Oathkeeper Emi
God
Dark[/color] Meat[/color][M:-2250]
got old
Posts: 750
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Post by Oathkeeper Emi on Oct 11, 2010 22:22:19 GMT -5
Buttons questions your Hide and Go Seek abilities. -- As she ran (it was really less of a run and more of a fast, jerking walk), she looked over her shoulder. Beside them, Buttons appeared, running alongside them. Loru stuck out her bottom lip in protest. " Obviously, that silly boy doesn't know how to play. Perhaps Lulu will have to teach him a lesson," she grunted, dragging the bag over a curb and out into the road. But she was soon distracted, as she so often was. Now she was just running aimlessly, completely forgetting she was supposed to be hiding. At one point she completely forgot about the bag and accidentally dropped it, almost letting it roll down a small flight of steps. The sudden loss of weight made her pitch forward and it reminded her of the task, and she grabbed the bag just before Lanying went tumbling down. " Lalalalaaa~ Almost home!" she exclaimed, with a little dance. She looked over her shoulder again, seeing Zack wandering around close by but not exactly following them. She tilted her head. " Wonder what he's doing...? Must be looking for almonds. That's what I would do in a situation like this, look for almonds." Using her superhuman strength for the first time, Loru actually picked up the bag and threw it over her shoulder and then they walked the rest of the way down the alley to Loru's crate. Loru sat the bag down on the ground, unknotted it and then picked up back up again. She turned it upside down and dropped Lanying onto the crate" Oh, I thought you were going to go inside, but the hole is right here," she muttered to herself, hands on her hips. She pointed to the whole and sighed. " They must be moving stuff around again."
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Aerith
God
Slash's Bestest Posting Buddy~[/color][M:-4305]
Posts: 973
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Post by Aerith on Oct 12, 2010 0:27:58 GMT -5
At Last--Air
The constant sensation of being dragged along the ground made the sudden shift in momentum a little jarring. It felt like she was just about to tumble down... something, but then she was grabbed again by, presumably, this Lulu who held her captive. Although, she did not continue dragging along the ground for long. In a surprising show of strength, Lulu must have lifted the bag and slung it over her shoulder to carry Lanying the rest of the way to wherever it was they were going.
Lanying's attempts to communicate with the woman had gone unheeded. Lulu was in her own little world, obviously delusional and not in her right mind. If she had not put her in a sack like this, Lanying might have felt nothing but pity for this woman. Pity, however, was secondary at this point. Anger at being so detained was paramount.
Suddenly, there was air flow, and her lungs greedily consumed the fresh oxygen. Her joy at being able to breathe was temporarily suspended when Lulu dumped her out of the bag and straight onto a hard, wooden crate. Pain flared along her upper back and shoulders. But she was out of the bag and still breathing. That was more than enough to calm her.
For the first time, she was able to see her kidnapper, all red hair and green eyes that matched her own. She was quite disheveled, but that was to be expected if this woman was so mentally unstable.
Lanying twisted her body so that she sat upright on the crate. Serenity was hers for the time being, which allowed the feelings of pity to float to the surface. "What are you doing out here alone?" The question was a gentle one. She was unwilling to upset this woman and get shoved back into the sack.
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Nothingness
Character Moderator
My title, foo![M:-2455]
Posts: 762
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Post by Nothingness on Oct 12, 2010 8:15:26 GMT -5
I Don't Remember Inviting Any Guests As content as he was with sleep, something amazingly powerful entered his senses. The odor completely overpowered everything else--and it wasn't just emotions this time, either. Maybe it was because it was a new scent, or perhaps because it was so overpowering, Raen couldn't make out what it was. His eyes flitted open and he slowly sat up, placing a hand on his forehead, and swinging his legs over the right side of the bed. " The hell is this?" He thought, practically choking on the scent. Looking to his left he saw a silver-robed man sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. Raen's first instinct was to grab Fimbulvetr, but it was leaning against the wall on the other side of bed. So instead, he opted for a less direct (but still pretty direct) approach. " Who the hell are you? And how the hell did you get in here?" He already got the feeling that this man was the owner of that rancid odor. Not only that, but this man's presence seemed to be making the darkness inside of him flare up slightly. As it stood, he was doing a good job of controlling it and keeping it back. Still, he wasn't hoping for another incident like with Maleficent.
