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Fandom Distorted Mirror [IC]
- Thread starter MyrtenRose
- Start date
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
The kicks were ignored and Ruby's eyes constantly darted from Yang's face to the rope holding her other arm in place. It'd been difficult to do with only one arm and a few seconds to work with but she knew that in raw strength, Yang had the advantage. Which meant that the rope had to be pulled taut to keep her from getting enough wiggle room out of the extremity to really work it's momentum and rip herself free. Which meant that the furious criminal straddling her had free reign to be as angry as she desired. Light surged from her eyes as she growled like a predator would when guarding it's kill.
Did you know that most predators tended to just eat their meals right away? Pin them down and begin eating without any regard to the prey's obvious pain. All that mattered was getting what you wanted and expending the least amount of energy while mitigating risk of harm to yourself or those around you. As the Masque's hand was securely gripped around Yang's soft slender neck, the Masque leaned in again to kiss her before pulling back.
"You're crying like I hurt you...When all you've been doing is hurting me! The flirting, the floozies you surround yourself with, they're no good and you know that! The way you throw yourself at anyone who even catches your eye! It's beneath you! You're here-we're both here to further his dream and you can't let me have one little bit of happiness without rubbing my face in it!! Well, do you know what I think of you?" The Masque's eyes narrowed and her breaths became ragged. "You're just a big stupid dog who can't stop eating! Even when I've said you've had enough!!!"
Then in the midst of her righteous fury, the Masque sniffled.
"You don't even look me in the eyes anymore! I don't mind being slapped around or punched, or spit on. I LIKE when you do those things! But the fact that you'd rather spend time with a cheap harlot than me??? I came to this damn city BECAUSE we needed to do this together!"
'She's just like one of those dolls that you can place inside another bigger one. She acts as if she's big and mighty but she hasn't grown up. Not one bit.'
"WHAT"S WRONG WITH ME!? YOU!!!! YOU"RE WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!!!"
She snarled back as she released her hold on Yang's neck and smashed her fist down onto her petrified arm.
"You weren't happy back when we were children, you didn't like me bossing you around. So you grew up and pretended to be somebody else. This...This bitch who struts around like she owns the place. I'll tell you something it's embarrassing to see! You didn't even let me finish about the other you and I talked about! She cares about me she says!! When have you ever looked at me with anything other than fear, loathing, contempt?! I love you, Yang!" A statement cemented in the Masque's mind by the longing look she gave the brawler and the attempt to wipe away some of the tears. "But when others are mean to you or when they hurt you, you smile. You never do when I fight you...."
As Yang pleaded for mercy and an end to the pain that was ravaging her, Ruby's face grew cold.
"Tell me then..."
"Tell me you love me....That I'm yours and you'll never let anything happen to me."
'The other Yang could say she'd be there for me. Why can't you? Why can't you look past what we did as children and LOVE me?!'
"Say it, Yang....SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME! RUBY! ROSE!"
She snarled back as she released her hold on Yang's neck and smashed her fist down onto her petrified arm.
"You weren't happy back when we were children, you didn't like me bossing you around. So you grew up and pretended to be somebody else. This...This bitch who struts around like she owns the place. I'll tell you something it's embarrassing to see! You didn't even let me finish about the other you and I talked about! She cares about me she says!! When have you ever looked at me with anything other than fear, loathing, contempt?! I love you, Yang!" A statement cemented in the Masque's mind by the longing look she gave the brawler and the attempt to wipe away some of the tears. "But when others are mean to you or when they hurt you, you smile. You never do when I fight you...."
As Yang pleaded for mercy and an end to the pain that was ravaging her, Ruby's face grew cold.
"Tell me then..."
"Tell me you love me....That I'm yours and you'll never let anything happen to me."
'The other Yang could say she'd be there for me. Why can't you? Why can't you look past what we did as children and LOVE me?!'
"Say it, Yang....SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME! RUBY! ROSE!"
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
"Geez, you've got a pretty one track mind, huh?"
Well, the Boss would get mad at him if he brought her over without informing him...
"Well,I think I'm feeding directly into your alcoholism by doing this buuuuuut if it keeps you out of trouble..." He reached out to try and take Vernal's hand. "I know this one place we can go to that serves really good drinks!"
Well, the Boss would get mad at him if he brought her over without informing him...
"Well,I think I'm feeding directly into your alcoholism by doing this buuuuuut if it keeps you out of trouble..." He reached out to try and take Vernal's hand. "I know this one place we can go to that serves really good drinks!"
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
Any attempt at grabbing her hand ended with her pulling it away immediately and her other hand tryin' to slug him again. "Don't fucking *hic* touch me. *hic*" Though even she recognized how out of it her own voice sounded. Beyond drunk as she was. "No...nah, on secwond thought...ya said sumthin' bout nicer? Like...ackshully nice? Nawt the sorta nice where I wake uppp in a bwathtub missin' a kidney or sumthin' like that?"
Schnee Corp Lawyer
STILL not over Birthright's ending
Yang hadn't moved from her spot, still staring with such intense concentration at Ilia it was as if she was trying to bore into her soul the same way Ilia was about to do to her, her tongue barely poking out of the side of her mouth as she focused. Ilia only got a brief flash of seeing herself with those eyes, because Yang immediately jolted and looked down in surprise at herself, her gaze swinging to both her hands as she turned them up.
"Whoa, I totally did feel that, a bit!" she said, her hands patting down her stomach and her sides with a frown that Ilia couldn't actually see. "I-its weird. Barely there, and if I didn't know what it was it'd just feel a bit... off or whatever, but yea! Yea I got it!"
She hummed and rubbed her chin again as her eyes closed. There was no way Ilia didn't try something like this herself. "I wonder why I can feel it and you can't...."
She lapsed into silence as she thought aaaaaand... "...I got nothin. Oh well! PART TWO!"
She hopped to her feet and clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter than they were. "If I know its there, I should be able to get rid of it, right? Its just like... basic aura control or whatever. Beacon classes 101" And thus did she try.
....
....
...
"Grr..."
"....Hrrrnngh..."
Her forehead started to twitch, and the servos in her arm started to churn from the strain she was putting on it as she tightened her fist even more.
"C'mooooooon.... C'MOOOOOOOOOON.... I got thiiiiiiiiis, I GOT THIIIIIIIIIIIIS.... RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH"
Yang's aura started to burn visible around her, her hair flickering with golden licks of flames and the temperature in the room starting to rise
"HYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH I GOT THIS LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"HRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!..*huff*....*huff*..."
The ceiling was slightly scorched at the end of it all as Yang flopped onto her back with a heavy thud, trying to catch her breath. Ilia could tell because she could see the ceiling very clearly through Yang's eyes.
"...Well...*huff*... shit."
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
"Okay, okay! Just please don't hit me again...I'm not very strong..."
"What??? Don't be silly, things like that don't happen!"
Professionals are a lot more discreet!
"But,yes, the person I work for, heck that a lot of Mistral works for in some way..." Aurora spread his arms across. "I'm their righthand man! I've even got my own guest house to show for it! You can stay there for as long as you need! Get yourself a shower, relax, and..." He glanced over at the shards of broken glass and beer. "...And I could even cut your hair if you'd like!
"I can take you there now if you want..."
He let the end of that sentence hang, hoping Vernal would give her name.
