#soulstagger

[bluemooncove]

Context has finally been given. Though it only made Akari feel pity. The poor girls. Whoever this mistress is, she was cruel. Had she twisted her against her will and made friends fight friends.

"It's a pleasure to get your name Airi but you've made some assumptions. Bleeding out slowly? I don't quite think so. I've been in worse positions in the past and somehow I've survived. It does really hurt though. Maybe medicine just isn't as good where you're from? Oh! Yes! Flavia did make it sound like it was a century behind!"

It was as much true as it was a bluff. This was perfectly savable by technology or magic but that required her to have access to it. At the present she was still slowly losing blood and if the knife came out it would be much worse.

"It sounds like there's another puzzle piece I'm still missing though. This Hanya person. Sounds like she's important to you, Flavia? If you going back will keep her safe and that's what you want to do, I can't very much stop you. I don't think you should but sometimes we do thinks we shouldn't to protect folks."

She is vaguely aware of the way Flavia has been looking at her while she fiddles with her cards. Like she just me be considering acting against her. Not that she could blame her much. It sounded like Airi was someone important to her. Despite the circumstances. Besides, she knew better than to fully trust someone. Everyone's got something that will change their mind.

She began stepping towards Airi as the other reached the doorway. It was sickening to see the extent of the injuries that she caused but she continued to move forward anyways. That was until they met one another at the threshold.

"But if that is the case and she does want to go, I really wish you brought it up before stabbing me. Then neither of us would be making a mess of this nice place Miss Iwamoto. I'm sorry, by the way. Healing or not, it looks like I got pretty vicious."

It's then that Akari makes use of the other side of her abilities. The ones that seemed so much harder to use but almost felt natural in an emergency. She tapped the wooden sign that hung above the cafe and from it sprouted a vine with an apple atop it. An unnatural sight that she took into her hand and held out towards Airi.

"I don't really know how you work but if you can eat, take this. It's not a normal fruit its packed with energy that should help you get on your feet. Uh ... if you can't eat then let me eat it and then ... I guess you can bite my wrist. As long as it's not going to turn me into some sort of vampire or other monster." She glances over her shoulders towards Flavia. "Hey if she bites me will it do anything weird to me like that?" She then glances back to Airi. "But know if you try to drain me dry, I'll freeze the blood in my arm and let it expand inside you."

Her own concern and Flavia's had intermixed. She couldn't not try to help her now. Not when it seemed apparent that Airi was as much a victim of all of this as anyone else.

"I don't much like this but I'm not going to hold Flavia like some treasure in a cage. She's her own person and she can make her own decisions. But we're both going to respect it."

"You don't.." Flavia tries to fight it, her body reacts with a surge of control but Akari's quick to bat her hands away, even push her back as she continues to hold out against the waning effects of the thralls voice.

Her eyes glance down, ashamed of everything, yet when they look back up, they stare past Akari at the thrall. As if looking upon a friend that's hurt, biting her lip she tries to pull her hands down to her hips.

Her hands try to fumble at her cards, though none of them can cross the boundaries like the one she needs card stock to make, the rest can easily be used for quick jumps in distance.

She wants to toss them to vanish with the thrall, to save Akari... and to save another.

The thrall herself, pulling her cut up bloody body from the ground. Some wounds closed, others remained over closing far slower. The cool air chilled the dead blood inside, a smile across her face as more ice blasted by her.

"Flavia, your new friend is so fascinating. She's so much more fun than pathetic little Hanya." Indeed the ice stopped some bleeding, but the thrall seemed hardly concerned for this, as if her life wasn't worth anything.

Or maybe, she just didn't think the other would be so bold to kill her... or at least, that Flavia might not let it. Such a foolish girl.

"You want to save me? Save her?" The thrall crawls forward, digging through ice to stand at the door frame. Her body is a gross mess, for someone who hasn't seen this carnage, it might be hard to stomach. For Flavia, it's far too common now.

"Why don't you tell her Flavia? Our silly Flavia who.. the moment she met you raised her arms in defiance, yet saw me and froze up. You who could freeze us both solid...who could do this to me.... She looked fierce.. ah ha.. even hot I bet, but now she's cowering. Flavia~ Flavia!"

