Malentine vs. Rindou

[23:49] A simply walk back to a certain place finds them coming across a much more interesting situation. With wisps of a portal closing behind Magdalen left in her wake, those rubies fall onto Rindou having pierced the chest of a now-dead Lea Elisheva.

Her eyes go wide, as that smile on her face only grows much more. How could this happen? How lucky was she? To find such a scene... With someone dead.

She hit the jackpot.

''HAHAHA! HOW WONDERFUL!'' Her voice echoes out across the fields, while she steps forwards with Sho Gwyn and Mu Ein following closely.

''I have been looking for you... Rindou. For such a long time, I have been looking to snap your neck. For when you smashed my face in Gehenna, something I will never forget. And now? Here you are... Doing my work for me!''

A lazy hand gestures down to the dead Elisheva. ''Sho Gwyn, collect the body for me!'' Pleased, she moves her fingers out to her staff. ''Mu Ein, do you have anything to suggest?'' She knew how he felt about the woman, bleeding that sin all over the place.

''You know, Rindou. Maybe if you fall onto your hands and knees and beg... I may just let you live.'' Anastacia was happy, she was completely amazed. As bloodstones begin to dance around her body, connecting to make swords that hover over her shoulders. Five of them with their sharp tips pointed down at Rindou's body.

''So many people are hunting you down... Maybe you hide in the shrines? Either way, you could try to run away but you'll not get very far. And if you try to stop me from taking the body too? I'll make your death much more painful.''

She leans into Sho, whispering before awaiting the reactions of the others.
(Anastacia Loki)
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[23:52] What a peculiar sight to stumble upon. It's not every day you find someone in the wilderness, and it's not every day those people are committing a murder. She looks a little surprised as Magdalen blinks out of existence, and even more surprised at her mentor's joy upon the discovery of Rindou.

"Wow...! What a find, mm...? This is one of those you were looking for, right, right...?"

She turns her attention to the body at the order, and casually makes her way towards it. She's under the assumption that Rindou is about to be a little too distracted to stop her from picking it up.
(Sho Gwyn)
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[23:55] The Shenghese man walked over with his cigarette rolling between his teeth and his hands in his pockets. Clearly they had arrived at what was an absolute masterpiece in Anastacia's eyes, and all they had to do was let it all fall into place. He let the Nagual step forward while he hung back, sending a wink in Rindou's direction.

"Just leave the body, yeah? You can cry up north about how you had to kill her and all, no use in making this harder than need be." He ran a hand through his hair and took in a long drag before exhaling cold smoke.

"Suggestions?" he said, glancing at Anastacia. "Kill her if she tries to run." He shrugged and looked back to Rindou. "Let her live if she complies. Easy as that."
(Mu Ein)
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[23:58] To say she was heartbroken by her own actions, by her own promise would be nothing but a lie. An underestimation of the feelings she felt down to the deepest parts of her heart. When Lea spoke to her it was... worse. Even after she had betrayed and abandonned her she saw the light, she saw who Rindou really was, who she could be, who she should have been.

This was...

A laugh. A coarse, ugly laughter.

Things couldn't get worse. Especially when Anastacia decided it would be best to try and take away Lea's body from her - the only hope she had at bringing back the one true family she could have. Unacceptable. The threats, the demands, the need. They were all unacceptable.

When Sho approached the fallen Lea the staff was pulled from her corpse, spun and directed towards the Nagual in a rather threatening manner. The mere fact it radiated with divine energies may be enough of a threat to slow them down a bit.

Her gaze settled upon Mu Ein when he spoke, the wink sent her way only earned him disgust - as would any other. Lips parted while she kept on protecting the deceased, her sinful energies remaining.

"There is only one way I would let you lot keep her body.

To bring her back to life. If you can't, then we'll have a disagreement."

She was looking for a response in particular from one of them.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
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[00:07] ''No.''

That feeling some may be familiar with, rising up and thick enough to be suffocating. Like a smog that takes over the fields, a red mist that builds and builds. Invisible to the naked eye, as that overwhelming sense of bloodlust fills the air.

Which is when Rindou moves, the ruby stone swords move too. Firing down at Rindou before she could stop or even react to Sho Gwyn trying to take the body. No, Rindou was not going to be able to stop and split her attention while Anastacia guarantee's they get the corpse.

Before she makes another one.

''That disgusting bitch can stay dead.
All of those demi-angels can rot for all I care.
But now her life is mine, and I will do as I please.
She's going to stay dead, I will make sure of that.
Do you want to join her so soon~?''

Rindou had little options here, there was no real chance of escaping if she wanted to stop them from using the body. And so far, Anastacia has not seen the woman fall to her knees and grovel as demanded.

''Look's like she's going to die Mu Ein! I have no time to play silly games, while Sho Gwyn retrieves the body... I would like for us to make sure this piece of trash doesn't get in the way.''
(Anastacia Loki)
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[00:13] It certainly seemed like things weren't going to go Rindou's way. Not at all. Why was life so unfair? Why did it have to kick her right when she felt like she held a bit of power in her hands? This...