Schnee Corp Lawyer
STILL not over Birthright's ending
Neo winced as she sat up, not exactly enjoying the feeling of a tamborine rattling around inside her head either, and she gave Tyrian a shaky hand waggle before she yawned and stretched her arms up, crossing one behind the other as her whole body shook from the release of tension. Her arms flopped back down, and she groggily looked around the room to try to get a feel for what time it was and where in existence she'd ended up exactly.
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
"Well...you tried..." Ilia spoke, looking up with not quite her eyes witnessing the slightly scorched damage on the ceiling. She might have worried about that except for she wasn't even paying for this room so nah not really a concern for her. "Welcome to my world. I haven't been able to come up with a solution for a while now, so...not blaming you. Didn't figure that it was quite something they'd teach at Beacon, though I obviously wouldn't know for sure. So...what now?"
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
"...................Fine. 'Cept don't touch my fucking hair either, the hell I just say?" She eventually agreed, though that was probably moreso due to the fact that she didn't have many other options of places to go or things to do. There was her motel room but honestly, calling that place a shithole seemed an insult to the word shithole. And either she was too drunk to notice the expectant pause of him wanting her name or she just plain didn't care, because she didn't give it. Hard to tell which one it was though from Aurora's perspective.
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
Tyrian plopped down on the bed beside her.
"Mrgh...."
His tail was tensed up and he didn't exactly cut a friendly image with his wild mane and scattered scars.
"I'm glad I bumped into you guys....I've been out here with my girl.....friend...who's a girl. Maybe I needed to get out for a bit..."
"Mrgh...."
His tail was tensed up and he didn't exactly cut a friendly image with his wild mane and scattered scars.
"I'm glad I bumped into you guys....I've been out here with my girl.....friend...who's a girl. Maybe I needed to get out for a bit..."
Schnee Corp Lawyer
STILL not over Birthright's ending
"Aura control's important for a huntress!" Yang said with a grin as she swung herself back up seated and planted her hands behind her for balance. "But since thaaaaaat didn't work, I guess we move on to part three! I came up here because I needed a favor from you, but now that I know you're dealing with this it can be like, a favor for both of us. I got in contact with my sister on a scroll I'm almost positive Weiss doesn't have traced, and it turns out that they're already doing some covert stuff outside of Mantle's walls, at an- ohp"
She covered her mouth with one hand, waggling her still visible eyebrows at Ilia.
"Gotta keep those secrets, right? Bet its safe to say your double can read lips or something. But they're gonna be at an old abandoned dust mine for some other stuff, and Ruby told me that they'd be fine with me showing up there even if I might have a tail. Which means if they're ready for trouble, they should be ready for your trouble too! If anyone can figure out something to deal with an aura based semblence, it'll be the people working for Ironwood, I promise. So? Got any good way of getting out there?"
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
Aurora just huffed.
As he walked on to lead Vernal to the Boss's Estate, he kept his back to her.
Hey, had his eyes always been that color....?
Hey, had his eyes always been that color....?
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
"...Oh. Huh. A favor." Ilia didn't sound particularly enthused but accepted it nevertheless as she ceased using her semblance to return her vision to normalcy. Though she let the lilac color stay for a while, not really minding that shade of eye color. "...That does sound beneficial to both of us...especially since...well, um, just before you showed up, I was sorta on a call with...a member of the Shadow Fang. They asked me for a favor in return for giving me a favor and that was...they also wanted to have a meeting? A civil, non-violent one if they could manage that. So...maybe they could meet around there too? If you use whatever scroll you did to call back and ask them anyhow?" Ilia questioned. "As for getting there, yeah I have a ride. You'd just have to drive while I keep my eyes closed or something."
Gus Gungus
One Thousand Club
The kicks were ignored and Ruby's eyes constantly darted from Yang's face to the rope holding her other arm in place. It'd been difficult to do with only one arm and a few seconds to work with but she knew that in raw strength, Yang had the advantage. Which meant that the rope had to be pulled taut to keep her from getting enough wiggle room out of the extremity to really work it's momentum and rip herself free. Which meant that the furious criminal straddling her had free reign to be as angry as she desired. Light surged from her eyes as she growled like a predator would when guarding it's kill.
Did you know that most predators tended to just eat their meals right away? Pin them down and begin eating without any regard to the prey's obvious pain. All that mattered was getting what you wanted and expending the least amount of energy while mitigating risk of harm to yourself or those around you. As the Masque's hand was securely gripped around Yang's soft slender neck, the Masque leaned in again to kiss her before pulling back.
"You're crying like I hurt you...When all you've been doing is hurting me! The flirting, the floozies you surround yourself with, they're no good and you know that! The way you throw yourself at anyone who even catches your eye! It's beneath you! You're here-we're both here to further his dream and you can't let me have one little bit of happiness without rubbing my face in it!! Well, do you know what I think of you?" The Masque's eyes narrowed and her breaths became ragged. "You're just a big stupid dog who can't stop eating! Even when I've said you've had enough!!!"
Then in the midst of her righteous fury, the Masque sniffled.
"You don't even look me in the eyes anymore! I don't mind being slapped around or punched, or spit on. I LIKE when you do those things! But the fact that you'd rather spend time with a cheap harlot than me??? I came to this damn city BECAUSE we needed to do this together!"
'She's just like one of those dolls that you can place inside another bigger one. She acts as if she's big and mighty but she hasn't grown up. Not one bit.'
"WHAT"S WRONG WITH ME!? YOU!!!! YOU"RE WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!!!"
She snarled back as she released her hold on Yang's neck and smashed her fist down onto her petrified arm.
"You weren't happy back when we were children, you didn't like me bossing you around. So you grew up and pretended to be somebody else. This...This bitch who struts around like she owns the place. I'll tell you something it's embarrassing to see! You didn't even let me finish about the other you and I talked about! She cares about me she says!! When have you ever looked at me with anything other than fear, loathing, contempt?! I love you, Yang!" A statement cemented in the Masque's mind by the longing look she gave the brawler and the attempt to wipe away some of the tears. "But when others are mean to you or when they hurt you, you smile. You never do when I fight you...."
As Yang pleaded for mercy and an end to the pain that was ravaging her, Ruby's face grew cold.
"Tell me then..."
"Tell me you love me....That I'm yours and you'll never let anything happen to me."
'The other Yang could say she'd be there for me. Why can't you? Why can't you look past what we did as children and LOVE me?!'
"Say it, Yang....SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME! RUBY! ROSE!"
"N-no, this isn't... please, Ruby, this s-shouldn't be... you can't do this to me anymore..."
Barely two months in and the new-and-improved Yang Xiao Long, in all her empowered, predatory glory, was bluescreening. That much was evident from the way she softly whimpered and trembled to herself for the entire duration of the Masque's rant while she sat on her, the glazed look in her teary eyes and fact that she was murmuring even over Ruby's own words as they spilled from her mouth in all their pent-up, vitriolic anguish making it unclear just how much of what her adoptive... whatever the fuck Ruby even was to her had to say was even registering. The scorching pain that stabbed all the way into the soul Ruby had already chipped and frayed away so much of over the course of their hideously intertwined existences like hot knives was slowly fading, but the aftereffects yet lingered, Yang's entire arm violently shivering all the way up to the shoulder as every now and then a dry crackling sounded from under its wrappings and had her glance over with a wide-eyed, worried look.
