Location: Herston Public Library and Museum
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================


Apparently she had been out for a while. It still wasn't very clear to her, but she had the inkling feeling that the masked figure in front of her had something to do with it. More likely than not, he was the actual intruder.

So when said potential-intruder looked about ready to make his getaway, it was her job to stop him even if it was... maybe thirty minutes overdue.

It ended looking more stupid than she would've liked though. Damn. Mock-superhero pose? Please. No one is going to get intimidated by such a childish tactic. Needless to say, Mirto drops it as quickly as she did it.

The masked man hardly seemed impressed. "Yeap. I'm really gonna listen to someone who just came at me with a bat at full force. I think I'll continue getting the heck out of here."

Um. If her memory isn't wrong, she never got a chance to swing anything. But if what he's saying is correct, then that means she must've nearly hit him when she tripped and fell. Whether it's for good or for bad, she's not too sure, but, hey, it was an accident.

"Wha-? I'm not the bad guy here! You were the one sneaking around unauthorized, and in that creepy costume no less! Everything about you is suspicious. I ought to call the cops on you! Don't you dare move!"

"Lady, isn't this a public library?"

Lady? Really? No one even calls her aunt "lady", and she's nearing her late twenties. Mirto is not sure whether to feel a bit offended or not.

"That's not the point. There are still places that are off limits to civilians! Now, don't make a fuss and just come with me."

She points the lacrosse stick at him for emphasis, and the intruder gives her a slightly intimidated look. Now we're talking.

"Besides. We're on the fifth floor. What did you plan to do? Jump? I don't know how you got in here, but you're certainly not getting out the same way."

His face tells her that that was exactly what he was going to do. Mirto knows a lot about physics, but even so, it doesn't take an idiot to know that five stories is more than enough to break a few bones and then some.

The guy is nuts.

He thinks a bit, before sighing in what sounded like frustration. "Look. I just wanted a place to crash for a bit, okay? You knocked yourself out for nearly half an hour smashing through the door like an idiot. I could have been a million miles away by now, but I stuck around to make sure you were all right. Give a guy a break."

He's right, but still, who could've foreseen that... whatever this guy's costume is made out of would be so bloody hard. Tougher than a full armored suit. As much as she'd like to let this slide, those librarians below wouldn't bother to give her a break if she let him get away. Ugh.

Someone's gotta take one for the team, sorry.

So Mirto flat out denies.

"Either way, you're not getting off the hook. Take off that mask already, and just come with me."

"W-Wait, what?!"

"I said, take off that mask. You can't hide behind that thing forever. Be mature and face the consequences!"

Seriously, what was up with that mask? It actually moves and forms expressions - some sort of new technology? If it was any other situation she would've loved to examine it to see how it worked.

"Mirto? What's going on up there? Is everything alright?"

Well, look who it is.

"Just dealing with some guy who thought he could sneak in here! Get security on this!"

And save me some of my god forsaken time, jeez.

Ahaha, but oops, the security guard that would usually be here has been missing for a few days. Oh man. Guess they're going to come up and see for themselves.

The intruder on the other hand, looks resigned. Finally given up, it seems. Mirto lowers her weapon.

"...I made my own bed, I sleep in it, huh? Fine. The Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton is many things, but irresponsible he is not."

...

"Huh? Did you say... the Phantom Jacket?"

"That'd be me. Or, at least that's what they're calling me these days. Figured, if I'm gonna be stuck with you, I might as well introduce myself. Right, Miss. Mirto?"

Miss? Seriously. Only the teachers call her that. But still...

"Phantom Jacket.... I think, I'd read about that name somewhere before..."

Oh. Oh, right. She vaguely recalled some of her classmates rambling about how their romantic date in the park was interrupted by some sort of "mysterious, dark figure". If this was the so-called Phantom Jacket, well, he was a bit more mellow and less monstrous than she'd thought. Somehow this encounter seemed strangely anti-climatic now. And as if on cue...

Sounds like the librarians are finally making their way up.

"Finally! Took them long enough."

Or not. Some people are being useless. This rumbling seems a little too much for a few people climbing up the stairs. It's practically like -

"Wha-? An earthquake? So suddenly?"

Did Pebbleton have earthquakes? This is probably the first one she's experienced since she came here.

The Phantom Jacket seemed surprised as she gripped the window sill in support.

"Y-You! You can feel this too?"

Mirto gives him the most incredulous look.

"Huh? Of course I can!! How can anyone not?!"

*GRRRRROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!*

Both of them wince at the earsplitting roar, and Mirto only stares blankly in numb shock as the form of a huge, black train comes rushing out of the ground, wheels screeching against invisible tracks.

She can't keep track of how many ridiculously laughable things she's seen today, but this pretty much takes the cake. It's too... massively, overwhelmingly enormous to laugh at though.

Pressed against the wall, it's only grazing the air before her by a very uncomfortable breadth, and she holds her breath.

It's now that Mirto realizes that her hand is outstretched in front of her. When did this happen?

She must be seeing things. Because beyond her spread fingers, the afternoon light shimmers on some sort of fluctuating, glassy surface.

Her arm feels heavy, and she realizes that the train is close to pushed up against the exposed palm of her hand. In the end, there never was any invisible rails - she watches with awe as the wheels scrape and spark against the transparent surface protecting her hand. A few bits of metal seem to evaporate into black smoke as it screeches loudly past, and after what seems like eternity, disappears through the ceiling.

Holy effin' cow. The hell was that.

Damn.

Her arm drops to her side, and Mirto's too immobilized by shock to even collapse onto the ground. She does manage to turn her head to the side though, and catches sight of an incredibly stunned face staring back at her.

The Phantom Jacket. He probably knows something about this.

Both of them open their mouths at the same time.

"What the hell just happened?"
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marcien
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by marcien »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Late afternoon
Weather: Fair
Location: Dawnview Park
PCs: Oriole, Elyse
================


Her eyes flew wide open as she felt the recently familiar vibrations. No way... that... thing... is still around?

There were sounds of a fight that could be heard. Was someone battling the train? A loud whistle came forth, as though the train was howling in pain. Then, the vibrations went further away.

Oriole breathed a sigh of relief. It's gone.

The strange silence was broken by the sound of the forest shaking. From the thick foliage, a light shone forth. Just as she was about to back away, the light revealed itself to be a reflection from a gigantic metal arm. A savage-looking panzer emerged, first running before slowing down... No, she fainted...?

Oriole rushed towards the wolf panzer, and when she got near enough, approach hesitantly. It appears that like an almost different person had taken the panzer's place: gone was the fierce, fanged wolf with the beastly face — in her place lied a frightened teenage girl panzer, looking as though she had cried herself to sleep in fear of something.

That's right. I should get her away from here. It's dangerous.

Oriole dreaded the thought of the train coming by this way while the girl was still lying here, unconscious and defenseless.

Ah. Oriole's hands beneath the girl's shoulders did not move an inch. How silly of me. I can't lift something so heavy. There should be someone who could help... right?

She then remembered the solid stray she met earlier. But where will she find him?
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Pictor
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 4:44 - Late Noon
Weather: Clear Skies
Location: Herston Public Library & Museum
PC: Jacket, Mirto


(OOC: Yea, I know this is a long-ass post)

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

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"
"What the hell just happened?!"

I found myself yelling aloud with the girl in unison.

The train had come. It had found me. And just like last time, it trundled vertically straight out of the ground. There was no way it could have missed, what with the sheer size and all.

But somehow, it did. In a messy display of sparks and rumbling wheels, the monstrous thing ground up against the side of the room. Yet, when the metallic grating and screeching had ceased, girl and I were left without a scratch.

