Lugubrious

Pokemon: The Spectre Conspiracy

Anger flashed across Jess's indignant face as bratty Miu shouldered her way between her and Charlie. A second later, she had calmed herself down by asserting mentally that the best way to beat this loser was to not give her the rise she needed. Jess was honestly surprised at how quickly the little bully's rudeness had caused her to see red; maybe that was to be expected from now on. She wondered if there was any sort of official process in making rivals, or it just happened naturally like this. In the time it took Jess to muse about this, Miu was already gone, forging on ahead alone. Being alone suited her.

Jess was preparing to resume the conversation where she left off when a noise rang out from the path ahead, around a forested curve. Though some distance separated the source of the noise and Jess, it was easy enough to tell that it was a surprised scream. Guessing who it was, Jess couldn't help but snicker at the image of Miu cowering before some Pokemon or another.

"'Scuse me. I've gotta see this." Eager to see the scene she pictured come to life, Jess made haste around the bend. As such she wasn't prepared when the morning sunlight pouring through Santalune Forest's edge temporarily blinded her. It didn't take her long to recover and notice that the tree line ended here, and a couple hundred feet away she glimpsed the roof of a building poking above a few large bushes. Between her and Santalune Town, however, was her newly-anointed rival and her Poliwag. When she caught up with Miu, it took her a moment to find exactly what had startled her so. After several seconds, Jess traced Mago's life of fire to a tiny bug Pokemon, barely visible in the grass. All she could do was briefly exchange a glance with Belial (more of an emotion, really; Zubats, of course, lacked eyes) before she burst out into raucous laughter.

"Good Arceus, what have you gotten yourself into!? You'd better run now 'fore it starts inching toward you!"

Pokemon: The Spectre Conspiracy

Holy cow, now that's some luck. I'll work on a post for tomorrow.

.::Legend of Zelda :: Whispers in the Night::.

It seemed Felicia would be changing the subject after all. She didn't seem to share Jira's romantic enthusiasm, and given his methods, that really wasn't surprising. Cain shifted along with her. “They would have robbed you, hurt, otherwise taken advantage of you and perhaps killed you. Attacking others -not to mention being the hero- isn't like me, but that was justified. I'm glad I could help.” Then and there he decided that keeping up a facade of kindness in the long run wouldn't be viable. “Its gratifying that you think I'm kind, but that really isn't the case here. Just...doing what's right.” There was seldom a waking moment that Cain wasn't doing what's right, at least by his own standpoint.

A few moments of silence passed as Felicia walked. The Twili didn't feel at all like continuing a conversation with her; she was moving, and that was all that mattered. It was an uneventful journey until the sound of running feet pounding the ground, growing louder and louder, could be heard behind them. Naturally, the young fishmonger turned to look, and saw at the same time as Cain did the familiar mask of the Rain Spider rushing past, dust billowing in his wake. He seemed to be heading to the graveyard as well, and Cain, seeing the opportunity, opted to swap hosts once more.

“Thanks for the ride. See you there,” he told Felicia. In a flash her shadow was distorted and then snapped back into its natural position as its denizen left. The last thing the woman would see was a black streak diving into the cloud of dust that Jira left behind, intent on using him as a transport.

At Jira's pace, he was at the graveyard in no time, barely even out of breath, prompting the being withing his shadow to make note of his unexpected physical ability. After enduring the Rain Spider's corny entrance, Cain was prepared to speak when he saw Frore, who had arrived only moments before they did. He transferred himself to her shadow, hoping that she didn't notice that he had ever left. A swift look around confirmed that Veitaru had gone. Once he was settled, he made himself known.

“Lethe! I present you with the Masked One. The...er, 'Fish One' is on her way as well. She's a bit sensitive.” He wondered exactly how Felicia would react to a fairy, a Twili inhabiting a scarecrow, a shady-looking Sheikah, and a huge albino woman, not to mention him. It'd likely be too much for her weak mind to take in; maybe she'd faint or at least panic. It was amusing to picture.

Dungeon Keepers

BBeast said
It is always a welcome sight to see people posting, especially if they haven't posted for a while.

No kidding. It's been two weeks since anyone aside from the GMs and Trapezoid have posted, and a month since anyone aside from the GMs, Trapezoid, and Jay have posted.

.::Legend of Zelda :: Whispers in the Night::.

