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 Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2024 10:46 am
Rydia shook her head.
No. The stones are made from inert meteors. I was told that we all got our powers from our parents when we came of age. I'm starting to think that was a lie, and that something was used during the ceremony that contained meteor fragments. Either that, or these creatures have been affected by meteors that fell into the ocean. Given the lack of noise on the surface regarding a rewriting of this regions biome I'm inclined to believe it's the former.
The DSV slowly approached a metal structure that had the name "Crescent Moon" adorned on it's side. The C in the first was, in fact, a crescent moon decal.
"This is it. We'll be getting of here. I'm the only one that can open it safely."
Rydia and Ravan climbed into their bulky and heavy atmospheric diving suits. Although these had been improved by Gidget, they were told to still use the upmost caution when exploring. A catastrophic loss of pressure would cause the suit to implode on itself and crush the diver.
Once the two of them were set, they disembarked and slowly approached the wall. Rydia was forced to use propulsion bursts, but Ravan freely floated around.
"You don't have to show off, Ravan." Rydia scolded.
"I'm not! I'm just having fun!" she replied with glee.
"Be careful! We don't know what's down here."
Rydia approached the "C" of the word Crescent Moon. A panel slid open for her to place her palm on. Gidget had foreseen this, and had the suit's finger tips match Rydia's prints. Success.
Another panel opened for a retinal scan. Gidget's planning once again came trough. Success.
Finally, a panel revealed a speaker and said in Elvin, "Speak the password."
Rydia replied, "It was you who broke my mason plate."
Rydia had expected there to be a sudden pull as the hangar fill with water, but he was surprised to see that it was already filled. The culprit was an enormous hole on the opposite side that looked like something had brolen into the hangar from outside.
"Girls, I don't want to alarm you, but we may not be alone in here. Stay frosty."
The ship was covered in a metallic steel blue paint from point to point. It had a very basic design with four large engines on one end and a viewport at the front. Another "Crescent Moon" logo was on the side that faced them, as was the door to the airlock.
"Just a moment, I'll get the door open."
Ravan floated around to see if there was any trouble. When she was confident, she floated over to Sara.
"Isn't this place amazing! Its like something out of one of those Stars War movies so many of the boys wont shut up about. Are you okay? You look worried."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freya did not fight Liam off that time She did not say it, but the back rub did feel nice.
Toshiro and Akina both bowed their heads in respect. Toshiro looked to Freya and said, "I think you should return home. It is still how you left it, although with a few more...decorations, than there were. It was declared a monument of great cultural importance, so it has unfortunately become something of a tourist hot spot, but I believe you may find something there. Something important. Please, do not fret about payment. Consider the food a gift. It was good to see you again, my old friend."
Freya nodded and greatfully finished her food in near silence. She then rubbed her eyes, bid them farewell, and began the long trek toward her home. She told Liam that it was about an hour and a half walk if they took their time.
Halfway there, she took a few peeks toward Liam and sighed. "You're being a lot more quiet than usual. It's weird. Something on your mind?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alec looked confused for a moment. When it finally clicked, his eyes went wide and he excused himself. He walked up to the full length mirror by the closet and inspected his eyes closely. He saw that they still went dark when he willed his death powers forward, but they returned to normal immediately after. He smiled and huffed in amusement.
He turn around, smiled brightly, and went over to embrace Kerana.
"I don't know exactly why it happened, but I do know that I've never been happier than I am right now. That someone like you loves me...I can't describe it! It's like the clouds that've hung over my head my whole life have finally parted. I feel worthy of your light."
He kissed her again and cried tears of joy. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2024 9:01 am
Kerana watched as his realization unfolded. She nodded with a smile as he excused himself. She sat on her knees as he tested what happened when he willed his death powers noticing his eyes did change when in use. She blushed as he embraced her she was on her knees as she returned his embrace. Her hands were over his shoulders, her tails wrapped around his waist. She whispered in his ear, “You have always been worthy of my light. For you are my light, Alec.” Her fingers whipped the tears off his face and smiled ”I can’t imagine my life without you”. She kissed him deeply pulling him down to the bed. One thing led to another and they found themselves in the middle of a round two.
