@banjoanjoOH WOW BANJO. See this is why you don't have any oysters.
Don't want any of your oysters, mate.
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Don't want any of your oysters, mate.
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β
With the proximity of the beetle man, it was impossible to miss. The first bullet entered the 'head' of the humanoid, rupturing its cognitive vitals. The second bullet did the same. The third shot was just plain overkill. With a pathetic final wheeze the beetle man perished, broken and covered in its subordinates' gizzards. The trench team had won.
On the other hand, Cal was having significantly less success than her teammates. Accompanied by Devotion and Determination, she rushed towards the scorpion. Her opponent was ready, eager to face off with the aquamarine blur once more. The tulpas bounded behind the girl, as per their master's instructions. Unfortunately, those instructions had not been specific enough. Cal's tactics fell on deaf ears. When it finally came to the coordinated attack the shadow creatures stuck by their original orders, to "follow Callan's lead" or more specifically, to mimic Cal's actions. They decided against following Cal's strategy, instead leaping at the scorpion from the same direction as their temporary leader. With a single whip of its stinger, the scorpion bat all three of them aside. Too easy. Cal was knocked back once again, with greater force this time. Devotion was dissipated upon impact. Being the sturdier of the pair, Determination managed to survive the blow, though it struggled to get back on its feet.
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"Hobbies! You got any hobbies?"
Vanessa crossed the street, careful to avoid the deep roadside streams that appeared more frequently the more they made their way to the edge of the city. On normal days the inconsistency of the water patterns made her usual commute more interesting. Today however, they were only prolonging the time she had to spend with this imbecile.
"How about music? You listen to any nice songs? Ah, I guess it'd be kinda hard to get your hands on good electronics. Hobo life, amirite?"
Only one block left. Would she be able to lock the guy outside while she sorted through her things? Perhaps if she just punched him in the throat she'd be able to enjoy some silence.
"Come on, favourite snacks?"
Vanessa whirled around, glaring at the awfully talkative ginger. Her exasperation was met with a quizzical smile, displaying the guy's surprise and delight at the long awaited reaction.
"I knew snacks would getcha," he beamed, "Everybody loooves snacks."
"Do you do this with everyone?" she snapped, eager to shut him up. They'd reached her building by now, a water-logged, rundown mess that was somehow still standing after years of environmental abuse and failed gentrification. If she'd known how long the walk with the chatterbox was going to be she would have chosen a spot closer downtown. Mold smothered the walls of the staircase she nimbly tiptoed up. Some finesse was required to avoid all the rotting planks.
"I try," the ginger, 'Donovan' if she remembered correctly, shrugged and hurried to keep up with her. He found some difficulty in climbing the staircase, something the petty side of Vanessa found satisfaction in. "Didn't work so well with Seiji though. He's the cranky little one. Don't tell him I called him that."
"Right," Vanessa retorted unenthusiastically, "You need to get to know the newbies."
The door to her apartment was unlocked, like always. Nobody had the nerve to come anywhere near this street, so there was never any reason for home security. The resulting quiet was greatly welcomed but she had to admit that she missed the familiar sounds of the bustling city sometimes.
"Yes, exactly! I knew you were a clever one."
Donovan bounded into the apartment before she had the chance to shut the door on him. The girl stared in dismay as her self-invited companion indulged his urge to touch and examine every possible thing she kept in the studio. The room at the back was where she kept a large stockpile of the essentials. Non-perishables, sanitary products, wads upon wads of bills. As she entered she caught the Australian leering at the pile with a hungry glint in his eye.
"Don't even think about it," she scowled. He raised his hands in mock surrender, proclaiming his innocence.
"We can use that cash," he said defensively, "I don't know if Nico told you, but we're gonna be on the road a lot."
Nico had indeed told her. He'd told her many things that morning, including what he hoped to eventually accomplish with their ragtag band of Animi. Normally she'd turn down all invitations to join the magical factions, but getting cornered by eight Animi had forced her to keep an open mind. The group's lofty goals had won her over in the end. Somehow. It took a lot of tentative discussion to convince Vanessa to pack her things and galavant across the globe with the scrawny kid and his friends, but Nico had managed it. There was something about the guy, a sincerity and drive that ultimately swung Vanessa's final decision. A chance to do some real good with her abilities.
