shylarah

Fire and Ice: The Ghoul Wars

((Is Lya still a princess? I see she’s not still first mate, at least. Also no Shiva, or is she elsewhere?))

Jareth shuddered when they arrived. “Man, that felt weird,” he murmured, looking around. The sight of someone with a blowtorch intrigued him. What was she working on? Could he take a look? No, better leave that until later. The girl beside him turned in place to take in their new surroundings. It felt open, for the most part, but if she was being honest with herself, the idea of being on a space station with /no/ escape routes bothered her considerably.

She was not enthused about being tested. The young woman was fairly certain she’d be able to tell if there was an untoward influence on herself, at least, and she knew her blood type, but she nodded without protest. But the young man grimaced. “Ugh, I hate needles,” he complained. “Do I really have to?” The beautiful woman’s smile did a lot to make him feel better about it, though.

@TheMinorFall

Fire and Ice: The Ghoul Wars

@TheMinorFall I know the meaning. Wasn't sure context wise which meaning you wanted. <3

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

@Mogtaki There was an answer, actually, but we can say the fighting is too loud for Machina ears to pick up. ^.^ Nice post. I'm very excited for him smashing those bars~

Fire and Ice: The Ghoul Wars

Jareth watched the mages work with wide-eyed interest. It served to keep his gaze off the gorgeous woman next to Tsitua. He’d been hard-pressed not to gape at her when she stepped on the train, but he doubted a bombshell like her would even notice someone like him, and it wasn’t like he was going to be staying more than a couple days anyhow. The magic was interesting, at least. He’d seen a few minor spells, hanging out as he did with Amuné, but nothing like this.

It was the symbols on Tsitua’s skin that held the younger student’s attention. Opposing but balanced, each needing the other half. Much like Tsitua himself. Odd that they called him a Vassal (did you mean vessel? I can’t be entirely sure) of Death, and she might ask why later. The magic seemed needlessly ritualized, but Amuné didn’t comment. When told they could come forward, she started right away, but her friend hung back, uncertain. “Cold feet?” she asked him, amused. Her variety of magic was not very obvious, and he’d never been around any of the flashier mages. “C’mon, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” The young woman offered her hand and then together they strode into the mages' gateway.

@TheMinorFall

Fire and Ice: The Ghoul Wars

When the people faded, the Seer’s eyes widened. That explained why they felt empty: illusions. Jareth looked confused. “Holograms?” he asked. He was close enough that she didn’t correct him. The news of a space station was a surprise as well. Jareth lit up at the idea, while Amuné turned thoughtful. She’d seen stars, countless stars, more even than were visible from the clearest sky in the remotest corner of the earth.

Amuné pursed her lips. There was a lot she wanted to say. A lot. His tone in general rubbed her the wrong way, even though she knew he had valid points. But there were also a number of things she disagreed with. If something truly contradicted something else, almost always one of the two things was wrong. There were exceptions, but they were beyond rare. The trick was to know that many truths were not actually true, merely perceptions of it. “It’s reassuring to know that the human race isn’t as hopeless as I thought,” she said at last. “If all the major conflicts are a result of meddling, well, that means there’s far more good in them than I believed.”

Jareth was shaken at the thought of all his science being wrong. It wasn’t wrong, that wasn’t how science /worked/. There might be a new model, but the idea was the same. And yet...he was going to be going to space! Who knew what kind of tech he’d get to see? His fingers itched just at the thought. The young man’s focus returned abruptly when he was addressed directly. “Um. Don’t stare, don’t make him uneasy. Right, got it. ...Who’s Marcus?”

“I shall ask as things occur to me, but at the moment, no. Nothing comes to mind.” Amuné got to her feet and retrieved her luggage. “Making a choice is always rolling the dice, Tsitua. You are every bit as much a gamble as going it on my own. It is merely a matter of better odds. Not even Seers know everything that will happen. Things are gained or lost at a moment’s notice. ...I would think you, of all people, should know that.” Her final words came from somewhere deeper, though whether they had their source in something that had actually happened was debatable.