It was an irony in itself that the kiss took her of all people by surprise, given what fate had befallen Neon scant minutes before. It was a bigger irony that the soft, unwilling mewl she made into it was a noise that lived on the complete opposite end of the food chain than the one she saw herself comfortably reigning atop, red eyes screwing shut with a confused crease forming between them as she squirmed and kicked her legs and tried vainly to break it off. But her frantic efforts to get away from her tormentor had already driven her all the way up against the headboard, and with her petrified mind a complete blank and the rope digging into her remaining wrist drawn taut she found herself completely at this psycho's mercy for the first time in so very long. Her breathing failed to find any rhyme or rhythm again once it was over, a flush in Yang's cheeks despite the panic in her eyes; She was someone who had adapted to the pain, the degradation, the humiliation that constantly seemed to impose itself on her life, had learned to draw strength and even pleasure from it. Had just about anyone else been bestriding her right now, tying her to the headboard in the middle of some kind of full on hysterical breakdown born of Yang herself playing games with them, she would've been loving it. But this was different. These were scars that ran deep. Old wounds that opened up pathways in her mind all the way back to... back to then. To when she was weak. Not allowing herself to be weak. Forced to be.
Or in other words, this wasn't hot.
She wished she could've said she didn't feel so vulnerable right now. She wished it didn't have anything to do with the fact that she was only wearing a lace camisole and boxers, that it was even the first time Ruby had made her feel this way, or that in her devotion to the throes of life's most carnal pursuits, her willingness to give herself to anyone strong enough to take her just as she believed herself entitled to whoever she wanted in turn, her capacity to feel those things had been forever tamed. None of those things were true, but they also weren't even chief among the things making her feel vulnerable right now, having long since reached the conclusion that the human form was little more than a toy. Meat to be claimed by the most deserving hunter. If it happened, it happened. Whatever.
No, there was something else. And it probably became apparent to Ruby towards the end of her outburst that Yang really wasn't listening to her anymore, or she at least wasn't her main focus. Nor did the shaken whimpering coming from her lips even sound like it was addressed to her at this point.
"This wasn't supposed to... you said she c-couldn't, you promised..."
How could it have lied? Had she really...
S̴̒͜Ḫ̵̐E̴̖͒ ̶̣̚Ć̴̪A̷͕̓N̸̲̎N̸̪̈́O̴̰̅T̷͕͑.̶̡͛ ̷͚͆W̸͕͠E̸͎̒ ̸̛̭A̵̖̽R̶͙̂E̷͔͊ ̵͇̃A̶̼͑N̸̙̔Ć̸͜I̷̡͐E̴̫͐Ṉ̶̄Ţ̴̀.̸̯̾
Yang's eyes widened, only it wasn't with fear this time. It was with a hushed, mesmerized awe, like her ears were privy to something Ruby's weren't.
"Buh-but it hurt..."
Ŷ̴̖O̴͉̊Ų̶͂ ̶̫̿H̵̦͐Á̸̼V̶̖́E̵̪͊ ̸͇̃H̸̜̃U̶͕̍R̸͔̅Ț̸͒.̸͖͆
̷͉͠W̶̢͂E̶̗͝ ̸̬̄Ȟ̸͚Ã̷̮V̴̺͗E̸͙͒ ̸̞̓H̷̄͜U̸̧̍R̷̺͒T̴̘̈́.̶̜̈́ ̸͔̅
̵̡͠I̵͓͌ ̴͙͌H̸̻̀A̷̹̾V̷̙́Ẽ̸̘ ̴̯̄S̶̰̆Ĕ̷̮E̴̘̕N̷̻̈́ ̸͚̈́Y̸̦͛O̷̻͒U̸̯̓R̴̩͗ ̵̟̐S̵̯̾O̸̲͠Ȕ̴̱L̸̦̚.̵̷̠̤̋̌Ï̷̬ ̵͉͠Ä̶ͅḾ̵̲ ̷̪̈́Y̷̞͌O̵̺̚U̴̝͠R̴͈̀ ̷̣̿S̸̯̉Ő̵̫Ư̵͜L̴͎̇.̵̱̚
̶̳͗Ì̷͕ ̷̼̈́A̸͎͋M̵̄͜ ̴͍͘M̸̢̓Ḯ̶͙G̵̙͂H̴͇̏T̷͔̋Y̶̹͒.̶̈́͜
̶͈̍Í̸̤ ̴̱̕A̴̗̓M̴̤͋ ̸̨͝Ỵ̴͑Ö̴͙Ū̸͔.̸̜̏Y̸O̴U̷ ̸M̵U̶S̵T̴ ̶M̶A̷K̷E̷ ̷I̵T̷ ̸Y̵O̴U̴R̸S̷
"Tell me then..."
"Tell me you love me....That I'm yours and you'll never let anything happen to me."
'The other Yang could say she'd be there for me. Why can't you? Why can't you look past what we did as children and LOVE me?!'
"Say it, Yang....SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME! RUBY! ROSE!"
"...You're so right... I understand..."
The terror, the pain... all of it was fading so quickly now. The first indication that Ruby may have gotten that Yang was in fact listening to her was in the form of a soft, eager gasp and furious nod of the head as soon as she made her demand, though she may have found it odd that those wide, fearful eyes were fixated on the stony remains of her arm rather than the Masque herself. In fact, it was strange how little fear there actually seemed to be left in them. Yang didn't even look scared in the least anymore. She looked... awe inspired. Entranced.
Hungry.
She took a deep breath.
"I love-"
*Record scratch*
Three things happened, roundabouts the same time.
Ruby learned what it was like to have a stone replica of a grimm arm just completely and utterly brain her over the skull, hard enough that it shattered entirely into dust and cement chips under her freakish strength. Yang's restrained wrist flexed and yanked away from the headboard, though rather than the aura imbued rope being what snapped it was the headboard itself that splintered as she wrenched part of it loose, grabbed Ruby by the side of the head, and dug a thumb the whole way into one of those silver-flaring eyes until she either felt a pop or heard Ruby scream out in pain. Whichever came first. Either way she wrenched the Masque down violently to shove her facefirst into the bed, semblance already flaring even just from the headbutt and how the rope had dug into her wrist's aura throughout her violent yanking and tugging as she flipped things around so she was the one sitting astride Ruby's back instead, holding her face against the mattress even as shadowy, toothed tendrils started to hiss and lash outward from her stump. Ruby felt them snake around her neck and squeeze tight, each of the teeth latching onto her aura and starting to suckle there as the Masque felt an awful drain start to ebb the life from what felt like her very soul. It was up to her to decide if that was more or less disturbing than the intense, enraptured shiver she could feel quake all the way through the partial Grimm's thighs from where she was sitting.
"Mmm. I was going to say 'I love how that made me feel, daddy, do it again'. But you'd like that, wouldn't you? And you're not my daddy. You're... actually, what the fuck even are you to me? Does it even matter anymore? I just realized I don't give a single shit about some bitch who used to bully a former version of me. Know why?"
She leaned forward, delivering the follow-up in a hushed, throaty whisper.
"Cause I'm all about self-improvement now. I'm the alpha Yang. And up until about 30 seconds ago I hated your guts, and then you told me exactly how to hurt you most, you stupid little test tube fetus. And I'm juuuuuust spiteful enough to make that work for me. Know what I feel towards you right now? Absolutely nothing. You're just meat, Masqueykins. The tainted kind. And if you ever lay a finger on me again..."
She made sure her lips were right by Ruby's ear.
"...I'll chain you to the wall and make you watch me fuck my bottom self's terrified brains out before I kill her, and then you, and then I guess I'll just have to drag your mangled carcass back to Ozpin so he can pump ya up full of Grimm juice like he did that dead bitch Maria. Thanks for the info, by the way."