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2024 1:44 pm
After Freya continued eating he slid his hand off of her back and also continued eating his food. He enjoyed it but not to the fullest he could. It was hard to do in this situation. A part of him could not stop himself from making a note of how it all tasted to try and recreate later on at some point. When they were finished he gave a courteous bow to the couple before leaving with Freya.
During their walk, he didn't speak much. Perhaps a few short comments or questions here and there. He recognized a few things from Lokelonni's memories that she had shown him. There weren't a lot of things in his mind at the moment. Something that usually only happened when he was hyper-focused on a singular task. There was just...silence in his head. Combined with the calm rural village around him, walking here with Freya, was peaceful.
Liam opened his mouth but didn't speak right away. "Apologies for making it weird. It's...quite the opposite actually. It's....quiet." He spoke a bit softer than usual.
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Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 12:22 pm
Freya was about to raz Liam for misinterpreting her comment, but she just sighed instead. She looked around at the trees and grass as they swayed with the wind. She breathed in the clean mountain air and felt the breeze on her skin. It was quiet. Too damn quiet. She remembered why she was always so restless as a kid. Still, it was her childhood home.
"Y'know, if I'm still alive in three months, I might just live here for a bit. I've been fighting for so long that I've forgotten what actual peace is like. This place is almost untouched by the outside world. It might be nice to just get away from everything for a bit. Just a bit, though. I don't think I could stand doing nothing for too long."
She offered no further explanation and kept walking. After a while of idle banter, they arrived at her home. It was a small, elevated, traditional countryside house with a thatched roof, sliding doors, wooden walkways, and glassless windows.
There was a wooden sign near the front door that had a bronze plaque with historical information about the home, her family, and the tales that surrounded them. On it was also an old photo, encased in tempered glass, of herself and her family about a month before they moved. She crouched down and studied it.
Her father wore a serious expression, as he often did, while he had his hands on Kaylonni's shoulders. Her mother smiled serenely while she held teshoumaru in one arm and held Freya's hand with hers. Teshoumaru did not like taking photos, and Freya like them even less. Photos meant she had to stand still, and she hated that.
Freya chuckled and stood up. She was glad to see that there were additional signs that requested that visitors refrain from entering the home. She was even more pleased to see that her mother's flower garden had been upkept.
Freya walked onto the wooden platform, removed her shoes, and entered the house. She walked slowly through every room without uttering a single syllable. That is, until, she entered the room she and her brother were born in. Sure enough, just outside the window, were a large collection of Daisies.
"You ever wonder why my name sticks out from the rest of my family? It's because of those wild daisies. While my sister was given an elven name, and my father chose my brother's, Mom chose to give me the name of a Norse Goddess. Those flowers are closely associated with Freya, Goddess of love and beauty. They'd be given to warriors for good luck and protection. That protection extends particularly for warriors who are women."
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 3:48 am
Liam just listened when she first looked around. He could imagine living in a peaceful place like this. As much as he craved doing new things and learning, he always did enjoy the quiet. When she mentioned she could stand doing nothing for too long, he softly chuckled. That sounded like Freya alright. But how would she fare? She couldn't cook.
When reaching her childhood home, he couldn't help but recall those small fleeting images Lokelonni had shown him. It was a cozy home. He kept a bit of distance from Freya here. This was her old home after all. As she entered, he looked at the old photo. Freya looked as much as the problem child he knew she was in her childhood. Then he realized something else, she was the only one left in that image. Her and Okami to be more specific. Liam nodded a bit to himself before entering the house, taking off his footwear. Should he be entering? He did not wish to intrude but she did not forbade him. She would have, right? So that's what he did. He followed, she didn't say anything as they explored.
He listened as he looked at her, looked at the room and the out of the window, to the field of daisies.