"Tell her.."

Flavia shrunk at the command.

"She's... Iwamoto Airi.. she was my classmate years ago, her and several of my friends.. they always looked out for me, cared for me.. and then." Flavia clutches her chest, her body is mostly hers apart from her voice.

She grabs her cards and holds them close, though she's free from the spell she's half unsure if to act against Airi or Akari. She can't lose either of them, "They went on a trip, I was sick... I had to stay home. But they never returned, until earlier this year.. Airi.."

"Airi please. She's offering to help, we're far away from Edina. Please, I can fix it. I ca-"

"Quiet! Hey hey Akari~ Don't you see...if you harm me, she'll be beside herself. But our value is diminished, Edina wants us home now. And you're bleeding out slowly... can you risk it silly girl?"

Airi drags her body another step forward, blood oozes across the ground. Undead blood, thick and dark. "She'll come back to see you. I promise, it's her right to travel far. But she knows if she doesn't check in often enough.. we'll pull little Hanya limb from limb."

"Think about it~ A-ka-ri, you get to be her little comfort friend. And if she visits the right away, I won't be dragged along. It's always the first trips right Flavia? That you need stock to return~"

[madharemuses]

Starter for @soulstagger:

Her master had been unclear. 'Clean up the streets'? Did he want her to solve the ongoing mysteries or do trash pickup? Marianne had decided, just in case, to do both. Mysteries by night, cleaning by day.

The streets of Estoria are quite clean already, common access to magic means good sanitation, and proper waste disposal. So mostly her 'cleaning' was things like trash pickup and the sweeping of leaves.

And then... a card, in front of her. Not one of her own cards, this one had no suit, but it definitely felt magical. She wasn't prepared for a fight, she's standing there with a broom in on hand and a bag of litter in the other. Her hands are full, and it wouldn't do to just drop them, it's improper!

And then, the card becomes a door, and someone comes out of it.

That... can't be right.

Her eyes must be playing a trick on her.

Simply, this is impossible.

Because this person is...

"...me?"

[casinorabbit]

Starter for @soulstagger (Flavia)!

Yuuna was...surviving through her day off. High on cocaine and with a mix of boosted confidence and a death wish while she walked through one of the many alleys in Kabukicho.

She didn't want to admit it, but after her encounter with Jeanne, all she wanted to do was forget the witch for a little while by getting high, get lost somewhere, hope she got assaulted- even if deep inside, that was simply the way that her mind had to torture her.

Perhaps almost as if her brain could conjure the kind of dark thoughts she was having, a pair of guys approached her when noticing the lonely girl, quick to approach her with ill intention and intimidating her until she was against one of the walls.

"Hey, sweetheart...don't you wanna spend some time with us? We can invite you for a drink."

Yuuna, who was already holding a can of an alcoholic cocktail in her hand alongside a cigarette, looked between the drink and the two men; the drugs in her system boosting her confidence in a rush of anxiety that made her act even more impulsively.

That all of a sudden, she got a shot of adrenaline when realizing she didn't want these men to touch her. She actually didn't want anything to do with them. She didn't want to get abused. She-

"I'm actually not in the mood for that. What if ya get lost, asshole?"

She didn't think anything through. She just crushed the can in her hand and threw it in the direction of one of them, same with the cigarette which was still on.

It's not like she could blame anyone. She was currently going around dressed like someone who was wanting to catch the eyes of some random perv, but as soon as she tries to rush past one of them, the other grabbed her by the arm and pushed the girl against the wall, making it so that she was trapped against it.

"Hey! Cut it out!! I'm gonna fucking bite your dick OFF!"

His hands went to her chest, which was uncovered and lacking a bra, under the cloth of the hoodie. Yuuna wasn't even wearing any panties, either. She has been wanting to go for a quick fuck, but not like this.

"Look at those eyes...come on. Let us have our fun and we may not call the cops on you for drug usage and public indecency."