Whatever ancient, terrible Grimm that had synthesized so perfectly with the warped soul Masque created was a force of consumption, and while Ruby could definitely feel her aura being drained it didn't stop there. Her thoughts felt more... blurry. Unfocused somehow, like they were seeping out of her skull the way air leaks out of a balloon.
"Other than that, I think we're done here. And I really am down if you wanna pull your flashy lightshow stunt again, but that's as far as it goes. Except this time I'll be taking an eye. You don't wanna say goodbye to pretty much the only thing Ozpin keeps you around for, now, do you?"
Schnee Corp Lawyer
STILL not over Birthright's ending
"Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait waaaaaiiiiiit I am not gonna let you gloss over that one" Yang snapped in surprised, her eyes narrowing to a squint as she leaned forward.
"Lemme make sure I heard you right. You were on a scroll call... with the shadow fang. You. On a scroll call. With the Shadowfang. Who I thought you said you hated."
She slowly raised one hand up in confusion, the tiniest bit of judgement slipping into her tone given how much flak she'd gotten from Ilia about Weiss.
Schnee Corp Lawyer
STILL not over Birthright's ending
Neo tried to process the start of that sentence and why Tyrian felt the need to specify that his girlfriend was a girl, and how he of all people was in some sort of steady relationship. She was
Thankfully, that wasn't a confusion she could voice, nor did she want to, so she instead did what Neo had an absolutely stelllar reputation for among all who called her friend; she listened. She crawled her way out of the pillows to flumph down next to Tyrian with a curious frown with her eyes tilted up towards him. NO idea what he was talking about but glad to help someone somehow.
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
“Hey don’t give me that tone, I told you I didn’t hate them. That I can’t hate them. I also told you that despite the tough feelings on the issue, they have to be taken down. If fighting them has to be done to do it, then I’ll do it. And I certainly wouldn’t kick you through a wall to defend them from you, were you trying to take one of them down! In fact I specifically told you that pretty much!!! So cool it with that judgement I hear in your voice.” Ilia pointed out.
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s complicated.”
Indolent
STILL not over FFX's ending
Even in the wake of such words, the full weight of the coming conflict outlined so magnificently by the smaller Rainart, words that Nora Valkyrie would not let stand, there was just something so inherently majestic about that display that it spoke to the hammer wielding ginger on a primal, instinctual level. It communicated with her very soul. So it was that before she countered any of Gretchen's words with a reply on that front, Nora first leaned over to say something else on her mind.
Gretchen's response was a succinct outburst of agreeableness:
That out of the way, Nora abused her close proximity to dramatically point a finger at Gretchen's face, hovering in the air mere inches away from her nose. "NO, I am afraid that is where YOU are WRONG! For you see, while he may have gained a friend this day, he shall not gain a VICTORY! Behold as I outline it thusly!" One of the empty tables suddenly got the heel of her boot pressing down on the edge of it, forcing it to stand upright like it was an easel and not somewhere for people to eat. A piece of chalk was pulled out and the tiny Valkyrie began to draw on the table's surface. Crude outlines of two people were drawn, and though they lacked most of their distinct features, the size difference made it clear who the two were. Nora jabbed a finger at the much bigger of the two first. "Observe! Yes, this guy is the larger of the two, and proportionally speaking that means his stomach must be bigger as well! HOWEVER-" Nora started, not letting that apparent size difference bring down her mood in the slightest. "-His size is also a disadvantage as well!!" Her finger slid across the table to the smaller drawing of herself. "I may be smaller but that gives me an advantage all my own! Smaller but QUICKER! And as you must well know, any proper food challenge is not only a test of how much can be eaten but how FAST it can be eaten! So, you see, the only clear cut winner on this day?" She bounced in eager anticipation of the challenge to come and the delicious food she would devour.
"IT SHALL BE NONE OTHER THAN ME!"
Gretchen feigned umbrage at the proximity of the Valkyrie's finger in relation to her face, an affronted gasp with the dramatic undertaking of a step backwards as she stared down the ginger and her challenging words. She would have moved to refuted her finer points were it not that a challenger had made his foray into what would have become a fabled battle to be recounted for aeons.
"NOW HERE'S THE THING THOUGH, LI'L MISSIES!"
Came Cobalt's sudden, triumphant declaration as the gunslinger hopped up onto their own desk all the way across the canteen with a loud thunk, prompting Winter to simply stare flatly at their spurs for a few seconds before she picked up her meal and walked away.
On some level Cobalt knew this was a little impulsive, but this looked so fun and they just really wanted to be involved right now!
A cold wind whistled through the gaps in the facility ceiling, gently ruffling their cloak and shawl in the breeze. They were completely still save for the hand twitching and flexing near their hip, as if itching to draw on the two young upstarts tossing all sorts of big words around their territories.
"Some mighty fine talk ah'm hearin'... Heh, mighty fine. But it's just that: talk. There ain't a doubt in my mind that ah, none other'n Cassidy Cobalt, 'kin consume more square inches'a calorific content per second than any hoss you're willin' to name, hype, or back... provided it's blended up into a dense, finely processed paste easily passable through my mask."
Their mechanical eyes swiveled from Nora, to the twins, then back to Nora again. There they were; The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Cobalt knew how these games were played. It all came down to who blinked first.
And they literally. Couldn't. Blink.
"So whaddaya reckon, then, ladies and big fellers? Still feelin' bold?"
Hazel somehow found himself in the center of the trio with the intense staredown transpiring, akin to an innocent barfly caught in the crossfire of a duel at noon gone wrong. An ironic and amusing sight to behold genuinely, considering he deftly dwarfed them all and seemed anything but a hapless bystander in this situation yet that was precisely what he was, a victim of his sister's overactive imagination and bend towards entertaining the most minute of fancies that struck her at any given moment. A curse he had to rein in and weather the entirety of his life. Somewhere in the back of his oversized noggin was a voice, reprimanding in its tone, that both berated and named him.
"You idiot, you thought Gretchen wouldn't pull her nonsense here? Have you forgotten she's skirted the boundaries with Professor Goodwitch?"
A forlorn sigh escaped his lips, his eyes blinking several times making him by default the loser in Cobalt's eyes.
"Hazel, don't you dare! You have a stake in the greatest of competitions!"
Indolent
STILL not over FFX's ending
"Yeah, we have to support the coming generations and the next! It'd be a disservice to them if we didn't make the world better for them in the coming years and I think that's the best we can aspire for. Otherwise, what are we even doing, right? S'why I'm so proud to be working with you, Robyn. You and the Resistance, I know we're going to make waves and change the world for the better. It's not going to be easy but anything worth doing isn't going to be... and wishful thinking is antagonistic to the goal!"
Her words, aptly punctuated as they might have been otherwise, actually cut off a bit shorter than was characteristic of Fiona as she peered around Robyn, noting Winter Schnee walking out with commotion trailing out behind.
"Hey... Sounds like something's going on? Might be the newbies. Oh no, they're already making trouble." As concerning as the inherent connotations the words carried, her tone was intrinsically their opposite, a broad cheeky grin to her face. "Just what we need, some life in this Resistance! Wanna check it out?"
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
Gretchen's response was a succinct outburst of agreeableness:
"NOW HERE'S THE THING THOUGH, LI'L MISSIES!"
Came Cobalt's sudden, triumphant declaration as the gunslinger hopped up onto their own desk all the way across the canteen with a loud thunk, prompting Winter to simply stare flatly at their spurs for a few seconds before she picked up her meal and walked away.