"She chose well."
"Do you miss it? Those days?" Liam carefully asked.
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 8:25 pm
Rikki Tikki Travi From outside there was nothing unusual about was going on. […] Inside, there was nothing to suggest that anything was out of sorts. There were several small offices, a break room with vending machines, and a supply room with gloves, vests, safety helmets, and the like. What did stand out, however, was a basement that was shrouded in complete darkness. From its walls emanated an almost static buzz. Each of the employees carried a an unmarked satchel on there person. On the catwalks were several armed security guards that patrolled between large fixtures that were covered with opaque tarps. BeaMichelle While Trinity executed her reconnaissance, Theresa stealthily landed just outside of the warehouses property lines.
[…]
What she was not so confident about was if she could find Trinity.
She approached the nearest shadow and whispered into it. "Pst. Hey, Trinity. Are you there? It's me Theresa."
She repeated the process with every shadow she came across until she got a reply from the person she was asked to provide support for. Trinity appeared behind Theresa. Though she learned well from Freya on how to be stealthy, so did Trinity. “Hey Theresa, I heard you the first time.” She figured if she wasn’t going to wait around long enough for a response through shadow might as well have this conversation in person.
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 4:03 pm
Freya chuckled, "Heh. You wouldn't really get it since you didn't have a childhood, but yeah. When you're a child from a stable home things are so much simpler. The only thing you really have to worry about is doing what the adults tell you to do. Even the curse was a thing I only had to deal with a few nights a month. Wake up, eat, train, eat, more training, eat, playtime, and then sleep. It was easy."
She could almost see her memories take shape around her as she remembered little moments from each portion of the house. Then she remembered something else.
She walked over to the window sill and felt around the bottom of it with her index fingers. When their tips grazed a latch, she moved it and removed the window sill. Inside was a secret compartment that held a pair of twin kodachi set within their sheaths.. Freya recognized them immediately. The blades belonged to Ayame Soichi, her grandmother.
"What the hell? Everything else came with us to America, why would Dad leave these here?"
She picked one of them up and saw that there was a rolled up paper underneath with a red ribbon. She picked up the paper, put the kodachi down, and unrolled the parchment. As she began to read it, her eyes became bloodshot and glistened with emotion. Tears fell as she put a hand to her mouth and sobbed. She dropped the note and held onto the window frame for support. The note fluttered and fell in front of Legio text up. It was written in very neat Japanese calligraphy.
"My fierce but troubled daughter. If you have found this letter then that means you have returned to the home of your birth and opened the secret compartment that I only showed to you. I have left this letter in anticipation of what is possibly one of the darkest days of your life."
"I know you, Freya, and I know that you would not return if there was not a tragedy that urged you to bask in the memories of simpler times. I know not what has brought you to this point, but I know this. The fire in your spirit is not one that is easily extinguished. You excel when backed into a corner. Tribulation only serves to empower you. Not once in our years together did you say, 'no more.'"
"That same fire burned in my mother, Soichi Ayame. Her blades, Demon Fire, are your birthright as they are a reflection of your indominable spirit. Let them guide you in the tribulations to come. Cry your tears, then stand up. I know you can."
"Your father,
Soichi Kotetsumaru."
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 4:34 pm
Theresa turned and smiled. She then remembered that this mission was important so she straightened up and tried her best to look professional. She put her heels together and saluted as she often saw the security guards do.
"Reporting for duty, ma'am. Gidget told me that I'm here to listen to you, watch your back and not kill anyone."
The little bit of herself that was Chariot could not help but get one fun question out of the way. "Oh, since this is an official mission do we get code names? Can I be agent Giraffe?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2024 1:20 pm
She was right, he did not have a childhood. Not something he had missed in the past few months but now that she mentioned it, it was curious. Sure he had the memories of the elderly, of their childhoods, but it wasn't his
She then found the hidden compartment in true ninja fashion. The note seemed to have a sever effect on Freya as she started to cry. Liam looked down at the note that fell at his feet. His eyes glanced over the first few symbols before he turned his gaze away. It wasn't his to read. Picking it up and placing it on a table nearby he walked over to Freya. Like before he placed his hand on her back.