Now she was really fucked. Last thing she needed was for someone else to blackmail her or something. Last thing she needed was to end in jail for a few months, to not talk about the fee.

...she was really praying someone with some heart found her now.

[magicaldreaming]

@soulstagger

There wasn't any way she could sit back and do nothing anymore. She watched and observed how that girl, sweet talk and frolic with all those other whores and tramps.

"Filthy harlots! All of them!" Niobe threw a vase into a wall, smashing the clay vessel. Her attendants knew to leave when she got in this mood. Though one brave soul dared to approach the divine femcel. With the bold suggestion to why not summon the one she desired to herself.

"That is... A most agreeable idea thou hast given. May thee find success in a future endeavor." She thanked the servant with a blessing, which the servant took and ran out of the chamber while her luck was still in her corner.

Last time, the first time, she went to Flavia because she had prayed for deliverance. This was different, she had to put in a bit more effort. To find that divine connection. And with golden thread cast into the ether, she grabs Flavia and yanks her to her temple.

"Flavia, thou hast accomplished much I've seen of your journeys and- What pray-tell has happened to thine visage?"

[auntie-browning]

@soulstagger plotted for a starter

“Boxcart White Six to Wardaddy, over? Boxcart White Six to Wardaddy, please respond, over! Damn…those Sangvis work fast…”

M1918 bit the bottom of her lip as she tried to fiddle with her radio to no avail. All com channels resulted into the same garble of static coming out from her side. Despite the occasional broken up voice, she wasn’t able to discern anything useful from the words spoken out. To be quite honest, the doll seemed rather impressed with how fast the SF were able to deploy ESM and ECM operations while advancing in a rapid pace. Either they were really fast on the swivel when it came to electronic warfare doctrine or they had been planning this offensive for a long while.

“Blast! Looks like I’m not communicating with anyone any time soon. Oh, I just hope the rest of the echelon were able to retreat safely…Would hate to think any more of my girls are trapped in here with me…”

The doll began to trepidly pace deeper into the forest, nervously worked up about the lack of information she had. Although, her worries weren’t unfounded. The Sangvis Ferri had launched a devastating counter attack against the lulled advance of G&K forces within the AO of Sector 09, threatening to envelop a company-sized force in one fell swoop. It was no wonder that high command told them to egress back away so they wouldn’t get enveloped. Still, the withdrawal wasn’t without its own casualties. Many good dolls were either knocked out without possibility of recovering their frame or MIA after being cut off from the rest of their forces.

Much like how she was now, but her predicament was more self-inflicted on her terms. M1918 opted to stay behind to delay the advancement of a column of Manticores through a small town in the Ukrainian countryside. Her echelon had rallied in the city to resupply and reorganize after a few skirmishes in the surrounding forests towards the East. However, once word came over of imminent armor passing through, she had no choice but to order her echelon to go on without her so they wouldn’t get decisively engaged long than they needed. 

Using what little time she had on hand and what little supplies there were, the blonde devised an improvised anti-tank trap to lock down the Manticores for a little a while. Two IEDs, one ahead of the column and another in the back. Not enough to destroy the convoy but enough to slow them down for the time being. Of course, this plan wouldn’t exactly come without any sacrifice. To ensure the explosives would really go off when they needed to, the doll had to stay behind in order to set the IEDs off. Leaving her as another loss until she could regroup back with her trench line…where ever that may be.

Really, M1918 was more impressed she hasn’t taken any fire yet considering the winding paths and roads were visibly abuzz with Sangvis activity. Not being completely stupid, she egressed over to the nearest tree line she could find to lay low for the time being. The blonde would need to move but she’d want to actually move closer towards safety than blindly wandering around like a headless chicken only to get mauled by some element of Dinergate passing through. That’d easily be the low point of her entire military career for sure.

Thus, the doll marched further into the realm of trees, weapon in hand as she scanned the surroundings for Jaegers or Rippers patrolling around. She knew that it was too soon for them to be securing these more wooded areas but she could never be too sure either. Strange things tend to happen in active warzones, after all…

[adventurersdelight]

The deep golden rays of the setting sun kiss the pristinely pale skin of the violet-clad huntress. The tricorn cap upon her dark locks keeps what sun is left from her deeply purple eyes. The horse she rides does not share the same luxury as the two enter the shaded tree-line that runs the forest's edge.