Compliance at last! The relief Cain felt was approximate to a teacher finally being obeyed by a truant schoolchild. He respected a sense for responsibility, but as evidenced here, it could also be weakness. "I can," he murmured, doing his utmost to keep from sounding too eager. Surveying the surrounding area, he found the awning of a nearby booth offering some sort of ball game. "Direct your attention to your right, the cloth on the back of that stall." As she did so, he noticed how quickly she turned and hungrily she looked, intent on finding some sort of evidence to prove her sanity remained at least partially intact.

While Felicia watched, Cain cast himself upon the patterned surface. The silhouette he offered was that of a hooded man, with big sleeves but seemingly nothing over his torso. By far the most distinct features of this umbra were its eyes, yellow orbs with pupils of red. "A face I think you saw before. I hadn't found the fairy yet when I appeared at the fish stand. Your eyes aren't deceiving you; my child. "

He reverted to her shadow, which he hoped wouldn't frighten her. "If you don't mind I'll stick with you until you've reached the graveyard. By then I hoped your masked friend will be there as well. You left quite the impression on him by the looks of it, but that's none of my business." Of course, things that were none of his business were Cain's favorite, but he didn't divulge that tidbit to her. After speaking he realized that Felicia, now reminded of Jira, might continue the conversation. His eyes rolled invisibly; the last thing he wanted was a full-blown conversation.

.::Legend of Zelda :: Whispers in the Night::.

Cain snarled inwardly. He knew it was a long shot for this girl to put any faith into him out of the blue, but he had, after all, saved her life. Or had he made that clear? Regardless, he pushed any anger back into his mind and turned to the tactful approach.

“My name is Cain,” he said softly, after waiting a short moment to make sure that Felicia wasn't going to continue mumbling. “I'm pretty much a ghost, so there really isn't a better way I could go about contacting you. For my intrusions...I apologize.” She seemed so distraught. Perhaps she was still recovering from her run-in with the thieves? Or was she questioning her own sanity?

“Truth is, I heard the voice too. The one in my dreams. I thought I might have been finally losing it. But as it turned out, a...friend of mine heard it too. We decided the only way to figure it out was to come here and find its owner. We did. You can too. You can put an end to your self-doubt. If you heard her voice, you're stronger and far more important than you imagine. I'm not asking you to come with me; I'm begging you.” Those words were more painful than Cain thought. While there was some pleasure in convincing others that he held some regard for them -proof of his mental superiority, in fact- it still prickled his pride. “We're counting on you, my child. At least do it to pay me back for saving you from the thieves?”

He hoped that these appeals to duty and pity would do the trick. If not...well, force was far less of a viable option than it was an attractive one. She might already have a hint of what he was capable of, given where he had lodged her longsword. That was one detail she'd be better off forgetting.

Unlikely Heroes

Haha, yeah. Fortunately he has friends.

Unlikely Heroes

If Jenna had been able to believe in herself, the target of her attempted comfort might have seen past the irrationality of such a comment and tried to believe it too. Without any faith in her own statement, she elicited very little reassurance from Adam. Instead, he focused on remaining calm with deep -if somewhat fitful- breathing, guessing that flying into a panic would only cause the blood to flow quicker.

A spark of hope did alight in him, however, when she tore off a strip of fabric to bind around his wound. He was just prepared to answer her, thankful for the hint of relief, when another young lady grabbed at her. He stared at her, struck dumb, as she demanded Jenna's hairpin and then fiddled with the button she had seized, muttering vengeful phrases to herself. As this happened, he felt the warm, sticky red running down his leg and staining his sock. "Can...can you...?"

Before he had finished stammering out a plea for Jenna's continued help, Adam was silenced once again as tiny grains began to form in his hands once more. A clump of sand materialized in his palm, and without thinking he shoved it onto his wound, thinking it would help. Instead, he nearly cried out as dozens of pinpoints of pain poked onto the tender, lacerated flesh. The bloodied sand fell to the ground, spattering onto the shred of pants Jenna had left behind. Thinking he would try to bind the wound himself, Adam gritted his teeth and reached for it. Before his fingers got close, however, the sand formed itself into the shape of a doll, which picked up the cloth and held it gently against the skin as Adam carefully wound it around his leg. Once the job was done, the little construct dissolved, and its creator released his stored breath. Enough blood had escaped so that the area was somewhat numb, but with luck the makeshift bandage would keep enough from leaking out to make it dangerous.