If I were still alive, I would have probably been drenched in a pool of cold sweat. Kind of like what the girl seemed to be doing now. Kneeling on the floor, staring off into space with her mouth hanging half-open.

"What did... you do?"

The girl turned to look at me. Her bewildered look was probably one that I also wore (literally, seeing as how my face is a mask). With a voice devoid of emotion, quite unlike the tone she was boasting before, the girl uttered back:

"I...I... don't know..."

Now I see. She probably has no idea at all. About herself, or about the monster that we had just narrowly survived. But, at the same time, she definitely did something. The train could not have missed, it was a simple fact. It caught me completely by surprise. The preceding tremors did little to forewarn its sudden appearance. I had no time to react; I barely had the strength to move, nevermind shield the both of us from that onslaught.

Not only did she feel the train coming, she saw it... and somehow saved both of our lives from it. There was no doubt; this girl was a Crosser.

*GROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!*

More intense rumbling. Darn. That thing sure makes a quick U-Turn!

The floorboards begin shaking.

"......"

The girl stiffens, and her face changes into a visible grimace, but she doesn't move otherwise, whether it's from fear or lack of energy. No good. Crosser or not, whatever trick she pulled might have been a fluke; a defensive reflex. I doubt it'll save us a second time!

*GROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!!*

It's coming back.

Gotta think----!! Gotta think fast!!

Think!!!

Wind rushes through the tiny room. A gigantic, hurling mass of metal blasts into the view. Right on top of us both. For a split second, I thought I saw the looming figure open up. A giant, frightening maw of rancid blackness, about to swallow everything whole.


SHIT! NO TIME TO THINK----!!


And so I didn't. Before I realized, I had jumped straight into the train's path. In the next instant, the girl was under my arm. And then...

*BLAM!!!*

That was the sound of my right leg, half transformed into a stump of solid steel, smashing at full force into the the base of the Train.

*CRUNCH!!!*

That was the sound of my right leg, exploding into a million piece as it blew the Train away.

*CRASH!!!*

That was the sound of the glass window as the girl and I flew in the opposite direction.

And after that... we fell. Five floors down.

Luckily, a warehouse roof broke my fall. And after that, a mound of cardboard boxes and packing peanuts cushioned the girl's descent.

Ow.

The chugging of wheels faded off into the distance. I guess... I must have done a number on it in my state of panic. But the trade off was.... I could no longer move at all. That last burst of strength... I don't know where it came from but it was the bottom line. At the same time, I felt nothing where my right leg used to be. Even without being able to look, I could guess why that was.

Laying on the cold, concrete floor, I heard rustling in the boxes nearby. The girl dug herself out of the hectic pile and tumbled out onto the ground beside me, coughing and patting herself off.

"You... okay?"

"Ugh, oh, what the heck is going o- Uwah! Y-Your leg!"

Good. She didn't seem hurt too badly. Glad to know I didn't kill her for the second time since our rough meeting.

"I'm fine. Don't get too caught up about me."

"How can you say that?! It's completely gone! How are you even be speaking so calmly?!"

"Don't get me wrong, this still hurts like a bitch. More importantly... you need to get out of here. That thing... that monster. It'll be back."

Didn't think I'd ever get a chance to play hero. But I'm not exactly a white knight. It was my fault to begin with. I lead it here. The monster got a taste of me before, and that's what it came looking for. But now this Crosser girl... she's just a second course for him.

Out of the corner of my vision, I could see her eyes filled with confusion. The girl gripped the hem of her shirt so hard, her knuckles were turning white, and her shoulders were shaking a bit.

I felt bad. She's just some kid minding her own business. She's a Crosser... that meant the Train would have gotten to her sooner or later. But I just had to go ahead and speed things up. Damn. I never meant to drag anyone in like this. All this, must be pretty heavy on her.

"Hey. Your name, did I get it right before?"

"Huh..?"

"Mirto. Your name is Mirto right?"

"Yea. It's Mirto."

"Alright, Mirto. Listen to me. You gotta get out of here. That Train... is a monster that devours people alive. It was after me. That's why I hid out in the attic. I think... I beat it up enough to give you some time."

"But what about you...? And there were people! Downstairs, there were people!"

"No. It doesn't affect normal people. In fact, normal people can't even see it. If you don't believe me... well, don't you think there'd be more commotion in town than there is?"

She was silent for a bit, perhaps letting what I had just said roll in her mind.

"What do you mean normal people? W-Wait a minute, are you saying you and I aren't... normal?"

"Yea... I could you could say that. That's why I was so surprised when you could feel the tremors too. I didn't know, that there was another unique person in that library. Otherwise... I wouldn't have..."

Keh... it's getting a bit hard to stay conscious... I've been passing out a lot lately. Can't afford to do that now, though.

"I said... that it was after me. So, if you run away now, as fast as you can, you can get away. I can't kick it again, but I can by you some time to-"

"Don't be stupid!"

The girl suddenly spoke up, her voice was tense more with annoyance than fear.

"I don't need anyone being bait for me! And what kind of person just throws away their life like that...? Besides, I can't just leave you here..."

"What? Why not...?"

"Well, you did save me back there. It'd be thankless of me to just run off."

... What's with this girl? Her life is in danger and she's worried about some dumbass like me? Wasn't she just trying to sic security on me just a moment ago?

I don't get it. Maybe, it's a mortal thing. But, I noticed that talking to Mirto calmed her down a bit. That's the least I could do for her.

"Besides, you know about all this, don't you? About that monster... and, you said we weren't normal people. Back there, when it first attacked. I did something... I felt something intense. I don't get any of that. But... I kind of want to understand."

She looks down at my pitiful, battered form. I must be busted up pretty bad.

"And for some reason, I feel that I can help you. I don't know why... maybe you do."

This girl... Mirto. Could it be because her Crosser powers activated for the first time back there? As a Stray, I kinda just knew what I had to do. Maybe it comes with the territory. Maybe for her, too... it could be...

...So, it was then that I had a sudden idea.

Crazy. In the back of my head, there's a voice saying there's no way I could get this to work. She's barely coping with this situation, and on top of that, she has no idea what the heck is happening.

But maybe, just maybe... my dismal luck will let up just this once. Either way, it's do or be done. All or nothing.

"Listen very carefully, Mirto. If you run away now, you still might have a chance to escape safely. But that monster... it chases down these unique people I talked about. It devours them to sustain itself. Eventually, it'll run rampant through this whole town, all without even being seen. It's big, but you saw too that it's not invincible. I think... I can fight it. But..."

With all my strength, I tilted my head to the side to meet her eyes.

"...To do that, I'll need your help."

I can tell she's struggling with disbelief. I mean, if some freaky guy in a mask suddenly dumped all this on me, I wouldn't believe him either. But perhaps, somewhere in there, the Crosser part of Mirto would get it. Even if just a bit.

"Heh... we just met and all, but things have taken quite a messed up turn. I know this is a lot to take in. There's so much I could tell you, I don't even know where to begin."

Mirto's death grasp on her shirt loosened up, and her rapid breathing slowed a bit. Were things starting to sink in?

I paused a bit to focus my thoughts. Things were getting kinda hazy. Damn, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this up....

"I said that you were unique, didn't I? And you felt it as well, probably for the first time back there. From now on, all kinds of bizarre things will be happening. If you really feel that you can help me, then before anything else, I need to ask you to believe in me. No matter how crazy things get..."

This was it. Mirto, what will do you?

