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Post by cyansky on Aug 29, 2009 17:57:00 GMT -5
Syl nodded and turned away from Senge, walking away, but at a pace it knew he could keep up with.
Whatever Senge was looking at, Syl didn't care about it. It knew the park better than most places, and if someone was within range... well, Syl's aura detecting ability would hopefully pick up on it. Hopefully. What mattered to Syl was whether it could help Senge get back home. Honestly, it doubted that they would succeed, but it had a feeling that they were in for an adventure.
"I agree," said Syl. "Although Animus is dangerous no matter what time of the day it is. Just recently, this city became a dangerous battleground - people died or were injured, suffering, grief was everywhere and there was even a person that blew up two of the tallest buildings in the city. Honestly? I've seen things I shouldn't have, and they're not pretty."
It looked back at Senge.
"This place is dangerous, just like any other world," said Syl, "and I'll tell you this in advance - the others here may not be as accomodating to you as I am. There are some unsavoury characters roaming these streets; I know that from experience."
Syl shook its head. It casually brushed a lock of hair out of its face as it gazed at Senge intently. It didn't show a trace of panic, unlike Senge, who showed signs of unease.
"Don't worry, Senge," said Syl, smiling, "I know how to get around here, and if you have a bit of guidance, I'm sure that you'll do fine."
It gestured for him to follow.
"Come on, let's get moving. We might be able to outrun these mosquitos."
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 29, 2009 18:38:41 GMT -5
Alexander dropped back behind Syl as it picked up its pace, keeping a cautious and mistrusting eye on his surroundings at all times. He didn't know what to think about the ease with which Syl treated the City but he was beginning to think it's calmness was misplaced. It had to be capable of defending itself--certainly the sycthe wasn't only for show--but it seemed almost too genial for blood-letting. And so, he dogged its footsteps ready to defend them both and wondering if he could. His side ached intermittently, reminding him that he wasn't yet healed from his last brush with confrontation and that had been in a city which he knew like the back of his own right hand. And so what? Does that mean you will curl up like a whipped cur at the first sign of trouble? Of course not, so stop dwelling on it. One thing at a time. Hovering protectively behind Syl, he let it guide them back through the warren of streets, past the abandoned hulks of buildings, and into the heart of the night. Once or twice, he thought he saw something move in the darkness but the first time it was just a feral cat that streaked by as if hunted, and the second probably was a result of his paranoia. Even when some of the more intact streetlights flickered on, it did nothing to lay his caution to rest. If anything, the wavering light felt strangely incriminating, as if it's sole purpose was to advertise their presence to any who might be watching. Alexander's uneasiness was only countered by the fact that he was recognizing certain structures along their route. Syl was neither leading him astray nor taking the longer way back. That building there, with the splashes of paint on its outer walls. He had passed by it on his way to the park. They were getting close to Room 4 now and the mysterious building in which he had awoken. Just a little farther.
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Post by cyansky on Aug 29, 2009 19:13:03 GMT -5
Syl smiled as it led Senge along the streets of Animus. While in the past months Syl got lost easily, after months of wandering, it had grown accustomed to the city. It had seen the same and streets again and again. Despite its inability to read street signs properly, Syl had a very, very good memory. It didn't have a human brain - that was why it didn't react and work the same way. It was massive database that Syl made use of to naviguate when necessary. With uncanny accuracy it had found the quickest path. It took it without hesitation, naviguating the streets at a reasonable speed for Senge.
It checked back on him on occasion, noticing that he was eyeing his surroundings with unease. Syl felt a twang of concern for him, but it knew that ultimately, it wouldn't be able to guard him all the time. Heck, it would be an swful bodyguard anyway. While Syl's more rational side wasn't a strict pacifist, that didn't mean it liked violence. It had mostly shut down its emotions for the purposes of keeping them under control, to prevent erratic behaviour that would arouse suspicion.
It mostly kept itself focused, as it casually watching the streets signs pass by.
"If you're feeling uneasy, Senge," said Syl, smiling at him, "just calm down. Stressing out about it won't do you much good here. Don't worry, alright? I don't want you just dropping dead from a heart attack you know."
It then turned back toward him as the motel where room #4 was located in came into view. An old, abandoned building, it stuck out from the other buildings just to how abdoned it looked. It was as if the city's maintainers were afraid of that building, and avoided going in like the plague. Hence, while they cleaned and maintained most of the other buildings regularly, this one... was left in the dust.
