[6/11/2016 11:37:11 PM] Kam: -- brackishBarracuda [BB] began trolling vicariousVindicator [VV] at 02:52 --
[02:52] BB: ey
[02:52] BB: ur off baby watch
[02:56] VV: What, really?
[03:00] BB: yeah
[03:00] BB: suit up and me at the port
[03:01] VV: Ooooh fuck yes.
[03:01] BB: dont say i nebber did nofin for u 3B*
[03:01] VV: Ooooooh FUCK YES.
[03:05] -- vicariousVindicator [VV] > Suit up and /run/ to meet her. Run and meet her and when you see her you pick her up and swing her around and kiss her full on the mouth. --
[03:13] -- brackishBarracuda [BB] you hear him before you see him - hell you feel him before you see him, and then you're in the air and being kissed and even as angry as you are, no amount of rage is gonna quench the soft little light you keep in your heart for your boys, and it swells momentairily; long enough for you to half smile against his lips and kiss him back. --
[03:17] -- vicariousVindicator [VV] You set her down and- Are you wearing... Spandex? ... No, it's too thick, but it's definitely something skintight, with pads and straps of soft-looking stuff fastened around tender areas- Calves, for --
[03:17] VV: earms... You look like a ballet dancer about to fight in a war. "Ahhh, Meenah, I love you so much. And your armor is glorious- I've not had much chances t'see you wearing it." You whisper, and run a finger down part of her arm bracers. "I'm so excited."
[03:27] -- brackishBarracuda [BB] you cant help but smirk at your rail, that soft little something in your heart turning slowly into an ember, readying itself for a fight. " yeah well i aint ever seen u in that," you gesture to him, --
[03:27] BB: but it isnt derisive; the opposite, in fact. your smirks turning into something worthy of bloodlust slowly, the anger seeping back into your bones. You tip toe to kiss him again, and then "lets get this show on the road."
[03:38] -- vicariousVindicator [VV] You make a gesture, a strange one- Two glittering swords appear in your hands and you grin, crossing them behind your head as you lean back. "Yes, let's." And you flip one in the air and catch it, th --
[03:38] VV: en head to the transportalizer. Kadian is there, waiting- But Clams's already informed you that Kadian doesn't intend on hunting with you- He's just there to guide you to their newest safehome, in case they need to know where it is.
[6/11/2016 11:47:42 PM] Taeniura: you hadnt realized kad was here already, but by the time you both reach the port pad, whatever softness had permiated the surface of your anger had subsided; receded back into the depths. So you dont greet him with smiles and fond touches - rather with cold eyes and a curt nod, your hair still flowing freely around your shoulders. Between that and the fuchsia all but gleaming in the accents of your armor - it was obvious you wanted a fight.

you stop in front him, straight backed and - surprisingly regal; before hold out your hand and materialize your bi-trident; cold metal in white gripped hands.

"ready when you are."
[6/12/2016 12:03:27 AM] *** Kam Kadian would nod, lean in, give Meenah a bit of a hug.... Then vanish in light, and Vis would follow.

And when Meenah stepped through to the other side, it was night, as typical, and Kadian was already striding ahead, head down and cloak covering. Trolls of all sizes and shapes and horn shapes walked by, some carrying things, some not, some beaten, some not.

You don't reach out, you don't take Meenah's hand, you just take a deep breath and begin walking, swords now hanging by your waist in simple looped holsters. It's dark here, but the lights and hustle-bustle of what seem to be a thriving port city light up the night. Clams messages Meenah, then, one more little blip of light to add.

LS: kads got a mission for u he says
LS: just followw him to home base
LS: an give them all a hug from me ***
[6/12/2016 12:32:32 AM] *** Taeniura you follow silently, head high and intent, daring anybody to stop you - and of course, because of that exact thing, no one did. It was hard to imagine a battle ready fuchsia just walking out into the night who wasnt the empress, muchless one survived past infancy - so of course, it was much easier to imagine that perhaps, you were just a high looking violet. and even in a port city, violets were scarce. Everyone who milled around you averted their gazes and parted like you were the oil, and they were the water.

You stood in the middle of the crowd unchallenged. you were shorter than all of them, but still you managed to look down on them, for the short time you passed through the crowd and you felt powerful. And that fact didnt even scare you. Afterall, it was your birthright.

You glance to your side and see your moirail in black and gold, and for a moment, you almost wonder if this is where you should be - when something vibrates against your skin, and you glance to your phone screen - clams.

you sigh softly. You know you felt this way right now out of pure fucking spite. you were angry, and rightly so, but even still - that small warmth flares again at his familiar violet text, and so you answer with the ghost of a smile tugging at your lips.

BB: good
BB: well get it done
BB:
BB: yeah okay
BB: love u
BB: <> ***
[6/12/2016 12:58:26 AM] *** Kam You stride forward, keeping up to follow Kad along the winding routes- You stop only once to look back at Meenah, and you jerk your head in the direction Kadian went. "Come on." You call. "You know if we lose him, he's gone."

LS: good. it's a doozy of a mission, though so
LS: u kno, be careful
LS: if u come home ww an arroww in ur leg again so help me

You glance ahead, Kadian's quickly getting away. You move back- Take Meenah's hand. "Come on. You're gettin' looked at an I don't want people takin too close a look at you at the moment."

Indeed, a couple of trolls passing by -the brave ones, who don't avert their gazes- have slowed to look at her. One of them seems... Almost familiar, in a way. But it's a vague familiarity- More like a face you've seen in a dream before. Perhaps someone you had seen back on Alternia. After a few seconds, though, those who took pause moved on, and the throng of bodies around continued onwards, bringing more noise and cover. ***
[6/12/2016 1:25:02 AM] *** Taeniura you take another second to shoot back a response at clams, a simple ' see you soon' - you're hardly paying attention to the people around you now; you're either just that confident or just that reckless - and lets be real, it was probably a nice heady mixture of both. But then hes taking your hand and pulling you forward and you let him, tensing as you go. The surprize of it sets you back on alert, and turns that hot churning in  your gut up a few notches. your lips peal back in a sneer.

"fuckin let 'em, " you mumble viciously, though still, you let him take you undetered, that alone the one sign that you didnt mean it. at the moment. you could hold your blood lust untill kad managed to point you like a cannon at whatever he wanted destroyed.

In the midst of all this, the stranger passes unnoticed; you remain unchallenged. for now. ***
[6/12/2016 1:57:32 AM] *** Kam You shake your head, grinning lightly. Thats your Meenah. "I will. But not while we're headed /to/ the supposedly safe base. We don't want to cause them strife, do we? I'm sure we could handle it, but you know." Then you run a hand along her shoulder and stop, to linger at the edge of her fins. You smile soft. "I love you more and more when you're angry like this. It's a beautiful anger, anger that could move mountains, cross oceans, quell the hearts of many... Your heartbeat is so loud I can feel it at the tips of these..." Then you move with her again. "The crowd was likely staring at both of us."

