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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:27 pm
He'd come with a purpose and the theory proved to be true. If you sought the house with a need strong enough, it would appear. Before, Israfel had simply stumbled upon it, not he'd sought it out, hoping to get answers. Or, if anything, hoping to just apologize. He hadn't forgotten the human they had killed, nor, the fact that apparently others felt killing was justified. Murder was never justified, not to him.
The clatter of broken stone from a statue made him shudder. What had caused it? Had there been more fights in the house? More killings? He didn't want to think it was possible, but the extreme lengths that it seemed his peers felt they had to go worried him. Looking at the blue pendant wrapped in the scrap of lace, the siren frowned. He'd fought Lizzy for it because he simply wanted to. Apparently he was out of Seeds for his action but really, it was starting to make him think the group was on it's was to becoming extremists. Terrorists even, and not the good kind of terror either.
Kicking a stone across the floor, wings drooped slightly. He wanted to find a hunter. The house would supposedly lead him in the right direction...wouldn't it?
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 11:05 pm
Everything that had happened in the recent meetings had given Madison plenty to think about - both good and bad. And the meaningful glance Caelius had given all his Death trainees had not escaped her notice. Her a** was somewhat on the line, here...
Well. Bring it. This was, in theory, what she was good at, especially after she'd talked a big game before her promotion. The (almost) end of the world had thrown off her plans, but maybe now she could redeem herself somewhat.
Still, the Death trainee wasn't quite ready to head out in the golems just yet. Instead, she passed through a very different portal... heading out to the Haunted House, on patrol. A bit of a walk to clear her head, in a place free from any hint of the Insanity-fog, at least in theory. Not to mention largely free of other beings, which was definitely a boon after being crammed into the caves with no privacy and little comfort.
Madison's footsteps rang on the floor of the corridor as she entered, just in time to see a stone skitter around a corner. Instantly, she was on her guard, sliding one of Kouki's blades out of its sheath several inches. "Who's there?" she called out, warily. It might be another Hunter, or it might just be another trick of the house.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 11:48 pm
Click went the heels on the floor, click click click, clatter. A rock skidding along from a bump. Looking down at his feet Israfel wondered how far he'd walked. Perhaps he'd gone in a circle or he had simple taken a long route. That, or there just were no hunters.
That thought was cast aside by a voice. Walking casually closer the origin of the voice, he held his hand at his sides. "Israfel. And you?"
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 8:54 am
Israfel - okay, not a Hunter then. Had to be a freak. Madison carefully slid the sword free of its scabbard, moving slowly so that the unsheathing of the blade wouldn't make any sound to alert whatever this Israfel might be. It was strange, though; the response had sounded oddly... casual? Not on guard, necessarily? Weird, for a freak.
Maybe it was just that cocky.
Madison put her free hand on the hilt of another sword, then moved, walking on the balls of her feet to soften her footsteps. She darted forward, whipping around the corner and bringing up the one sword she had out into a guard position. "You're one of them, aren't you? The little monsters?" she demanded. Her entire stance spoke of tension and readiness; if he made a hostile move, she'd be ready.
But, thanks to that odd tone and Caelius' recent conversation, she was ready to be less aggressive.... for now.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 11:52 am
Were humans always this skittish or was that just for hunters? Looking her up and down, her watched her face. She was..young but old? Earwings gave a small flick as he wondered if humans had a certain age they were considered adults or if it varied. These were idle thoughts, not appropriate for the current situation. "If by them you mean a monster, yes, I am a siren. If you mean little as with age, no, I am very much an adult within the terms of my race." Smiling he moved over to the wall, trying not to make any sudden movements. "I am also not little with other factors, but, that is neither here nor there, or of any possible interest. I distract myself."
Another once over, he paused at her weapon. "You won't need that. I'm not here to fight and would rather avoid it. I rather... came looking for you. Or one of you anyway. Hunters." The word was said blankly, no hint of anger or bitterness. "I wanted to... apologize for what happened here recently. Ask a few questions if possible."
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 1:07 pm
"Apologize?" A look of genuine startlement came over Madison's face. That had not been what she was expecting to hear... "Okay, sure... but I'm going to keep my weapon anyway. You guys usually don't say you're sorry, so..." she said, evenly, though she did lower the blade in her hand to a more relaxed position. "How about this: you don't go after me, I won't go after you. Deal?"
He didn't look like too much of a threat, anyway. That brief startled feeling went away, replaced by rapid thinking. What on earth was this all about?
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 3:50 pm
Was it really such a foreign concept? Did humans not say sorry to each other often? Human really were a bit confusing. If she wanted to keep her weapon out, "Fair enough. They keep saying you're all liars and full of tricks. Not surprising that you might think the same with us." Saddening really, but it couldn't really be helped.