Syl turned back to Senge as it gestured at the run-down motel. It stood below a lamplight, in the middle of the sidewalk. Still, it showed no sign of worry or panic, just a friendly smile.
"Here's the building," said Syl, "Room #4 is upstairs."
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 29, 2009 20:41:31 GMT -5
Something in the way it said it, alerted Alexander to a sudden and discomforting possibility. "Are you not coming up?" he asked, glancing to the run-down building: innocuous in its state of decay. When he looked back at Syl, he was made aware of how big, how totally and unnervingly large, the city loomed around them. The pack mentality in him (a resulting trait that came from Senge's awareness) cried out against splitting up the group. For all of Syl's calmness and yes, even for the scythe on its back, it was just one being in the midst of an urban labyrinth. So was he. And he still didn't know what was out there. Taking Syl's hand, he drew it quickly into the door frame of the building so that they would be out of immediate sight. No doubt the action seemed odd to it, but Alexander had learned the hard way that when his instincts were kicking up as much of a fuss as they were now, it wasn't wise to ignore them. "Listen," he said, quickly and urgently, "I don't presume to know who you are and what you're capable of but something tells me that the night's not safe out there. You probably think I'm being foolish, but I'm willing to bet everything I own, that we're being watched this very instant. Maybe you can take care of yourself. Maybe not. But there is a safety in numbers more fundamental than strength." With his free hand, he opened the door into the building, and poked his head inside. The darkness was even deeper within, but it was the musty darkness of disuse, not the brooding darkness outside. He let Senge's sense float up right below his own to confirm that, at the very least, the first floor of the place was deserted. He looked back at Syl almost imploringly. Safety in numbers was all very well and good, but there was another reason for his insistence: Syl had hinted that it or the someone it knew might have a way of returning him to his city. If he let it leave, there was no guarantee it would come back. And no promises that it would.
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Post by cyansky on Aug 29, 2009 22:07:35 GMT -5
Syl nodded towards Senge, still calm and collected.
"Your reasoning is sound," it said, "but your injuries will affect your fighting skill, and while I haven't heard your belly grumble yet, I'm not sure if you've eaten well."
It motioned towards the door, still looking back at Senge, but feeling that something was wrong. It didn't let it show though, preferring to keep up its appearances - so that its emotions would not get the better of it like last time.
"'Sides, I think that we'll be off on another adventure," said Syl calmly, "and I do think that it would be best to be prepared. I'm no healer or doctor, but I know a few things about medicinal herbs, and I do think that some supplies would be nice to have in case something happens."
It looked around the lobby of the motel, eyeing the stairs warily. Syl sensed something nearby, but it couldn't pin its finger down on what. It didn't really like the feeling of it; its instincts told it to get out. And fast.
"Look, I know that you don't want us to separate, but I want to get what we need so that we can be prepared for this little adventure," said Syl calmly. "Don't worry, Senge, if you get lost, I can find you eventually, as my senses are quite keen." It smiled, although its face showed obvious concern. Those wounds looked nasty, and while Senge had obviously done some improvised first aid on himself, and that Syl wouldn't do much better, it thought that it might be a good idea for him to change those bandages. They were starting to look... bloody. Syl knew that its skill at dealing with blood-wounds was limited, btu it wanted to do its best.
"Don't worry. I know how to get around here," said Syl, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "and I'll try to do this as fast as possible. You'll need something for those wounds too; we can't let them get infected or you might die. Those bandages also look like they need changing. And maybe we can do something about those mosquito bites..."
It knew fully well that leaving Senge behind would not end well. No matter. It thought that it would be wise to take precautions and get the supplies they needed. Fights occured a lot in Animus, and Syl didn't want Senge getting into one without the possibility of getting first aid.
"I'll be fine, Senge," it said, giving him a small smile, as it pushed the door open. "If something happens to me out there, I'll do my best to deal with it."