On some level Cobalt knew this was a little impulsive, but this looked so fun and they just really wanted to be involved right now!
A cold wind whistled through the gaps in the facility ceiling, gently ruffling their cloak and shawl in the breeze. They were completely still save for the hand twitching and flexing near their hip, as if itching to draw on the two young upstarts tossing all sorts of big words around their territories.
"Some mighty fine talk ah'm hearin'... Heh, mighty fine. But it's just that: talk. There ain't a doubt in my mind that ah, none other'n Cassidy Cobalt, 'kin consume more square inches'a calorific content per second than any hoss you're willin' to name, hype, or back... provided it's blended up into a dense, finely processed paste easily passable through my mask."
Their mechanical eyes swiveled from Nora, to the twins, then back to Nora again. There they were; The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Cobalt knew how these games were played. It all came down to who blinked first.
And they literally. Couldn't. Blink.
"So whaddaya reckon, then, ladies and big fellers? Still feelin' bold?"
"Gasp! Another contender around these parts? In this here mess hall?! Well I for one eagerly accept your challenge too!" Nora firmly stated, planting her hands on her hips as she stared unflinchingly from Gretchen to Cobalt and back and forth several times. "For I am the boldest bold ginger who ever did bold! One opponent on this field of battle, two opponents, a hundred, it makes no difference to me! THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE VICTOR WHEN WE ARE THROUGH EATING OUR WAY THROUGH MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE FOOD THE COOKS CAN SUPPLY!" She thumbed at herself with utmost confidence. "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA--"
"IS THAT SO?!"
"-HA?" Nora blinked, thereby herself losing the not-blinking part of the competition. Her head turned to look over from where that voice had come from, just in time to witness the girl jump onto a table of her own in the wake of all this hype craziness, the landing sending a loud thud echoing through the room, with even a light gust of wind shooting through the hall. One that was definitely not a bit of maiden magic she used to dramatically add to the effect of her declaring her entry into this grand competition.
"Have you forgotten that it was I who first asked for food? Who first expressed the depths of my HUNGRINESS? If you think for one second that you can count me out of this epic conflict, then you must not know who YOU ARE DEALING WITH!" The Fall Maiden roared, fists shaking with pure excitement. Her gaze briefly drifted in the direction of the kitchen itself, her expression almost predatory in staring down at the meals.
She turned back to the others quickly enough though, eye staring them all down in quick succession. Food and a chance to have a hell of a good time while chowing down? Like hell she was going to miss out on that! "I should warn you though, maiden magic burns through a heckuva lot of calories, so do not underestimate me!" Any actual truth to that statement be damned. With the way the others were going about establishing themselves, she had to do likewise!
"However, I think we've had enough talk about it, wouldn't you all say? Let's get it started already!"
"IS THAT SO?!"
"-HA?" Nora blinked, thereby herself losing the not-blinking part of the competition. Her head turned to look over from where that voice had come from, just in time to witness the girl jump onto a table of her own in the wake of all this hype craziness, the landing sending a loud thud echoing through the room, with even a light gust of wind shooting through the hall. One that was definitely not a bit of maiden magic she used to dramatically add to the effect of her declaring her entry into this grand competition.
"Have you forgotten that it was I who first asked for food? Who first expressed the depths of my HUNGRINESS? If you think for one second that you can count me out of this epic conflict, then you must not know who YOU ARE DEALING WITH!" The Fall Maiden roared, fists shaking with pure excitement. Her gaze briefly drifted in the direction of the kitchen itself, her expression almost predatory in staring down at the meals.
She turned back to the others quickly enough though, eye staring them all down in quick succession. Food and a chance to have a hell of a good time while chowing down? Like hell she was going to miss out on that! "I should warn you though, maiden magic burns through a heckuva lot of calories, so do not underestimate me!" Any actual truth to that statement be damned. With the way the others were going about establishing themselves, she had to do likewise!
"However, I think we've had enough talk about it, wouldn't you all say? Let's get it started already!"
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
"Do what??? You act like I'm torturing you!!! I just want you to say you LOVE ME!!!"
Ruby's eyes flared.
"Is that too much to ask?? Did I break you so badly that you can't even wrap your head around the idea of doing anything but hating me?!"
As Yang's attention seemed to...drift off, the Masque paused in her ranting.
Something about this didn't feel right.
Why wasn't she doing it???
Why wouldn't she just say those three simple words?!
'I love you!'
WHY WAS SHE MAKING THIS SO DIFFICULT?!
Something about this didn't feel right.
Why wasn't she doing it???
Why wouldn't she just say those three simple words?!
'I love you!'
WHY WAS SHE MAKING THIS SO DIFFICULT?!
She blinked.
"What did you say...?"
Had this been enough to get through to her? They didn't need to fight, not really. The Masque would have been happy hearing the same words come from this Yang as they had from the Good!Yang. It would have sent her heart aflutter and left her in ecstasy. A kind of which could only be achieved through utter depravity such as this. Thus it was quickly enraptured eyes that the Masque stared down at Yang, She was so engrossed in her passion to hear Yang say these words that she didn't even notice the brawler wasn't even looking at her.
"Yes, Yang! Say it! Say it so loud everyone can hear! Tell me that you love me..."
The Masque leaned in for another kiss but what she got was far from that.
"What did you say...?"
Had this been enough to get through to her? They didn't need to fight, not really. The Masque would have been happy hearing the same words come from this Yang as they had from the Good!Yang. It would have sent her heart aflutter and left her in ecstasy. A kind of which could only be achieved through utter depravity such as this. Thus it was quickly enraptured eyes that the Masque stared down at Yang, She was so engrossed in her passion to hear Yang say these words that she didn't even notice the brawler wasn't even looking at her.
"Yes, Yang! Say it! Say it so loud everyone can hear! Tell me that you love me..."
The Masque leaned in for another kiss but what she got was far from that.
Her aura gave something of a warning but it wasn't enough.
She raised her arm to block the incoming blow and yelped out in pain as the limb broke into pieces upon contact.
She was shocked and she was just....
Hurt.
In more ways than one.
"Yang....How could you...? HOW COULD YOU TRICK ME LIKE THAT?!?" The Masque's hand immediately went to grab her sword from her back.
She raised her arm to block the incoming blow and yelped out in pain as the limb broke into pieces upon contact.
She was shocked and she was just....
Hurt.
In more ways than one.
"Yang....How could you...? HOW COULD YOU TRICK ME LIKE THAT?!?" The Masque's hand immediately went to grab her sword from her back.
Yang was just the slightest bit faster.
After being pinned down with her face pressed deep into the matress which had probably seen it's fair share of debauchery before the Masque even walked in. This time it was Masque's turn to kick and screech. Only unlike Yang's desperate whimpers and mewlings, the Masque's cries were more of a cornered animal, one who'd rather chew off it's own arm to escape it's captors. She even lashed out with her stump which was precisely 100% less mutated than Yang'.s
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! GHHHHAHHHHHHHH!!!! SKREEEEEEEEESSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!"
The frantic screaming only grew quieter as the Masque felt the tendrils immediately taking affect.
She felt drowsy, weak, as if she didn't want to resist anymore.
It pissed her off quite frankly. She'd enough of being made to feel that way. Taurus had carted her from the battlefield to her base to Salem's office as if she were more a living prop than one of Ozpin's esteemed lieutenants. Every curse under the sun escaped the Masque's mouth even as she coughed and sputtered.
