|
|
Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 16, 2019 12:38:43 GMT -5
"Hang on. I think yer onto somethin'."
Lobo placed a hand under his chin. "You said you didn't think about it. That it just happened. Maybe that's yer style." He gave a grin. "That's how I roll. I don't think about it, it just happens. Maybe it's a wind thing, maybe it's just us." He walked over to a table, placing a menu up.
"Don't think about it. Just do it. See if you can't make this menu fall down, or at least move."
---
"Kelsey. Raunen. That's enough for now."
Loba removed Kelsey's heel from Mic's wing, and summoned a watery hand to push Raunen slightly back. She motioned for Mic to sit back down on the chair, face stony. "I know you two are pissed, but what will killing him actually accomplish? Dead, any information dies with him." The watery hands broke into droplets, forming a cloud around Mic's head. "We're going to do Good Cop, Bad Cop, Worse Cop. It's very similar to Bad Law Enforcer, Worse Law Enforcer, Rabid Law Enforcer."
She motioned to Kelsey. "She's the Good Cop." She then motioned to Raunen. "He's the Bad Cop."
Loba suddenly smiled serenely as the water got closer to Mic's head. "As for me? I'm the Worse Cop. Please don't make me subject you to water torture." And then, the water returned to being a harmless cloud. "So. You will tell us everything you know and why you were exiled. And please, don't lie to us."
---
"I mean, I had a bunch, I just- I..." Will stomped out the now-empty cigarette. "... What do you mean by his body?"
Lark merely smirked.
"What the hell is that look for?! You give me a straight answer for once in your life, you snowy-haired bastard!" Will grabbed Lark by the shirt, pulling the shorter man up to his eye level. Lark merely scoffed, warping out of the blonde's reach.
Lark unfurled his cloak, shimmering, before settling into a volcanic environment. "Go. Go save your sister or something."
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 16, 2019 17:02:10 GMT -5
"STO-HO-HOP...!!!" Mic wailed at the top of his lungs, cradling his chest and clenching up as if trying to disappear inside himself. "I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS! WE'RE ALL JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE!"
---------------------------
"Well, okay... as long as you think we're on the right track..." Paul mumbled warily, watching Lobo set up a new training method. Before he could dive back into the exercise, the commotion at the front of the building drew his attention, leading him to notice his teammates standing around the angel on the floor and kicking him while he was down.
"HEY...!!!"
The air in the club seemed to shift ever so slightly. The pages of the propped-up menu shuddered a little.
Before Paul could walk over and diffuse the tension, however, Loba seemed to beat him to the punch, sitting the green angel back up in his chair and initiating a... less abrasive approach at interrogation. As much as he didn't like where the situation had been going, he felt inclined to leave the others to it for now, at least until they lost control of their emotions again. Still, Paul had to take a moment to cast Kelsey a stern frown, earning a sullen scowl in return until she looked away with pursed lips and folded arms.
The dragon man took a deep breath and turned back to Lobo, raising his arm in preparation. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"
---------------------------
Kelsey said nothing as Loba nudged her away from the intruding angel. She didn't try to change the direction they were going in. She simply folded her arms and looked away, the tone of Paul's voice and the look in his eyes boring into her soul, urging her to relax at least a little. It was clear what he was trying to do, specifically in her case, and she had to concede that he wasn't exactly wrong for doing so.
Still... if only the sentient lie detector in her head would get off his high horse and actually contribute. But then again, it was her own fault that he wasn't.
Mic sniffled pathetically, picking the tissue box back up and cleaning his face off as best he could, if only to give way for another wave of tears. He clenched up again as Loba summoned a cloud around his head and made clear how the conversation was going to proceed, prompting him to hug the tissue box to his chest and restrain himself from emptying his waste processors in every color of the rainbow. These conditions were not conducive to building trust. How exactly was Kelsey the good cop?
"I-I-I..." Where was he supposed to begin? "I told you... I... I discovered information I wasn't supposed to know. Plans within plans. Th-The Keruv's intention to... to kill many of you... to kill Paul..."
Kelsey lifted her head ever so slightly, staring coldly down at Mic. "His intention to use Paul in a ritualistic sacrifice to accumulate more power?"