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 30, 2009 18:32:25 GMT -5
There was nothing he could say to dissuade it: evidently it's mind was made up and had been made us probably since they started this little joint venture. All he could do was trust in its sense of honesty and assume it knew what it was doing in terms of making it through the city unharmed. He watched as it pushed open the door and slipped out into the night and then he was alone again in the pitch black of the mysterious building, listening to the door as it thudded back into place and the wind as rattled a loose shutter somewhere. "Right." The shadows were no match for Senge's eyes which, while unable to pierce them completely, could still remove a majority of them back from his vision. Alexander crossed the room and climbed the stairs in the far corner, placing each foot carefully in front of him and not wholly trusting the creaking staircase with his weight this time around. Out of curiosity, he climbed higher than he needed to, to confirm what he had guessed. There was nothing to distinguish the first floor from the floors above it...In fact, as far as appearances were concerned, there was nothing to suggest why this level out of all the others, contained the singular room which served as the gateway between worlds. If that was what it was. Having redescended to the first floor landing, Alexander padded along it, reading the little gold numbering on the doors as he passed. Some were missing numbers. Most were hopelessly tarnished and rusted. 15....14... He paused, glanced quickly back behind him but the staircase at his back was empty and almost mockingly so. Could have sworn... 09....08... Was it getting darker the farther along he walked? That shouldn't make sense, but then there was a lot in this city that didn't make sense. 05 04 Alexander stood for a moment before the unassuming door, that slab of wood undecorated save for the numbers in its center, and ran his eyes over the wood. A few nicks. Several long scratches. The signs of wear and tear. But nothing remarkable here either. He put his palm to the door and pushed it open. It swung creakily inwards at his touch and the familiar room confronted him with its plain bed, its modest closet, its single window looking out onto the night. On the upside, there wouldn't be much to inspect. On the downside, the chances of finding something (anything) were as sparse as the furnishings. But first things first. Alexander went down to his knees before the closest and, with some difficulty and much cursing, he managed to pry out the wrapped bundle that encased the Sinful Sisters. And yet it was only when he unwrapped it and saw for himself that the matching blades were still very much there, resting side by side like lovers, that he was able to feel relief. Standing, he rebuckled them about his waist, then adjusted the sit of them so that they didn't pull too heavily against his injured side. It was only after he had threaded the last strap through the last buckle and cinched it tight, only then, that he felt it. Eyes on his back. Heard it. The soft, slow exhalation of a breath that was not his. Knew it. That he was no longer alone in the room and perhaps hadn't been for sometime. Realizing that it was too late, he was too slow, he gave up all dissemblance of speed and turned slowly in a half-circle to stare back the way he had come. His hands hung ready by the hilts of his knives. A figure detached itself from where it had been idly leaning, unseen and unnoticed on the inside of the door. It raised its hands and filled the air with the sound of soft, slow, mocking applause. "Congratulations. On making it back. I was beginning to worry you wouldn't return, but it seems such fears were trite and unfounded. For here you stand, and here I stand, and-" White flash of a smile, "Things can only get more interesting from here."
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Post by cyansky on Sept 4, 2009 19:46:01 GMT -5
Syl had left the motel, sliding back into the shadows as easily as a fish through water. It headed straight for a nearby clinic, where it hoped to find some bandages for Senge's wounds. It entered the clinic, where it was listlessly greated by the mindless receptionist.
Syl leaned over her desk, as it asked her where it find a doctor. The nurse pointed it towards another hallway, without saying another word. Syl nodded and headed down it, not even bothering to ask her for details. It had some knowledge in communicating with the mindless, but that was only brought by its occasional need to ask directions.
It proceeded the hallway, checking each door in turn, hoping to find a doctor, or anyone with any first aid kits. Fifteen minutes later, Syl found a doctor, absent-mindedly and emotionlessly writing down some notes on a piece of paper... probably about his latest patient.
"Where's a first aid kit?" asked Syl impassively.
"Check the pharmacy," said the man.
Syl nodded.
"Thank you."
It checked nearby pharmacy. Rows upon rows of over-the coutner medicines were stacked upon each other, each label more confusing than the last. Syl honestly didn't need these medications, but Senge it. Hence why it took a shopping basket, threw int the first frist kit it saw and began to stock up on medicines, throwing them all in without regard to what they were. In went children's cold medicines, anti-septics, painkillers, Tylenol pills, diuretics, alcohol...
Syl smiled as it exited the pharmacy, with a basketful of medicines as well as a first aid kit.
"Now, to find some dinner for him, and maybe some other supplies..." muttered Syl happily, smiling to itself. "To the supermarket I go..."