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Oathkeeper Emi
God
Dark[/color] Meat[/color][M:-2250]
got old
Posts: 750
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Post by Oathkeeper Emi on Oct 13, 2010 10:36:56 GMT -5
Buttons is right, yet again...? --
Loru laughed obnoxiously, and waved her hand at Lanying. " I live here, silly. Isn't it obvious?[/color]" she said. She put both hands in the air and spun around until she collapsed, becoming tangled in her own clothes as she so often did. " Welcome to the Vega manor. Dinner will be served soon.[/color]" After that little introduction, she collapsed into giggles as if that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. Looking up, she suddenly got a very serious look on her face. The tears in her eyes from laughing suddenly took a much more solemn meaning. " Lulu is so happy you're here. You are going to be my new friend. Buttons said so. And Buttons is always right.[/color]" The woman crawled over on her hands and feet to Lanying. The unnatural red head put her head in Lanying's lap and looked up at her with creepy, yet pitiful, unblinking green eyes. " You'll never leave me, will you, friend?[/color]" she whispered. " People always leave Lulu. The only people who don't leave Lulu is Them and Lulu wishes They would leave her alone. But, you aren't with Them. You are Lulu's friend.[/color]" She sat up and reached out to stroke Lanying's hair, the long sleeve of her coat falling down, revealing a thin, scarred arm and long, red fingernails. Loru smiled, slowly- but as usual, the smile never reached her eyes.
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Aerith
God
Slash's Bestest Posting Buddy~[/color][M:-4305]
Posts: 973
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Post by Aerith on Oct 13, 2010 21:27:36 GMT -5
Offer of Friendship
It was increasingly more obvious to Lanying that this woman was not in her right mind. If she even possessed a "right mind," anyway. One moment, she was spinning around, distracted, and the next, she was crawling toward Lanying. Putting her head in Lanying's lap, Lulu began to talk about how everyone always left her. She even called her a friend. This immediately tugged at Lanying's heartstrings, but she wasn't given a chance to say anything in response.
Suddenly, she found her hair being stroked by this odd woman. The gesture was a mix of something endearing and strangely off-putting. She was not sure how to respond at first. But she knew enough not to shove the woman away. Nobody was hurting anyone, after all. And this woman's plight was bringing up her protective instincts.
"I cannot promise to stay here forever, but I am more than happy to be your friend." She smiled at Lulu. "I have other friends who need me, too. You saw one of them back there. And the other is sleeping back at the inn." She hoped he was. She did not have to worry about him while he was sleeping. At least, she did not think so.
"I do not want you to be alone, however. So, I will come visit you often." The look in her eyes right now was nothing but genuine, matching the feelings in her heart. She was almost about to suggest that Lulu could come along with them, but Zack and Raen would probably have issues with that. If only there was something she could do to help.
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Prythian
Plot Character
Jay's Hero[/color][M:-450]
Posts: 139
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Post by Prythian on Oct 13, 2010 23:24:30 GMT -5
"Hmm." The Champion chuckled, continuing in his writing. "That's the second time someone has had the chance to ask important questions and instead asked me who I am. You can call me the Champion, and yet, that answers nothing. As for how I got into here..." He shook his head, redipping his fingernail. "I have the power to walk the ways. I can go anywhere I please. And right now, this is where I choose to be. There are more important questions for you to ask. Ones that the answers would actually matter to you."
He blew on the page, and then shut the small journal, slipping it into a hidden pocket while producing a cloth to wipe off his fingernail. Resealing the inkpot, he slipped it and the cloth away into another pocket. "The questions you should be asking..." He said, standing up to reveal his looming height, lowering his hood to reveal more onyx skin, as well as his red irises and hair. "...are 'what are you?', 'why are you here', and importantly, 'what am I?'"