He looked to the others for direction.

.::Legend of Zelda :: Whispers in the Night::.

Nice to meet you.

I don't know how into games any of you are, but the following is just too cool for me not to share:

.::Legend of Zelda :: Whispers in the Night::.

As usual, Cain's observation of his host was keen and relentless, leaving no detail untouched. Truly, he loathed speedily poring over every inch of every person he encountered -in the World of Light, everyone was so boring but he had decided long ago that knowledge outweighed grudge. This particular examination turned up an interesting note: when Jira attempted to speak in prose, he was suddenly wracked by some inner convulsion. While this didn't really mean anything yet, it further expounded upon his weakness.

At least this weakling was content to repay the Twili for saving his life and livelihood. What he said concerning the red-haired merchant girl, however, perturbed him. As Jira approached Matt's stall, Cain decided he couldn't resist being pedantic. “You cannot run from your problems or your feelings,” he chided from the masked man's shadow. “For better or worse the girl is involved; are you going to let her face the odds alone? The only way to be sure something you want is never lost is to grab hold and cling tight. Trust me. And come to the graveyard after you've collected your merchandise, though where you're going you're not going to need any extra baggage to carry around.”

Feeling that the so-called Rain Spider would honor his request, Cain decided that before he returned he had better find Felicia and make sure that she, too, was on her way. With luck he might even be able to snag another sucker. Slithering from shadow to shadow across the ground like a dark flatworm, he searched the crowds from below. Thoughts were inevitably shifting to lunch, and he was aware of many festival-goers clumping together to find a place to eat en masse. From among their feet he could see it all. The eager, joyful faces, the loving couples and families, those playing games or simply talking. So like them it was, the perfect, chosen races of the cruel Goddesses, taking for granted the blessings heaped upon them. In Twilight there were no happy, warm rays of sun, or birds singing in the trees, or endless green fields on which to frolic. Life wasn't a celebration; it was a fight to survive. These people had some hardship to face, certainly, but under their Goddesses' protection their only real threats were the legendary incursions of the evil king. Cain and his people were denied this paradise, doomed to waste away if exposed to it as anything more than shadows.

He halted momentarily, cast upon the side of a bustling bakery stall, and cleansed his thoughts of their bitterness. The thoughts he had were the thoughts of his most hated enemy, the one that had taken his Princess away. The only differences between the usurper and the spy were love and duty. Yet they were enough.

Still, it put Cain in a sour mood to see others so happy. Only too eager to see the last of the festival, he hastened his search, now looking only for Felicia. Surprisingly, he found her almost instantly, not too far from a nearby well. What interested him more, however, was the stick-thin giant of a woman leaning against said well, just cleaning off the last of a loaf of bread. Cain supposed that he had to give Frore credit; he was unerringly loyal, if not unerringly obedient. The Twili transferred himself to her shadow gently, and she paused, aware of the familiar presence.

“You must stop wandering off, my dear.” Though he had never addressed Frore as such before, it seemed oddly fitting now. “Did anyone give you trouble?”

Frore shook her head, pale blue eyes fixated upon the darkness she cast, searching for the entity hidden inside. “No, Cain. A man gave me food. Icicle...got smaller.” She prodded the collapsed spear resting on the ground beside her, gleaming in the morning sun. Her tone was totally blank, softly sounding out each syllable. She seemed to have been thinking; that was new. Then again, so was being around so many people. “Cain, you are...my...?”

Wondering where exactly this was going, the spymaster interjected. “Your friend. Your only friend too, so we've got to stick together. Let's go now, eh?”

Slowly, the transfigured Chilfos nodded. “Yes. Friend.”

Rather than heading straight back to the cemetery, however, Cain made sure that his partner was headed in that direction before he stealthily abandoned her, backtracking until he found Felicia, still by the well, though she seemed to have settled somewhat emotionally by now. “Come,” he beckoned her from her shadow. “We're gathered at the graveyard now. There's a fairy there who speaks in dreams. Believe me, she's even more irritating in person. I realize that this whole situation seems somewhat mad, but I do hope you'll give trusting me a chance.”

He stalled a moment to hear her response, wanting to get back to Frore.