Then it's up, up the dunes and into a sparse thicket of pine trees, past those, to a rolling hill country, where windmills dot the landscape. One of these is where Kadian has headed- He is merely a dot in the landscape by now. ***
[6/12/2016 4:17:40 AM] *** Taeniura you're feeling vicious, and all hes doing is fawning over you in your righteous fury.  and also being reasonable. how dare he do those two things simultainiously while you were trying to be intimidating. I mean. not that you needed to try. the purr wasn't helping, though. Hell you couldn't even deny it, you were purring and loudly, in full armor and glowing softly pink with bitter anger and warm light. He loved you here and now, wholey and completely, as angry and bloody as you felt. and you didn't have to worry about the affect it was having on him, not really. clams was safe at home, and vis was. thriving. you take the briefest of moments to lean your cheek into his palm before you take off on your own again, just slightly ahead of him.

"yeah, probably, mister love dove. " you're teasing, and you glance back to let him know that. two highbloods in the middle of the city being openly affectionate was just asking for trouble, but you really. didn't care. you finally feel like you're on level ground.  you were steady again. you had your rock, the rest of the world was the hardplace, and you were a fucking jack hammer. so you follow kad into the hills, knowing your rock had your back. ***
[6/12/2016 5:13:01 AM] *** Kam You grin and sigh soft, and follow her through the hills, until you reach the windmill. Meenah'll likely get there first, and be greeted with Kadian's small wave and Rynaia's smiling face and... Where was Sally? Somewhere, but not in close view... Kadian gives her a strong hug. You soon enter the windmill hive with her and are given a... slight bit of a wide birth. They don't know you. At least, not this you. You have never been face to face with them.

Kadian leaves Meenah to inspect you, though. He's curious. He wants to see your wings the most. He wonders how they're there, how you even survived the walk down here... You say, "Probably due to my Meenah looking vicious as fuck next to me, I'd think. Half of em took one look at her and averted their eyes and walked away. You'd think they thought she was the Condesce already."

Kadian laughs, gently. It's been some time since Meenah heard him laugh, even when he was at her hive. Then, his face gets serious. "There's a psionic recruitment station set up in the dockyards. They're new. They've only been in operation a few weeks... We've tried to take them down, but they've got an impressive team of guards and they know our faces..." ***
[6/12/2016 11:18:12 PM] *** Taeniura you're still pissy when you walk up to the windmill, and as such, you dont really wave or smile to ryn, though upon close inspection, your features do soften. These were still your people too. still family; the first family. your family. You're struck with how familiar that sounds to you, how warm it is now that you know what its supposed to mean - that when kad hugs you close, you just hug him back fiercely.

"s good to see you." you mumble into his neck, before you pull away, and with your wits about you and your eyes free to roam, you realize somebody is missing. it doesnt take a genius to figure out who.

You send a cautious glance to ryn and kad in question, but vis ends up behind you before anyone can comment. You immediately see the shift in them, the almost tangible aura of 'outsider' that shifts towards your moirail. your gut hardens and you move to step between them when kad steps up on his own; you love him in that instance. So you let him be and leave him to his curiosity.

Your heart even warms when kad laughs, and you can feel the small hostility begin to fade. Its short lived, however. it takes you two seconds of silence, after kadian has finished, for you to look into his eyes, all your righteous fury centered on a backdrop of dread, to speak.

"wheres sal." ***
[6/13/2016 1:59:28 AM] *** Kam Kad is- as always -the first to speak. "He is trying to figure out perspectives." He says, quietly. "He had some very bad dreams a few nights back, and is trying to figure out what they mean to us... He's up top." Finally, he actually answers the question. "He wishes he was seperated from the other." A shake of the head. "He knows something happened between you and the other, and I'm simply assuming he believes you will not want to see him simply because of how he looks." A long pause... "He healed rather nicely from his burns, though... you should know that, at least. A few left scars, but I hold myself accountable for those..."

You listen to Kadian drone on and on for a minute or two, but when he says where the little Sally is, you head out the door and flutter up to the top of the windmill. Sure enough, the Psion is sitting up there, lazing about in the lazy midnight moon. You sit next to him- He opens his eyes, and then truly opens his eyes, yelping and crawling back. You grin. He thought you were Meenah, with your wings. You can't help the smile as the Psion loses his balance and falls- Righting himself quickly with energy and floating about ten feet below the roofline.

"Easy," You reassure. The yellow calms quickly, he... thinks you're not a threat. He's not sure, you can see it in his eyes. You haven't attacked him yet, so he's not doing anything of the same... but he is curious. He asks you who you are and you string him along for a moment or so before replying that you came with Meenah, and that she's downstairs. His first question: Is she okay. You shrug. She'll be fine, you answer. Nothing a little passionate murder couldn't cure. He chuckles dryly and you cross your arms. Go see her, you say. He frowns, he looks away. I don't think she'd wanna see me, she's... likely angry at my ancestor. I know she knows I'm not him, but at the same time, I know her anger bubbles near the surface and blah blah blah he drones on and on about that for a minute before coming up to sit back on the roof. You push him off again. He snarls at you and you point downwards. Go see her. You repeat it and he sighs a bit, drifting downwards. There he goes.

You watch him drift until he enters through a window, face curious but full of that same dread Meenah might feel. He's connected to Sal- But detatched enough to know that Sal fucked up and Meenah is in righteous anger mode. ***
[6/13/2016 2:10:53 AM] *** Taeniura you're stuck listening to kad when vis slips out of the door. you know where hes gone, but you're too busy letting your pusher calm back down to worry too much. Honestly, you just. the roof is not where you thought that was going, and your shoulders sag in relief.

its not long before that anger burns it away and you interrupt kad with a mostly gentle punch on his shoulder.

"fuck u and that train a thought. no sal in sight and glubbin aboat fuckin psion camps and - and. fuck." you breathe out unsteady. for all of the two minutes between then and now, you'd unknowingly feared the worst, and pissed or not.

You loved them.

You don't realize sal's floated in, hes always been good at sneaking up on you. ***
[6/13/2016 2:28:56 AM] *** Kam Sal floats, settles, sits down on the floor... It's a clear sign of his mental state, as it's the opposite with Sally. Sally on the floor- good, grounded. Sally in the air, bad, not grounded. Sal on the floor meant he felt weighed down, scared, probably confused or shit.

Kadians eyes flit towards him for a moment, before he reassures Meenah. "No no, they tried," He says, "But it fortunately did not happen. He was able to fry their systems and head home, back to me, thank goodness." He sighs... He looks... old. Bags under his eyes reveal he hasn't been sleeping, and a thinness to his face reveals he hasn't been eating well either. He's been stressed.

"It, however, would be a great service to me if you could.. please... take it out." ***
[6/13/2016 2:45:43 AM] *** Taeniura you follow his eyes the minute they turn, and see sal on the floor. you leave for a minute, to let kad finish, a hardness in your eyes. When hes done, though, you put a hand on his shoulder and stare straight into his. "you couldn't keep from it." the tone of your voice is all but screaming that you meant it. That it would be bloody. and that he could take it off his mental list, because no one would survive you, not after that scare.

You linger for a second before you turn to sal.you aren't gentle. you pull him up roughly by the shoulders and then you.

you just.

As angry as you are, you wrap your arms around him.

