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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
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Post by Vespyr on Dec 11, 2011 2:12:58 GMT -8
Sunset Vigil
Isaiah carefully picked the last remaining flecks of tuna from the rim of the empty can with his fingers and sucked on them gratefully. He savored the lingering fishy taste despite the fact that it was the only thing he had been eating for several days; he knew he was lucky to be given a can of tuna each morning at all. Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate to let him and his twin starve. Evidently they were actually needed for something now other than to be her punching bag, figuratively… and literally.
In fact, Isaiah was beginning to like this new life. Aside from only being able to see his brother for a minute or so each day before the other would collapse into sleep from exhaustion, it was pretty ideal. He would sleep for a full twelve hours and then wake up to a can of tuna and a day of standing guard at the gate until the sunset, when he would fall asleep again until the next dawn. There was an almost contented glimmer in his amber eyes when he stared into the sunlight and scanned for disturbances in his surroundings. The glimmer would have actually been there had he not been standing there for ten hours already. His legs felt like stone.
It was nearly six in the evening and the sun would be setting very soon. As the shadows of trees stretched tiredly across the nigh-twilit ground in preparation for slumber, Isaiah yawned. He gazed out at the dimming world—the hostile land in which unknown dangers lurked—with a chilled feeling settling into his heart. But soon he would be safely asleep. He only had to wait a little longer.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up and darted to the sidewalk path. There had been a sound—distant, but clear—resembling footsteps.
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
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Post by Leta on Dec 15, 2011 15:40:19 GMT -8
She broke it... she fucking broke it!
Leta gathered her things angrily from her room.
Of all the things to do.. OF ALL THE THINGS, she broke the ONE thing that kept me sane.
She Stuffed her bag full of clothes and various toiletries. She grabbed her last government issued check, and the extra money she had in her change jar. Remembering the pocket knife she'd gotten that night with Ric, she grabbed that too.
My piano....
Leta punched her pillow and grabbed that too. However, in a fit of rage, she forgot to count her steps out of the house, and rammed into the wall next to the front door.
"Ffffff......" she clenched and unclenched her fists while leaning her head against the wall, trying to contain the rage. She then calmly opened the door, and walked out.
Emma, Leta's roommate, decided that she would break Leta's piano in an act of vengeance as Leta, allegedly, took on of Emma's cigarettes. She could have ripped up some drawings, or locked her in her room, or replaced her bath water with acid, or any other cruel and unusual thing that Emma has the means of doing, but no. She chose to smash the one thing that brought Leta happiness. Art that she could experience time and time again. Music. She took away her method of escaping the world and it's malice, so she was going to escape in the only other way possible: to leave.
She briskly walked down the sidewalk trying to clear her mind. She didn't know where she was going, but that didn't matter. She was out.
She made her way on to a more isolated path. It was nice. Quiet.
What's that smell? Tuna? Doesn't matter.
And so she kept walking.
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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Vespyr on Dec 15, 2011 16:12:49 GMT -8
Shit Hurtling Toward the Fan at the Speed of Light
Straining his eyes to see through the haze of twilight, Isaiah spotted what appeared to be the top of a white-haired head bobbing just above the line of overgrown hedges several hundred feet away. Immediately a pang of fear struck him in the chest and he set down the tuna can and straightened up as rigidly and guard-like as possible, doing his best to keep a straight face despite the obvious frantic widening of his eyes. He stared at the approaching white hair, wondering why she had been out in daylight. Isaiah was always fearful when she changed her habits; there was no telling what she might do to him. Them. Titus!
Titus was still fast asleep. His shift had begun about thirty seconds ago, when Isaiah had first noticed the sound of footsteps. He had been distracted! Titus had overslept because of him! There was no telling what she might do to his dear brother—or both of them—if Titus was caught asleep on the job. Isaiah had to wake him up, to warn him. But Titus was about twenty feet away and the bobbing white head was due to clear the line of hedges any second. He could not raise his voice lest she heard him and discovered why he was yelling. There was only one thing to do.
Isaiah picked up the empty tuna can and threw it at his brother’s head.
It made contact with Titus’ skull, making a hollow sound before clattering twice on the ground and then rolling away into the darkness. Titus opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, his amber eyes flung wide open, looking bewildered. He saw that the sun had gone down and he scrambled to his feet in a panic, hurrying over to where his brother stood; Isaiah was staring through the fence with a blank look on his face. It was a curious look. Titus followed his gaze and saw, to his surprise, the blind girl that she had ordered them to beat up several weeks ago.