While she would normally not venture out of her way to reach a quiet patch of woods, the intel she has gathered revealed something interesting: a bloodsucker. While the culprit has covered their tracks enough to hide a reputation, Rebecca's instincts howl that she would find an undead leech in this direction from what she has heard.

The huntress gives her steed a reassuring pet behind the ear before nudging its side. Together, they enter the woods, so quiet that the ambient noise of supplies knocking against each other on the horse's back travels farther than the eye could see.

Rebecca peeps not a word herself. No reason to when her only companion could not reply. No reason to when the only other living beings are leaves, bushes, and roots. No reason to when she does not wish to alert anyone that inevitably hears her horse trotting of her presence.

Her initial search begins, the huntress tracking whatever signs of a vampire she can uncover so that she might remove a stain that terrorizes the living.

@soulstagger

[musou-fuuin]

@soulstagger replied:

"You can cry all ya want. It won't change the rules."

[goldenshxrds-archive]

@soulstagger

"You know this is the third time you've come here, knowing I don't work on guns, and requesting exactly that. I hope you haven't been telling anyone about this."

Of course repeat business wasn't something they should scoff at, Shannon themself having brought out a cleaning kit that seems...hardly used save for practice and Flavia's previous requests.

"The same as usual then?"

[ebb-n-fl0w]

@soulstagger

This world was a dark one. Even with the sun high above, midday by all standards, the world was cast in a dreary twilight, and everything had an oppressing aura to it. There was so little natural sound to fill in the gloom, which made footsteps a heavy, resounding constant and the lurking of horrors in the dark all the more apparent.

This was a place of survival and struggle. Fighting for one's life was as common on the streets as it was in the wilds...

So Merah had to take whatever opportunity she could while she still had it. Finding an enclave of survivors was hard enough, but one this particularly well-established meant sneaking around would be a whole other challenge. Despite her best efforts, she was bound to be noticed, limping between whatever objects were large enough to hide her slight frame.

Not to mention her injuries... the knife couldn't heal everything. Mending flesh was easy, bone not so much, and her ribs ached with every movement. She fought her pain to keep silent, just enough...

To make it to their storage. Once she slipped through those doors, if no one was able to keep up with her, she'd disappear inside and have plenty of time to take what she needs.

First and foremost, medicine. "Please, for the love of something, let there be painkillers..."

[dracomultiverse]

@soulstagger for Ida

It was night time in the area where Ann lived. The young woman had already had her two hours of sleep and was ready for the nightly events...in her case dreamwalking.

From her apartment, Ann closed her eye and focused on her magic. Suddenly the young woman woke up in what at first seemed to be a dark place, but it soon filled with many bright 'mirrors'. Each one showed a dream that someone was currently having.

Ann spotted an interesting dream, one that someone, who seemed to be a witch, was having. It did not take long for Ann to drift towards the mirror and enter it.

When she entered Ida's dream, she would look around to see a hallway of mirrors, these were clearly not the dream mirrors Ann was used to seeing, so she would begin wandering the halls, staring at her reflection as she did so. "What an interesting place." Her voice echoed out loud for the dream's owner to hear.

[severed-hearts]

Starter for @soulstagger!

Loud short blasts ring against Ellen's ears as bullets and beams rain just behind her. Thankfully with her enhanced speed, she doesn't take any hits and manages to find some cover.

Normally this would be fine and give her a chance to reload and recover, but in this position, she's stuck between gunfire and a wall, being nothing more than a sitting duck unless she wants to risk peeking out.

After she's finished reloading her gun, she sighs exhaustively and bangs the back of her head against the steel crate behind her. So far, all of her work chasing wanted men has gone smoothly. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before she slipped up like she did now.

Frustrated as she is, she's not keen on giving up. She peeks out to fire a few shots before ducking back in. Judging by the choke she heard, it seems like she managed to hit at least one of them.