"hey." ***
[6/13/2016 2:49:09 AM] *** Kam Sally takes a breath, like he's preparing himself for the worst when she picks him up roughly by the shoulders- And then she hugs him, and he chokes back a soft... sob. A soft sob, because he had been so afraid that the other Sal had wrecked this for him, had stopped Meenah from wanting to interact with him, from wanting to be with him, talk to him, see him, think of him... He had been so afraid that she just... wouldn't even look at him. And here she was... hugging him. He was so relieved... He was so relieved. One of his few friends still cared for him... He hugs her back, and she can feel the strength in his body rejuvenating as he buries his face in her shoulder. Awww. ***
[6/15/2016 4:24:43 AM] *** Taeniura you hold him to you feircely. as tall and thin as he is, you're afraid you might break him, but the tighter you  hold, the tighter he does... It almost breaks your heart, how tight hes holding you.

"dont fuckin scare me like that." its muffled and half whispered into his hair, but there it is. you loved him, both of them, even still, even after. Some part of you hopes this goes both ways, that the other sally will feel this too, and breathe a little easier. that he might... find some faith in you.

you pull back and look away slightly, readjusting your armor - well. pulling on it, more like. The longer you were here, the more...confining, it felt. like there was just too much of you, of that burning deep in your gut for the armor to hold.

you turn towards ryn and kad,suddenly every bit as bloodthirsty as you were before youd arrived.

"when do we start." ***
[6/15/2016 4:41:40 AM] *** Kam You notice how tight they hold each other... Your heart softens just a little at the yellow sobbing into her arms. It's obvious theres a connection there. How deep it goes, you aren't sure. But you sigh softly... glad you got him down here.

Once Meenah pulls back, you watch the yellow closely- He seems not to want to pull back, but he does. And she pulls... on her armor. You tilt your head at that. You know Meenah. And you know as much as Clams wanted to know she would be protected... For as bloodthirsty as she is, you don't think armor is going to help her. "... Y'know, Armors mostly for helping stop damage from wounds you're going to take at a long distance. Arrows, broadswords, chains, whips..."

Kadian is about to talk, to speak, but you've cut him off. You feel a strange sense of pride at doing that. ***
[6/16/2016 2:40:37 AM] *** Taeniura you're fully focused on kad, ready to get going, when vis just. slices right in there, and you're left sort of just. staring at your moirail for a hot second, while you process what he's said (and done... not many people can get kad to shut his trap so fluidly, so kudos to the diamond, even if you had actually wanted to hear what he was saying).

After a moment or to, it registers, and you pull on your breastplate lightly....before your hand finally rests on your stomach. You sigh, and let it drop. He's right, you know he is, and even more than that; you felt more restricted in your armor than you have since you first put it on. At least then, it had surved a purpose. Keep Aya alive. Keep you alive. Or at least minimize damage- but. You didnt have to keep her safe inside you. and the way you were feeling tonight, you doubt there was anything strong enough to minimize the damage.

-still.

"it makes him feel betta. " ***
[6/17/2016 9:33:23 PM] *** Kam You smile lightly and you place your hand on hers, on her stomach. "I'm with you." You say, quietly. "He knows I can protect you if you need it, if it comes down to it and you need any sort of protection. But tonight... Tonight, you and I will be in close quarters with people, people who will be trying to kill us. A sword isn't going to be stopped by this armor... And it will just hamper you from being able to evade it. I wear this to protect from bumps and bruises, slamming into a wall, getting hit with the butt of a weapon... I even could get one for you. It'd be nice and free, not quite as restricting..." ***
[6/18/2016 2:27:21 AM] Taeniura: He speaks to you so calmly, its. its different than what you're used to. You can just hear clams in your head, the pull he has on you, the frayed worried emotion you hear in his voice, even when he thinks hes got it together. He says that its okay, that he understands, that he knows you can take care of yourself. You love him for that, but you can still hear it. you always hear it.

But Vis is here. Now. Its his hand on yours, his voice in your ears, and you think he might know you in this moment better than clams does. might understand better. And its such a weird feeling, that your eyes glance right up to his, everyone else in the room forgotten.

the second you meet his eyes, the dam breaks, and your skin feels like its suffocating. Its too tight, you cant move, you want it off. you would apologize to clams later. You don't break your eye contact with your diamond when you start tugging on the pieces with a newfound conviction.

" ...Help me get it off."
[6/18/2016 2:32:21 AM] *** Kam You smile. Move your hand to help her, begin to help her take off the armor. You peel off her bracers, unclip the buckles, unsnap clasps... And when your moirail stands there in her beauty, you smile softer, for you love her as she is, as she wants to be. Free, restricted, grumpy, lovable... Meenah. You love her so much... You tell her so in your eyes, in your gaze, your willingness to meet hers as she seems so unwilling to break it... You lean in and kiss her forehead. "This seems pointless to tell you, but don't worry. We've got this. You've got this." And you pick up her trident from the floor and hand it to her...

All this while Sally and Kad watch- Kad is watching you with confusion, because how could anyone just do that, just calm and love and convince Meenah Peixes to do something? His confused look makes you smile.
Sal is watching Meenah- There's love in his eyes and a smile in his heart and it makes you slightly bitter. Meenah's yours. Figuratively. Go away. ***
[6/18/2016 2:57:02 AM] Taeniura: you only realize once its off that you had been slowly drowning. it was weight you didn't need, pulling on the current you were swimming against, pressed on your gills and suffocating you. But it was done. It was done and you're breathing, and you can feel it fanning the flame. It feels good. it feels good and it feels like the first time its been that way in a long fucking time.

You roll your shoulders, and when he hands you your trident, you flex your hand onto it tightly, the other one busy running soft lines across his cheek. One gentle, the other violent.

You grin at his encouragement then, before you finally level your eyes against kads again, as if he'd just re-entered the room.

"point me in the right direction."
[6/18/2016 3:00:11 AM] *** Kam The firelight flickers in Kadians eyes and he points to the entrance of the cavern. 'Just head towards the shoreline.' He said, softly. 'You'll see it. It's got people you'll hate to see there.'

You purse your lips, listening... "What do you mean?" You ask quietly. 'I mean... Well. Helms. Though they aren't... Most of them grew up that way. They...' He covers his mouth, shaking his head.... Sal keeps going on. 'Most of them can't go back. Most of them prefer to be taken out of their misery. Take out the control towers first. Those with a will to live will escape... the others might just... you know.'

You shake your head. You aren't... sure Meenah will want to do that. With the shit with Sally... You aren't sure she'll even be up to it. "... I'll take care of that, if you... want." You say, softly. "It was just one of the things Clams and I did... sometimes. A mercy killing."  ***
[6/18/2016 3:20:37 AM] Taeniura: He says 'find the shoreline' , and you've turned and are half out the door before vis speaks up. you don't even turn around, you're just. you're itching to leave, to get on with it, all this being still and responsible is starting to get to you, to get under your skin - you're fidgety and anxious and all you want is to feel your claws sink into something living. You're flexing them now, while they talk, while you wait.

But then vis mentions mercy killing, and electricity runs a current through you. You don't answer. you just. walk. You walk out into the twin mooned night, glowing pink, and even brighter than before, now that more of you was exposed to the night air in nothing more than a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

You'd deal with it when you got there.
[6/18/2016 3:24:12 AM] *** Kam You watch her head out- You watch her head out faster once you finish speaking. Did you hurt her? Did you say something wrong- Your mind is racing with paranoia and intensity you've not felt in a while. "Meenah. Hey- Meenah!" And then you're running after her, with a very confused looking Kad and Sal looking to a chuckling Ryn, as if she knows what's going through Meenah's head.