But she refused to cry out in pain. It's what this Yang would have wanted, what she would have thrived on.
Blood dripped onto the mattress as the Masque used her strength to chomp down on her bottom lip to the point it was gushing blood. Sharp incisors one could guess.
After being pinned down with her face pressed deep into the matress which had probably seen it's fair share of debauchery before the Masque even walked in. This time it was Masque's turn to kick and screech. Only unlike Yang's desperate whimpers and mewlings, the Masque's cries were more of a cornered animal, one who'd rather chew off it's own arm to escape it's captors. She even lashed out with her stump which was precisely 100% less mutated than Yang'.s
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! GHHHHAHHHHHHHH!!!! SKREEEEEEEEESSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!"
The frantic screaming only grew quieter as the Masque felt the tendrils immediately taking affect.
She felt drowsy, weak, as if she didn't want to resist anymore.
It pissed her off quite frankly. She'd enough of being made to feel that way. Taurus had carted her from the battlefield to her base to Salem's office as if she were more a living prop than one of Ozpin's esteemed lieutenants. Every curse under the sun escaped the Masque's mouth even as she coughed and sputtered.
But she refused to cry out in pain. It's what this Yang would have wanted, what she would have thrived on.
Blood dripped onto the mattress as the Masque used her strength to chomp down on her bottom lip to the point it was gushing blood. Sharp incisors one could guess.
'Masqueykins...? How did she know Maria called me that...?? If I weren't so damn tired...I'd...'
It was then that Masque remembered one key fact she'd learned from her talk with good!Yang.
Maria was dead.
She said nothing to reply to Yang's taunts. Not even reacting to the proximity of her mouth.
It was then that Masque remembered one key fact she'd learned from her talk with good!Yang.
Maria was dead.
She said nothing to reply to Yang's taunts. Not even reacting to the proximity of her mouth.
The other Yang....dead...? Dead like Mommy....
No....Can't think straight...Can't...
"Grrrrr....."
Can't let that happen....She....only one nice to me....
No....Can't think straight...Can't...
"Grrrrr....."
Can't let that happen....She....only one nice to me....
'Mind....Getting fuuz....y...'
"Hehehe...."
The Masque began playfully kicking her feet back and forth.
Letting her tongue lull out of her mouth, she finally spoke.
"Take an eye....rip out my tongue.....Doesn't matter does it? I still won....Nothing you do here...to me....hehehe...Changes that..."
The Masque had been honest when telling Yang that her actions bullying her Yang probably helped mold her int othe monster she was today. If she could recall land her mind was kind of fuzzy. The one selfess act she'd done and the only thing that really showed the Masque loved her in her own twisted way was the Beowulf incident.
It would have taken both of them but instead it only took the Masque's right arm.
She could still remember smiling even as blood ran down the fresh stump.
'It's okay, Yang!'
Memories of better times.
But they'd happened and that'd never change no matter how strong Yang got. She was just a scared kid playing tough.
The eyes flashed once more and the Masque reached back to rip the tendrils from her neck. The Grimm were her best friend's creations and as such she respected them. But when they got in her way they'd be killed. It was the only way of dealing with them, y'know.
Seems the same went for when the half-Grimm/half-human tried invading your thoughts.
Vanishing out of Yang's grasp with a trail of rose petals left beside the pool of blood on the bed, the Masque staggered to her feet.
Placing her hand up to her bottom lip, she pulled it back and was surprised that it was absolutely coated with blood. Her blood.
Holding her hand out, the Masque watched as it ran down her hand and onto the floor.
"Bit my lip....so wouldn't cry out.....Give you...satisfaction...."
She smiled.
"Didn't think there'd be so much blood."
The smile quickly turned into a furious frown as the Masque glowered.
"He gave you a different kind of Grimm. One...that reads thoughts...? You looked where you shouldn't have..."
She spit up a wad of mostly blood and spittle onto the floor. She wasn't going to be sleeping here anyway.
That said, the pent up frustration she'd been going through while pinned down bubbled to the surface.
"YOU DIDN'T KNOW MARIA LIKE I DID!!!"
Bursting forward, she sought to try and tackle Yang straight off the bed, slamming their heads together again in the process.
"YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE SAYING HER NAME!!!"
"Hehehe...."
The Masque began playfully kicking her feet back and forth.
Letting her tongue lull out of her mouth, she finally spoke.
"Take an eye....rip out my tongue.....Doesn't matter does it? I still won....Nothing you do here...to me....hehehe...Changes that..."
The Masque had been honest when telling Yang that her actions bullying her Yang probably helped mold her int othe monster she was today. If she could recall land her mind was kind of fuzzy. The one selfess act she'd done and the only thing that really showed the Masque loved her in her own twisted way was the Beowulf incident.
It would have taken both of them but instead it only took the Masque's right arm.
She could still remember smiling even as blood ran down the fresh stump.
'It's okay, Yang!'
Memories of better times.
But they'd happened and that'd never change no matter how strong Yang got. She was just a scared kid playing tough.
The eyes flashed once more and the Masque reached back to rip the tendrils from her neck. The Grimm were her best friend's creations and as such she respected them. But when they got in her way they'd be killed. It was the only way of dealing with them, y'know.
Seems the same went for when the half-Grimm/half-human tried invading your thoughts.
Vanishing out of Yang's grasp with a trail of rose petals left beside the pool of blood on the bed, the Masque staggered to her feet.
Placing her hand up to her bottom lip, she pulled it back and was surprised that it was absolutely coated with blood. Her blood.
Holding her hand out, the Masque watched as it ran down her hand and onto the floor.
"Bit my lip....so wouldn't cry out.....Give you...satisfaction...."
She smiled.
"Didn't think there'd be so much blood."
The smile quickly turned into a furious frown as the Masque glowered.
"He gave you a different kind of Grimm. One...that reads thoughts...? You looked where you shouldn't have..."
She spit up a wad of mostly blood and spittle onto the floor. She wasn't going to be sleeping here anyway.
That said, the pent up frustration she'd been going through while pinned down bubbled to the surface.
"YOU DIDN'T KNOW MARIA LIKE I DID!!!"
Bursting forward, she sought to try and tackle Yang straight off the bed, slamming their heads together again in the process.
"YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE SAYING HER NAME!!!"
MyrtenRose
Knight of Rebellion
She smiled yet again as she looked down at Fiona, so greatly appreciative that someone as compassionate and kind and just overall good as the sheep faunus had saw fit to pledge loyalty to her. There was never going to be a time where she would let herself take that for granted. Yet before she could say anything in response, Fiona's stare behind her drew Robyn's attention as well. She looked over in that direction to see Winter striding out, just as she heard some of whatever was going on in there. Things were definitely picking up around here lately. "Huh."
"I believe it is less about wanting to check it out, and more-" A rather mischievous smirk emerged. "-we need to check it out." Robyn moved to step to the side, gesturing out in that direction for Fiona to take the lead. "After you."
"I believe it is less about wanting to check it out, and more-" A rather mischievous smirk emerged. "-we need to check it out." Robyn moved to step to the side, gesturing out in that direction for Fiona to take the lead. "After you."
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
Grey sat nearby with his mask off to the side and his hood pulled up.
All the better to keep attention away from his unmasked face.
As he started to eat, he glanced over at the erupting competition and made mental notes as usual.
'Given the energy, odds are on Valkyrie to win.'
But...
'If anyone asks I'm to be an unbiased source..Still rooting for Cobalt..'
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
"I'm completely at ease."