Mic timidly stared back at Kelsey, taken aback only for a short while. She already knew. Of course she already knew. Well, in that case, there was no sense in beating around the bush. As such, he meekly nodded in confirmation, then he continued, "These kinds of violent intentions... underhanded tactics... sending that behemoth to kill someone who didn't deserve a death that cruel, knowing he could've just as easily destroyed us as well... I couldn't stand for them. I wanted to stop it all... but I couldn't. Not by myself."
He pulled out another tissue and covered his face in it, letting it soak with tears and at least a little of Loba's vapor. "I feel like the only reason they didn't just kill me is because they know I'm no threat. I'm a pushover, I know. I couldn't hurt my own people. B-But that doesn't mean I want others to suffer such atrocities."
"You do know that in situations like this, for one thing to live, another thing has to die," Kelsey stated, keeping her tone level yet indifferent. "Your people are a threat to us. With incentive, we may very easily act just as gruesomely."
"I know..." Mic hung his head. "Please, you... you must understand. Conquest, honor, might makes right... it's just our way of life. I never thought anything of it. At least not until I saw how low we were willing to sink to obtain it."
Though he was hiding it rather well, Mic was rather impressed with how well he was handling this. Those who knew him best knew that he was a terrible liar. Whatever he knew, whatever he felt, he felt an instinctual obligation to be honest about them. The fact that he had conveyed this message so cohesively might as well have been a stroke of dumb luck.
Or maybe he was just finding it so simple to tell them all of this because he was being wholly, unabashedly honest.
---------------------------
"This was why I wanted to talk to Kelsey..." Scott sighed. "Whatever the hell he's prattling on about, she probably could've filled us in on in a distinctly less cryptic manner. I mean, what can I do in this situation? Threaten the information out of you with my angel gun? Somehow I doubt that would accomplish much."
The officer scowled at the mage. "Given your ties to Leanne, I want to believe that this isn't a trap. That you aren't just sending us to a lava pit to be cooked alive. Prove to me that trust isn't misplaced. Just tell us what we're gonna find down there."
|
|
|
|
Post by ColArana on Mar 17, 2019 21:14:02 GMT -5
As Mic howled in pain, Ranuen glared even more harshly. "We're all trying to survive. More than that, we want the people we care about to survive you shit!" He snarled at Mic. Seeing an enemy former-enemy like this... It both left a bad taste in his mouth, and really pissed him off. "Is there even a single bone in your body, or were you just born without a spine?" He snarled out. Ranuen had a lot of respect for people, willing to stand and die by their beliefs. He had an understanding, and even sympathy for people who would flee for their lives. Not everyone could be brave afterall. But this? Crawling to your enemies and selling out your own people? Despite the horrible pain in his chest, that the angels and Vutezoth had dealt to Ranuen, despite his anger and frustration, he still respected them as enemies. Was this really their true colors?
But Loba stepped in, asking Ranuen to step aside. Still trembling with rage, the swordsman abided by her request and stepped away from Mic. Loba broke down the situation Mic found himself in. And it wasn't a very nice situation, to be sure. Ranuen had no qualms with that. His eyes were still glaring holes through Mic's head. He was bad cop, huh? That could work. As if to punctuate Loba's statement, Ranuen cracked his knuckles audibly, in front of Mic, to demonstrate he was not afraid to deliver a full no-holds barred beatdown that made his previous punch and kick seem like love taps.
Loba was proving... very good at interrogation though. Ranuen didn't have the mindset for good interrogations. He'd get lost in it, and just try to beat the information out of someone. Loba seemed to know what she was doing. So Mic's argument was that everything was happening above his head. And it seemed that Mic was held in contempt even by the angels themselves, and regarded as spineless. Ranuen's jaw was set in a hard line. "Conquest, I can see. Might makes Right, makes sense. Honor?" Ranuen spat. "How the hell is what you're doing here honorable?" He growled out. "How is what you've all been doing honorable?"
|
|
|
|
Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 18, 2019 18:34:49 GMT -5
"Hmm. Yeah, survival. More like a means of distracting everyone from overthrowing the government," Lobo muttered when he overheard Mic. He didn't say anything when the interrogation got a little physical, Loba was on it. Oh, she knew how to interrogate someone without having to play a finger on them.
His eyes turned to the menu. Did it move?
"... Yeah, she's got this. Trust me, I would know." Lobo rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways. I saw that. You made it shudder without thinking." He exhaled into his hands. "I'm thinkin' your style is to not overthink this. Let's see if we can't repeat that, shall we?"
---
Loba stared at Mic, taking in what he just said.