You run up to her, as best you can, concerned and slightly confused... You place one hand on her shoulder. Was she... mad at you, for mercy killings? You hope not. It was probably a big part of you. The knowledge to know When... ***
[6/18/2016 3:42:08 AM] Taeniura: you stop when you feel his hand on your shoulder, and not a minute before. You have to take a breath before you start.

It doesn't work. You try again, but nothing quite. comes out. Both hands are gripping your trident now, and its been three and a half minutes, and all you can say, finally, at the end of it, is

"i love you."

its a poor reward for his time, but, really. How did you tell someone what you yourself didn't know. How did you tell him that parts of you understood, parts of you were proud, parts of you knew you could do it if you had to, that sometimes it was right and good. While yet; some parts remembered. They remembered the 'kind eugenics' that your ancestor imposed on her people; the conviction that it was kinder, and the anger you had that shed never even given them a chance. and as if that weren't bad enough, those parts of you, the ones that remembered; they remembered kurloz, and the pain he was in, and your refusal to let him go. and how you wish sometimes that you'd had the courage then, but never without guilt.

How did you tell somebody all of that.
[6/18/2016 3:47:42 AM] *** Kam You see, the nice thing about you... Is that you already know what she isn't sure how to say. You know the eugenics, you know the anger she had, the anger she /has/. You know her, her feelings on the matter... You smile at her 'I love you' and return it in a soft voice. "I love you too. ... I know how hard it is for you to see. For you to think about. An I promise... If you let me, I'll make sure there's nothin... there... before i do anythin. An if theres the slightest spark a intelligent mind in there... I'll phone Kad an Sal. You know they'll find someone willin to help. They know people. We have the means for shit, they do too... It'll be aight." ***
[6/20/2016 12:24:59 AM] *** Taeniura you have to pause there a moment, breathing in and out to try to reel  yourself in. to let him reel you in. the sort of tight, hard, panic in your chest only really served to settle in, layer after layer, onto the cold seething rage in your belly, but still you let him reel you in. You couldn't get caught up on this. you had bigger fish.

And besides, The way he spoke, you wouldn't need to. everything he did was to smooth your way to bloodshed, to satisfaction,and you loved him for it.

You turn your head just slightly, to look at him again, hands in fists around your trident. it was so obvious; the way you held yourself now, how worried you were, how deep and bottomless your hatred of your past life ran - and how it ran through you now, fresh as warm blood on new snow. You'd felt like youd gone back,  like it was yesterday you'd left instead of sweeps and sweeps ago, and the thought of it clawed at your throat, pulled at your arms, made you want to run; to fight, like.

Like you'd been backed into a corner. But then he came up with you and let you out of the corner you keep backing yourself in.

You sigh gently, and lean over to kiss him quick, right on the lips, thinking as you walk on that perhaps clams wasn't the only one who new how to keep you without cages. ***
[6/22/2016 12:51:46 AM] *** Kam You are really quite... happy, right now. You're on a mission, with Meenah, she kissed you, she smiled at you, She She She. She was here. With you. You purr softly, content as a cat in a sunbeam, with the efforts of her love as plain as the biolumination running about your skin.

As you walk, as you follow her, you can't help but keep this feeling in your pusher. ... You can't help but think that if she was there, in Alternia, you might have turned out different.

No one really pays her any mind as she walks forward, through paths and lights and the occassional troll- No, they're paying attention to you, you and your glittering wings. You feel... out of place. But hey. They're not mutations, really. They're not. Plenty of trolls have wings.

You'll just have to convince yourself of that... And of the feeling that you're not being watched. Definitely not. ***
[6/22/2016 1:24:48 AM] Taeniura: If you'd been in alternia with them, things would have been very different. like, you'd all be dead, probably. But thats neither here nor there. What is, is the way people stare at him, like they dare not stare at you. You were something they would rather avoid, a complication they could be willfully ignorant of, and continue on with their day - he wasnt. He was bright and tall and dangerous - and at least in their eyes, mutated.

All at once,  you've shifted your focus from wanting blood on  your hands for your own retribution, to wanting it from every pair of eyes that stays on him a second too long. You begin to walk between him and oncoming trolls, forcing them to move aside, to take a wider berth, and staring them down when they do; letting everyone who crosses paths with you know that you're a threat.

You may be pissed and stressed out and more than a little emotionally compromised on multiple levels, but no one touches your moirail.

You just hope you get there soon. your bloodlust was past due.
[6/22/2016 2:12:08 AM] *** Kam You follow her, and only her. You watch her walk, watch her look at you... Watch her stress. You cross your arms as you walk. Straighten. Rather than try to keep your wings hidden, you've spread them out, to make yourself bigger... more intimidating. The combined effect of your display and Meenah's protection has many trolls turning from the both of you, to avoid your gazes.

The trek to the dockyards is short from there- It's a dismal looking place, a steel grey building built atop a small hill. Smoke rose from some smokestack looking things, and ratty-looking ships, covered in rust and dirt, floated atop ropes and ladders leading up. There wasn't a soul to be seen inside the brown, ungrown lawn ring, nor inside any of the windows.

You take a look to Meenah, gesturing to the front door. Does she even want to try? ***
[6/23/2016 2:15:40 AM] *** Taeniura you do, in fact, want to try. After all the shit that's happened today, even as jittery as you feel, you aren't leaving empty handed. You hardly wait for him - and lets be real, you knew you didn't need to - before you're marching headfirst towards the front doors.

Once you reach them, you slow, and level your trident, the tips touching the metal door lightly. Even still, it scrapes gratingly, as thought It were trying to offend you.

You set your jaw, brace for impact,, and wait just long enough to make sure vis was behind you, before you push it open so hard it flies back and lands hard on the wall in its way.

it they didn't know you were here before, anyone left sure as shit knew now. ***
[6/23/2016 2:28:15 AM] *** Kam There's a young boy. Maybe twelve. He stares at Meenah with blatant confusion. Then he looks to the door. Then back down the hall. Then he grins and gives her a thumbs up, running right out the door. An oppurtunist, huh?

You head down one hall- There's no one to see- Oh, wait- A blue, dressed in guardsman uniform. He pauses when he sees you. You throw him aside- You know Meenah'll get him. He's already drawing a scimitar. ***
[6/23/2016 2:51:44 AM] *** Taeniura you move aside to let the kid through, and don't bother to follow. smart kid, you think as a small grin returns to your face. There were people in here after all.

Speaking of, Vis has just so kindly left one of them out in the open for you. Its two strides to catch up to him, One short thrust to aim up into the soft underside of his jaw with your trident, and no time at all to finally finally loose yourself in this. Finally you can stop thinking - or rather, stop trying to not think, and just. Let it happen. Let your body remember the way it loves to move. LEt your teeth bare at every threat, let your hands take the life out of a person - anything that let you keep the days events out of your head.