"So... Mirto... do you think you can trust me?"
Pasonia
Posts: 175
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pasonia »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Unknown
Weather: Once again, what the fuck is an all-black surrounding called?
Location: Maybe past home?
PC: Martin Chang


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

Martin despaired. It wasn't a word he used very frequently, since most of the time he plays to make his opponents despaired, but he feels totally beaten.

The situation is tricky in that he can only feel, but cannot see much other than whatever was on himself, like his now-ineffectual electrical devices and watch.

"This is really bad," droned Martin. "I'm feeling kind of tired, too. I can't get myself out of this if I don't already know what I'm in."

Martin feels like he's being guided to a natural loss (that is, the outcome is all too clear to both players that one would lose); those were the ones he wouldn't complain about if he was playing Go, but the problem here is he has to complain because the price of losing is a life.

And he hasn't had enough of life yet.

"Dammit! Nothing seems to work," blasted Martin as he tried to feel his way around, bumping into something for the umpteenth time. "How the hell do I even get---"

Then it appeared. A shining something that seems pretty far from reach. And it was coming really, really, REALLY fast at him.

"Boy, watch out, that thing's gonna hit you---"

The item phased right past the 'boy', and was about to reach Martin. He suddenly realised it was, of all things possible---

"---my keybo-waaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

The keyboard unceremoniously crashed right into Martin's mid-section, causing him to tumble all the way to the back of the train. As he tried to raise himself from the floor after the impact, he was once again thrown to the train floor he can't see by a series of massive jerking that the train took.

"What the bloody shit is this--- hey..."

Glimpses of a train floor suddenly became clear as day surrounding where his keyboard was. Although the keyboard was most likely a total wipe-off for Martin (its keys were broken and the USB head of the cable completely snapped off), the keyboard was still the most visible center of things in this particular situation.

"Oh, finally, the natural progression..."

Previously, Martin had struggled to maintain his amateur 8-dan position in the Go server he plays in, often opting to take a losing route because he thought that there probably wasn't any way out at all. He thought it was natural because at higher levels, even the slightest mistake in opening selections can be the difference in end-game, and he had attributed a lot of his losses to poor opening and stuff that he conjectured, placed himself in unadmirable positions.

But the keyboard, a savior in his Black-surrounded allegory, is something of a hint to him that perhaps luck and discovery can sometimes be a two-way thing and he doesn't need to concede losses all too soon as long as he's patient.

"Another lesson, eh..."

Martin threw the allegory aside, opting to review it once he's gotten himself out of the right ol' mess. Finally being able to see at least the entire cabin he's in, he notices that the wires are dangled outside the train, but were somehow nowhere to be seen because it disappeared into black. He felt into the black and felt nothing, so Martin decided to take a risk of pushing his head past the black.

Once he did so, he quickly withdrew it - the glass doors to his office was approaching him at high speed. Panicked, he quickly withdrew his head before his head slammed into the glass door, uttering cusses before he threw himself into the train once again.

"What the flying fuck... ouch!"
Last edited by Pasonia on Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by SavviG »

Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 4:20 pm, late noon
Weather: Clear skies, Sunny
Location: Peddinton Lane
PC: Graciel

♪♫♪♪♪♫♫♪♫♪♪♫♪♫♪♪♪♫♫


Running up the door step, Graciel thumbled with the keys. Graciel unlocked the door and let himself in.

He cut through the hall down to the back and dashed down the cellar stairs. On the way down he turned the lights on.

The cellar was small, Graciel slowly approached to a wall. Nothing looked out of
the ordinary. He then took out his MPUD and pressed a few buttons. The wall started to flicker and crumble down digitally like several mini monitor screens switching off. The walls disappeared revealing more to the basement cellar. A cleaner, brighter section unknown to the towns folks. At the back was a locked door, againt Graciel punched in a few more codes on his MPUD. A grinding lock can be heard from the thick bolted door. Upon approaching the door, it opened, Gracial stepped inside... a weapon locker for all his needs.

5 minutes later, he came out with his custom rifle.
"Power pack, check, piercing rounds, check, power rounds, check."
"Sights, checking... , oh, and I better stick some meds and some few more rounds."

All the equipment was then loaded into the MPUD and he changed into his battle gear. A black bullet proof vest with pockets, dark gray baggy pants with 4 pockets, and black boots. "A handgun, need a handgun." Quickly snatched a silver gun off the bench. Graciel then locked and hidden his secret room then dash out of the basement cellar.

When he left the house, he quickly transformed into a cat and dash as fast as he can. Graciel looked up to the horizon to spot the Blight's smoke. In the distance, a faint dark smoke is dragged across the earth. "There!"

"(Need to get to it quick, others would be there by now, maybe even on board. Maybe I better get on to see if anyone is wounded.)"
"(From the looks of it, it seems to be going towards the library...)"

The river was a huge obstacle, it caused more time waste and energy. Graciel
took out his med pack to use a adrenaline shot for energy boost.

After Graciel passed the river, and round the park on Dawnview Walk, he can see the library up ahead. Graciel changed into his human form and took out his weapon. Turned on his vision screen and started read, scan or lock onto the Blight but nothing. The screen blipped "no Target".

From the 5th floor of the library the Blight came crashing out and then did a U-turn back in. "Oh shiiiit~" Graciel readied his rifle.

The Blight came crashing out again, oddly sideways, and then corrected its course,
towards Graciel. "Wuh OH-" Graciel took aim and fired a few shots. Nothing.
Fired onto the wheels, nothing. The rounds rochetted off the metal surface.

Graciel stood his ground watching the Blight speeding towards him.
"Think...THINK!..."
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Sentrovasi »

Fine, but Randall is not a boy >:3 I had an idea Martin could use his younger self as well, but that one is less probable.

Date: Wheelday
Time: Hour the Forty-First
Weather: Raining
Location: The Train
PC: Randall Kayne


Rain lashed down over the busy streets of Pebbleton at at least twice its normal speed before clearing equally abruptly as pedestrians seemed to zoom out of their shelters and across those same streets in an amusing fast-forwarded fashion.

"Huh. When did that happen?"

Randall's eyes opened bemusedly to see a gaping gash where the writing desk had been. Even as he watched the sundered wooden paneling seemed to be stretching out, its wooden splinters growing with an uncanny semblance to the maw of a shark as it inched closed, trying to repair the damage that had been done.

But Heisel was no longer there.

With an effort, Randall fought the heavy weight which seemed to press down on him and stood up. Something was going on with the train; someone else was fighting it? Checking his watch, he learnt that it had been forty-one hours since he'd been pulled into this strange realm, but from what he'd learnt from Heisel, days or even weeks might have passed. Time in this Blight slowed and hastened with the Train itself, depending on whether or not it was cruising... or hunting.

Steadying himself against a chair, he recognized it as one of the ones in his own apartment. How strange. He wondered just how much of the Train was composed by him, now. Maybe even that gash that was being repaired; that might be his doing, too.

"But I'm... not using Ether now, so it shouldn't be working that fast, right?" He spoke to the now-empty room almost before realizing it. He realized only now how breathless he was. This wasn't good.

Pushing the sliding door open, he stepped out into utter blackness before he knew it. That wasn't quite right. It was dark, yes, but he recognized it as some kind of Enomena. The carriage was preparing itself for a new visitor, and was still in the process of drawing him (and his environment) in. Heisel had warned him against getting near such portals, since the chance was fairly high that he'd just be feeding the rest of his precious Ether to sustain the Enomena, but therein lay the problem.

When the Enomena's event horizon is a whole carriage, there really isn't anywhere to run.