Given the usual low-energy Magenta seemed to exude at any given time, it was difficult to tell if he meant that or not.
He didn't.
And why would they? Unlike Jennings, and the AK-200s, Omega Squad had not been built in a standard form that Atlas can churn out by the hundreds. They were not default robots that Gwen upgraded with modifications. No, the far more unique robots had been designed and put together specifically by Gwen herself. Her brilliant mind, the nature of her semblance, and the funding and access to the requisite raw materials that came from Atlas's most esteemed councilwoman...all of it allowed her to build, to experiment to the degree that she so loved.
As the two soon found out, when their escape route brought them into the view of one of said squad. It was most definitely a far cry from the AK-series in pursuit. It was nearly 15 feet tall as well as inhumanly slender and unlike the design of its smaller brethren, this robot had no obvious armor pieces, and its outer workings were far more scaly looking in contrast to the smooth metal frame of the 200s. In addition, there was an orange glow that emanated outwards from the center of its torso.
No later than a second after those small glowing eyes locked onto the pair, Gwen's earpiece received a signal burst from the unit. A signal that informed her, as well as the rest of Omega Squad, that the targets had been re-acquired. Those lengthy legs started forth in an eerie looking stride to close the distance between itself and Emerald/Neo. Yet before long, it shifted into a quicker but no less eerie dash, making clear its intent to engage the two in combat. Its right arm rippled and shifted in a similar manner as Gwen's weapon Malware had done earlier. Where its hand had just been, something that looked far more like pincers rested in its place. Pincers that, once the robot was in range, moved in an attempt to clutch Emerald on both sides of her person and slam her down into the ground below.
Non-lethal subduing of the targets were the active mission parameters.
Perhaps she hadn't spent enough time in Atlas to see these kinds of machines.
Or maybe this world just kept getting shittier and shittier.
She was kinda leaning towards the latter if you wanted to be honest.
This was getting more and more annoying by the second.
All the two wanted was to reunite with Pintsized!Cinder and go from there.
Instead, they'd been lead on a chase by a seeming army of robots with some bitch at the head of it all. As the machines opened fire, Neo raced off towards Emerald while creating illusions of herself to distract and take the incoming shots for her.
Each sound of one shattering heralded her getting closer and closer to Emerald.
It would have been easy to escape on her own while Emerald was occupied.
But she just. Couldn't. Do that.
~~~
Magenta for his part seemed to perk up in interest as the chase had stretched out this long.
"They still show no signs of giving up? Interesting..."
He could only hope they had some kind of plan. Sheer confidence and boldness went a long way but it still paled in comparison to sound logic. If these two made it clear that their only options left were some kind of 'heroic' last stand, he'd have been quite disappointed. To lead them on like this and end in a manner like that? It was the anti-climax to end all climaxes. Still, he often grew so tired of operating on consenting specimens...
"Paradise..."
"Yes, Magenta?"
'Jump onto my back."
The grunt did so without question. Leaping onto the doctor's back, Paradise held on for dear life.
"Are we running that play, Magenta?"
"We've taken our time and they've had theirs. Time to show me your training was worth it."
Magenta activated his semblance and in a bright display of latex being torn asunder, Magenta's gloves were absolutely destroyed. His hands now laid bare with a eerie blue glow around his individual fingers. It'd taken years of practice and mental focusing to know when to turn his semblance on and off. The gloves were handy for his profession and helped him out as a mental barrier. If the gloves were to be destroyed then it was an appropriate time to activate his semblance.
'Angel of Death'-Turned his hands into energy scalpels that let him tweak his and other's bodies. Often for enhancements of some kind and also to help in the way of certain modifications-such as installing 'Twisted Love' into Paradise's body. It felt finer than any actual scalpel he'd held in his life. With a few tweaks here and there, his sneakers hit the ground faster than normal as the adrenaline had been kicked into overdrive, his breaths becoming louder and more evident as he ran to join up with Helios's 'toys'.
~~~
All the two wanted was to reunite with Pintsized!Cinder and go from there.
Instead, they'd been lead on a chase by a seeming army of robots with some bitch at the head of it all. As the machines opened fire, Neo raced off towards Emerald while creating illusions of herself to distract and take the incoming shots for her.
Each sound of one shattering heralded her getting closer and closer to Emerald.
It would have been easy to escape on her own while Emerald was occupied.
But she just. Couldn't. Do that.
~~~
Magenta for his part seemed to perk up in interest as the chase had stretched out this long.
"They still show no signs of giving up? Interesting..."
He could only hope they had some kind of plan. Sheer confidence and boldness went a long way but it still paled in comparison to sound logic. If these two made it clear that their only options left were some kind of 'heroic' last stand, he'd have been quite disappointed. To lead them on like this and end in a manner like that? It was the anti-climax to end all climaxes. Still, he often grew so tired of operating on consenting specimens...
"Paradise..."
"Yes, Magenta?"
'Jump onto my back."
The grunt did so without question. Leaping onto the doctor's back, Paradise held on for dear life.
"Are we running that play, Magenta?"
"We've taken our time and they've had theirs. Time to show me your training was worth it."
Magenta activated his semblance and in a bright display of latex being torn asunder, Magenta's gloves were absolutely destroyed. His hands now laid bare with a eerie blue glow around his individual fingers. It'd taken years of practice and mental focusing to know when to turn his semblance on and off. The gloves were handy for his profession and helped him out as a mental barrier. If the gloves were to be destroyed then it was an appropriate time to activate his semblance.
'Angel of Death'-Turned his hands into energy scalpels that let him tweak his and other's bodies. Often for enhancements of some kind and also to help in the way of certain modifications-such as installing 'Twisted Love' into Paradise's body. It felt finer than any actual scalpel he'd held in his life. With a few tweaks here and there, his sneakers hit the ground faster than normal as the adrenaline had been kicked into overdrive, his breaths becoming louder and more evident as he ran to join up with Helios's 'toys'.
~~~
Deftly avoiding the grappling attention with the addendum of widening the distance between herself and it, Emerald caught wind of the encroaching AK-200s and stepped towards in a dash, intuitively understanding their intention of disturbing her fellow illusionist's semblance. Though as it may seem, she certainly did not ignore the fifteen foot tall automaton that looked like it better served as an industrial grade cheese grater, tracking its position relative to her six-o-clock as she lashed out in a spinning cascade of slashes with the sickles extended, half moons of emerald hue shimmering in the air as they bit into the 200s flanks.
"Neo!" She'd have cried out insistently, bidding her to move and facilitate their escape towards what she deduced to be a more populous section of the area they'd wandered into.
The plan had been made up on the fly with what little time they'd been afforded.
But it seemed sound enough.
Get away, put enough distance between the two of them, and blend into the crowd.
Even if they were spotted, what would be the plan? To shoot into the crowd and hope that they'd be struck as well?
If they could just get a bit further-
"Trying to run away again? How dull.'
Magenta overlooked the scene as it was playing out. Some of Heilos's toy soldiers actually seemed to be pushing one of these two intruders back.
Hmph.
"Paradise."
"Right!"
Paradise leaped from Magenta's shoulders and sprinted towards Neo who turned to face him, her face contorting into of utter frustration and exasperation.
'Why wouldn't these assholes just leave them alone?!'
"Stop! If you come quietly I'll"
*shunk*
Magenta's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Paradise hadn't fallen over but the stream of blood running down his throat and onto the street was a sign something was wrong.
Neo had skewered him right in the neck.