Some people had drugs or drink. Some people had sex. You had blood dribbling down your fingers. And you were addicted. ***
[6/23/2016 3:07:05 AM] *** Kam You keep heading down halls. You note... This place seems to mostly hold... younger ones. Tens, twelves... The blue Meenah takes tries a futile swing back before slumping down, metal clanging as he drops the scimitar. You, however, are headed in a different direction. You turn a corner and watch a female, getting berated by a cerulean for something. The hand is raised, but before it comes down, there's a sword chopping that hand off. The cerulean stares at you in shock for a moment before  you do the same to her head, and the female runs through double doors... Now an alarm is raised, and trolls of (mostly) higher colors, full grown, are running out the doors nearest you and Meenah. She's accosted by a purple and a blue again, and you're dealing with another purple. ***
[6/25/2016 1:34:47 AM] *** Taeniura you yank the tines of your weapon out of him with a visceral squelch, and a switch is flipped - theres no more doubt. you aren't thinking about the possible yellows youll find in here that need to be put down. you aren't thinking about Cronus, or beforus, or Dirk. you aren't anxious. You're just here, and its you and vis, and people are coming at you weapons drawn, and youll meet them with your own. its life, simplified. you or them. kill or be killed. This was why you were here.

The two trolls head for you, splitting off to circle around and surround you - the blue seems to be deferring to the purple, waiting for his orders , and the purple's taking his sweet time, just waiting for you to drop your guard. You. Feel like you're starting to get a headache, which is odd, you think. its not something you'd really pay attention to in the middle of a fight. speaking of, why. cant you seem to focus on the fight. you're so tired - you sway and have to catch your balance, your trident snapping back up as you come back to yourself, but its a beat too late, and suddenly the blue has you from behind. ***
[6/25/2016 2:01:31 AM] *** Kam You're struggling to get past the purple- He blocks you with that mace of his- And you can't get past him. You take a glance back- Somehow Meenah's at least made it to your vision, which you're grateful for at least. But something seems wrong. Her movements are slow- You know she can fight faster. You have only time to look before the purple with the mace slams it into your shoulder. You grab him by the throat and lift him- And fly up, and keep lifting him. He doesn't seem to expect this, but soon, his flailing legs still and his arms drop to his sides...  Then you drop him fling him towards the blue that currently has Meenah, before a shout catches your attention- It's a group of olives, with spears, and another cerulean, with a bow and arrow. That... could prove dangerous to you personally. ***
[6/25/2016 9:31:04 PM] *** Taeniura you're squirming uselessly in the blue trolls arms, his hand inching towards your neck and your gills, and you're so..confused. some part of you knows you can get out of this, you've done it before, its simple- but you cant. manage to think on how. And the longer you struggle, the more your arms and legs feel like lead.the only thing you have going for you is that you keep flinging your head back, hoping to catch something important on  your assailent with your horns, and the distraction is keeping him from straight out snapping your neck.

The purple finally moves forward, and you can see something...wrong with him. Something off, like you cant really focus on his face, its. blury. something about his eyes... You blink, and suddenly, its a different purple staring at you, one with damaged eyes and familiar scars, and something gracelessly takes vicious hold of your heart. You know he can see it. The way the fury falls from your face, and for just that moment, you hope. You also stop struggling, and a hand just barely scrapes across your neck, when something hits you like a truck, and you all go flying.

You land hard, and it snaps you out of the trance, and whatever anger and bitterness you'd held onto that was fueling you here, is doubled, and pointed directly at the purple strugling to rise. You get up first, and Whirl around to the blue behind you, andrinealin and rage surging through you like a river of fire, and you plunge your trident's tines down hard enough to pierce his eyes and stick into the floor underneith. He part screams, part wails for about ten seconds before he's reduced to little more than post-mortem twitching on the floor, and thats when you turn back to the now standing purple troll, your eyes dangerously dark, and your pusher eerily still.

He doesnt seem to understand the danger hes in, because he just smiles at you coldly, and suddenly it's not him that smiling anymore. Your blood freezes, but not in fear. its some deep sadistic desire, some inbred murderous intent, something dark and hungry thats in you now. He opens the mouth that isnt his, to plead or to taunt, you didnt know, and never would. Because you dont give him the chance, before you strike, barehanded. You hear something break, feel something give beneith your fist, and his first pitiful cry is so satisfying. Unfortuntately its also the last sound he makes, because you take the chance, while hes off balence, to sink your teeth into the meat of his neck, right where his windpipe sits, and pull. hard.

it comes away like soft bread, and purple stains your chin, your neck,  your chest. you spit it out and stare him down coldly, untill the face dying on the floor at your feet is his again. You could take the few seconds to say something, to let him know how badly he fucked, up, but parts of you are too far gone, and the rest of you knows nothing could really say what you mean. When the light goes out in his eyes, you finally turn to see arrows pointed at an airborn vis, and you're back to yourself enough to react quickly. Your trident is pryed from the blue's skull and thrown directly at the chest of the archer. ***
[6/25/2016 11:39:02 PM] *** Kam Your attention is taken by the cerulean, so you don't notice what Meenahs up to until her triden barrels into the chest of the snarling troll, who'd just loosed two arrows into the air. Not hard to dodge, just annoying... You smirk satisfied, when the cerulean staggers back, hands fumbling for the trident. The olives now turn their attention to Meenah- Three charge, and one stays to jab at you. You roll your eyes at her and just kind of kick downwards.... You let out a vicious sort of laugh, a sort of laugh that makes you grin as the olive can't reach- Oop, but then they throw the spear and you deflect it, grab it from the air, and toss it right back. Because you, Vis, are an asshole. And the gagging sound the olive makes because theres now a spear in their windpipe makes you happy.

Your happiness is cut short, of course, when the lights flicker, and then turn off. That's fine. This is fine. You can see- You can see your light and Meenahs light and... And you both are just big giant targets in the dark, right. Great. ***
[6/26/2016 12:56:09 AM] *** Taeniura The snarl-smile  you let loose when your trident hits true is near feral. its all teeth and malace and no real joy. The blood dripping from your chin is still warm and already drying while you watch three of Vis' olives turn towards you. its A pity, really, as that means you cant watch him fight, but even that is held at bay by the ice in your veins.They wanted to attack, you would defend. you would win. the rest was secondary.

They close the gab and you do little to prepare- you just let them come,unarmed. The minute they get within striking rage, though, The lights flicker and flash out. That brings you back around a little while you blink and strain to see through the gloom.  it leaves you night blind for a good three, four seconds - which happens to be enough time for one of the three to wise up, close the gap, and jab.

your own glow in the immeadiate aftermath must have done something to their eyes in return, because it misses anything vital, but manages to carve a bloody path across your chest, severing one of the straps of your tank. If you didnt look the part before, you damn well looked feral now. The feeling of your own blood pouring over your chest fills you again with the anger lurking just behind your eyes, your ribcage, and the growl you let out in response to the pain is loud and low and full of not so much a threat, as a promise.