Randall Kayne succumbed again to painful oblivion. It really just wasn't fair.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 4:50 pm, Late Noon
Weather: Clear
Location: Herston Public Library and Museum
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================


He asks her if she trusts him. As awkward a question as it is, she can't help but answer resolutely.

"Yes."

Maybe it's instinct. Or maybe, she ponders, it's because it's pretty damn important right now to not get eaten by some sort of rampaging monster, and hell, she might as well do anything she can to prevent a grisly and painful death.

GGGRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRR

The train roars again, and through the newly formed holes in the roof, Mirto can see the shadowy form quickly circling around overhead. It's like a predator, sniffing out its prey.

Quite creepy.

Jacket eyes the prowling monster overhead with a wary - and increasingly unfocused, she notices - gaze. "Good, we have some time."

She gives him a perplexed look when he suddenly grabs her shoulder, either to get her full attention or to keep himself steady, she's not sure.

"Alright, first things first," he says heavily, and compared to how he was before, much more seriously. "We're going to have to form something called a Bonding Pact." He pauses, as if he's not entirely sure himself of what needs to be done, or at least, how to phrase his request. "In other words, right now, I'm asking you to be my partner."

Mirto looks taken aback for a moment, her head tilted to the side in confusion. "I know we're kind of tight on time... but... care to elaborate?"

His eyes dart towards the train for a second before he responds. "How should I put this... long story short, all living things have something called Ether inside of them. I guess you can call it some kind of life force, and for the most part, it just stays locked up within a person. But there are also people out there who have the ability to manipulate Ether to do incredible things. They're called Crossers."

GGGGGRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRR

The monster seems pissed that it's just ramming itself randomly into empty space. It's only a matter of time before it decides to look down. Or whatever the train equivalent of looking down is. Taking a nosedive?

"You're a Crosser, Mirto," Jacket continues, his grip still firm on her shoulder despite his clearly increasing fatigue. "And I need you to lend me some of your ether. All humans - all living things - have an endless supply of it. I don't. A Bonding Pact is basically you giving me the okay to unlock your Ether stream."

"So... you mean you're not human?"

He flashes her a wry smile. "Let's just say for now that I'm more like Mr. Big Bad Train up there, yeah? I'll explain it to you later."

"..."

She doesn't say anything, but only takes a deep breath. He's basically promising her that he's got more to say after all this, and that's good enough for her. It's not long now before the predator streaking through the air comes crashing onto them.

"I got it. Let's do this."

Mirto prepares herself for anything, and personally she expects that the bonding pact involves some sort of strange ritual - like something as weird and gross as exchanging blood, or else something stupid like chanting a long-winded vow or oath.

Turns out that she's probably been playing too many games, because the real condition ends up being much simpler. Or at least, that's how it should've been.

After five minutes, the pact still hasn't been finished.

"You don't like the name 'Zeke'?"

"It's the name of your old pet cat. Woman, I already told you that I hate cats."

"I thought it suited you though," she mumbles in response. "It sounds pretty cool after all..."

Jacket looks flattered for a brief moment. "Mirto, you think I'm cool? I'm touched by your impression of me."

Her eyebrow twitches as she debates between rolling her eyes and punching him in the face. In the end, her kindness wins out (she doesn't want to hurt him after all, he's still pretty beat up while she's still more or less unscathed) and she settles for the former.

"Your appearance is cool," she admits plainly, flatly and without any betrayal of emotion. "And what you did to save me was pretty badass. But at this rate, you won't be able to show off your how potentially off the charts your badass-ness is going to be once we bond."

Really. It's surprising that the train hasn't come after them yet; it's either more blind than she thought or its energy must be running low. But there's no doubt in her mind that it's going to barge in on them at any second, and that's not just her paranoia acting up.

It's slowly been descending closer and closer to their hiding spot, not quite there yet but enough that the train's erratic rushing and circuiting sends wind running through their hair. Enough to unnerve them into hurrying the hell up.

"How about Hatman?" she suggests as she watches him hold onto his treasured cap with his free hand when another gust of train-induced wind blows past.

He gives her a disturbed, 'you-have-got-to-be-shitting-me' look. "If you can get a Hatmobile to go along with that, then we'll talk."

For once in her life, Mirto pouts. This is getting frustrating. "What would you like your name to be then?" she asks as evenly as she can manage, her fingers cleanly snapping a styrofoam peanut in half.

Jacket doesn't seem very deterred by her display of feeble strength, and holds up his hands in mock defeat, a strangely sinister grin on his face. "You're the one that's supposed to be naming me, my word has no say here."

Coward.

"But I'm respecting your word," she forces out irritably. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

His grin only widens evilly. This is an oddly strange situation for him to be relishing her discomfort, she realizes.

She should've punched him when she had the chance.

Lucky for a her, a stray chunk of tile from the ceiling promptly drops onto his head with a loud thunk. She manages to restrain her laughter with the fact that the wheels of the train must have hit the roof of the warehouse.

That means no more time.

GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR

And it means it's finally discovered their position in the warehouse. In fact, it seems to be ominously backing up, as if it's gearing up for a sudden, all-powerful attack.

It's probably less than thirty seconds before the time of impact. Ah.

There's no point in drawing this out more than it already has. Time to suck it up and roll with it.

This time Mirto grabs Jacket's shoulders, and looks him exasperatedly in the eye. "Fine, whatever, we don't have time for this anymore. It should be fine if I just keep calling you Phantom Jacket, right?"

He has a surprised, crooked-ish smirk frozen onto his face. At least he doesn't look dissenting. "Hey, I've got no problem with it. Even though that means the last couple of minutes have been a waste of time."

Her fists crunches up another handful of styrofoam as she resists the urge to tell him that if he had just agreed on one of her names, they wouldn't still be sitting here twiddling their thumbs in a shabby warehouse. But Mirto is levelly calm, and so she perseveres.

A hand pokes her between the ribs. He looks serious again, and she can hear the train just about ready to charge forward. "We have to shake on it to seal the deal."

The walls start rumbling and the wind around them swirls more fiercely. This is nothing like before, and her head feels just about ready to split from the volume of the train's engine howling its angry battle cry.

"Fine."

She doesn't give herself a chance to have second thoughts. Mirto grabs his hand instinctively, and as soon as she does, she sees nothing but black and a faintly glowing pale green.

The air seems to spiraling around them densely. It's hard to hear the train anymore, but she's pretty sure it's still there. All she can feel is her fingers tightly gripped around Jacket's hand, and the sensation of her hair getting tussled by the gusts. Something soft smacks into her face as the whirlwind of ether explodes out, and she realizes that it's a certain someone's hat.

Hm. Well.

As her vision clears, she sees him reach out to grab it and pull it back onto his head. "Sorry about that." He's already standing up.

"Your leg is back," she comments. He blinks, and looks down, almost like an afterthought.

"Oh, hey."

Mirto catches sight of the train when she takes his offered hand to stand up - still more or less in one piece, albeit spitting out a bit more smoke than it was before. There are a few more long, deep gashes along its side that definitely weren't there pre-bonding pact, and a large dent at the head of locomotive, probably from when it smashed headfirst into all that concentrated ether.

Hmph. Even though it's far from down yet, serves that greedy thing right. It seems to be seething angrily to itself at the damage its taken, and just about ready to go all out.

Mirto shakes her head free of any stray pieces of wood, and Jacket cracks out a few kinks in his neck.

"So now what?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

"We go kick ass?"

"You're catching on, Mirto."

"I'm flattered."
Last edited by AYC on Thu Nov 18, 2010 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: 5:00 - Afternoon
Weather: Clear Skies
Location: Pebbleton Streets
PC: Jacket, Mirto


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

*WHOOSH!*

I could feel the wind race past me as I flew at breakneck speed through the air. I felt no exhaustion. No need to restrain my own power. There was nothing at risk anymore. Any Ether I used up immediately replenished itself, and then some.