Not that it matters much though, as there's still half a dozen guys out there and she has no where to run.

It seems like she doesn't have much of a choice. Instead of running out and gunning them down, she's going to wait for them to come to her. And once they're close enough, she'll mutate this body and take them all down brutally.

But wait, is that... the crackling of electricity she hears? Shit. Nonononono! Not a stun gun! Of all the things!

Her eyes begin to dart around the garage she's in, desperately trying to see if there's anything that can help her as her enemies start closing in on her.

[bluemooncove]

"No need to apologize. This is no intrusion, you came at my invitation." She gives a brief curtsey in response to his bow. Armor Knight always did find such polite young men.

"Indigo Isakova, meet Beauty the Beast." Beast is right. The expression on her face seems almost more akin to a monster than an elegant woman. "My humble pleasure to be introduced to you. So many interesting fellows have been coming to my guild lately, so when my Quartermaster informed me as a new visitor I just had to take the chance to meet him."

Oh wow! Now that she has reached the bottom of the stairs it is becoming quite apparent that she's remarkably tall. Like a super model! Actually just a bit more than that. To the extent that it may even be a little uncanny. As she makes her way to her desk she's practically looming over him.

"I've heard all of this about a magical armor and a woman that knows the mystery of it. Very interesting stuff, yes, but the goal is far less interesting than the journey. The journey? Only as interesting as the person on it. If you're to stay here I don't want to know what you have or what you're seeking. So tell me Mister Isakova, who are you? Tell me about yourself."

She takes a seat. Then glances over at the nearest mirror. A brief startled expression sprouts on her face. It's only there for a moment before she's suddenly drawing something from the drawer and patting herself on the face. When she's done there's a rather sheepish look on her face. The unnerving aspects of her expression were softened greatly.

"Ah, my apologies, I was called upon for this just as I finished resting. You know how women are without their makeup on. Ah but ~ that's about me. I want to learn about you."

He doesn't really catch on, but there's not a lot of time to think about it, not when Armor knight is dragging him off with those strong arms. He gives a little friendly wave when he can, but the rest will have to come later. He's kidnapped off to meet the master.

Or at last, in a few moments. He's still waiting here, there was still so much more to explore too, and he's waiting. It's truly a tragedy.

"Wha! But without you.." Who will kidnap him from awkward encounters now? Still with such an appointment made, one shouldn't waste time. With a polite bow, Indigo scurries by without all his stuff.

Indigo enters and stands calmly, his hands are at his backside, held together politely as he observes the room. As expected for a master, it's far over the top compared to anything else he's been in.

"Ah~!" Indigo lowers his head the moment his gaze hits her, bowing politely with hands at his sides. "Forgive my intrusion!"

"Indigo Isakova, my humble pleasure and privilege to have this appointment!"

[madharemuses]

@soulstagger

Utter darkness, that's where the card brought her. Just as the first time, but now that carpet was against her face.

For a moment, she might swear she was alone in the great hall, but a candle flickering to life would dispel that fear. Step after step, someone approached, until they were looking own at her.

This... was not someone she knew. She could only see her face in the candle light, the rest was blurry. But it seemed to be an older woman.

The figure stooped down, staring at her silently. Until a smile cracked upon her face.

"I see. So it's you."

A hand reaches down, over Flavia's face, urging her to close her eyelids.

"Sleep for now. When you awake, there will be Light."

If Flavia was in better shape, she may have seen the playing card drawn, before she was forced to sleep.

...

..

.

When Flavia awakens, she's in a bed. Not in a bedroom as before, but in a small enclosure, surrounded by curtains. Next to her, on a stool, is a familiar face.

She seems to be spacing out.

[alchemistdetective]

Once Rirune's off to their room, with a little pizza to snack on, Ida's gaze turns from the Sensei, to over her shoulder.

No longer is the mirror tracking her from the same angle, Ida turns and faces it.

"Well?"

Just like that the mirror grows, and Ida climbs right on through to plop herself in Chloe's lap. The mirror all but vanishing just like that.

"What did you think? Played my role well as promised didn't I? Even kept you a lil expressive but vocally reserved, a polite good girl for your Sensei to see."