Your eyes adjust, and in the dim glow light, you realize you can see them if they stay close enough - which is fine by you. without a weapon, thats what you wanted. close and scared and shuffling, looking for an opening you wouldnt give them a second time.

instead of attacking imeadiately, You try to wipe away some of your own blood, but only serve to smear it and come away with a fucshia hand - your eyes snap up to them, darkening further.

one of them panics - and lunges, seperating himself from the group - it takes seconds to grab his spear and pull him towards you and off balance. it takes an even shorter span of time to snap his neck and watch him drop to the ground. The other two waste no time in the follow up - you dont get the chance to grab the spear the first one dropped before they're on you. But its dark and its bloody and the three of you hit the ground in moments. Then all there is the warmth of the blood under you, the grasping desperate hands of the trolls trying to holdon to you, trying to save their own lives, and the sudden spurt of fear that blossoms in your chest when one of them drags a rough hand over your abdominal gills. the feeling courses through you like an enery boost, and one slit throat and an extra broken neck later, you're lifting yourself from the muck, and staring up at vis, fresh olive dripping through your hair. ***
[6/27/2016 1:39:45 AM] *** Kam Your. Head. Is. Pulsing. You're TOO ANGER. You turn and you can SEE the bright fuschia blood in your vision. Meenah. The scent of her blood is in your head and you cant. get. it. out. and its terrible, it’s terrible and you need to stop that bleeding and you need to KILL whoever did it. Its everyone here. Everyone did it. Everyone in this building hurt her and now theres light from the far door down the hallway. You don’t care. You’re moving to Meenah, eyes no longer that pretty violet, instead a burning red, locked onto the wound on her chest. One of the trolls- Somehow, someone somewhere... the cerulean? Tried to get up behind you, but before they can move, your hand is around their neck and you’re just... floating there, staring at Meenah with rage in your eyes and in your heart, letting this poor troll beside you drown in the blood of their crushed windpipe. ***
[6/27/2016 2:56:35 AM] *** Taeniura you watch him. you watch him watch you, and somepart of you tells you that you should go to him, that he needs you, that you need him. The rest of you knows now isnt the time. it isnt the place. no matter the shade of his eyes, or how close yours are to matching it. no matter how the patern of light rippling angrily across his skin pulls desperately at your own pusher. You just shove it down, deeper, into your chest, into your gut, where it sits alone, prowling, waiting for a weakness, for an opening in the cage you've built from the blood drying on your skin and the fury in your pumper. it only ever left room for itself.

Then the door opens, and he doesnt even look at it, but you, you're still working on hyperattentive, kill or be  killed senses - yours eyes snap to the lights. You've moved to wrench your trident from the last body you left it in before youve even registered the thought. It leaves you just under vis now, and this time you're ready, crouched and snarling, still dripping half the hemospectrum, with your weapon aimed. Time to add another hue. ***
[6/27/2016 3:05:39 AM] *** Kam This time it's teal, teal headed your way with glowing eyes, teal shooting red and yellow your way with a hand outstretched and a boom that shakes your eardrums. You hiss loudly, challangingly, and it... he? she? you dont care- hisses back. The bolt misses you, because you move down, in front of Meenah. You want to protect her from this... even though you know she can take it, you're still... somehow, some part of you still thinks she needs not to see this. There's a violetblood, behind the teal. He's holding something. You zero in on it as a sort of remote... and point to it. You're going to take it down. You've claimed dibs. probably. Maybe. ***
[6/27/2016 3:44:06 AM] *** Taeniura the noise resonates somewhere deep in  your chest, and for a moment you feel like you might shake apart at the seams. you feel sick, almost, like  you cant stop vibrating, even though you know you havent moved at all. It sort of takes the wind out of your sails when you cant even take a step without loosing your balence - luckily Vis is in front of you before you can even think clear enough to be grateful for it, and it gives you just the time you needed to fight through the fog and get your head back together.

You can hear them hissing at one another, and some instinctual part of you moves from behind your moirail to face the threat head on. You arent prepared for the pair you see.

It doesnt hit you. it doesnt swoop in from on high, and lay you low. It creeps. it slithers, and you despise yourself the minute the feeling grips you tight. They're just colors. theres nothing special about them, there were thousands more. they didnt even look like the people you knew. So why did it ignite a slow burn down in your center, to see your ex lovers colors on a face ready to take  you down. why did it pull a tight and angry noose on what was left of your heart at the violet in the veins of the troll next to him.

Then all at once, You understand. You glance over at vis, his eyes red and his lights flashing, and  you understand. And the small part of you that kept your love for him at bay to make room for the rest of your emotions tonight begs you to reach for him, and for the first time since the blood started, you listen to it. Your hand is on his arm for seconds. less than. it was enough. It had to be.

Because in the next breath, you've taken a step forward, and snarled your own fearless challenge. ***
[6/27/2016 4:05:32 AM] *** Kam The teal hisses at you and you hiss at him and the violets fins are back and your fins are large and wide and the patterns on your skin are doing their damned best to send the other troll into a lulling sleep or catch him off guard... Doesn't seem to be working, though, because... you... pause. Somethings touching your arm. You almost swipe at it, Meenah can feel the jerk in your shoulder, the flinch from the touch. But... it's enough. You can look at her and see her gaze, meet her gaze... And your head clears for a moment. Just enough for you to rationally think it out. This is a teal. Meenah's lover was a teal. She's probably needing... comfort. You blink away the red, but before you can... do anything... Shes in front of you, and snarling, and the teals ears flick back and he snarls loudly back, pulsating lines of red and yellow psionics rolling about his hands as he begins to advance on you both. ***
[6/28/2016 3:01:14 AM] *** Taeniura as soon as the teal steps forward,  you step forward. inch for inch,  you match him. you would not be cowed, you would not back down, and somehow, as hollow as you felt, parts of you knew that this at least was right. if you were going to fight to the death, your enemy in front of you and your rail at your back was how you wanted to do it. And even better than that, this was familiar. This change in position, this attack strategy (if you could call it that) was familiar. And hey. a Teal psionic should be a push over after a half formed horror terror, right?

You growl wildly at him, your eyes still edging on orange, and charge forward fearlessly. you dont look back at vis again. you dont have to. you know hes got you. ***
[6/28/2016 3:06:13 AM] *** Kam As Meenah advances with him and matches pace, it only serves to make him angry, and he moves faster, barreling forward to cover the few short meters as quick as he can, lightning in his hands. Meenah can probably almost hear your voice... This is a close range psion. A rarity, really. How you can tell? If it wasn't, you'd likely both have some sizzling skin right now. And if it was Sal, well. You'd both be on the ground. But it isn't sal, and it isn't a long range fighter. Good for both you and Meenah... That violet behind the psion is lingering back, smirking at the two of you. Like he thinks this teal's going to win. He doesn't seem to want to get his hands dirty, no, not at all.

The Teal meets Meenah at a little more than halfway, and his first move? To make a grab directly for her face. A grab, not a punch or a kick- He'd grab for anything she used to block his attack, as well. ***
[6/28/2016 3:58:01 AM] *** Taeniura you've got your trident pointed right at his chest, with every intention of shoving it right in on contact - but something stalls you - some deep instinct yelling at you to stop, to pull back, that something is wrong. you manage to pull it up in enough time to use the bar of it to knock his hand away at the wrist, to keep it from your face. You duck instinctually at the same time, so that the only possible handhold he has is your horns, which is the part he and those hands can do the least damage to.

something IS wrong here, though. Hes not shooting at you, hes not flying you across a room. in fact,  you only really smell that all too familiar ozone when his hand got close to your face. your eyes narrow and you try swing the trident around to charge again, all in the space of a few seconds - but you're still ducked and his hands are still unacounted for, and there is only so much space. ***
[6/28/2016 4:21:33 AM] *** Kam He... misses completely. Thankfully. He swings too fast, and when Meenah ducks, he nearly turns himself around with the force of his swing. He doesn't right himself quickly enough to do any damage before Meenah can try to swing that trident around... But he is paying attention to that swing, and as one hand closes on the central tine of the tridents edge and another tine stabs into the psions shoulder... a surge of energy pours through it, red sparks lighting it up like christmas wire.