Which was why she wanted to tie up all loose ends on the same day she received the invitation. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and such. However she wasn't counting on being accompanied by Nico's right hand man, someone who upon first glance appeared to be a frat boy doing a poor and permanent impression of the Cheshire Cat. People rarely made good first impressions for Vanessa. At first she assumed that it was a matter of suspicion. Couldn't let someone run off with the group's secret plans, right? But as the minutes torturously crawled by it became clear that Donovan was tagging along not because he wanted to keep an eye on her, but because he was an idiot hellbent on annoying the shit out of everyone he met.
"I don't care," she growled lowly, "It's not for you."
He raised an eyebrow and gestured at a conspicuous nameplate on one of the duffel bags.
"Apparently not for you either," he smirked, admiring the 'Property of Hubert Hill' scrawled on the bag's underside.
Vanessa heatedly snatched the container and began stuffing it with her stockpile.
"Not. For. You. That's going to the community."
"You mean right back into looter hands when they take it from them?"
She paused and side-eyed Donovan with a strange smile.
"Looters aren't something we need to worry about here."
The stockpile was emptied into numerous rucksacks within minutes. Then it was out to the cul-de-sacs. It was a slow and tiring process, making sure that her resources were distributed evenly throughout the neighbourhood. David, the Sakers, Christopher and Rebecca, the Youngs; countless others she couldn't list in a single sitting recieved small packages filled with whatever she had in the rucksacks. The tentative 'thank yous' and awkward hugs did little to reward her efforts. It was simply a matter of efficiency, making the most of the limited resources in the flushed-out city they resided in. Nothing more and nothing less. Donovan observed the proceedings from a respectful distance, noting the lack of visible reactions at the sight of Vanessa's exposed throat. Surprisingly, he was silent for the majority of the proceedings.
"Quite the Samaritan, huh," Donovan remarked as they neared the end of their trip.
She replied without looking up, checking the last few names on the yellowed notepad. "This stuff needs to be used somewhere."
"Hm. You like helping others?"
The notepad snapped shut and was tucked into the pocket of her cargo pants.
"It's just something I feel like I should be doing. I didn't think I'd ever leave this city, especially when my powers emerged. Wanted to try and make this craphole a little more bearable to live in."
"Liar~"
Vanessa's glare conveyed her irritated confusion aptly. The smug boy gladly elaborated.
"You can't lie to me," Donovan lightly tapped his temple and laughed, "You're happy when you do this, I can tell. It's pretty cute actually!"
An outraged punch to the shoulder provoked a small yelp from Donovan.
"I'm just saying!" He raised his hands in preparation for another blow. "It's nice to finally recruit someone who isn't a complete psycho."
Her stare turned to one of disbelief. This guy really was a brazen idiot.
"You're getting your hopes too high," she muttered.
"Huh, is that so..." Donovan stroked his chin. Was he trying to seem profound? Vanessa rolled her eyes.
"That mysterious vibe you're trying to pull doesn't suit you. You look dumb as hell."
Before Donovan could make an indignant complaint a young boy came running up to the pair. Javi, the youngest of the Rosarios. One of the families she visited the most.
"Vanessa! Gina told me to tell you. The store got trashed by the Hammers again..." the kid reported, flinching slightly as Vanessa's posture suddenly straightened, "Sonny says we can't replace the window this time."
Her brow furrowed at the news. "I thought I took care of those guys in July,"
Javi shook his head.
"They're still hanging around 181st. They've been quiet because of you but they're still acting out."
Donovan watched curiously as Vanessa's expression darkened.
"I see."
Even without an emotion reading power, the newly emerged Animus' intentions were plain as day.
The smalltime gang's new hideout was easy to track down, thanks to the booming music and raucous laughter could be heard blaring from a block away. Vanessa's location across the street provided more than enough proximity for her abilities, as well as a front seat view to the hedonism of the looter scumbags. It was time to try out that new upgrade.