"They even think you're growing up, a little more freedom maybe? Cute right?"

"... Frustratingly good."

She watched the other sit on her lap, before patting the other's back in attempt to brush her off.

"I was hoping you'd choke somewhere, but on the other hand, it does show that my shapeshifting potions are able to fool even Sensei, if he didn't notice anything."

"... But you managed to succeed in your task, so I'm going to give you an offer. What do you like from me?"

[magicaldreaming]

@soulstagger

In another galaxy, on a small world named Galatea blessed by gods and inhabited by heroes there was a temple dedicated to one of their divinities.

Niobe reclined on her marble bed of purple and red velvet pillows, drinking from a cup of solid gold as she listened with boredom in her eyes to the banal prayers of her priests. Another round of champions coming to receive her blessing, more disappointment of her own prayers never being answered.

The goddess wanted more than this, but Galatea was all she had ever known. Rather the land her temple existed on was all she did. Never had she crossed the seas, let alone the skies. However this night she gazed out into the stars, a primal urge in her very cells urging to see what's out there. Other worlds? And would these worlds even have the perfect man for her? With a fat bank account, hard muscles and even harder *ahem*.

"It seemeth that my mind has strayeth too far. Some fresh air will do well to remedy this." Slipping on some silk robes, she steps out of her temple and gazes deep into the starry sky.

"Hm?"

Something. So very far away, there was something. A faint, glimmer. She could barely see it, but she knew what it could be. A plea. A prayer of guidance, of aid for one in desperate need. One in circumstances absolutely beyond their control. It was so very faint but she knew what it was, she could feel the tiniest hint of this faith offered to anyone to take it.

"I prayeth thee that no one else comes to aid thee in thou hour of need other than myself." With that, she vanished in a snap.

[auntie-browning]

@soulstagger New Chapter Starter

Grass swayed with violent intent as mid-autumn gales swept through the open planes that the pair found themselves in. The sun had been blocked by afternoon clouds that threated to blot out the sky with a sickly grey miasma that threated showers to come. Aesthetically fitting considering the other miasma that she couldn’t seem to be rid of beside her. Shades of violet peer back to her as the doll banks her head over to peer beyond her peripheral vision. She really didn’t need to do so. Ziatrix’s oppressive aura was strong enough to mark where she was at all times: Right behind her and ready to consume once Browning no longer…amuses her anymore.

Many nights have passed since the encounter that intertwined their fates together, many more till Browning could even move passed the purse silent treatment she gave to that beast. Try her might, she didn’t seem to have the resolve to just ignore her jailer any longer. Besides, if they were going to try and fulfill the conditions she had placed down on their ‘relationship’ she would need to coordinate clearly with this horrifying amalgamation of souls. Even if it’s leading her to an eventual end…

“…Don’t fall behind. We don’t have much more ‘til we’re finally there…”

Some odd kilometers left to go, at least that’s what she recalls from the last road sign seemed to signify. Shortly after awaking from the scuffle the pair had that night, Browning demanded that the two were to leave that dimension and continue travel some other place. She couldn’t stomach the idea of continuing from where two innocent people had been consumed only for the continued existence of that…thing. It’d also help not having to deal with the real possibility of being linked with the disappearance in some way. However, she’d be lying if she said it was more of a pragmatic choice on her part. She just didn’t feel comfortable having that kind of blood on her hands, even if she didn’t spill a drop. Partly the reason she also left all those items behind as well.

“I’d ask if you were tired and wanted to take a break…but I think we both know the answer to that question pretty well. However, I’m creeping onto my heat build limit and I don’t want my processor to throttle. There’s a level clearing coming up without much tall grass. Might be a good place to rest for a bit…”

Her sideways glance over to the short crime against humanity carried some scrutiny along with her words. Sure, she’s beginning to talk properly with her…’companion’ once again but that utter contempt still loomed over them like a specter. She just couldn’t move past the ugly truth beneath that human form. Tangible malevolence was real and it chose her out of everyone to hitch a cross dimensional hiking trip with. Just peachy…