It was freakin' incredible!

I jumped effortlessly across apartments and high-rises. As I landed atop the latest one, I almost fell off the edge of the roof.

"DARNIT! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

A voice shouted from behind. Mirto clung to me has if her life depended on it. Oh yea, it does.

"Hahaha, sorry ma'am. I almost forgot you were back there. Man, I almost overshot this one. Guess I'm still learning to use all this power. But that was amazing! Did you see?! I cleared an entire main street and then some! I've never been able to do that before!"

Mirto sighed, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You sound like you're having a bit too much fun. But don't forget, we still have something to do. I ditched my job for this after all, so you better not mess it up by sending us into a ditch or something. I'm gonna get in so much trouble if we make it out of this alive..."

"Hey, chill out girl. I got this. And besides, it's not your fault the security is so lame! They arrived so late that you'd already been kidnapped by the intruder. When you do get back, they should compensate you, right?"

"You're evil."

"And you're welcome. Now..."

I shrugged my shoulders and shifted Mirto back up a bit, prompting a surprised "H-Hey!" from the girl.

"Onward and upward!"

****[Approx. 10 Minutes Ago]****

"I thought you said we were gonna kick ass!"

"Yea, but think about it. How much ass kicking can we do cramped up inside that tiny room? Besides, like you said before, there are still people in the library. It's true they can't see the Train, but they can see us just fine. Not only would we look rather silly if anyone caught us, we'd also probably look rather arrested. By the cops."

"That last bit wasn't grammatically correct at all. But I guess you do have a point. Sheesh, what's the point of being a ghost if you can't even turn invisible?"

"IT'S NOT LIKE I ASKED FOR THIS OKAY? You know how hard it is, to be a freak of nature and not being able to hide yourself? Freaking teenaged girls!! I hate em! I hate em all!! Arrrauaushasdgh"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry I ever brought it up. Calm down.... and what the heck do teenaged girls have to do with this. First cats and now... you sure do have a lot of problems."

Jacket adjusted his cap, which nearly fell off during his mock tantrum. The pair had made their way from the half-destroyed museum warehouse to a small clearing in the woods just a few yards away.

"So... what now?"

"Hmmm, well since we can't fight here, we'll have to take the showdown somewhere else. A place where there isn't a lot of people. I'm guessing it close to rush-hour now, so it's not gonna be easy."

Mirto put a hand to her chin and thought for a bit. Then suddenly hit her palm with her fist.

"I've got it! The Fukami Mansion! It's this decrepit old ruin by the North-West of town. It used to be some kind of fancy gathering place for rich foreign people a long time ago, but after it burned down it's been abandoned. Plus there's rumors that it's haunted, so people avoid it like the plague. There hasn't even been attempts to reconstruct it."

"That mountain of scraps, eh? I think I've seen it a few times during my stay in this town. The front-lot seems spacious enough. Alright then, it's decided. We'll take our ass-kicking there!"

"But, it's pretty much on the other side of town. How do we get there without being seen, or run down by that monster?"

"Easy, I'll jump! Roof to roof! I do it all the time!"

Mirto gave Jacket a somewhat disturbed look. Perhaps at how excited he seems to be at the prospect, or perhaps because she knows that she's going to be literally dragged along into this.

"I said we have to avoid being seen as well!"

"You'd be surprised at how often people forget to look up. Now hurry and get on my back. We've got some derailing to do."

****[Back to the Future]****

I landed on the roof of another high-rise. The timing was perfect this time. I don't think it was too bumpy for my personal passenger either. Not that I'd ask her now, unless I wanted my head chewed off. I felt Mirto shift around on my back, then she pointed to a large, electric sign.

"Ah! We're on the Mycroft Holdings building! This is the bank! So we're almost there!"

"Then let's not waste anymore time."

A few buildings a one street later, I bounded across a set of ornate black gates. Another perfect landing. I'm finally getting the hang of this new power now. Mirto let herself drop of my back, walking out to the middle of the lot stretching her arms in all sort of ways.

"Ow... my shoulders hurt..."

As she mellowed out, I took the chance to scan our would-be battlefield. You could really tell this used to be a fancy place, but now even the front lot still has traces of charred debris. The humongous remains of the burnt mansion still stood as a standing structure. They built this thing to last.... but to be honest it gave me the creeps. I could see why people wouldn't like coming here. Something just felt a bit... off about the entire premises.

"Weird. It doesn't seem to be following us... do you think it found a new target?"

"I doubt it... I mean I did give it a good kick upside the face, it's bound to be pissed enough to come after us."

I really hope not, though. That just means I've gotten someone else in trouble again. Mirto wandered over to the remains of a water fountain and set on the cobblestone ledge. He gave another deep sigh.

"Anyway... it looks like we have some time now. Can you finally explain what's going on? I didn't ask earlier... even I know getting out of trouble was more important. But I still don't understand everything. Ether? Crossers? Ghosts? It's... mind boggling. This isn't all a dream, is it?"

"Still having doubts, huh? I would too... but as far as I know, it's not any dream."

"That'd probably have been too good to be true."

I couldn't help but smirk at the girl's relative innocence. But it reminded me that I was the one who got her caught up in all this. I'll make it up to her by destroying that Train. Then she'll have nothing to worry about anymore.

I sauntered over and plopped down on the fountain beside her.

"Right then, a crash course on everything. Let's see... where should I begin?"

"Well, you told me... there's this thing called Ether. And it's like the life-force of all living things? But normal people can't see it or touch it."

"That's right. Ether has incredible power. It resides in all living things, but only a special type of person - a Crosser - can interact with it."

"And that's what I am... right? Some kind of Ether magician."

"Yea, I guess so."

"So then... what are you?"

I paused for a bit and blanked out. I didn't expect to be asked such a straight-forward question about myself.

"I told you already, I'm a ghost."

"Come on, there's gotta be more than that."

I crossed my arms and thought about it for a second. What am I... she asks. I don't even think about myself all that much...

"The technical term, I guess, is a Stray."

"Like a... a dog..?"

"Or a cat! Whatever! Anyway, the point is that we're spirits of those who've died. We can't find peace for one reason or another so we wander the Earth seeking redemption, whatever that may be. Strays are completely made of Ether, so only Crossers can see or touch us. Well... you already know I'm a bit different though. Strays can't have an unlimited supply of Ether like the living do, but we do have to power to unlock the latent Ether stream in Crossers. That's what the whole point of a Bonding Rite. The Stray gets an Ether supply, and in return, the Crosser has their Ether abilities unlocked."

When I snapped out of my explanation, I saw that Mirto was looking at me with a rather solemn expression.

"W-What?"

"You said that Strays are unable to find peace. Jacket... what are you seeking redemption for?"

"Huh? I... uh... I don't remember."

I could tell right away she didn't believe me.

"C'mon don't look at me like that. It's the same with all Strays. We can't remember anything about our past identities. It's like a mission to rediscover it."

"So then, you're on that mission too, huh?"

"Eh... not right now. I don't really care all that much to be honest. Maybe some day, though."

Mirto didn't say anything in response. It got real quiet. And real awkward.

Maybe a little too quiet and awkward.

"I don't hear the Train at all anymore. You're sure it's still chasing us?"

She read my mind. It's... not because of the link we now share, is it?

But regardless... where the hell is that thing?
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by marcien »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Late afternoon
Weather: Fair
Location: Dawnview Park → Admirals Street
PCs: Oriole, Elyse, Hailey
================


As she had feared, the roaring sound returned.