"What are you doing?" Donovan popped his head in front of her, blocking her line of sight. Vanessa glowered, lowering her charged hands.
"Get out of my way."
Donovan tilted his head, indicating back at the repurposed office block. His face turned blank, uninterested even, in an unnatural amount of time.
"There are thirty two people in there. A lotta kids who are your age."
What? That had to be wrong. There was no way in hell a petty theft gang would be able that many people within a month. Vanessa narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Thirty two? That many?"
"You gonna try and off all those kids?" he quirked an eyebrow, undeterred by her reaction. There was something off about the guy now, an unreadable pokerface that somehow still conveyed an air of cockiness and pride. Sudden and complete emotional detachment that perfectly contrasted Vanessa's conviction. It was unnerving to see this sudden change in character. Nevertherless, she continued pushing. Donovan's revelation had done nothing to sway her actions.
"They're all Hammers, aren't they?"
The loaded silence was more than enough confirmation. Vanessa tried to shove him aside, not quite succeeding as she consciously kept her palms facing away from the young man. After a full minute of failing to budge the ginger, she huffed and took a step back.
"If you don't get out of my way, I'm not going with your group."
He stiffened at her sudden ultimatum but continued to refuse to move. Vanessa glared back at the taller boy, having to angle her chin up a lot more than what she felt was comfortable. This was her one last job to do. A necessary chore that would keep the borough safe during her absence. More than anything else, it was about sending a message that would forever ring in the ears of anyone who would ever have the ignorance needed to start trouble in Vanessa's neighborhood. One last job.
"Looters always come back," Donovan's accent became obvious whenever he overacted that casualness, "You think this is gonna get rid of them forever?"
"Are you trying to stop me?" This conversation was getting tedious. Subtlety and snakish talk had never been her style. Donovan seemed to thrive in it though.
"Who knows. Maybe I just want to see if you're actually going through with casual mass murder."
"I'm helpi--"
"Helping who?" he cut her off brusquely, "Your 'community'? The ones who practically shit their pants as soon as you turn the corner? They're terrified of you. I know what they think and trust me, they couldn't give less shits about your little goodwill parades. That kid especially. Honestly it's fucking hilar--"
Vanessa's foot shot into the fork of his legs before he could complete his sentence. That choked groan he wheezed out was the most satisyfying thing she'd heard the whole day. The bastard was sent to the ground with a quick jab to the throat, collapsing and curling into himself to feebly defend against any further blows. She leveled a glowing hand at the coughing teen. All at once tendrils of fear and panic began seizing her mind, gluing her feet to the spot. Before she fell into the trap of thinking too hard Vanessa activated her power, the air between them heating to an unbearable degree within milliseconds. Her mind returned to normal immediately and she allowed herself a small breath of relief. The two remained in a stalemate, Vanessa's hand still aimed at Donovan on the ground while they glared daggers at the other.
"You'll be dead within seconds," she seethed, "Don't try that again."
No response from Donovan, just a pointed glare she had to fight the urge to cackle at. Finally, she'd managed to shut him up. While she still had the chance, she aimed her free hand at the building. After one minute, loud creaking noises emerged from the base of the structure. Thirty seconds after that the building collapsed in on itself, billowing smoke and debris. Vanessa watched on with a blank satisfaction. Only Donovan's groans distracted her from her handiwork.
"How many were really in there?" she asked, finally lowering her hands.
"...Eight."
Now that was a more sensible number. Vanessa allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.
"Looters around these parts don't ever get to thirty two. I'd would have already gotten rid of them before they got that big," she offered a hand up, "That was a careless mistake."
He eyed the hand with a slight huff.
"I'll make sure I remember that," he drawled, tentatively taking her firm grip.
The sounds of rumbling and splintering wood still emanated from the destroyed building. It somewhat helped to fill the strange silence that had settled between them.
"You were testing me," Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Her blank resting expression had resettled.