She exhaled, and formed watery hands, bringing Mic's face up to look at her.
"Paradiso lost her honour the very day she began conquering other planets." Her voice was at a normal volume for once. "Do you remember the tales of the missing Keruvim, the very siblings of the one you speak of? Do you wonder why they went missing?" The watery arms fell, splashing on the floor. Loba pulled herself to her full height, hair covering her eyes.
"The princess died from heartbreak, because of what her soldiers did to not only the worlds they conquered, but also what they did to their own people! The elder prince took his own life out of guilt!" She flipped her head, eyes burning with a sort of fury. "And you... you have the gall to say that Paradiso ever had honor..."
Taking a few breaths to calm herself, Loba pushed her hair out of her face, expression stoic again. "... For now, we will take your word. But you will be under my supervision night and day. And should we find out that you lied, or that you intend to backstab us, or cause any sort of harm, you will be ash on the floor. Understand, Minokawa?"
---
"You won't find much. Or rather, you won't find anyone that's a threat to you."
Lark looked up at Scott, smirking. "Oh, fine. You'll find demons, the natural enemies of angels. As far as they're concerned, any enemy of Paradiso is an ally of their's. Just, please, remember this." His voice dropped slightly. "Never piss off a demon. That just may be the last thing you ever do."
Will stood for a moment, looking between Lark, the cloak, and the floor. He looked down, sighing. "... Fine. Just do it. For Leanne, if anything else, you snowy-haired bastard."
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 20, 2019 15:23:19 GMT -5
"...I did?" Paul was momentarily stupefied by Lobo's statement, staring blankly at his hand. When did he move the menu? He wasn't even trying to channel the wind that time! This whole matter was starting to frustrate him slightly. "Well, great. How am I supposed to actively utilize wind and lightning if I'm wholly dependant on not being conscious of it?"
He slumped a bit and let out a low sigh, turning away from Lobo and casting a deadpan stare at the interrogation taking place on the other side of the room. He had no idea what was going on at that point, but against his better judgment, he honestly felt sorry for the exiled angel. The guy was an emotional wreck, and here he was being stared down by some of the most intimidating people Paul knew.
Wait... That sense of deja vu was back. The angel... Was he...?
With another slight groan, Paul faced forward again and thrust his arm out.
There was a deep whoosh. The atmosphere rumbled and grew cool. The menu fell flat on its back.
Paul's jaw slacked. His tail twitched a few times. "Okay... Like that."
---------------------------
"THAT...!!! That- That's not what I meant...!" Mic whimpered shrilly, somehow curling inward even more, his eyes like faucets on full power. It took him a moment to regain at least a shred of his composure, then he looked back up at the assembled group, chest pounding, wide eyes pleading and begging.
There was an odd look on his face. A distant stare, as if he were experiencing an epiphany and simply letting that revelation mindlessly pour out of his mouth.
"All my life... a-all I've cared about is helping my people. Creating something that could improve our lives, our culture, something. I-I want to believe that this desire was genuine... but... when you get right down to it... I guess there was a part of me that wanted the recognition that came with it. Because... the heroes, the figureheads, the ones who shake the foundations, who change the world as we know it... they're the ones who are honored. They're the ones who matter."
The tears stopped. His breathing slowed. He stared down at the tissue box in his hands like it was his own still-beating blood thumper. In that moment, for perhaps the first time in his life, Mic felt numb.
"I still want to make a change. I guess I just never realized how much we needed to change."
He suddenly felt ashamed to be wearing his brother's name. Mino had probably figured this out a long time ago.
Turning back to the group, Mic meekly continued, "So I'm begging you, please... I want this brutality to stop... but I don't want to watch the good in Paradiso die. You can argue that there is none, but please believe me when I say that there is." He gazed into Loba's eyes, his own orbs full of a warmth that hadn't been there before. "Maybe not directly in Paradiso... but good things have come of it. Like that right there."
Kelsey looked away, her cold, hardened expression unfaltering. She was still loathe to take this angel's words at face value. Or at least she wanted to be. She recognized that look in his eyes. That look of realization. A struggle to come to terms with something that had been right there in front of him, yet he remained blind to for so many years. Longer than Kelsey had been alive, no doubt. Whether or not he meant every word he said, she couldn't deny the effect that a heavy dosage of reality was having on Mic.