... this wasn't something she'd let happen. No. For Lea's sake. For her own sake.

"No. Deal."

The green, sinful energies that roamed about her body reached out towards Sho, pulling away at the very nimbleness her kind was known for and granting it to Rindou while she pulled something from her robes, her favorite trick by far.

Lea's body? Held tightly.
Smoke bomb? Smashed on the ground.

If Anastacia thought Rindou would respect her demands she was clearly crazy.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
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[00:30] Well... her first go for the body doesn't end up great. If you've ever fired a squirt bottle at a cat trying to climb on your desk, but it's still lingering in the area and going to try again, it's the same thing as that. Though in this case the desk is a body, and that cat is Sho Gwyn.

She does hop back though at the fight about to break out, curious about this new guy's chops. But when she looks up... he's a wholly different person.

"Wow...!"
(Sho Gwyn)
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[00:32] "A shame.." The Shenghese man said, the world at his sides suddenly sundering with a two great cracks! From one side, a screeching blade was pulled, and from the other, crimson armor and a long, black merchant's coat swirl around the man. Ivory hair blossomed out of the black locks atop his head, and those Shenghese features became the face of someone all too familiar to Rindou. Another raspy sigh came from his mouth as the cigarette was discarded without care.

"It's like looking in a mirror though. I figured you'd never listen. I sure as Hel wouldn't." His true voice came to light as that blade twirled nearby. A glance was given to the Nagual and Anastacia, if only to gauge the reaction of the one who hadn't yet learned this secret before he looked back to the swordswoman trying to get the body away.

"I suppose it's still fair to give you this last shot to stand down. We can work something out, get her back with necromancy once Ana's done with her or something."

He knew she still wouldn't listen. The wind grew cold, colder than the winds in the northern mountains, and with a few blinks of green eyes, crimson light bled outward into the world while more of reality withered around the man.

"This really isn't personal. It's just business."
(Malentine Invidia)
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[00:39] You learned the spell Winter's Talons.
[00:40] "I can't really trust that without a guarantee."

She answered all too ready for what was to come when the others moved away. Mu's transformation came to no surprise to her. Out of everyone he had met she was most likely the only one that criticized him over his choice of mask - this poor performance that lead her to quickly assume what she wanted to believe. Much like that day birthed a new reality unto her mind, this one would do nothing but solidify what already existed.

"But I'm sure that you understand what we mean. Why we do this. Why it hurts so much. If a mirror is what you want to meet, then so be it, Malentine Invidia."

Her face had changed to match his. Of course a lot of features were... botched up. Missing. Plain wrong. The hair she barely had down, and the face was fine, this was the best she could do right now. For a short amount of time, too. Thank the lord the vampire wasn't the most masculine man in the world.

The air grew cold. Her left hand rose up, as did the very ice that was robbed from the eternal being, surrounding him as she spoke again.

"Words would have been easier."
(Rindou Sakamoto)
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[02:06] In all his disinterest with Agartha, there were a few who brought color to the vampire's eyes. Sors Ultovex, Anastacia, Famfrit. People he saw thriving in fighting the only fight that mattered against a world that clung to institutions and foundations that only served to shackle and bind. Rindou Sakamoto was one of the few who Malentine had revealed himself to, someone he recognized a familiar passion burning within their struggle and hate.

She was everything he once was,
but not yet what he had become.

"Never once in my life have I apologized for harming someone." He said, making idle banter while swords clashed and clanged. The mighty arcanium sword was brought down hard against the singing azure one in the woman's hands. While the blades locked against one another, that pleasant smile peeled back to reveal fangs, glinting in the forest's light.

"Guilt just.. isn't something that registers anymore!" Malentine's sword was pulled back and swung upward, aiming to tear across Rindou's front and send her sprawling back. Earth coiled around the vampire's form, but his body wouldn't have it, it slipped into a spray of bloody mist that seeped out through the cracks only to slither into one rift and out another at Rindou's flank.

The Black Curtain came down again, smashing into Rindou's weapon, only this time, the vampire wasn't holding it. The sword was moving on its own accord. Malentine reappeared from his misty cloud with icy skewers extending from his hands and then stabbed up, over, and through while his primary weapon pushed Rindou further and further back. It felt like fighting three swords instead of one, three opponentsthat couldn't be beat.

A thunderous explosion of telekinetic might sent Rindou cascading backward into a tree where she cracked the bark and likely some of her own bone. Bloody cuts covered her body, and icy talons were erupting from the ground to skewer her there, deadly intent shining at their tips.

Malentine smiled, a simple smile, and bowed as Anastacia had done to him after their fight. The body was moved, the swordswoman wouldn't be able to reach it.