If we stay here... No, if the wolf girl remains here, she is in trouble! Help. I need to get help. No one else will come by here, I will have to find help.

Against her better judgment, Oriole made her way towards the sound. It seemed to be coming from across the river. Oriole floated up to the level of the condominium roofs to hopefully increase her distance from the train. However, her distance from the ground impaired her sight. She could barely make out the number of cars or people on the roads.

So useless. I am too scared to get down... And I can't see or do anything from up here as well...

"Well, yer don't seem too satisfied with the view up here, lil' blondie."

EH. A talking... bird...? And there's a singed roll of paper in her beak? No, that's not it.

"Ahhh... Umm. Madam Panzer!! I am so--"

"Call me BIG SISTER, you brat."

"Ehh? Uh. Big Sis... I am... glad to have found you... Ah. There's a girl-wolf-panzer down there... I can't carry her so... please help me, I mean, help her! Or that thing... that train... will get her!! Please... Ah. She is unconscious that's why--"

"Woah calm down. I gotchya, gal," the raven spat out the paper roll in her mouth. She rummaged among her feathers and pulled out another stick of rolled paper. "So where's that at?"

"The park!"

"Arr? Dere's too many feather 'round my ears. Can't hear ya. Though, if you'll give me a light, my hearin' could get better."

"Eh?" Oriole stared at the raven with a stick of rolled-up paper in it's beak.

The raven seemed to sigh, "Here. Just light a fire at the end of this thing, ya capish?"

Oriole did that.

"The park, you say? Well then, I'll be off!"

The raven turned and jumped off from the building into the sky.

Even though it is a bird... But somehow, I have seen that pose before, haven't I?
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by AYC »

Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 5:15 pm, Late Afternoon
Weather: Clear
Location: Fukami Mansion
PC: Mirto, Jacket
================


Dammit.

Is she supposed to feel disappointed or relieved that the Train decided to opt out of battling them halfway? At the moment, it's a bit of a tangled mix as Mirto juggles the pros and cons.

Jacket, on the other hand, looks a bit put out. He probably wanted to use his awesomely epic new powers against some outrageously huge monster in a vicious battle between men. Or Strays. Or Ether beings. However it goes.

They scan the skyline again. Nope, still no sign, and no sounds to indicate its location.

Too bad. Looks like someone lucked out.

"Well." Her voice is almost frighteningly level. Jacket seems to sense her irritation.

"Yeah, I know this sucks. I know how much we wanted to beat that stupid Train shitless -"

"You," she corrects. "Not so much me. I could care less about that thing right now." She sighs, and leans forward to cup her chin in her palm. "Though that does bring us to our next point. If I'm a Crosser, and you're a Stray, what does that make the Train thing?"

Jacket mimics her pose as he broods her question over. "Hm... well. Not all Strays out there are lucky enough to find a Crosser to bond with. Actually, most Strays usually end up wandering around by themselves for a while, or even until all their Ether burns out. I'm pretty sure you can imagine what'd come out of this, right?" He pauses, as if remembering something. Mirto gives him a puzzled look.

"Negative feelings. When you're some dead spirit running around with no memories of anything - no name, no age, hell, how you even used to look like, nothing - you're bound to start doubting your existence. It gets tiring. Sometimes you wonder 'What's the point of this?' or 'Why do I have to watch these humans being happy when I'm like this?' or 'Why does it have to be this way? Why can't I just stop suffering?' When a Stray gives into his negative feelings, he becomes a Blight. He loses his sense of himself, and just becomes an ether seeking monster."

Mirto gets the sense that he's all too familiar with this situation and these feelings. A part of her wants to feel sorry for him, but another part of her gets the inkling that it would be better to spare his pride the brunt of her pity. They only met a while ago, after all, there's no need to rush things quite yet. Except for when it comes to saving their own arses, maybe.

"So that Train... is a Blight?"

"Yeah. No idea how it became one though."

They listen intently for any faint chug of an engine or a squeal of tires.

Still nothing. Just another awkward silence.

...

As interesting as it is to just sit around on the grounds of an old, abandoned mansion, Mirto is pretty sure she has better things to do. Like... work, maybe?

As if on cue, her cell phone rings, and the number on screen indicates that it's from the library. They're probably wondering where she went off to - not so much about her well being, but whether they have to turn in yet another missing person report. It's kind of funny, but nonetheless, she picks up and answers flatly, "Yes?"

There's a sudden hush on the other end, as if they were chatting away about possible twists to her fate. Pssh, romanticists. As if they didn't get enough from their sappy novels.

"Mirto?" Finally gotten a hold of their wits, it seems.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Are you okay? Where are you? What happened? There's a broken window and the warehouse -"

Ugh. How tiring. She's not cut out for these interrogation sessions, so she answers as simply as she can manage. "I'm fine. The intruder got away."

There's an audible gasp on the other line. She hasn't even said much at all - the hell are they gasping so dramatically for?

"He... he didn't kidnap you, did he?"

Hm. She could play the damsel in distress role and make the event more tiring to explain or...

"No," she says nonchalantly. "I chased him down."

It's silent on the librarian's side. To laugh or not, hm...

"I'll be back later. Bye."

Jacket gives her a bemused look while she hangs up. "Really? You chased me down? Really -"

"I didn't say I caught you."

He grins. "And you can't."

Mirto doesn't realize it, but her eyebrow twitches ever-so slightly.

"It's better than saying you kidnapped me. That would make life a lot more troublesome for the both of us, ugh. I'd like to spend my days without that kind of publicity, if you don't mind." She gives him a vaguely sinister look. "Surely you know all too well about unwanted publicity, right, Mr. Phantom Jacket of Pebbleton?"

He wisely decides to change the subject. "So, I take it we're heading back to the library?"

She answers him with a small nod, and tugs idly at the ends of her hair. "Thanks to your so-called getaway, I left my school bag back there. Even if I am somehow convinced to skip work, I won't be able to go home without my keys."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped, huh?" He gets up to stretch his legs. "Maybe if we're lucky we'll find that Train again. Who knows, maybe it's still hanging around where we left it?"

At least he looks revitalized with that prospect, because Mirto certainly isn't. Despite what he's said about Strays and Crossers and Ether abilities, she still doesn't know so much about her own power. It's one thing that he's already well-acquainted and comfortable with his supernatural abilities, but for Mirto, she's never used her power before today. She has no idea how to use it, how it works or even what it does. She was more confident before due to the adrenaline rush, but now it's died down. And she knows better than to rely on spur-of-the-moment fuel a second time.

So for now, Mirto hopes that they won't run into that crazy Train on their way back. Or even better, no sign of that Blight until she manages to get a better grip on how to use her newfound abilities.

Jacket would probably be disappointed though. Even now, he's giving her a quizzical look at her hesitance to restart their epic rooftop adventure.

She briefly gives him a pained look at the aspect of reliving his slightly overzealous piggyback rides several, several feet above ground. Not much she can do about it though, unless she really wants to take him up on his previously implied challenge to race. So Mirto sighs and grabs onto his shoulders for dear life.

"By the way," she mumbles into his back, and he angles his head to give her a glance from the corner of his eye. "You said your mission wasn't so much about recovering your memories at the moment. If that's the case, then what is it?"

Personally she's a little surprised with the suddenly nervous look on his face. "Uh, yeah, my mission."

Mirto waits patiently, but ends up raising an eyebrow when he doesn't continue past that point.

"Well?"

"Yeah?"