Donovan shrugged, brushing himself off. His attempts at nonchalance were always such sloppy displays of overacting, Vanessa noticed.
"Something like that. I can't say that I expected this outcome."
He paused.
"Didn't think you'd actually go through with it either. You seemed like such a lovely kid," he remarked and chuckled when Vanessa rolled her eyes.
"That thing about Javi was overkill. Gave the whole thing away."
"Damn," he pouted and turned his gaze towards her, "About that. I--"
"It doesn't really matter."
She didn't want to hear it. She was leaving it all behind anyway. Who cared? It was easier to say that it was nothing than to let herself think about it.
"I upset you. That was a dick move on my part."
Brooding about it wasn't going to get her anywhere. As much as the disappointment still stung, she couldn't do anything but move on. It was her own fault for thinking someone like her would be welcomed in the first place.
She waved him off. "Just warn me before you do this trial crap next time. I'm assuming I passed?"
Something in Donovan's eyes shifted, revealing a brief flicker of dejection before he picked himself back up.
"Flying colours," his smile was somehow warmer than the vast majority of what he'd shown her before despite his hesitance, "Not a smidge of hesitation. That's exactly what the crew needs..."
His casual veneer cracked with a false chuckle.
"Another veritable psychopath."
"How flattering," Vanessa responded evenly. This was obviously affecting him more than it should have. But she couldn't care any less about this asshole's feelings to inquire further. "Are you still trying to make me mad or..."
"Oh, no no. I was just hoping you'd be different, was all."
There was a melancholy in his admission, something distant she couldn't quite pick up yet.
He grinned sheepishly and scratched his nose. "Definitely seemed like it at the start."
Stupid. Pinning such high expectations on a stranger. A guy who practically read minds should have known better. But he clung to that intangible wish anyways. He dared to dream for human decency in this craphole of a world. Vanessa could do nothing but shake her head at that.
"You got your hopes too high," she muttered, echoing her earlier sentiment.
It was something she'd be repeating to him many times. Whenever Donovan's peppy yet cocky optimism clashed with her dry realism, whenever she became enraged at his antics. At some point, her derisive scorn would mellow out to nothing more than light banter when it came to the Aussie. She'd get used to his constant jabbering, start enjoying it even. She'd start wondering how someone like him ended up being an Animus on the run with nine other cold-blooded killers. How someone like him, an arrogant bastard who turned out to be a bighearted loser, could smother his remorse so easily after the biggest disaster their group had ever created. How no one but her seemed to notice or care about the increasing burdens he'd place on himself after that night. Vanessa had moved on in her own time. The destruction was nothing she wasn't used to, so it was easier for her. But for the others, not just Donovan, an undeniable heaviness had set in.
She saw the cracks begin to appear as Seiji argued with Nico. Lines being drawn in the sand, everyone determining who was to blame for the situation they were now in. She enjoyed the security of the group, the idea that they would slowly save the world. She'd even grown to think of them as friends. But after watching the seeds of division being sown by their mess, Vanessa began to know better. Someday, she wasn't sure how distant this day would be, their group would be torn to shreds, ripped apart by infighting and surmounting stress. And when that day arrived, she'd stay clear of all the emotional lashings. Like she had always done before. Before she had the strange fortune of meeting Donovan. Would she be ready by then?
She could only hope so.
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Siena's emerald javelin hit its lumbering mark, piercing deeply into the quadruped's side. The impact of the projectile threw the monster to its side. Its pre-existing clumsiness and exhaustion from bleeding out rendered it unable to get back upright. Siena's attack had ruptured enough vitals to ensure a slow, painful death. Without the means or mobility to recover, the hippo head released a feeble death moan. It was left unheard by its comrades.