She turned to Loba as the older angel offered Mic an ultimatum, to which he responded with a nod. Then Kelsey spoke up, "You still haven't answered my question. If you're serious about helping us stop this war, then any direction you could point us in would help. So... do you know where the commander may have sent troops?"
Mic took a deep breath and wiped his face off. Just like that, the little green angel looked like a completely different person. "I-I know that he had ordered a dispatch to investigate the southern rainfor-GCKT!"
FARAVAHAR DAMMIT, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!!
"Ranuen, you still with me?" Kelsey asked almost immediately after receiving this information, splitting away from the group and making her way towards the back room. "I'm taking off as soon as Val's done talking to Flint."
---------------------------
"I feel like that goes without saying," Scott sighed. In any other situation, he wouldn't approach a situation involving demons so casually; he could hardly let his guard down around Kelsey. But considering they were up against angels, he could concede that there was precedent to the situation Lark was thrusting them into.
"Alright." He took a deep breath and braced himself for whatever fresh hell awaited him and Will. "No sense in wasting anymore time."
|
|
|
|
Post by ColArana on Mar 20, 2019 16:11:20 GMT -5
Ranuen looked down at Mic. Finally Mic had said something that satisfied Ranuen. Motives he could understand. ...Human motives, he supposed he could call them. The desire for recognition, and to create change, only to realize how rotten it was at the top? Yes. He could understand that. That didn't mean he forgave Mic though, but that answer at least wasn't going to trigger another kick in the ribs. "Was that so hard?" Ranuen growled at Mic. And then Mic suggested a detachment had been sent to the Southern Rainforest.
Ranuen walked towards Kelsey. "Of course I'm still with you." He said, shrinking back down so as to be a more portable size for Kelsey to drag around. He decided not to ask about her statement regarding Flint. It confused him slightly but... Well. He supposed he could always ask Kelsey on the way to the rainforest if he got really curious.
|
|
|
|
Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 20, 2019 17:35:36 GMT -5
"Yeah. Like that." Lobo offered Paul an encouraging smile. "Whatever you just did, do it again. Do it until you can do it consistently." He went to prop the menu back up.
"Look. Don't beat yourself up. It's more unusual when someone gets wind right on their first go." He shrugged. "That's the thing with wind and earth. They're less likely to do your bidding than fire and water, but I'd say it's worth the time. And no, I'm totally not biased as a wind guy myself."
---
Loba said nothing as Mic had his emotional fit. No response to his desire for recognition. Nothing when he sold out his own people. It wasn't until Mic said that she was something good out of Paradiso that she responded.
"I severed my ties to Paradiso long ago. Don't lump me with them, Prasino." Her tone was cold, not something that normally came out of her mouth. "... If this information lets us end the invasion in one stroke, I will let you go. But until then, you are staying here, with me." She glared down at the little green angel before her. "As our prisoner, hand over everything except your clothes. You are not to leave this building or touch anything but the floor without telling me first. If I am in my roost, ring the doorbell. Do not knock on my door."
There was the sound of a door opening. Val came out of the back room, tears dry and face stoic. Flint floated behind her, slightly grinning.
Loba looked at the blank-eyed man, then at Kelsey. She nodded in understanding.
"... If you're going somewhere, take me." Val's voice was back to its normal low tone at least. "Who knows? Maybe I'll get my revenge early. Probably not. But better than here."
The temperature of the air immediately around Val fell just slightly.
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 20, 2019 18:56:49 GMT -5
"Okay... I guess practice makes perfect." Paul sighed, brushing his hands off on his pants before taking on a loose stance and facing the propped-up menu again. He wasn't going to think about it. He was just going to do it.
A few seconds to get a rhythm, a deep breath, and then Paul threw his hand up again. Other than a slight stirring in the air around him that dissipated once it surpassed two feet, nothing happened. Paul grunted slightly, but didn't let the blunder bother him. He simply tried again and again, yielding basically the same results with varying, gradually increasing velocities. For no particular reason, with each new attempt, he swung his arm in several different arcs. One successfully summoned gust of wind did manage to knock the menu over, albeit with a light push as opposed to his previous powerful shove. Immediately after that, he pulled if off again with the same technique and the same results.
"Alright! Think I'm getting somewhere!" Paul chuckled, swaying from foot to foot as Lobo reset the menu again. Seeing what he was capable of, really getting a grip on it, was genuinely starting to excite him again. "Few more tries. I wanna see if I can get this down consistently."