Unfortunately, she's not quite ready to risk falling off in order to jab him with a finger, so her alternative is to smack the back his head with her forehead.

"Hey, watch it! You wouldn't want me dropping you from hundreds of feet in the air, would you?"

Okay, maybe that wasn't the smart alternative. She vaguely hears him muttering something about evil teenage girls with curveless bodies.

Um. Mirto doesn't really mind the fact that she lacks an appealing amount of breast, but still, he doesn't have to associate that with evil teenage girls.

Jacket seems somewhat thrown off by the suddenly long pause.

"Don't tell me..." she says slowly, "that this mission of yours has something to do with supposedly 'evil, teenage girls'..."
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by SavviG »

Date: June 1, Tuesday
Time: 4:35 pm, late noon
Weather: Clear skies, Sunny
Location: Peddinton Lane
PC: Graciel

♪♫♪♪♪♫♫♪♫♪♪♫♪♫♪♪♪♫♫


The train shot past over Graciel's head. The wind cuts through his hair. The powerful wind blew into his eyes making him squint throught the long winding process. At the same time, the train made loud heavy screechies and bumps.

Graciel felt relieved, right before the train hit him, he transformed into his cat form. All his weapons de-equiped the moment he turned.

The last of the train carts passed over and on his left, he can see that the train is heading back above the building it attacked. Circling and getting closer with each completed circling. Finally it went straight down through it. The rumbling steadily diminished.

"Huh? It's gone? HEY WAIT" screeched the cat in the road. It didn't acknowledge Graciel one bit. Irritated, the cat leapt off the road and headed to the parks fountain to get a few sips.

...
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by marcien »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Late afternoon
Weather: Fair
Location: Admirals Street → Tranquile Drive
PCs: Oriole, Martin Chang
================


With the safety of the wolf panzer girl (somewhat) assured in the hands of the Madam-- no-- Big Sis black bird, Oriole felt a little more at ease.

She made her way back to park, across the river.

Oriole did not know why, but felt content to just float from building roof to roof. She dared not to go any lower out of her fear of the train. But from such a high, Oriole was unable to see what was going on at the ground at all. In fact, she found that she was unable to see outside of an approximate 15 to 20 metres around her. However uncomfortable not being able to see much of the town was, it was still much better than being down there was the train could be roaming about.

I wonder if that Mister Nice Hat is all right...

...!! As if to compensate for her poor eyesight, Oriole seemed to have a high sensitivity to ether feelings. A familiar rumbling send shocks through her. The train! It's in this building, right below... And it's headed up... For me?!

She turned and tried to get away as fast as she could. Floating and melting herself through the air. Which is not at all much speed to speak of. And then. What the flying fuck... ouch! Dammit that hurts--

WHA-- Someone... else? Where is he-

Oriole covered her mouth in horror. From inside the train?

Terrified out of her wits, Oriole tried to make a dash to the side, out of the blight's path. Too late. The train smashed through the roof floor. A wire coiled itself around her ankle, impeding her already near impossible escape. She found herself pulled towards the locomotive mouth.

Oriole felt her body fade away. I am going to disappear... again.

-- -- -- -- --

Through a fucking building now--

I am going to disappear... again.

A man's voice resounded though her mind. Is there someone there? Hey, can you hear me?

It was probably the man who was inside. He must have been an unfortunate crosser who was swallowed by the train.

...

Hello there?

A crosser...? A CROSSER!

Oriole mustered up what little ether she had left to reply. I am here! Bond with me!

Pardon me... what?

If we do that, I can save-- As her ether was being sucked away by her close proximity to the train, her voiced trailed off.

The man inside did not seem to require further information. So tell me then, how do I proceed with this bonding thing?!!

Give me... a name...

The man said a word. The girl stray smiled. It is a good name.

-- -- -- -- --

Two milliseconds before the end of the coiled wire was sucked into the train locomotive, a flash of light sparked.
Last edited by marcien on Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:52 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Pasonia
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pasonia »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Late afternoon
Weather: Fair
Location: Tranquile Drive
PCs: Oriole, Martin Chang
================


The name appeared to Martin in a slap-in-the-face direct manner. He didn't know why, but Sophia was the word that came to him the instant the girl asked for a name.

"I give you the name, Sophia!"

The instant he mouthed the name, a spark of glow appeared and suddenly enveloped his being as the spark expanded into a flash of brilliance.

"Damn, my eyes hurt... huh?"

As Martin's eyes got used to the light, he realised that suddenly he wasn't as breathless as he felt early. His whole body is wrapped in a warm gold glow, and to his side was the sight of a dark-skinned girl no more than eleven.

As he watched the girl allow the spark to embue her with gold stuff, he realised that he was in fact, the one who's giving the girl whatever he was enveloped in.

"So this god-damn bonding shtick works this way, huh," he commented.
"Yep, you're giving me my energy, sir..."

Martin realised how long it had been since any girl had looked at him in the face so intensely, and almost immediately began to blush.

"I... I... well, uhh, *ahem* my name's Martin. And your name is..."
"Sophia. You just gave me my name, sir... I mean, Mister Martin."

Right, he blurted while slapping his forehead.
"Uhh, well, erm, Sophia, exactly what are we gonna do to this train?"
Last edited by Pasonia on Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sentrovasi
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Sentrovasi »

And finally when I get to the point that Randall can be the "unconscious boy" (it took a very long time to set up a plausible reason why Martin's version of the carriage looks so different from Randall's), that particular plot hole gets pushed out of the picture.

Date: Coalday
Time: Hour the Forty-Sixth
Weather: Raining?
Location: The Train
PC: Randall Kayne
Other PCs: Martin Chang, Sophia (Oriole)

Waking up in the carriage's new form, Randall felt a surge of dread as he realized that the area was completely pitch-black. How long had he been unconscious for? Two hours? Ten? It didn't seem to matter, since from the motion of the train it seemed like nothing much had changed in that time. Which wasn't good, considering his current state. Too weak even to stand properly in this environment, it seemed that his body's own Ether regeneration was only just strong enough to maintain his upright position now.

No use looking about him; it felt just like one of those text-based games he used to play, only not in the sense that he felt the description of the room was too sparse, than that he was too tired and weary to read any of the description and would much rather move on with the action. Crawling about in the darkness, he began to realize that this new environment, whatever it was, was covered in debris and strange paraphernalia. Had the train sucked these in as well? Had there been a fight here while he'd been down? Or were these the pre-existing conditions and if so, could he talk to his agent?

Wait. Movement? Randall, still on his hands and knees, turned in response to the sudden flash of light he noticed out of the corner of his eye. A bright spot in a sea of darkness: he couldn't bring himself to believe that it was a keyboard, but there it was. And illuminated by that keyboard was some middle-aged salaryman.

Randall began to seriously consider if he was hallucinating. Not that it would be much stranger than anything else he'd seen.

If the man was on board, he must be a Crosser, that much was certain. From what he'd learned about the train from Heisel, its main purpose was to wreak vengeance on those who lived while it died, and it needed two things to be able to become truly material: one, a large amount of Ether, and two, a capacitor. Randall thought that it was probably for this reason that it had begun gathering Crossers, with their released capacity for Ether. The train wouldn't bother with those whose Ether flow was still locked.

In either case though, it hardly mattered. Randall couldn't remember when it'd last been that he'd talked with another, real, human being. He wondered when it was now, outside, and what was happening in the real world. He felt partly responsible for any damage the train had caused, and couldn't help wondering how his flatmates were doing at home without him.

Scrambling forward on all fours, he winced as his knee grazed something sharp; he was pretty sure he wasn't bleeding, but he realized that moving about a field of debris in the dark wasn't the easiest thing to do. Especially not when another wind seemed to be picking up.