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Sept 8, 2009 1:05:51 GMT -5
“Who are you?” It was a flat question, asked without any warmth or any real hope of being answered. But it was a reflexive one, and Alexander used it to hide the quick loosening of the Sinful Sisters in their sheaths. The man took several languid steps forward. He moved laconically, echoing the way he spoke. There was a sense of precision about him: as if he didn’t waste an action, a word, a breath. His hands were empty and his palms spread wide in front of him as if in a gesture of supplication, but if it was meant to reassure, it failed. “We will get to that in a moment. First, let’s get the obvious out of the way.” Alexander sidled to the right, putting the bed between him and the stranger. “Which would be?” “You are not human.” The man grinned, and it was as far removed from a smile as the baring of a shark’s teeth was. “I can sense it, you know. I’m quite adept at it.” “You’re not human either,” Alexander rejoined, “And I can sense that much without the need to threaten.” “Threaten? Threaten?” The man raised his empty hands a bit higher as if genuinely aggrieved. “I must be losing my touch. When you’ve been threatened by me, my canine friend, you will know it. Right now, we are merely talking.” He placed one of his slender hands on his thin chest, fingers splayed wide like the legs of a hunting spider. “You asked who I am. My name is Chains. Let me tell you a little story.” Alexander didn’t need Senge’s instincts growling at him, to sense the violence in the air. He eyed up the distance to the door, measured the length of the room, the reach of his soon-to-be-opponent. The Sinful Sisters hung ready at his side, waiting. His side ached. “Once upon a time,” the man began, “There was a boy who had been given a Gift. It was a truly magnificent Gift, in its own way, but it was not to this boy’s liking. And it fit him poorly- so poorly that it chafed him, day in, day out. Oh, he tried to be grateful. He tried to use it. But the sores grew and burst and became infected. Day in. Day out. Eventually, he realized, it was either go mad or…or take this gift, this wonderful Gift and subvert it. Because it was wonderful. And it could be subverted…. Do you understand?” “Does it matter? I already know you’re insane.” “Ohhh, now you wound me. I am one of the sanest people you would have met, here in this City.” He cocked his head to one side, eyes glittering somehow (almost impossibly) in the gloom. It gave him the impression of a bird of prey, hunched before the strike and just waiting for the damning twitch of his prey before he spread his clotted wings for the kill. “Do you know what it is I do?” Alexander considered his hands-slender, un-calloused by the looks of them, long-fingered and slim. The hands of an artist. “I can guess,” he replied harshly. “It doesn’t take much imagination.” “No, I suppose it wouldn’t. I suppose then, you can understand my fascination with the anomalies, can’t you? I see so much of the same. The same heart, four-chambered and regular. The same lungs: porous and quivering. The same tendons, the same entrails, the same sinews, the same ligaments, muscles, bones, bowels, gut, eyes…Don’t misunderstand me. I love what I do and I do best what I love. But. It can get a little predictable. It doesn’t matter how tough they are when they first come to me. As sure as they all look the same on the inside, they all break so terribly soon.” “You can hide your deeds with pretty words, but we both know you’re one sick fuck.” It was all Alexander could do to lock down his revulsion. He strove for brutal detachment and only missed the mark by a centimeter. Chains inclined his head a little, neither acknowledging nor disputing the fact, but letting it slide right past him as if he couldn’t be bothered to reply. With his hands still spread and his arms still raised, he looked like a resurrected cult demon-a Devourer come again. “Imagine my delight then, when I found you. I didn’t know what you were at first, and it was pure luck that I was around to follow you as you left this building on a rather charming vaunt through the city. But it couldn’t have turned out better. What are the odds, I asked myself, of being around for this? Of finding that rarest of mortal baubles right in front of me? A shape shifter! A two-skins! How deliciously novel. I have a deep-rooted fixation with your kind, you see. And there are so many questions I have yet to answer. For example: where is your other Self now? And where do you go when he appears? If I was to slice you open right now, if I was to gut you like a fish, would he be there on the inside staring up at me? What do your organs look like, my friend? Are they purely human? Or a strange assortment of beast’s and man’s? Oh, the things I long to know.” “Try it,” Alexander snarled, “And you’ll know what you look like, split in halves.” “I doubt it. I doubt it very much.” All the warning Alexander had was in the last syllable of Chain’s sentence: a slight finality that clung to the last word. He had time enough to draw the Sinful Sisters from their sheathes and that was it. The distance from the center of the room to the bed, was nearly five meters of open ground. Chains covered it in the time it took for Alexander to blink, and hit him like a storm. The bed should not even have existed