Meanwhile, the beetle man continued its march towards the trench, getting dangerously close while the trench team prepared their simultaneous attacks. A squawk from the captive fish alerted the beetle man of the incoming projectile. Displaying fearsome reflexes, the humanoid smacked the incoming corpse out of its way, using its hapless subordinate as a makeshift bat. It barely missed a step before the student's co-ordinated strategies came into fruition. Almost at the exact same time, the hidden grenade exploded and Lily's injury transfer hit the beetle man. Both the humanoid and the fish were blown away, the concussive force of the explosion killing the fish almost immediately. Shrapnel flew everywhere, many pieces embedding themself into the left side of the beetle man's body. Its armored plates were shattered, revealing mottled and scarred flesh underneath. It groaned in pain, somehow still alive from everything that just happened. With half of its body disabled and broken by the grenade and one kneecap shattered, it presented little threat to the humans in the trench. Despite its condition it pushed forward, clawing at the dirt with its remaining functioning limb. The beetle man's mouth flaps were wide open for the students to see, showing rows of crooked, sharp teeth as it screamed in fury.
A flurry of movement from the fallen quadruped's direction caught the scorpion's coffee-stained eye, a small cloud of aquamarine travelling rapidly towards it. The scorpion hissed aggressively, batting Cal to the ground with a brutal lash of its stinger. She wasn't able to stop the scorpion in time. Undeterred by the sudden arrival of a human opponent, the scorpion finished its casting. A beam of emerald lit up the sky a split second before a plume of green fog erupted from the scorpion and engulfed the battlefield. Monsters and humans alike were affected by the fog. Nausea and minor dizziness swept the battlefield as the fog's initial symptoms began to kick in. Things would only deteriorate from here on out.
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β
The bird head was finished. Cal's shadow slashed deeply through the head's long neck, severing the trachea and several arteries. The monster bled out within seconds, provoking an outraged and pained moan from the hippo head. The remainder's mourning cry resounded across the battlefield as the blood-drenched neck fell completely limp, dragging the head around in the dirt and leaving a blood trail like a morbid paintbrush. The main torso suddenly grew unsteady. It struggled to stay upright, swaying back and forth like it was only just learning to walk. It looked like it would topple over at any second. Despite the initial difficulties, the quadruped barely managed to stay on its feet. With the mobility problem mostly out of the way, the hippo head returned to its original objective: destroying the green-haired girl. With its main offensive weapon lying uselessly in the dirt, the quadruped went back to its more traditional way of attacking enemies. It released a grunt of exertion before lumbering backwards in order to try and flatten the mage with its feet. Its stomps became more frequent and heavy, though its poor balance became more apparent with every step it took.
Grant's projectile attack wouldn't succeed twice. A panicked yelp from the standing fishman drew the beetle man's attention to the incoming boulder. The armoured creature let out a thunderous bellow and threw its fist to the air, shattering the stone with one mighty blow. The debris rained harmlessly around the beetle man. It really meant business now. However, before the three monsters could begin their charge, the fishman that was still standing was struck down by Lily's transferred injuries. Blind and injured in almost all its limbs, the fishman collapsed. It could barely move, too affected by the pain and injuries to do any good. Completely useless. How were they meant to perform their coordinated attack now?
With a yell that seemed to portray a feeling of aggravation, the beetle man lifted the wounded fishman. Taking advantage of the yells and conversation from the students' trench in order to triangulate their position, the humanoid hurled the fishman with frightening strength and accuracy. The unfortunate creature had no time to take the situation in before it was soaring through the skies, frantically screaming and shooting scales in its terror. It missed Marcus and Lily by inches, toppling onto an exhausted Grant at the bottom of the trench. The fishman died upon impact. Once the dead weight was gotten rid of, the beetle man lifted the protesting other fish and began marching towards the three students.
The eye scorpion lumbered jerkily towards the bunched movements that were the blue team's skirmish. Due to its coffee-drenched eye, the monster could only catch blurred details of the raging battle; a dark shape, a bright orange blob sailing through the air from the dark shape's direction, and a clump of colour that was much larger and much closer than the former two. With nowhere else to go, it wandered towards the big clump. Its fellow monsters in this area sounded a lot more distressed than the others, perhaps it should assist. The scorpion pointed its eye to the sky once more, summoning the same glowing green circles from earlier.