Instinctively, he held on to something, which proved to be pointless since nothing seemed to be bolted down to anything. Tossed about by an impossibly strong wind, he realized that this was another Enomena - the train was depositing another victim. Something he wouldn't normally be grateful for, but there were times when he felt almost desperate enough to marry his shadow.

As the vortex seemed to coalesce into a strange shape, Randall realized it was a little girl, probably not quite out of elementary school yet. Kidnapping children too? The train's capacity for breaking human codes seemed to know no bounds. Were even kids like this involved in the world of spirits, now?

It was a moment later that he realized that this girl, too, was a spirit; a Stray. She didn't have the stable Ether pulse that normal people had, but seemed to be spraying it haphazardly in all directions. It wouldn't be long until she would disappear to the train entirely. Randall tried to move forward, although he knew he wouldn't actually be able to help. It was a relief that she fell straight into the salaryman's arms (a relief in certain senses of the word, anyway).

After the first few moments of understandable surprise and panic ("Just bond with her already!") Randall witnessed his first bonding ritual. The air around them seemed to shift and change, and imperceptibly, the environment seemed to loosen, as though the train's hold over the environment was slowly shifting away. The darkness remained, although for how long no one could be sure.

This is it, Randall thought. This is the energy that we need to stop the train and kill the Blight.

And then:

Ew. Salaryman's a pedophile.
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Pictor
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pictor »

Date: 1 Jun, Tuesday
Time: Nearing Dusk
Weather: Clear Skies
Location: Lagann Street
PC: Jacket, Mirto


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

(I'm not gonna bother to do the whole colored text thing anymore. It's too much effort).

"Wait so, this is it? After all you've dragged me through you're just gonna leave?"

If there was one thing I learned immediately it's that Mirto's nagging knows no bounds. I'd love to ask myself what I've gotten into yet again, but I think I've stretched that joke quite thin by now.

Shortly after realizing the Train isn't going to show up anytime soon, I'd made the decision to leave the mansion gates. As I sauntered down the walk -with an irate schoolgirl in tow- I noticed that the sky was already growing pink with the slowly setting sun.

"Hey! Wait up, quit walking so fast, will ya?"

As commanded, I backflipped onto a park bench and planted my shiny metal arse down on the backrest as I waited for our princess to pick up her pace.

"Huff... hufff... what's gotten into you? You were so pumped up a moment ago! It... it wasn't because I asked about your phobia of girls, was it?"

I spun around from my perch, and hung my head up-side-down before her gaze.

"Please princess, what do you take me for? I'm not that touchy. But I'm happy you're so concerned about the feelings of a ghost!"

Mirto rolled her eyes sarcastically and crossed her arms in front of her impatiently.

"Okay..? Then, what?"

I spun back into a normal sitting posture. Man, I'm loving my body right now. I've jumped across town and I still feel light as a feather.

"Alright, look. The only reason I was fired up for a fight was because I thought we'd get one. But now that monster's chugged off elsewhere, there's no need to go looking for trouble is there?"

I hopped off the bench and turned toward the setting sun. Clearing my throat, I awkwardly announced my intentions.

"And um... as long as you're safe, it's fine. The only reason I was ever going to fight that thing was because it's my fault you got dragged into this mess. I didn't want someone else to get hurt on account of me being a dumbass... so... there you go. I kept you out of harm's way. Mission accomplished."

Mirto leaned herself against the edge of the bench.

"But... now you're bonded to me right? Doesn't that mean you're still stuck with me?"

I scratched my head through my hat and gave a slight shrug.

"Eh. You make the bed, you sleep in it. Besides, now that your powers have awakened you can expect all kinds of crazy crap to come your way. I can't exactly ditch you after all this, can I?"

Mirto gave a light sigh and threw me a smirk.

"So, I don't get to see any butt-kicking, and I'm pretty much stuck with you for awhile, huh?'

"My heart bleeds for you, princess."

The girl walked up beside me with her hands behind her back.

"So... what now, do I just leave everything and go home?"

"That's up to you. I'm just playing bodyguard here."

Mirto thought for a second, then responded.

"Hmmm, then I suppose I'd better go back to the library. We kinda left things in quite a mess back there. I should at least go and clear things up."

"Right then, the Phantom Jacket Express is at your service, princess!"

I knelt down and Mirto climbed into my back.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep calling that."

"Request denied. That's gonna my nickname for you forever."

From a distance, a certain cat's ear perked up as the sound of a herculean punch rang across town.
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by marcien »

@sent: i am an idiot, so i don't understand why/how the train transformed from classy to black. explain in the discussion thread please.


Date: ??? (probably still 1 Jun, Tuesday)
Time: ???
Weather: ???
Location: In the Train blight
PCs: Sophia (Oriole), Martin Chang, Randall Kayne
================


"Uhh, well, erm, Sophia, exactly what are we gonna do to this train?"

Do...? It will be good enough if they could just escape, right? No. It will probably come after us again. The stray took some time to process his question. "Ummm, what does Mister Martin know about trains? If we can find a weakness of sorts, we might be able to take down this blight."

Martin frowned hard. Blight. Now, where had he heard this before? Morning. Laptop. Email. Spam mail. And as if Sophia's words and his memories came together to form a chemical reaction to drop a sparkling brick on him, he found that he could somewhat comprehend his situation. Godammit! That was no fucking spam or RPG shit! It was serious business!

"What is an RPG?"

Martin's thoughts were interrupted by the girl's clear voice. No kidding-- Shit! She can read my thoughts?

"No, you are mistaken. I can only hear your unspoken voice. Maybe it is clearer because of our connection."

"Connection?" Martin felt his face heat up, "What connectio--" He noticed that she was looking at the wire between them. Feeling strangely vulnerable, he threw his keyboard aside and untangled the wire around Sophia's ankle.

Oriole thought she felt someone's feeling of repulse. She raised her head and turned in it's direction. "Is there another someone here?"

"That boy. Probably the human casualty the mail was talking about." Then he too looked in the direction his stray was.

"Woo. I'm discovered. So what did this mail say about me? And I object to being called a boy."
Last edited by marcien on Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Pasonia
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Re: Lamentable Nights: The RP

Post by Pasonia »

Date: ??? (probably still 1 Jun, Tuesday)
Time: ???
Weather: ???
Location: In the Train blight
PCs: Martin Chang
Other PCs: Sophia (Oriole), Randall Kayne
================


"It says you're weak but still alive," blurted Martin. "And from what I reckon, the mail got the 'alive' bit right but not the 'weak' part of it."

That brought out a small smirk from Randall. "Gee, thanks, but now's not the time for such niceties right, goatee-dude?"

Goatee-dude. I object to that too.
"The name's Martin. Martin Chang."
"Randall. Randall Kayne. Oi, out of curiosity, what's that hammer beside you?"

"This?" Martin could only afford a half-laugh as he picked up the gavel, sorely reminding himself of how he managed to get hit by a train and a crazy ass girl's gavel simultaneously.

"Well, this thing struck my head at the same time the train hit me. FML."
"Ouch," blurted both Sophia and Randall in apparent unison.

"Not sure how this hammer works though," blurted Martin as he twirled the gavel around in his hand playfully. As the gavel flew off his hand and struck the floor, however, it shook the train floor hard enough to leave everybody yelping and sprawling all over.

"Kyaa!!!"
"Whoa!?"
"Grarh!"

Even the train itself seemed to be reeling at what would have been an inside-churning strike, and began to move in an erratic manner befitting a snake more than a locomotive.
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