She....was surprised honestly. For once she hadn't meant to fatally wound someone. Threaten this guy sure but it was if he'd turned his aura off on purpose...
Gripping onto Hush's blade, now sleek with his blood, he turned his head to look at Neo and he smiled.
Swinging his left arm towards Neo, the assassin was once again caught off guard. What appeared to be some kind of black rods erupted from the soldier's forearm and hand. Had he....Had he taken that hit just in the hopes that he'd get close enough to close the distance between them?! What a crazy bastard!! Ripping Hush free, Neo shattered upon contact with the 'things' coming out of Paradise's arm. Reappearing beside Emerald, she gripped onto her partner's arm and watched as Paradise choked and gurgled on his blood. But all with that smile seemingly etched onto his face.
"urghk....gh....heh...."
His left eye began to glow and for a moment or two it looked as if the space around the rabbit faunus was distorted. The wound in his neck closed up aas did the various gouges in his arm. Once they were properly healed, the the distortion started to fade-
*ding!*
And that ding heralded the end of Paradise's semblance. He looked down at the tear in his uniform's neck.
'"No exit point..." He felt back to make sure. So, she hadn't shot him.
"Guess you stabbed me, huh...?"
One nasty side effect of his semblance was that he couldn't remember the last time he'd used it or what he'd even used it for. He had to hope that there were 'context clues' left behind that explaineed it all for him. Still, he liked taking usually fatal blows and scaring his opponents! Usually got their guard down!
"She didn't even hesitate..." Magenta murmured before blinking.
"Paradise! They're together again, stop them!"
"RIght!"
Paradise lunged for Emerald and Neo who seemed to quickly eye something off to the side.
'Twisted Love' erupted from the back of Paradise's uniform and swung at the two and promptly shattered them into pieces.
"Damn it! Damn it! They got away again!!"
"Ugh..."
Why didn't they stand and fight? Sure, it would have no doubt ended in their defeat but he'd barely get any field work out of 'Twisted Love' like this!
"Hmm...Wait a second.."
He saw a nearby manhole that seemed somewhat out of place. As if it'd been moved...
"So...They realize trying to take us above ground is a loser's game, eh...?"
Magenta stood over the manhole and gave a quick swipe.
*slash!*
Chunks of metal fell into the water below as the duck faunus hopped down.
"Quack...'
Ugh, too excited...
But it seemed sound enough.
Get away, put enough distance between the two of them, and blend into the crowd.
Even if they were spotted, what would be the plan? To shoot into the crowd and hope that they'd be struck as well?
If they could just get a bit further-
"Trying to run away again? How dull.'
Magenta overlooked the scene as it was playing out. Some of Heilos's toy soldiers actually seemed to be pushing one of these two intruders back.
Hmph.
"Paradise."
"Right!"
Paradise leaped from Magenta's shoulders and sprinted towards Neo who turned to face him, her face contorting into of utter frustration and exasperation.
'Why wouldn't these assholes just leave them alone?!'
"Stop! If you come quietly I'll"
*shunk*
Magenta's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Paradise hadn't fallen over but the stream of blood running down his throat and onto the street was a sign something was wrong.
Neo had skewered him right in the neck.
She....was surprised honestly. For once she hadn't meant to fatally wound someone. Threaten this guy sure but it was if he'd turned his aura off on purpose...
Gripping onto Hush's blade, now sleek with his blood, he turned his head to look at Neo and he smiled.
Swinging his left arm towards Neo, the assassin was once again caught off guard. What appeared to be some kind of black rods erupted from the soldier's forearm and hand. Had he....Had he taken that hit just in the hopes that he'd get close enough to close the distance between them?! What a crazy bastard!! Ripping Hush free, Neo shattered upon contact with the 'things' coming out of Paradise's arm. Reappearing beside Emerald, she gripped onto her partner's arm and watched as Paradise choked and gurgled on his blood. But all with that smile seemingly etched onto his face.
"urghk....gh....heh...."
His left eye began to glow and for a moment or two it looked as if the space around the rabbit faunus was distorted. The wound in his neck closed up aas did the various gouges in his arm. Once they were properly healed, the the distortion started to fade-
*ding!*
And that ding heralded the end of Paradise's semblance. He looked down at the tear in his uniform's neck.
'"No exit point..." He felt back to make sure. So, she hadn't shot him.
"Guess you stabbed me, huh...?"
One nasty side effect of his semblance was that he couldn't remember the last time he'd used it or what he'd even used it for. He had to hope that there were 'context clues' left behind that explaineed it all for him. Still, he liked taking usually fatal blows and scaring his opponents! Usually got their guard down!
"She didn't even hesitate..." Magenta murmured before blinking.
"Paradise! They're together again, stop them!"
"RIght!"
Paradise lunged for Emerald and Neo who seemed to quickly eye something off to the side.
'Twisted Love' erupted from the back of Paradise's uniform and swung at the two and promptly shattered them into pieces.
"Damn it! Damn it! They got away again!!"
"Ugh..."
Why didn't they stand and fight? Sure, it would have no doubt ended in their defeat but he'd barely get any field work out of 'Twisted Love' like this!
"Hmm...Wait a second.."
He saw a nearby manhole that seemed somewhat out of place. As if it'd been moved...
"So...They realize trying to take us above ground is a loser's game, eh...?"
Magenta stood over the manhole and gave a quick swipe.
*slash!*
Chunks of metal fell into the water below as the duck faunus hopped down.
"Quack...'
Ugh, too excited...
MidwayLives
"What's your favorite scary movie...?"
Tyrian took a moment of that necessary silence and realized what he'd said.
"Oh! Uh, well, actually...It's not really like that. It's just...she and I..."
Ugh, he was hardly the most eloquent of people when he wasn't nursing a horrible headache.
"Her and I used to be in the same faunus fight club. For a while anyway, these days she uh..."
He never knew a good way to put this.
"She 'entertains' people..."
"Oh! Uh, well, actually...It's not really like that. It's just...she and I..."
Ugh, he was hardly the most eloquent of people when he wasn't nursing a horrible headache.
"Her and I used to be in the same faunus fight club. For a while anyway, these days she uh..."
He never knew a good way to put this.
"She 'entertains' people..."
As Neo emerged from the pillows, Tyrian reached down to rustle her already messy hair.
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips before he took his gaze away from Neo.
"Mercury said not to involve you guys so I won't. But I think I got so caught up in trying to hunt down the Shadow Fang, I was losing track of things around me. Partying with you guys may have been just what I needed to screw my head back on..." Well, let's not get crazy here.
"It's...nice to not be looking for a fight every other second. Something I haven't really felt in a while."
He looked down at Neo again.
"You kinda sat by yourself last night. I didn't really get to talk to you much...Sorry about that. Smashing Mercury through uhh....a table kinda took priority." He joked but the melancholy in his expression showed that he had more on his mind. "Are you happy doing...whatever it is you guys are doing here?"
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips before he took his gaze away from Neo.
"Mercury said not to involve you guys so I won't. But I think I got so caught up in trying to hunt down the Shadow Fang, I was losing track of things around me. Partying with you guys may have been just what I needed to screw my head back on..." Well, let's not get crazy here.
"It's...nice to not be looking for a fight every other second. Something I haven't really felt in a while."
He looked down at Neo again.
"You kinda sat by yourself last night. I didn't really get to talk to you much...Sorry about that. Smashing Mercury through uhh....a table kinda took priority." He joked but the melancholy in his expression showed that he had more on his mind. "Are you happy doing...whatever it is you guys are doing here?"