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Nothingness
Character Moderator
My title, foo![M:-2455]
Posts: 762
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Post by Nothingness on Oct 14, 2010 12:53:21 GMT -5
I Guess I'll Bite Well, this man was certainly being quite hospitable. No sword, no threats, and just a slight hint of arrogance in his introduction. That was more than Raen could say for the other people that he, Lanying, and Zack had encountered. Still, the amount of darkness contained within him was certainly more than enough to put Raen on edge. " The Champion? Are people just going around calling themselves various nouns? The Tool, the Champion." Something in his mind clicked. Zexion told him to beware of the Tool of Darkness, and this guy was calling himself the Champion. Darkness exuded from him. Could they be one in the same? Trying his best to ignore the slight amount of worry that the realization brought him, he figured that he should ask those "important" questions. Tossing his legs back onto the bed, he bent the knee of one leg while keeping the other flat on the bed. Resting one elbow on his propped-up knee and pushing the other into the mattress, he asked his guest. " Alright, I'll bite, and sorry if this comes off as a little sarcastic. What are you, why are you here, what am I, though I'm pretty sure I know who I am, so that question should be 'what am I to you?' And, if you don't mind a fourth question, couldn't you have just used the door and knocked?" The last question was just a small pet-peeve of his. He hated it when people ignored common decency.
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Oathkeeper Emi
God
Dark[/color] Meat[/color][M:-2250]
got old
Posts: 750
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Post by Oathkeeper Emi on Oct 18, 2010 20:30:51 GMT -5
Buttons says 'Not a chance.' --
Loru's face, which moment's earlier had been the picture of adoration, hardened. Bright red lips turned down in a frown, the lines forming in her face making her look much older than twenty-five. She withdrew her hand and stood to her feet, towering over the woman sitting on the crate. The sleeve slipped back down over her hand and she hung her head, choppy blond and red hair falling over her eyes. She stood completely still for a moment before chuckling and raising a hand. She made a motion as if she was going to lash out and slap Lanying across the face but she didn't. " Did you know,[/color]" she started, not looking up. She dropped her hand and rocked back on her heels. " Did you know flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp? I asked Lulu just the other day how come they are pink if shrimp are gray before you cook them. Lulu said something about stomach acid, but I don't remember. Acid, acid, acid. Flamingos. You're not going anywhere, Tai Shi Lanying. Your friends can come here, but you are staying with me forever and ever and ever.[/color]" She reached out again, but instead of slapping, she ran the tips of her fingers down the side of Lanying's face. " Forever and ever. You are my friend and I can't let Them get to you. Then I wouldn't be any better than Them.[/color]
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Prythian
Plot Character
Jay's Hero[/color][M:-450]
Posts: 139
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Post by Prythian on Oct 18, 2010 21:57:09 GMT -5
"Who and what are not necessarily the same thing." The Champion pointed out. "You can know who you are, but certainly not be aware of what you are, which includes a lot of significance. In any case, the answers to your questions... though, admittedly, partially my own questions." A small grin passed across his face. "I am a tool of darkness, and a representative of powerful forces. More specifically, today, I am acting a both a messenger, and should you listen to me, a teacher. For you see... what you are is someone possessing both a great deal of pure darkness and yet, possessing too little knowledge. In fact, without this knowledge, the darkness can and will be dangerously tainted. That is all three important questions."
He chuckled a small bit. "As for your fourth question, I could have, but it is much better that I am unseen in my errand. Others need not know I am here." He looked at Raen, clasping his hands together in an almost prayer-like motion. "Do you wish to listen?"
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Zack
Junior Member
[M:-135]
"If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams"
Posts: 83
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Post by Zack on Oct 18, 2010 23:06:05 GMT -5
Zack followed after the sound of footsteps for awhile, trying to count quickly so he didn't have to keep his eyes closed. He wasn't sure what was up with this girl, but all he knew was that he needed to get Lanying out of the sack. When he finally stopped counting though, he had lost sight of them and wasn't really hearing any footsteps. "Don't tell me I lost them...." he muttered to himself, looking around.
He thought he had been following the footsteps pretty well, but it looked like he got turned around somewhere or something. Whatever the case, now he had to go around looking for them. He looked around for awhile and soon happened upon an alley where he could hear voices. He stayed over by the entrance, listening in, recognizing the two voices. It looked like he had found them and Lanying was out of the bag which was good.