He recalled the humiliating defeat with a slight redness coming to his gaunt cheeks. Cheeks pock-marked with small scars from… millions of tiny splinters of wood. The Twins both seemed to wince at the same time, but were otherwise silent. Staring. Unsure of what to do.
She had told them to keep watch…
But she hadn’t told them what to do in the case of an actual trespassing.
The Twins looked at each other, their eyes fraught with panic. They looked at the blind girl again. Titus tapped his brother on the shoulder and gestured frantically behind him, at the general vicinity of the building one floor above them. Isaiah disappeared into the shadows, his urgent footsteps echoing through entirety of the garage. He clambered up the stairs, through hole in the chain-link fence, and toward the door of Vespyr’s building. His fist pounded meekly on the door. Several seconds later it opened and he was seized once more by a familiar terror.
Meanwhile, Titus would continue to stare in silence at the approaching girl. He wondered desperately why she was coming here, of all places. Didn’t she know where she was going? Did she want to die? He wanted to yell at her, to tell her to turn back and run, before she crossed the Rubicon of death and it was too late.
But his voice had been beaten out of him a long time ago.
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Leta on Dec 16, 2011 11:52:54 GMT -8
Leta walked in silence listening to her surroundings. Most of which were birds. Or wind echoing through a building a couple hundred yards ahead. It emmanated a strange whistle sort of sound. Kind of ominous and sad. She walked angrily and with a harder step than usual; the kind of step a child would have if they were throwing a temper tantrum.
With the sound of a can crashing to the ground, she became more alert. Unless trash had somehow found it's way to a remote area like this, there were people here. She continued to walk in the same direction, but now she held her head high, and changed her demeanor to more cautious than angry.
The there was a clambering of footsteps echoing through the structure which she had heard before. While they appeard to be running away from her, she didn't know what to do. She stopped dead in her tracks, and listened. The footsteps continued to make distance.
Leta did the only thing she could possibly think to do: walk to the side of the path, and wave her arms about until she made contact with a large stick. Her only option, it seemed was to venutre forth. At least she would go near the raucous unarmed.
She took a few cautious steps forward, holding her weapon in both hands, but below the waist.
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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Vespyr on Dec 16, 2011 16:05:51 GMT -8
'So We Meet Again...'
A sound—possibly familiar to the girl—would be heard in the distance, resounding quietly off the walls of the garage and growing steadily nearer. The sound of... footsteps.
But these footsteps were unique; agilely hushed, yet heavy enough to be ominous. They tread across the broken ground at an unhasty pace, yet with grave purpose. A very specific pair of boots made their way toward the front gate. Their owner was not pleased. Along with the staccato sound of the boots was another set of footsteps, but these were much less evenly paced and appeared to tripping constantly. Occasionally the footsteps stopped briefly and were replaced with the sound of someone being dragged. Across the floor littered with broken glass and used needles.
When they reached the gate, all fell silent.
Vespyr glared through the fence with much agitation simmering in her narrowed eyes. Not only because her guards were useless, but because the face she was staring at was familiar. The last time she had seen it, it had been dripping blood and fraught with fear. Had she returned seeking revenge?
Vespyr almost hoped so; it would be laughable.
“Well.”
She’d remain silent for a few moments, watching the girl’s face for any change, any sign that she recognized the voice.
“You seem a bit lost, girl.”
Her voice had taken on a mocking tone, the corners of her lips having twitched into a bitter grin.
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Leta on Dec 21, 2011 17:47:47 GMT -8
Those footsteps...
Leta's eyes widened, and her hands quivered.
They were leisurely paced, determined, and easy to recognize. She walked with a message that said, "Don't run. We'll catch you anyways" so she stood there, not knowing how to react. She shuffled a few steps back and braced herself for something, anything. She remembered how she sent those... those dogs on her last time.
A second set of footsteps followed beside the mal-intentioned girl. They sounded injured, and stumbled often. At some points it sounded as though they were being dragged.
Leta cracked her neck, and composure. She needed to focus this time. Remembering the girl's good bye, she knew that focus was of the upmost importance.
"Well," there was a pause. Leta narrowed her eyes. "You seem a bit lost, girl."