Looking around, a small bench of carved wood, the siren motioned for her to sit, himself taking the opposite end. "I could start with the beginning, or the ending. One starts with my classmates, another, with them killing one of your's." Holding up a hand he went on. "I will not betray them, but I cannot allow them to break our laws. I have my reasons for seeking one of yours out..... but it for their sakes. I worry for what paths they have chosen." A sigh. "Hunters you might be, but you are still human. Nothing justifies senseless murder." A razor's edge of anger. "Nothing."
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 5:02 pm
Madison studied the freak for a moment longer, then nodded and sheathed the blade, though she did not unsummon her weapon. She gave the boy a wry, crooked smile. "Liars and full of tricks, huh? Tell that to all the people that died to give your kind more FEAR. You don't want to know what they did to the kids, I bet... is that what you're sorry about? All the dead kids, and the dead dogs? 'Cause, no offense, I don't think you were responsible for that s**t." She raised one eyebrow at him.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 6:54 pm
Well the weapon was gone, but he doubted she was any less at ease. Her accusation was met with a briefly angry glare then a look of resignation. "It's against the law to kill humans, and only a select few can, having taken training and gotten licensed. I cannot speak for them, or tell you their methods, simply as I don't know." He held his hand out. "I don't know who they target or why. All I know is that some of our kind are allowed to kill. I do not agree with it, but that is not what I am here for."
Reaching into his coat, the pendant was pulled out, no longer glowing. "Before your kind arrived on the island, did whatever it was you did, if you were the cause of the horsemen's fall or not, a hunter came here, to this house, expecting to have Invictus captured and delivered to him." Israfel placed the pendant in her Direction.
"The hunter called himself Stacey. I was able to keep hold of this." Wings shuffled. "I don't know what happened to the rest."
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 7:03 pm
Madison stared at the pendant, genuinely surprised. "Stacey... I knew him," she said, quietly, giving Israfel a calculating look. "How did you get this? What happened to him? I, uh... thank you for bringing it. Anything you know, we can... we can tell his family, y'know?"
Okay, so she had no idea if Stacey even had any family in Deus - probably not - but it sounded good. This was surreal; the freak wasn't responding in the ways she was expecting. She kept having to readjust.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 7:29 pm
Knew. Past tense. Having known. He was dead and gone and the siren had been unable to stop it. "Let me start with the beginning then. Some of-" he waved his hand in the air, "criminals, were taking, capturing our kind and giving them to your hunters for whatever it is you do. One of my classmates got involved and wanted to put an end to it. A group formed, I being one of them. The plan was to say that Invictus would be captured and delivered. We posed as the heir, leading the ciminals to the boogeymen. They were put away. Gone. but..." He sighed. "We confronted the hunter, Stacey. We fought. He torn the wings from Hel, ripped out Shun's eye. But we subdued him, tied him up. he was rather...cordial really. I get the feeling, looking back, he hated us, but it was not personal? That sort of thing."
Again, wings shifted.
"The pendant was known to be of use, and he dropped it. I found it, kept it. They voted if he should be killed." His voice sounded sad. "And that is what they did. They killed him. They reasoned he would hunt them down, that keeping him alive was worse. That by breaking the law, by being murderers, they were in the right." He bristled. "It was wrong, and when Lizzy came for it...I would not give it up. They had, they have done enough."
He offered the pendant to her. "It is wrong of us to keep it. It was not ours. I am sorry I cannot... could not, do more."
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 10:13 am
Of course it isn't personal. You aren't people- But then, they kind of were, in a way. Kouki was, at least, though maybe that was because the Hunters had given him structure and form. He wasn't one of them any more. "Thanks," she said, subdued, filing away the information this Israfel had so thoughtfully provided. When offered, she took the pendant, studying it for a moment before tucking it away. "It's... yeah, it's not personal. I don't have any idea who you are, y'know? Someone attacks you, you defend yourself... that's how the Hunters started in the first place. Scaring, yeah, whatever, that's one thing. I get that you guys are made out of our fear. It's what you do, what you are, I can respect that. But you gotta draw the line somewhere, and my line is kidnapping and maiming and murder... kinda like you, I guess."
She sighed and sat down on the floor, peering up at Israfel with a sad expression. "You don't know what we've done to help protect humans. We've given up our whole lives... I mean, we get some good stuff," she added, tapping one of Kouki's hilts with obvious fondness. "My weapon's pretty much my best friend, y'know? But it sucks that it has to be this way."