He closed his eyes, getting back into his rhythm. The wind was there. He was constantly, subconsciously aware of it. He simply stopped trying to control it and just let it flow through him naturally. That seemed to be doing the trick.
He lifted his hand again. Then he stopped. His smile faded into a cold look of intrigue, though his eyes remained closed. Something seemed to demand his focus. Something... deeper.
Wux... Wux shilta tir desta.
As the breeze flowed through him, Paul became aware of a new rhythm. A powerful rhythm. One he'd felt before. He thought it was his nerves the last time, but as he let himself become immersed in this sensation a second time, he discovered something entirely alien and yet unmistakably familiar. The beat of his heart, echoed by the pulsing upbeat of a phantom second heart. It was soothing. Warm. And yet it filled him to the brim with a vigor unlike anything he'd ever experienced. All at once, as he surrendered to the storm within, Paul felt the enriching peace of a deep sleep, the bitter sting of death, the rejuvenation of rebirth, and the untapped, untamed fury of nature. Of the universe itself. Of the planes between. Of everything that was both beyond him and inside him.
Static rippled around the dragon man's outstretched arm. His hair danced in the whirlwind that started to engulf him. His eyes shot open, blank white and glowing with a white hot intensity.
---------------------------
"When did I say that was a bad thing?" Mic asked Loba honestly. And with that, he had nothing more to say.
He grimaced anxiously as Kelsey and Ranuen walked away. He knew what would happened, and he knew it would be on his head. But what could he do now? If he tried to stop them at this rate, any semblance of trust he may have garnered during this interrogation would be lost. Either way, he was going against orders, and he still had his hang-ups about that in spite of his epiphany.
Not wanting to think about that anymore, Mic turned away from the departing duo and turned back to Loba, nodding timidly to every order she issued. Internally, he was heaving a great sight of relief that he tucked away most of his projects along with his normal jacket. Losing any of those prototypes would just make him feel even worse. All he had to offer Loba was his secondary notebook. The newer one that so far only had some design sketches and lists of parts he would need for them. Give him some credit, he knew better than to walk into Paul's vicinity with all the notes on him Mic had gathered.
---------------------------
"Glad to see you guys are doing alright," Kelsey sighed, sadly glancing between the siblings. She turned to Val with a firm nod. "Ranuen and I are heading south. I doubt the dragon will come into the picture there, but considering what I'm about to do, a little extra help would probably be for the best. And it'll definitely get us one step closer to putting every one of our enemies six feet under."
Then Kelsey looked up at Flint. "Up to you if you wanna come with or go back to my soulscape for now. For the sake of fairness, I'd rather not make the decision for-
FWOOM
An almighty gale swept through the club. A flash of white sparked to life in the back corner. The lights flickered and buzzed for a few seconds. The menu propped up on the table flew through the air and smacked against the wall.
Once the storm died down, Paul stared ahead with a strange calmness in his sharp yellow eyes, his hand still raised, his body shuddering with every deep breath.
|
|
|
|
Post by ColArana on Mar 21, 2019 16:44:37 GMT -5
It seemed Mic wouldn't be a problem. For now. He glanced up at Kelsey, prepared for the trip. Finally. Something he could do for once. His blade was ready, he could rest up on the trip there. He waited for Kelsey to be ready to head out as well. If she offered a hand up that was fine, if not, he could easily hop onto her shoe or something. For the first time since the fight with Vutezoth, Ranuen felt like he could accomplish something, and that was taking a small bit of the edge off of his frustrati--
And then the gale blasted through the club. At the size of an ant, and really no way of gripping the ground, there was no way Ranuen was keeping his position. In the space of the light flickering the swordsman promptly disappeared from beside Kelsey against his will, and was slammed against the wall of the club. "What was--" A glance up saw a menu flying directly at him. "Oh f--"
Splat.
Mercifully Ranuen had taken far worse, and this was really more of a minor annoyance to someone of his relative durability, but all the same. In the aftermath of the gale Paul had summoned up, both Ranuen and the menu fell to the floor, against the wall. "Well done Paul.... Ooo... there's a headache..."
|
|
|
|
Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 21, 2019 17:17:14 GMT -5
"... Whoa-ho-ho!"