@TheMinorFall

Fire and Ice: The Ghoul Wars

“He’s not /my/ Jesus.” Amuné scowled. “There is no such thing as a god, and from what you say, you are not an angel either, whatever word you may choose to use. And if aliens is truly correct, then divinity of any nature would not be. Religion is a tool -- perhaps a necessary one, and one I will not deprive others of, but make no mistake about my beliefs.
“Easy there,” her friend murmured in her ear, before lifting his voice to address Mouse. “She gets pissy when people assume she’s religious.”
“I get understandably annoyed when people forget not everyone is like them,” Amuné snapped, but she relented with a sigh. “Sorry. ...A species that has easy access to magic like that is interesting, I suppose.” And frightening, she added mentally. Even if they were generally good, something she had no reason to believe, a single one that wished to wreak havoc could cause so much destruction.... The thought triggered something, a brief vision, but what she saw didn’t seem to have any bearing on what was going on, so she discarded it.

She was not fond of the subway. She’d learned, long ago, that it was best to always have an escape route, and an underground train had very limited options, none of them very good. Not to mention being underground always made her vaguely uneasy. Still, Amuné followed Mouse onto the train. Orion was not unexpected. The demon was a surprise. She put her case on the overhead rack before sliding into the seat after Jareth, glancing over at Tsitua and the unknown woman as they arrived. Despite believing that she’d made the right choice, the young Seer was tense. Was she being forced out of her depth? And if so, how far?

@TheMinorFall

Fire and Ice: The Ghoul Wars

She saw the flashes of distant places, the bits of battles, and...a friend? A rival? It wasn’t clear. But none of that was significant, none of it told her what kind of person he was. Some of what she saw burned, like drinking tea before it had a chance to cool. Amuné shook her head to clear it, and frowned. There was something dark there, after all -- perhaps she shouldn’t trust Mouse. But then the demon sent him flying, and she realized she’d misjudged the source. Next to her, Jareth yelped in surprise, falling back several steps and looking around to see if there were others. The Seer had dropped the handle of her bag and now stood ready to fight, her knife in her hand. But there was no need; Mouse handled the demon, turning it into dust.

It was a moment before she could finish processing what he’d just done, and slid the knife away. “What the heck did you do to him?” Jareth was trying, without much success, to keep from goggling at Mouse.
“...Actually, I’m rather curious about that myself,” Amuné admitted, watching their escort as she retrieved her suitcase. I’ve not seen many attacks able to do that, not without needing time to prepare.” She heaved it up so she could get it down the stairs better and she and her friend descended after Mouse into the subway.

@TheMinorFall

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

In the cell, Amuné's eyes went round as the roar reached her ears. "Wyth," she breathed, her fear fading for a moment. She'd not heard him use it often, but she knew the cat when she heard him. They'd come to rescue her, of course they had. But did that mean the bad things she'd seen were going to happen? Torn between relief and agonized dread, her tears made the world around her swim, and she could barely answer when the older Ydran man asked who Wyth was. And then the muffled voices of Cecil and Ethan reached her ears as she strained to hear if any of the others were there too. Or...she thought it was them. Was it just wishful thinking? No, Wyth would make sure they came too, he was a smart boy, and he'd have brought help. The guards still in the room were all distracted, and there were metal bars in between her and them. She called for Wyth as loud as she could, though the girl fell silent with her mouth going dry when one of the slavers turned to glare at her, and threw a small stone their way. It rang off the bars, but Amuné got the message.

---

Wyth looked around the room after taking out the man that would have backstabbed the funny boy, but the only other was the one his girl's two friends were struggling with, and that one was quickly subdued. Then the boy smashed the door down. The cat's ears turned that way, and he tried to locate sound or smell of his girl. And he heard her, yelling his name, closer now but still not close enough. The gaping hole was the right general direction, and no one beyond was expecting the door to be removed in so forceful a fashion. It would do.

He bounded through the hole where the door had been, Cecil's gauntlet soaring past him as the cat swatted down another slaver. They were everywhere, swarming like a nest of rodents, some panicked, some fighting. He charged a second, missing the kill and instead taking a chunk out of the man's arm, but the guy had no interest in fighting further, instead fleeing to somewhere less dangerous. Wyth growled over his shoulder at the strange boy, and the man his girl liked farther beyond. This was the way to go. They would find his girl, and they would rescue her.

Fae Courtis: The Wylde Hunt (Reboot)

@LadyRunic I do understand. And I appreciate being told what I did right in the end -- I was considering asking so I know for the next time I run into this sort of situation. I do have a few concerns myself still, and if Zahrale isn't around I'll need to take them up with you directly, but as you said you need a break and they can wait until later. I don't think most of them will impact anyone save me. I will say that I enjoyed what rp there was, and I think you're very creative. *hugs* Go kick life's butt, Runic!

Fae Courtis: The Wylde Hunt (Reboot)

@Belle *hugs* Stay safe!