She gripped her stick tighter and took a deep breath before answering, "I'm not looking for trouble. We can pretend this meeting never happened." Leta listened for a response. "I was just... passing through."
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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Vespyr on Dec 22, 2011 0:41:59 GMT -8
Dead End
“Nobody just ‘passes through’ here, girl. This is your final destination. The only other route is death.”
Three more footsteps, a pause, and the sound of the metal fence shifting a foot across the ground. Vespyr’s footsteps resumed, but at a much slower pace—they grew imminently near, but remained at a constant distance and began to circle around her—like a cat cruelly taunting its prey before it darted in for the kill.
“What I mean, of course, is that you have two options…”
Almost immediately after the ominous words would reach the girl’s ears, she would feel the stick in her hands jolt forward suddenly as Vespyr’s long arm darted through the darkness in swift silence and grabbed in the length between the blind girl’s fists. She would yank the stick back forcefully, giving the girl almost no time to let go before she would be thrown to the ground on her stomach. If the maneuver were successful, Vespyr would swivel 180 degrees on her heel, stomp her boot heavily onto the girl’s back, and lean over to whisper a sinister ultimatum into the girls ear.
“Die now, or work for me.”
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Leta on Dec 30, 2011 21:06:34 GMT -8
Her voice oozed cruel intentions. Her walked, distinct. Determined, confident, carefully planned, steady, and sinister. She was almost catlike. A stray cat who picked up a few dogs to help her with her prey. The prey: Leta.
She was an interesting character, and thrilling to observe. Leta respected her in the sense that she wouldn't challenge her. If she were to have it her way, Leta would slink off and never come back. However, she didn't respect her morals.
The footsteps approached, and Leta stiffened. She felt a sharp tug on her weapon, and immediately flew to the ground.
This routine again...
A boot stomped on her back, and the girl leaned in. She spoke softly into her ear. Her breath was hot, but the words were cold.
"Die now, or work for me."
Leta sighed. Great... She let her head fall to the floor, and reached out ahead of her. She grabbed the first rock she felt, and toyed with it.
"Why would I want to work for you...."
She thought back to what the man had said at the park the other day. There was a war going on...
"What do you have to offer aside from my life?"
Leta clenched the rock in her palm, and it turned into dust. Sand clot. She searched for another rock and began to toy with the new one.
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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
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Post by Vespyr on Dec 31, 2011 2:19:25 GMT -8
Benefits
Vespyr straightened up, no longer whispering into the girl’s ear. Her eyes fell on the rock in the girl’s hand but she ignored it for the time being, a small, malicious grin even growing on her face for a moment. But to answer the girl’s question…
“Aside from letting you live? Security and protection. We’re at war, girl. You won’t last long on your own; but with us, you stand a chance.
And if that’s not enough reason for you—we’ll even teach you how to survive on your own.”
It was a fair offering, for a small price. Even though the price always seemed phenomenal at the beginning… those who made it through the training alive realized that for all their pains, it was a liberating experience. Still, Vespyr expected the girl to be stubborn, and wouldn’t yet ease the pressure of the boot on her back.
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
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Post by Leta on Jan 5, 2012 11:16:48 GMT -8
She was right. People were at war, and she had no place to go. And that's essentially what she was offering: a safe place to go. Leta would have been looking for a place to be anyways, but with her... They hadn't exactly started off on a good note.
A few moments passed, and Leta still had her face in the dirt, unwilling to lift her head up. She lay there motionless, and pathetic.
"What choice do I have...?" she said to herself. Her breath caused a puff of dust to move to either side of her head.
"I assume I wouldn't be able to leave." She lifted her head up and brought her hand under her chin.
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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Vespyr on Jan 7, 2012 20:38:49 GMT -8
Worth A Shot
"Not until you're ready."
Vague. Ominous. Vespyr glared down at the top of the girl's head and noted distastefully what pathetic effort of a fight she had put up. The same as last time. This girl showed very little promise, if a little intimidation and a half-assed display of violence was all it took to drive her to her knees.
Or in this case, completely into the ground.
But as with all of the new recruits, she was worth the attempt. Vespyr had faith in her system; thus far she had successfully turned many simple street scum into hardened, undaunted killers, though several others had been killed or committed suicide in the process... She merely risked wasting her time should this girl prove herself to be what Vespyr had suspected all along: crow food.