Lobo had taken a few steps back at the sudden buildup of static around the dragon man, and instinctively flinched when the lights flickered. But the resulting gale? Knocking both the menu and Raunen around? "Yeah, that's it! That's what I'm talkin' about man!" He grinned, placing a hand on Paul's arm. "I dunno what you just did, but it's workin' for you! I think you found the breeze in yourself!"
Despite the heavy situation at hand, Lobo couldn't help but feel lighthearted.
---
As Mic handed over the items in question, Loba felt something. No, it wasn't from the green angel's stuff. The lights flickered. A gale blasted Raunen away. She looked up, in the direction of the gale's origin, to see Paul...
"Oh. I see."
Loba smiled despite the dire situation. It seemed as though their world's magic could be learned by those from other worlds...
---
Val's hair was blasted back, as was Flint's short jacket. The two siblings turned to face the wall Raunen slammed into, reacting with a deadpan frown from Val and a wince from Flint. "Ouch. I don't envy the dude now."
"And neither do I." Val looked at Kelsey, then at Flint...
"I'm gonna stay out. The human was nice enough (and tasty-looking), but the angel was a complete prick."
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 25, 2019 19:11:50 GMT -5
"Aw crap, Ranuen!" Awed as she was by Paul's display of magical aptitude, Kelsey's first instinct was to get down on her knees and check on the miniaturized mage who had just been hurled against a wall and sandwiched beneath a tossed menu.
Still seated in his chair, upright and rigid, jaw slacked and eyes alight with stars, Mic stared across the room at the blue dragon man who had just summoned an absolutely magnificent zephyr. He had seen wind magic in full effect time and time again, and yet the presentation of this aerokinetic prowess had managed to both metaphorically and somewhat literally blow him away, as it further accentuated just how much of a curiosity Paul was. It floored Mic to see... to feel such a powerful surge of raw magic from a creature that was not an angel, and it was coming from someone who was only now starting to learn the basics. He dare say that this simple gale carried whispers of the potential to exceed even the power of a Kovaltio.
Before, Mic had studied Paul with the deepest fascination. Now, sitting here in Paul's presence, witnessing firsthand what he was capable of... it was simply breathtaking.
Paul's cold, collected expression snapped to a blank stare the moment Lobo's hand met his arm, prompting the dragon man to briefly contemplate the event that had just occurred before his attention snapped to Kelsey and Ranuen. "Ah...! Oh geez, dude, I-I'm sorry! Are you alright??"
Ranuen's shaky praise and subsequent grumbles were met with sighs of relief from Paul and Kelsey. If the worst thing he was complaining about was a headache, he was almost certainly in good shape. The guy could take a hit, after all; they both knew that. Paul mustered an awkward chuckle, followed by another impulsive apology. "Sorry. Didn't know I had it in me."
"Well, I'm glad to see that you did," Kelsey murmured, turning to Paul with a weak, fatigued attempt at a smile, quite possibly the first one he had seen in days.
After offering Ranuen a hand, followed by a shoulder to climb onto, Kelsey stood up and turned back to Val and Flint, nodding to the latter. She understood where he was coming from regarding her angel familiar, but his quip about Jamie earned a hard glare. She would have to set up some ground rules if her soulscape was to avoid becoming a hellscape. "Alright, that's fair. Just give me one moment real quick before we take off."
Looking up at Paul again, Kelsey gently grabbed him by the arm and led him back over to Lobo, gesturing for the two of them to lean in and listen. "I'm glad you two are working something out. I, uh... I feel bad leaving you again, especially after what we talked about last night, but my goal is to have this little side quest done and dusted before sunset, when we'll undoubtedly need each other most. Paul... it's probably best if you keep honing these new powers, but for now, maybe try to do so as inconspicuously as possible. We both know that the angel commander wants you dead... but I've recently been made aware that he intends to make it so via a ritual that will bolster his power with yours."
"Oh..." Paul recoiled slightly, understandably unsettled by this news. Being marked for death was one thing, but knowing that there were added benefits the angels could receive from it would undoubtedly make the hunt for him more intense. "Um, well... guess that's all the more reason to develop better self-defense, right?"
"Yeah..." Kelsey nodded sadly. "When I get back, I know a place outside the city where we can lay low. Somewhere you can train in relative privacy while I'm... well, you know. It's not like the hotel is much of a safe haven in the state it's in."
"Fair point."