Of course, Meenah's right. So while she's crouched on the ground, your right hooks making a pretty focused fist and you swing it forward with all your might.

wham

And the psion's shoulders been dislocated from the trident, because you moved him back. Or maybe he moved back. You're unsure. But hey, he's not near Meenah anymore. ***
[6/28/2016 5:02:15 AM] *** Taeniura the time between when you feel your trident make contact with the teals shoulder feels like minutes, but its barely seconds. The time between when it connects, and when vis knocks him off of it again is significantly longer. Electricity pours from the Teal troll down your trident and right into you, and every bit of you is on fire for those few seconds.

When hes knocked back, you're on your knees, hands still glued to your weapon with white clenched knuckles, while vis stands at your back. You're breathing hard, yourjaw sore from clenched teeth, but still you stand, and in seconds you're up again, side by side with vis.

Your muscles feel like they're too alive, too energized, you feel jittery and your eyes are wide and nearly manic while you watch the other troll. Ever atom in you is now screaching 'danger' - and still you dont give yourself or him time to recoup. You surge forward, swinging the trident around to give yourself some space while still hoping to rake them across him somewhere like a giant set of claws, with little regard to your own safety. ***
[6/28/2016 5:12:51 AM] *** Kam It's clear this troll doesn't possess the power of flight, or he'd be using it to get away from the barrage of attacks Meenah's giving him. He doesn't flinch, doesn't move back from them- Just raises an arm at attempt at blocking and launches himself forward again in an offensive.

Again with the face grabbing.... Which he stops, when Meenah's trident leaves furrows in his chest of openly seeping teal. Again, he tries to grab the trident as it passes... You'd probably laugh later at how grabby this guy is- but for now, he's just annoying. And painful. Your hand is completely numb- You can only imagine what Meenah's feeling right now. You shoot her a glance to guage how much of her body she can't currently move- or feel, or, whatever effects she's feeling from this tealblood. You somehow need to stop this guy from touching either of you... Ah. That would do it, but... You don't want to bring Ahabs out to this thing. Even if you have it with you. Which, of course you did. It's just flashy, and showy, and overkill. Sure, it's a legendary weapon... but it's for legendary foes. You decide not to use it... And instead decide to throw a sword. Reckless, dangerous, horrifically so, but... Well, hopefully your aim'd strike true, right? You want it in one of his shoulders, or something... as you prepare to swing, A noise, shouting, alerts you to the god-awful idea of backup arriving. Not your backup. ***
[6/29/2016 3:04:22 AM] *** Taeniura its also clear that this troll doesnt posses much in the way of cognitive ability. He was intimidating when he walked in all flash and spark and with all his growling, but besides just trying to lay hands on you to electrocute you, he didnt seem to have much else going for him in this fight.

That pissed you off more than the acid under your skin. and it was acid - it burned you inside out and if you were still for even a minute, you know you'd be shaking yourself apart with it. But you werent. you werent still and you werent thinking and that was the whole god damn point. if he couldnt keep it up he was in your way, teal or not.

you're just about ready to aim higher with the next rake of your triendent when a sword shoots over your head and sticks out of his other shoulder. it seems to do more damage than yours did, as he doesnt lift it as high now, which is fine by you. just means you know which way to swing, which you do, right at his neck, with a short gutteral yell, and murderous intent burning behind your eyes. this needed to end quickly. ***
[7/4/2016 10:49:54 PM] *** Kam He's slow on the uptake, but... To be honest, he probably only needed to get ahold of someone once, long enough to stun them.. then the rest would be easy. The seadweller behind him has remained by the door, leaning there with the smuggest of smirks on his face.  He even has the nerve to play around on his palmhusk while he's leaning there! It pisses you off to no end, and while the teal psionic reels back, stunned, from your sword in his shoulder, you take the oppurtunity and fuckin' flare at the bastard. You're coming for him next. How dare he not pay attention to you, you were IMPORTANT, you were Eridan fuckin Ampora... Sortof.

Meenah's trident swings true- But, of course, it's a trident. It won't cut his head off like a sword, but it'll do some good damage too. The teal goes down, hands grabbing for the trident for a last ditch effort to stun her with his shock. He's not done yet- He's still trying to get up, but something's... not right there, his eyes are unfocused and he doesn't even really look too angry. More... docile. She /could/ leave him...? If she wanted??? Her decision wouldn't matter in the long run, however there were other trolls running in... ... But, like you thought, they're not backup. They're /kids/. At least, most of them are.

Smuggy Mc Smugbastard over there in the corner is still grinning into his screens. He reaches down and grabs a pen, writes something onto the screen. Stows it in his pocket. And begins to walk away. Like he's all fucking that, like this doesn't matter. ***
[7/5/2016 1:14:15 AM] *** Taeniura What you want is to get this over with. What you want, is to make it out of this alive, to get home with you and vis intact and to go make sure your spade knows exactly how much he means to you. What you want, is for your past to stay the hell out of your present....and maybe for somebody to have a little faith in you.

No where on that list is letting anyone in this building live.  in a sudden angry burst, you shove your trident deep into the teals chest with an popping sound as it pierces bone without breaking it, and after the last time he had hands on it, you let it go immediately, hands clenched by your sides while you breathe heavily through the now smeared blood.

You don't even do him the courtesy of watching him die. You're already looking for the next target - and even though you clearly see the smug bastard in the doorway, all you can see are kids...

so you just. crouch a little, bring your fists up...and wait for an attack. If there was one thing you knew, one rule to follow in alternia, above all else.

Trust nothing. ***
[7/5/2016 1:30:31 AM] *** Kam You expect a scream from the teal psionic, but none comes. Instead, when you glance down momentarily, the poor psions grinning like he couldn't be happier. Probably glad to die, you think, with a biting thought.

Your gaze is up to the seadweller. He's stopped walking, has turned his head and is staring with narrowed eyes at Meenah. He tucks a strand of hair behind a fin. Then he keeps walking. And you hate it. But there's kids here, and... Now he's stopped. And he's punching the button that's supposed to open the door. But he turns, looking angered, at the group of kids... several of whom aren't paying attention to Meenah or you, but looking at the doorway, which remains shut. You have the same feeling as Meenah... but... But then one of the kids pushes his way through the crowd and holds out his hand, palm up. It's the... It's the one from before! The boy who had taken advantage of the door being broken down. He gives her a grin, and a cocked eyebrow. 'You ain't the empress,' He says. 'But you're sure cooler than she is. Least you give a fuck.' What a mouth.