He listened to what was being said and Lanying was offering to come visit the red haired girl, but it didn't seem the girl was going to let her leave. He wasn't sure exactly what to do. The girl was obviously not all there in the head, and he wasn't sure how to handle that. Though then he had an idea. "Hey found you guys finally!" he called to them cheerfully. "Good job at hiding. Now its your turn to seek and our turn to hide right?" He hoped the girl would go along with it. He felt a bit bad about trying to trick this girl, but something in his gut told him she wasn't going to easily let Lanying go.
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Aerith
God
Slash's Bestest Posting Buddy~[/color][M:-4305]
Posts: 973
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Post by Aerith on Oct 18, 2010 23:31:40 GMT -5
Worth a Try
The shock from the woman running her fingers down Lanying's cheek was overshadowed only by the sound of her full name coming from the woman's lips. Lanying would have recoiled from the odd touch had she not been frozen by the woman's words. With wide eyes, she half-whispered her disbelief. "How... how do you know my name?" She had not given the woman her first name, let alone her family name.
On her homeworld, there were rare people gifted with a kind of second sight, though most of that ability came through many long years of dedicated meditation and solitude. This woman did not look as though she spent many long hours sitting still and contemplating herself in relation to the mysteries of the universe.
Just then, she heard Zack's voice, which was followed closely by the appearance of his head. Relief washed over her. She had been afraid he would wander aimlessly all night and leave her stuck here. And he even showed up with a wonderful idea, one which she immediately tried to reinforce with Lulu. "He is right, you know. If we are to play this game properly, you must take a turn at seeking while we hide." She only hoped this would give her and Zack a chance to give this woman the slip without having to resort to physical persuasion.
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Nothingness
Character Moderator
My title, foo![M:-2455]
Posts: 762
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Post by Nothingness on Oct 19, 2010 9:23:40 GMT -5
Who's the Whispering Snake? So, this man was that Tool of Darkness Zexion warned him of. And if that was the case, this man was talking of "pure darkness" in his heart, yet Zexion even said that this man could taint the darkness in one's heart. Raen was certainly more willing to trust Zexion than he was to trust this man, but needless to say, the Champion's words had intrigued him. While he knew that making any attempt to trick this man would end in failure, this man seemed to base his actions of pure, cold, logic. So, that left him with the option of outwitting him, which was certainly much easier said than done. " Well, now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, I think I'm willing to listen a little more. Under one condition." Standing up, Raen walked around to the other side of the bed, deliberately picking up his sword before turning around and sheathing it. He didn't need to appear hostile towards his 'guest'. " We have this lesson at the beach. Now, before you tell me that you can't for subtlety's sake, hear me out." Walking over to the opened window he started pointing out a few flaws in the Champion's discretion. " First off, open window. Anyone walking by would hear you, and possibly see you, since not only is the light on in this room, but this window isn't particularly high off the ground. Second, these walls are paper thin. Seriously, if you listen, you can hear the owner snoring upstairs. Third, any other tenants who might have seen me come in will know that I'm in here alone. A second voice is out of place." Walking over to the door, he jabbed a thumb in the direction of the beach. " At the beach, we've got the cover of light from this little town in contrast n to the dark shore so they'll only see silhouettes, the sound of the waves drowns out everything pretty nicely, and there are some clouds so the moon isn't going to always be there." It certainly felt strange taking over the conversation like this, especially since this was a very fine line he was walking. Still, he was doing this for two reasons. One--because should anything go wrong, he had the forest as an escape route. Two--if Lanying and Zack were to be coming back they'd easily see his silhouette if they looked towards the beach. The ice crystal on the pommel would easily act as a reflector. While this Champion was very intelligent, he couldn't very well ignore the logic behind meting in a place such as that.