"But you almost make me want to say 'I'm sorry'." And yet he wouldn't. Fortunately, with his head in that ducked bow, Rindou had that moment to flee, to escape the wintry claws that pushed through the earth with aims to rip her to shreds.
(Malentine Invidia)
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[02:13] Come see my new place.

That really hadn't prepared Sho for what she was going to see, here. One of the most notorious villains in Agartha's history- one she'd felt the after effects of his diabolical schemes- was here fighting a living, breathing sin right in front of her eyes. She was no stranger to combat, but watching this was on a whole other level.

If she really focused, she might find herself trembling. Scared, even. This wasn't something someone witnesses without their spine shaking. But thankfully, it's overwhelmed by two things. First, the symphony of violence. Watching the vampire work has Sho enrapt.

And second... absolute trust in her mentor. If she trusted this vampire, then she'd trust in that trust and expect her not to let her get hurt. In fact, as the fight concludes, she turns to Anastacia and remarks, "Wow...! You're amazing... To get something like that friendly to you is no small feat, mm...?"
(Sho Gwyn)
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[02:32] Crow says, "Hm.."
[02:32] How did going to their new little spot result in this? Now they had one piece of the puzzle gained.

Which is when she watches Malentine dance, across the fields and trading blows with Rindou. But in the end, Rindou was not made for this kind of dance it seems. She may be able to pretend to be Malentine, but she would never have the years of experience that comes beneath those ballroom shoes.

Then finally, that telekinesis blast she has felt before. It sends Rindou sliding back across the dirt. Bones snap and bend, hardly leaving the poor girl in any condition to keep fighting. Pieces of ice torn into her flesh, leaving little cold icicles sticking out from her body.

And then Malentine turns to bow, and she claps her hands! ''Bravo~.'' She announces, flicking her arm out to the side. A ruby rose formed between her fingers, made up of bloodstones shaped by her magic. And it's tossed athis feet, this time without the dramatic shattering effect before.

''Do not worry, Sho Gwyn. Malentine is no normal vampire, he isn't going to lose his mind and try to suck our blood. He's going to work with me on equal footing... Which may be quite complicated, but you should listen to him as you'd listen to me.''

He had proven quite useful, hasn't he? To attack someone he could consider his own... Just for the sake of her claiming a corpse? It makes her smile ever more present before she brings a hand down to Sho's shoulder. ''Grab the body, and let's go.''

If they stayed here for much longer, who knows what else might show up?
(Anastacia Loki)
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Rindou was no match for the beast before her. His motions were uncanny, his style was nothing more than what she envisioned for her own future, though far, far better than she could have imagined it. To be able to tear the lifestream itself and take shortcuts in battle was no easy feat, yet, looking at Malentine was like looking at a much more skillful version of herself. A being that had fought back those who put him down. A man who wanted everything the world could offer to him, and more. This...

... this neared what she wished to be. In strength. In prestige. In ability. In immortality.

It's only at that moment that the young woman realized her own life ending was not what she wished - not even from natural causes. Sure, she had avoided death and firmly feared it coming for her, but it never reached the extent of making her life eternal. If Lea—

That sword slammed into her, forcing her backwards and drawing blood from her, sending her opponent into an instinctual frenzy, an unstoppable assault of blade and ice cutting through her skin.

"I don't... regret what I've done." She finally responded to the banter he was offering, fighting right back - allowing a shell of scorching earth to crawl up her body and shield her from the incoming freezing hell.

"It hurts. Lea's death hurts. But I did the right thing. I couldn't let Magdalen steal her away. I couldn't let her take the love that should be mine. The family that should have been mine.

The family I won't have, now."

When Malentine appeared behind her she called forth reinforced earth, aiming to hold him in place before he could teleport again. Useless. He slipped through both her spell and her physical form as nothing but a mist of blood, only to reform behind her back once again, forcing her to accept the difference between them.

"Guilt... only comes when a mistake is made."

And she believed herself far above those mistakes, those mishaps. Her body, however, wasn't above the forces of nature. Arcane magic evoked forth a powerful blast of telekinetic powers, forcing her back - forcing her shell to crack, her heart to shown, her bones to fail her. The mask of Malentine she donned fell apart; it was never going to last long anyway. The tears that ran down her cheeks before the battle were present once again. She hadn't gotten over Lea's death, that much was obvious. Casting away those we love and wish to build a world with was... Difficult.

She was separated from the body, forcefully so. She would die if she moved on forward. She wouldn't be able to retrieve Lea's body if she went too far. The blonde woman had already seized the remains of an angel at this point. All...

.. all that Rindou could do was be honest, through the tears.

"Make... sure you have no reason to apologize."

A demand. A command. A plea?

Malentine Invidia was the only person who'd be able to read Rindou's true feelings, to read her pain, to know what would come next if he failed to bring Lea's body back in a useable state. He knew it all...

... because it's what he'd do, too.
(Rindou Sakamoto)