Siena remained by the cover provided by the truck, searching through her Kindle for a suitable character. Thanks to all the other monsters being occupied with their own battles, Siena's casting would be uninterrupted.
In
Persona - Academic Akrasia (Being rebooted, see new int check)
→
7 yrs ago
Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sheβs doing it because of me. Because I was stupid enough to get hurt.
Aki turned to Rena with a sense of dread as the girl announced her resolve. All his other classmates had displayed the same determination. When the hell did they get so strong? Even Sakura, even Senhime of all people, had more courage than Aki could ever dream of.
He grit his teeth. He already knew how pathetic he really was. That was nothing new. What made the ordeal so much worse was how he saw how everyone else had changed. How theyβd become so much better than whatever the hell he was. If they could do it, surely an ass like him could do the same, right?
Oh, please.
βI donβt want to repeat myself, Yamamoto-kun,β Aki responded coldly, βYouβve already got a team of five, including yourself. I donβt see any reason to throw my life on the line again.β
Aki paused. Fucking coward.
βThe answerβs still no.β
Aki turned to Rena with a sense of dread as the girl announced her resolve. All his other classmates had displayed the same determination. When the hell did they get so strong? Even Sakura, even Senhime of all people, had more courage than Aki could ever dream of.
He grit his teeth. He already knew how pathetic he really was. That was nothing new. What made the ordeal so much worse was how he saw how everyone else had changed. How theyβd become so much better than whatever the hell he was. If they could do it, surely an ass like him could do the same, right?
Oh, please.
βI donβt want to repeat myself, Yamamoto-kun,β Aki responded coldly, βYouβve already got a team of five, including yourself. I donβt see any reason to throw my life on the line again.β
Aki paused. Fucking coward.
βThe answerβs still no.β
Ooh, 500+ OOC posts! What an achievement.
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β
Callan's sudden dive befuddled the bird head. Despite the length of its neck, the more aggressive head was unable to maneuver well enough to properly scan underneath its torso for its enemy, a problem that was intensified by its bleeding eye. The blade had cut deeply into the quadruped's front leg, coming to a stop about a third of the way in due to the leg's thickness and durability. Even with her enhanced strength Cal would have difficulty severing the creature's leg in a single blow or even pulling the sword back out from the dense appendage. Strangely enough, there was no immediate reaction drawn from the attack. No squawk of agony, no spurt of acidic blood. The bird head simply continued whipping about, having lost sight of its prey and eager to finish the girl off for once and for all. Thanks to the bird head's stunted vision, Cal was momentarily hidden from sight behind the monster's leg. If she was to closely inspect its cassowary-like limbs she would notice that they had a diameter of a standard vinyl record and the texture of a sturdy oak tree. The legs resembled polished tree trunks; there was no way to make certain the substances of the creature's limbs but they were definitely wood-like. The bird head's brief search bore its fruits when it spotted the foreign object embedded in its front leg. With a curious grunt the leg was lifted, sword and all, and Cal's temporary cover was blown. The bird head screeched indignantly and returned to attempting to spear Cal with its beak, though with much more difficulty than before due to the girl's location.
Marcus' shots hit one of the fishmen square in its scaled torso, blowing it off its feet. The extent of the impact from the bullets made it clear that, despite their clumsiness, the fishmen had quite sturdy bodies. The shots had only left the fishman slightly dazed. It flopped around on the ground, struggling to get back on its feet while the beetle man continued berating the pair. The subordinates had done a decent job in the brief minute they had spent unearthing their superior officer. With a triumphant roar, a black fist burst from the rubble. The beetle man would emerge very soon. In the meantime, the fishman that was still on its feet took it upon itself to provide cover fire while its comrades recuperated. The human limbs pat around in the dirt to reposition the torso, before shooting a machine gun-like salvo of razor sharp scales from its body. Its aim was atrocious but the spread and duration of the scale-fire was more than enough to present a threat to Marcus and Lily. One projectile nicked Marcus in the shoulder, a solid cut that immediately started bleeding. If they didn't find cover or stop the assault soon, they would be in major trouble.
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