Kelsey then looked Paul's angel trainer in the eye. "Until I get back, Lobo, I'm trusting you to look after him. I wouldn't put it past these angels to take a shot at him while I'm out of the way." She turned back to Paul, then looked between them at the Prasino sitting up front, still staring at Paul with the wide-eyed, wonderstruck admiration usually reserved for the most gorgeous sunsets. "Maybe stay away from that one until we know for sure what his deal is."
"Okay..." Paul took a deep breath, then wrapped Kelsey in a gentle hug, remaining mindful of Ranuen's position. "Be safe."
"You too." Kelsey exchanged the embrace, allowing herself just the briefest moment of respite in his warm, enveloping aura.
|
|
|
|
Post by ColArana on Mar 26, 2019 19:35:05 GMT -5
Ranuen had to admit it was nice that Kelsey's first reaction was to make sure he was alright. Ranuen went to push the menu off of him-- something that would actually have taken him a moment, despite its light weight, simply due to the size discrepancy but Kelsey thankfully made that much easier for him. "I'm fine Paul. And I'm happy for you. You're making progress already, and it's only been... what? Ten minutes?" He responded, trying to brush off the incident just there, which he found less painful and more embarrassing. Oh well, it gave him something to think about besides other current topics.
Ranuen climbed into Kelsey's hand and moved to her shoulder, as she conversed with Paul. "Sounds like a plan!" He suggested. As Kelsey approached Paul, Ranuen glanced around for a spot he wouldn't be obtrusive. He was relieved to hear Kelsey telling Paul to lay low as he trained. Hopefully he takes that advice. He thought. As Paul moved in for the hug, Ranuen hopped up to Kelsey's head to allow them their moment. He didn't want to get in the way. He said nothing, and just.... let them have their time. He even took the liberty of turning to look away from the two.
|
|
|
|
Post by DanteMGalileo on Mar 27, 2019 10:08:11 GMT -5
"I've got this." Lobo nodded and gave Kelsey a thumbs-up. "Do be safe yerself. As for Paul..." Lobo glanced at Mic, scowling. He nodded at Loba. "I know a place where we can practice without bein' detected, or at least somewhere where we'll be hard to detect. Sister?"
Loba produced a blindfold, and gestured to Mic. "For the sake of our secrecy, you will need to wear this as I escort you to your room slash cell. You will only remove it when I allow you. Don't worry. There will be plenty of purely fictional books and movies. And maybe even a computer without Internet if you behave yourself." She walked over to Mic, and began tying the fabric over his eyes. "Take my hand. Follow me."
"Aww, cute," Flint said with a vaguely purr-like noise. Val raised an eyebrow at his comment. "I-I mean, aww cute! Monkey love!" Val rolled her eyes at this. "Hey, don't give me that look! I know that's what you're thinking too! How do I know? Uh, duh! Our super-secret twin telepathy thing!"
Val finally broke the silence. "... Okay, so what do I want now?"
"You wanna find dad, maybe finally figure out what the fuck's going on, y'know..."
"Actually, I want a chicken burrito with sour cream and tomato now, but close enough."
|
|
|
|
Post by ParamountKeymaster on Mar 27, 2019 14:56:55 GMT -5
Kelsey let out a deep, tranquil breath, momentarily losing herself as she rested her head against Paul's chest, keeping him secured gently but firmly in her arms. She didn't want to let go, but eventually she mustered the will to do so, letting her arms drop as she took a hesitant step back. Once she had returned to reality, Kelsey nodded to Lobo. "Thanks."
Paul looked back at Val and Flint, locking eyes with the latter in particular. The sight of the ghostly half-dragon pelt didn't surprise him. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel, given the wild ride of emotions they had just been through for Flint's sake. What he ended up settling on was a calm, cool smile of gratitude, a gesture he hoped came across without the needs for words he couldn't conjure.
"Oh-" Mic was taken aback when Loba suddenly blindfolded him, mostly because he was so enraptured with Paul that he didn't see her coming. Brushing that aside, he went along with her actions and her reasoning with no protest, grabbing her hand and awkwardly shuffling alongside the similarly-proportioned angel. "Y-Yeah, okay, that's fine. Th-This is fine. It's fine. I'm fine."
Kelsey watched Loba whisk the Prasino away in silence. Once they were gone, she turned back to Paul with a firm, confident nod, earning one back from the dragon man. Then Kelsey looked to Val, then to Flint, then in Ranuen's general direction, and finally started marching towards the door. "Alright. Let's get dangerous."
|
|