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:53 am
Nodding he relaxed. The pendant was back with someone who could at least return it. "You're welcome. I think while it is not personal for you... may of my kind think it is? About.. 12 Octobers ago, we were told that we were heading out on a feild trip. A storm caught us and we- I believe it was your island we landed on. We didn't know what was going on. Some of us were captured and corralled. We couldn't get home. We wanted to escape. We wanted to escape badly, yet we didn't know what was going on. Trapped we ran until Nox and others found us, helped us get home. Without knowing, we had invaded, and in that... we didn't understand. The house, this house..."
A finger traced the carving of the bench. "We still did not understand. Why were you here? Why did you want us? What had we done? Then Red... she had one of your weapons, fought against you to protect us. For whatever your reasons, I do not know, but in the end it was undeniable she would have killed us all. They say it is all your, the hunter's fault. That it was your people who killed her. I think... they have become blind in their grief to understand the simplest truth. No matter what started it, the fact it took you to end it, to in a way save us...The say it all your fault. Red was not an idiot. She ran her risks and put us in danger while trying to protect us the same. We cannot blame you for that which you did not control. What you did not cause."
"Anger runs deep for us. It boils under the skin and burns and blisters in us until we begin to bleed. We know only violence from you, no doubt, you know only the same from us. That is... that is why I am here." Looking at her his gaze slid down to the weapon. "I want to understand what you are. You say you started with defending your kind. You say I do not know what you have done to help others of your kind. What have you sacrificed? What is your goal? Why were you at the Isles of the Clans?" A deeper look to the weapon.
"And is it true, they are forced to become... your weapons?"
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 9:38 am
"You guys, on the Island... huh. I think that might've been before my time." Madison shook her head. "How did you get there, anyway? A field trip? If someone's trying to use you guys as fodder, that's..." Familiar, she sighed, internally. "Kind of crap, actually."
She considered the boy carefully before answering his questions. "I'm a human, born and raised," she said, matter-of-factly. "I dunno if you've ever been to our world for real - this place kind of doesn't count. It's on the edge, or something. But most people don't do this whole... dress up in white coats and carry weapons against the darkness or whatever. They have lives, I guess like how you do. And then some of them get snatched up out of those normal lives, tortured, and killed. Just so some Halloween monsters can get a little more FEAR." Her hands clenched into fists for a moment, remembering the Lairs they had seen. That part... no, she didn't have to fake her anger at what she'd witnessed.
"I had a normal life, y'know. High school, football, cheerleading, homework... but I gave it up so I could protect the humans who couldn't protect themselves. I just want the killing to stop. That's all... and that's why I was at those Isles, too. The Horsemen are - were - the worst at taking and killing my kind. They wanted to kill us all, all at once... I dunno what that would've done to your world, since our FEAR is basically what keeps you going. The whole thing just sucked. Sometimes all you get is shitty choices."
The Hunter heaved a sigh, but a flicker of a smile appeared on her face. "Yeah. My weapon came to me because he chose me. I couldn't have made him choose - he did it all by himself." She tapped the hilt again with the same fondness. "Kind of a weird career path, but it was his choice. I'm Madison, by the way," she added.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
Crew
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 5:19 pm
The siren's fingers had gone back to picking at his lace. "Boats. Ships. I am not sure how we reached the island other than a storm. I... I don't know why. I suppose that is our own fault for being so trusting of our elders, though, I don't think they aimed for us to be fodder. Maybe a diversion perhaps? Hard to say, they seemed genuine when they wanted to help us escape in the end." A nod, he was still positive they had not been lead astray in that respect. "As for the human world.. Once. It was a trip to see how we should scare. You don't touch, you are not meant to be seen. A human woman who could see us...she was wary, but I do not think she hated us? I think she simply understood that scaring is just what we are, and as long as we did no harm it was not the worst thing. Though personally, I think the coats are quite fashionable. I'd make some but I fear that my peers would not appreciate the fashion as I do." Ear wings drooped at this.
The idea of torture repulsed him, and it was easy to see in his face, and her reach out before pulling back. No touching. That was not something that was allowed. "I... I am not sure what football or cheerleading is but we have homework. Is it as bad?" It was an innocent question. Blinking he realized his mistake. "Sorry, tangent." The words that horsemen were bad was not a surprise, but he would be a liar to say it didn't slightly shock him. "....You are..brave to give up your life. But..are you sure? About the horsemen? They truly wanted to kill all of you kind? I... if they did it would mean.." He shuddered. "It would be a death sentence."
He smiled as she talked about her weapon. "....That was not a lie." A small chirp came up unbidden. "He chose you, chose this path...and I can't see a lie on your face. Madison." He said the name slowly, like it was foreign.
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