There's gotta be thirty kids here. And... One of them starts clapping. Then another. And another and another and now she's getting. Applause. It takes a minute for it to die down... You're so very confused. The bloodlust has died for just a moment while you muddle through the confusion. ***
[7/8/2016 1:43:06 AM | Edited 1:45:14 AM] Taeniura:  You. Don't actually know whats happening right now. You'd been expecting an attack, or an ambush; something hard and bloody and. This. Wasn't it. It comes so far out of left field for you that you're stuck looking at the kid intently, trying to puzzle out if this was some kind of a trap for longer than anyone would be comfortable with, and in complete silence. Hell you aren't even paying any attention to the seadweller glaring daggers at you; at this point the rather sudden applause- you didn't flinch, shut up, you'll deny it - was the greater danger

Then again, you liked his spunk, and you'd never been one to run. So, Eventually, After a painfully long drawn out awkward as fuck silence, you take it. And somehow, that's enough to pull you from the fight. The first thing you notice is how small his hand is, in comparison to yours. And its not clean, but. It isn't covered in three different colors either. Some part of you knows these kids are far from innocent if they've been living here, but the stark difference jars you - makes you think briefly of your own kids, and you regret it instantly. Vis can probably see you blinking faster than might have been strictly nessisary, and weather it was from holding back tears or trying to clear your head, even you aren't sure right now.

A few moments after you've accepted his hand, you nod, looking right into his eyes. He isn't your sons.

"i aint anybodys empress kid. ...This is gonna get ugly. so either get these guys someplace safe, or find a weapon. "

You keep your voice even, but how you manage is beyond you, the way your heart is squeezing. He isn't your sons. You just wanted to offer him a chance at evening the score - something no one offered you.

You breathe deep, and make yourself keep looking at him. He wasn't your sons.
[7/8/2016 2:13:49 AM] *** Kam The kid shrugs with that 'I know what I'm doing' air, and then gives off a cocky grin. "Nah," He says. "I'm leadin these guys out. If we can find my lusus we'll all be safe, probs. You get to do all the fun shit. You know, tearing down the oppressors, acting upon the Signless's words, all that fun stuff. To be perfectly fuckin' honest, we were wondering when you'd come. Seems like just... what, last week...? The Psiioniic was here, too. That was so cool to watch..." And some kids nod.

"ANYway." He shakes her hand firmly, then jabs his thumb towards the way she'd come. "Maybe we'll see you and your crew in the rebellion sometime. Alright! Psions: Move out! We're headed to the mountains, north of here. I already put a signature on it, just follow that. You better haul ass because if you aint, you're fuckin dead, or worse, like our friend on the floor here. Ho!" And the group begins to move out, but he lingers to watch, making sure everyone is moving. He gives a look to Meenah- Expecting her to say something, anything, praise his actions, he doesn't know. He wants just that tiny little recognition boost to motivate him to keep doing what he does. ***
[7/8/2016 2:57:02 AM] Taeniura: you almost laugh, as he goes through his speech and rounds up the rest of the wriglers, but it doesn't quite reach you. The way he talks about you, following the signless' words, and coming in after the psiioniic- about how he wondered when you'd show up - puts up some red flags, and you glance to Vis questioningly.

 it takes you a minute to actually recognize who the hell the kid is talking about, though, and when you realize hes said 'psiioniic', you look back at him. " you gotta b fuckin kiddin me." mutter under your breath. You haven't called your captors that since you met them, but you just might when you go back and throttle sal and kad.  It sets your jaw in a hard line, but you leave it be for now. bigger fish and all that. like, how the hell did he know you.

"hold up. What the hell did you mean by 'when I was coming.' "
[7/8/2016 3:13:31 AM] *** Kam You are very concerned. How. How did this happen. Who knew about Meenah- and What did they know about Meenah.

The kid stops, and he turns. "Well, I mean. You're her, aren't you? The fuschia lion. The one the Signless and Psiioniic hang out with. They're your crew. You're like... No? nothing?" He pauses. "... You're fuckin' famous among the slaves around here. Most of us aint seen you, but I did, once. You an the other violet you had with you led a bunch of slaves up to my jungle, like. A sweep or so ago... You had such badass armor, man. A lot of trolls can't get behind the Signless' words, because he's preaching peace an equality an shit, a peaceful takedown. He doesn't like violence. But you, man. You're fuckin amazing. you get shit DONE. You're strong and powerful and violent, and it's great. You're like me, you know?" ***
[7/8/2016 4:42:48 AM] Taeniura: You. You remember that, is the only thing you can hold onto after hes done. You remember leading them there with clams, after one of your outings. Hell, you don't remember the specifics, but you remember that. It'd never. Occurred to you, that you'd been making an impression, that anyone would remember you, much less in a positive light - if anything you were always waiting for someones quad or inclade to come after you for your body count every time you showed your face here.

You're left just. staring at him again, and something. Something shifts. something settles. like a puzzle piece caught on the edge that's been jostled into place. click. perfect fit. And all at once - nothings changed. you're still holding in all that fury, buried in ice and roiling fire, down in the pit of your stomach, you're still not satisfied. But at least you can feel your own skin. your bones don't feel like they're going to vibrate out of you if you sit still too long, you feel here.  You feel like the fog in your head is draining away. you feel like. well.

You. And its been a long time since you've felt that way.

So, you smile, all sharp teeth and flashing eyes, looking right into his. and then you reach over and ruffle his hair. " you do good work kid. " the physical shift of you actually feeling like you're standing in your own body is a visable one, you're straighter, your shoulders aren't wound so tight. you even sound more like you.  " Look, isle tell kad - uh. signless to look for you. Now get these kids outta here I got a mess to clean up. " you nod at him in solidarity. "oh. and think a someifn betta to call me aight, that aint gonna jive."

You turn away then, more focused now than when you'd first started, more intent. You reach for your trident and pull it out of the teal with a familiar squelch - when you level it, you're pointing at the doorway, where you'd last seen the violet, and waiting for vis to join you.
[7/13/2016 4:59:52 AM] *** Kam You watch her settle with wide eyes. How the fuck- This little kid just did what you've been trying to do for perigees how.......

You watch the maroon give her a thumbs up and go in for a knuckle bump before he heads out, running quickly off into the darkness... Which, without the light of all those psions glowing, is, well, dark. The violetblood is glowing, though, and has taken out some sort of cutter, working on sawing through the door. You'll let Meenah handle him. She might want to interrogate him, kill him, do whatever... After all, this outting is for her, mainly... You feel like you're sort of settling into your own stride too. Stretching, you roll back your shoulders with two audible pops, and watch her almost... lazily. You can see the change in her, you know absolutely she can take care of herself now. Won't stop you from keeping her under your eye, though...

"Some kid, huh?" You query quietly, breaking the silence. "Now, who does he remind you of." ***
[7/13/2016 6:01:03 AM] Taeniura: you flash him a quick grin and hell, you even wink  before you turn towards the violet trying to saw his way out. He almost looks desperate in the violet light, and you don't even bother to approach with undue caution. You felt good. You felt the personal equivalent of Vis' newfound allowance; that you could take care of yourself; and he was no exception. Hell, look at him. All he was trying to do was get the hell away from you.

 you walk close enough that you could easily throw a trident through his chest, and only then do you speak to him, voice measured and forceful; eyes laser focused on the middle of his back. There was no confusing him for your own violets - they wouldn't run from you.

"hey. you don't really think you're gonna get out of this alive, do you."