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Oathkeeper Emi
God
Dark[/color] Meat[/color][M:-2250]
got old
Posts: 750
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Post by Oathkeeper Emi on Oct 19, 2010 22:05:33 GMT -5
Buttons says 'Someone's got Daddy Issues.' --
Loru's face stayed serious even as she turned a little to address Zack, her hand still on Lanying's face. " The game is over, Zack Fair. You've found us, so the game is over. Are you stupid? Don't you know how to play?[/color]" she asked quietly. Her voice was monotonous, with no innotations that would suggest she was asking questions. She kept her unblinking green eyes trained on the ground, shuffling her bare and dirty feet around a bit. She looked back over to Lanying, but only turned her head. She did not lift her eyes. " He told me your name, Lanying.[/color]" Loru was the only one who could see him, but behind her a man had appeared. A spirit. They didn't look at all like they were portrayed in popular culture. They always started as shadows forming into shillouetes, just outlines of people. And then the details came into place quite quickly. If it wasn't for the deadness in his eyes and the stillness of his chest, one would think he was still alive. The man standing behind Loru resembled Lanying in more ways than one. There was definitely a blood relation between them. Anyone could have seen the similarities in the faces, as well as the same green eyes and black hair- although the man's eyes were eeriely glazed over and unfocused. He was a little taller than Lanying herself, and a bit heavy set. He took a step forward and whispered something in Loru's ear. To Zack and Lanying, it would have looked like she was cocking her head to listen to thin air. " Alright, I'll tell her,[/color]" Loru said, suddenly straightening up. There was an oddly cheerful look on her face that didn't match the words about to come out of her mouth. " Daddy is very disappointed with you." She smiled cheerfully showing teeth. " In fact, he's so worried about what you're going to make of yourself than he can't make peace with himself and move on.[/color]"
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Prythian
Plot Character
Jay's Hero[/color][M:-450]
Posts: 139
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Post by Prythian on Oct 19, 2010 22:16:12 GMT -5
"I can perfectly agree with that." The Champion said readily. "But we will not be walking to the beach... not in the traditional sense." He held up his left hand and a golden greatsword appeared in it with a flash of golden light, pointed downwards. It was obviously not held in any manner to attack with, since it was not the type of sword one could fight with in a reverse grip.
The Champion extended his right hand to Raen, palm upwards. There was a strange solemnity to the moment, almost seeming formal. "Come walk the Ways of Existence with me for a brief period of time." He said softly. "I give my word it will not harm you and we will go straight to the beach you speak of."
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Aerith
God
Slash's Bestest Posting Buddy~[/color][M:-4305]
Posts: 973
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Post by Aerith on Oct 19, 2010 23:15:37 GMT -5
Parental Influence
The tactic Zack had proposed was not going to work with this woman. In fact, she ignored him completely, except for also saying his full name. At this point, the revelation of that knowledge did not surprise Lanying. Her eyes were focused completely now upon Lulu, as the woman explained she had been told Lanying's name by someone else. But no one else was here who would know it. Zack certainly had not mentioned it.
The barest hint of dread crawled up her spine. Lulu was leaning her head to the side, listening to something unseen. Surely, this was just another facet of the woman's insane personality. Communicating with spirits, forces beyond the realm of human perception, was not happening here. Was it? Doubt ate at her mind.
"Daddy?" ...Father? She is talking to... him?
The declaration that he was disappointed lashed at her. She had always known, of course, that he was never pleased with her. He would have rather had a son, one who could actually gain public prestige and honor. As a woman, she was relegated to finding a worthy enough husband in order to keep her honor. That was her one and only purpose. On some days, she was tolerable to him. On other days...
According to Lulu, the spirit of her dead father had more nails to drive into her wrists. She so disrupted the peace of his ghostly existence that he could not move on. Why? Why did he care, anyway? They were on two completely different planes now, and he no longer had to look at her, speak to her, put up with her presence, or anything of the sort.
But despite her insistence that he was wrong about her, the feelings of inadequacy were rising in her chest.
Perhaps I truly cannot do anything correctly. ...Why am I even here? I should be home with my people. I'm failing them.
No. She refused to believe she had failed her people and the emperor. The very fact that the emperor had given her so much of his trust should be proof enough that she had made something of herself.
"Whatever my father is saying to you is wrong. I have great honor among our people, and there is nothing else I can do if he cannot recognize that. I'm... I'm not useless."
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