Vespyr removed her boot from the girl's back and took a step to the side with her arms crossed casually over her narrow chest. She paced around and loomed over the girl's head, glaring down at it.
"Get up, if you value your life at all."
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Leta on Jan 21, 2012 20:01:17 GMT -8
It wasn't that she was weak, or even that she didn't value pride. Leta was a rational thinker. Upon focusing on her surroundings, she could hear the nervously quiet movements of feet in front of her. The girl could have any number of her dogs around. Not only did she have strength in numbers, but that of brute force as well. Clearly she was not afraid to use that. No doubt she would take full advantage of Leta's disability to kill her if a wrong move was made.
The foot was lifted from her back, and the girl proceeded to pace around her. Leta dragged her other hand underneath her chin, remaining on the ground, thinking.
She tried thinking of anything new. New possibilities, options, thoughts, anything. But with every passing second all she could hear were her footsteps. Each one progressively getting more clear. Soon they began to echo. It was infuriating how loud they became, but it was as though she couldn't escape them. The girl could have already walked away, and she would still hear them. She clenched the pebble tighter, hoping to silence them. Closing her eyes, she heard the answer loud and clear: there was no escaping her new fate. It might hurt a lot to be here. But she had no other choice. Sure, she could try to fight and run. But was it worth it?
Leta stood.
Crystal, forgive me.
Being here will absolutely be a new start. A new start of what, she wasn't sure. But with a new start, something must end. The old story must die eventually. This girl was bound to crush it. Like a sand clot. And it would be replaced with a rock.
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"your hide will make a fine poncho." |
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Post by Vespyr on Jan 22, 2012 14:11:58 GMT -8
Leaving the Nest?...
Silence passed like an ominous breeze between the two white-haired females standing face to face. Vespyr glared into the other’s sightless eyes. Her violet irises rested at a slight downward angle, as she had a few inches’ height on the girl. At that angle she needn’t even glare with such vehemence to give off an air of cold condescension, but glare she did, venomously.
“There is one thing you must do before we take you in. One test.”
Of course, the girl’s choice in the initial life-or-death decision was not enough to grant her safekeeping. Choosing not to die was easy when the choice was all hers; dodging death when she was forced to put herself in its path was not so easily done. If she could abide this, then and only then would the Rogues take her, a fledgling, beneath their clotted wings.
“You will leave here. You will hunt and kill one of the abnormal, white-haired soldiers among those who are responsible for the present chaos. Bring me the head, or die in the streets.”
Like a shadow, Vespyr slunk back toward the darkness of the garage and re-attached herself to the larger mass of shadows within.
“I’ve got my eyes on you.”
...She was never in it to begin with.
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Leta on Jan 30, 2012 11:28:49 GMT -8
Kill an abnormal, white haired soldier? .... How the hell am I supposed to find one?
Leta turned on her heel and walked in the direction she came from, hoping to cross paths with one of them. If she didn't, she would be killed regardless.
Besides. If she were to be killed in battle, it wouldn't matter. BUt if she were to kill another in battle, she could easily prove her worth to this girl.
Alright, girl. I accept your challenge.
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Sometimes blindness is for the better.[A1i:2][A1i:2][A1i:2] |
PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Leta on Mar 12, 2012 21:01:05 GMT -8
Leta walked back up the trail with two things. A boy, and the head of an experiment. J1613 was young--about 13 years old. There was a sad lifelessness in his eyes. The boy who was accompanying her was also about 13 years of age. His name was Pablo. He had given Leta refuge and weapons in her time of need. He was the reason she could successfully kill one of them.
Unfortunately, he had amnesia. So, Leta was faced with the challenge of correctly explaining all that had happened concerning the severed head, her several burn marks, her lack of a shirt, the blood splatters everywhere, and the bloody chain around her neck. She would leave out the part where his commanding officer--his big brother--died.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but trust me on this. You have no where to go. You family has deserted you. We ran away. We're all we've got, Pablo... Stand by me, and I promise you. I will remain a loyal friend."
"Where are we, though?" he would ask.
"We're going to meet a.. girl. Hopefully she'll accept you as well..."
Pablo gulped loudly, wondering why she was suddenly so tense.
"We're here." she said flatly.
She would wait. Her dogs would likely be there, waiting to send the word.
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