for all the good it did to deter him. The techniques were all simple, linear punches and kicks but delivered with such force and viciousness that it was all Alexander could do to block them. He steered the first punch outward right and used the momentum to step inside Chain’s guard. The Laughing Girl came up for an attempted upper-cut, but Chains had followed his shift without hesitation, and turned the blade on a forearm. His skin split marginally- a shallow wound that wouldn’t have deterred even the inexperienced, and Chains went for his face. Alexander rolled his head away from the strike and blocked low out of instinct. The knee-shattering straight kick that would have crushed bone, glanced luckily off his forearm but with force enough to make the arm go numb. His hand spasmed, and the Laughing Girl flew from his nerveless fingers. A follow up elbow-strike caught him on the top of his head and he reeled backwards, struggling to stay on his feet. Chains stalked unhurriedly after him. It was pure determination that allowed Alexander to co-ordinate a fierce left-handed slash with the Bright Lady, but Chains had the attack momentum and he side-stepped the blow with insulting casualness. Followed it up with a punishing blow to the face. There was a spray of blood, a suppressed grunt of pain, and Alexander staggered backwards, blood pouring from his mouth, off balance, and with the room swooping dizzily about him-in and out of focus. In and out, in and out. Chains followed him-readying the de-habilitating blow-the crushing of a knee cap, a ribcage. Alexander floundered back into the shadows. Rush of air. Displaced warp of motion. And then it was Chains staggering back, almost falling over himself as he was sent reeling- tossed away by a brutal swipe from Senge’s clawed forepaw. He regained his balance far more effortlessly than Alexander had. Pausing several feet away, back in the center of the room, he held up a long finger to the beast that snarled at him from the corner—a moment, please-- and pressed his palm to his side. It came away drenched in red. Senge pinned back his ears, raised his hackles, and summoned a growl that rattled the window in its frame. His tail lashed the ground in fury, but he was cramped in the room and they both knew it. Chains wiped his hand delicately on his pants leg. A smile was pinned haphazardly across his features as he raised his eyes to the canid and said, “Well. That’s more like it, isn’t it?”
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Post by cyansky on Sept 11, 2009 22:32:19 GMT -5
Syl flew quickly to the supermarket, its flight a little unsteady due the amount of medicine it was carrying. The supermarket was large and... felet strangely empty. Mindless cashiers were at their posts, staring off into space. It made Syl feel some pity for them, how they had surrendered their free will to Animus. It reminded Syl of the angels in Heaven, how they were so dedicated to God... To think... how...
Syl shook its head.
It didn't want to be a mindless... all it wanted... was to be happy here... even if it had to act nice when it was in reality being analytic. What must be done must be done, thought Syl, as it looked around the store, smiling. Now was a good time to spend some time to itself and analyze the situation.
Senge... he was interesting, that one. A veritable shape-shifter, who could take on the form of a beast that Syl had never seen before. While Syl wasn't sure of its capabilities, it would have to wait and see for the right opprtunity, and keep an eye on Senge. Syl knew that relationships were delicate, and that trusted allies were worth their weight in gold here. While Senge was not necessarily trustworthy, Syl preferred him as an ally than an enemy. It didn't like having enemies, because of the difficulty in getting rid of them unless they went and got themselves killed, like Myzrael. Syl smiled at that. Myzrael wasn't really an enemy, but the tension between them cut be cut in half with a butter knife...
Syl sighed as it selected some snacks from the shelves (mostly various cookies), some bread and cheese, canned peas and oysters... pretty much anything that could be picked up and eaten up without cooking it or freezing it. Syl debated picking up what was, unbeknowst to it, dog food (because the little four-legged animal thingy was cute). After five minutes of staring at it, Syl sighed and tossed it backonto the self. Surely there was something better than this. Syl unfortunately, wasn't inclined towards reading labels (by choice, due its hallucinations and because they were so damned confusing). Even so, it could still tell if a product was edible by looking at it.
After cruising around the supermarket some more, and its arms now laden with bags of food and medicine, Syl stopped for a moment and took a moment to catch its breath. So hectic, running through the store like that and picking up boxes like mad... Still... it was a refreshing and relaxing ex-
Wait a moment!
Syl's head suddenly jerked up.
"Ah!"
It hit it. That... strange feeling... that it had felt in the building... Was it... Syl trailed off... Was it... really... an aura? Strange... how Syl didn't notice it before... Chains?
"Strange, indeed," said Syl to itself.
It looked at its bags.
"I just wonder if I have enough supplies now."
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