"Freya? What's wrong?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2024 4:50 pm
Unlike last time, Freya smacked his hand away and turned from him. The last words in the note were the last words he spoke to her. She had no way of knowing exactly when he placed the note into the compartment, but she knew it had to have been just before he died. Even after death, he worried over her.
The words brought back a flood of memories that she usually drowned in alcohol. How she felt when he died. How her grief drove her to wanton murder. How her family did not give up on her even after everything she had done. Her father knew nothing of that...or did he? Alec had said Crosis held a grudge against her family. It would not be beyond belief that he would gleefully force her father to witness her fall.
It was too much. She could not handle it. Her hand went to the hip flask that she had shamefully kept on her person as her mother passed. She frantically screw the top off and began to tilt it back when she heard her mother's words.
"Stop drowning yourself...Do not hesitate to lean on those who care for you."
Her breathing became quick and panicked. Her vision began to blur as she glared down at the flask with hatred. She inhaled through her teeth and crushed the flask with her bare hand. It's contents spilled on the floor as she smelled the bittersweet aroma of her escape. With a defiant scream she through the flask out the window and fell to her knees. She slammed her hands onto the wooden floor again and again in a manner Liam had done earlier. The old wood splintered with every impact. The violent shuddering of the home and it's foundation even shook loose the twin kodachi from their hidden compartment. They hit the floor in front of her.
She looked to them and grit her teeth. She saw her reflection in one of the blades as it had come loose when it fell. The woman she saw in the reflection filled her with rage. The woman in the blade was weak and afraid; terrified to face her past sins. Nothing terrified her, though. She was Freya goddamn Soichi, and the woman in the reflection had to die.
She reached forward and removed the kodachi from it's scabbard and raised to her knees. In the other hand she grabbed a fist full of her wild black locks. With one flawless motion, and another yell, she swiped the blade through her hair. She dropped both her severed hairs and the kodachi to the ground. She fell suddenly and eerily silent.
"Cry your tears, then stand up. I know you can."
Without using her hands, Freya stood up and looked to Liam. Her eyes were filled with newfound determination. It almost as if all of her doubts, self loathing, and frustrations fell with her raven locks. Her now shoulder length, hacked up hair blew with the wind that came through the window.
"I think I'm done crying now."
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Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2024 8:11 am
Shocked and feeling hurt by the sharp rejection, Liam took a step back in confusion. Why would she reject him now when she didn't before? Freya was falling apart before his eyes as she reached for the bottle but she refused his help. He opened his mouth but stopped himself from saying anything. To his surprise she didn't drink but destroyed the flask in a rage before getting rid of it and letting it all out. For a brief moment, he thought the worst when she grabbed the Kodachi. But she didn't do that. She wouldn't. That's not her. She instead cut her hair with a shout of rage. Why? Then it all stopped and she got up, looking at him.
Liam was very hesitant.
"O..okay. Are...you alright now? Was it that note? Is there anything I can do to help? But you probably don't want any help. Don't need it. I feared the worst when you grabbed that Kodachi." Liam said starting out carefully. Despite all of this, he still held a deep desire to help her. And this sudden shift, worried him. For once, he did not now what to do nor what to do with his hands for some reason.
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Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2024 8:24 am
Freya shook her head and walked toward Liam. She looked up at him for a moment and blinked. She then took another step forward and put her head against his chest. With a heavy sigh she turned her head and breathed, "Just shut the ******** up and hold me."
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Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2024 8:57 am
Liam froze. His mind couldn't not even comprehend what Freya was doing. Confusion was his state of mind. It took a second or two before he complied. Still a bit hesitant he wrapped his arms around Freya and held her. One hand on the back of her head and another on her back. Liam did not know where to look, down at her, around the room or something else. He took a deep breath, sighed and let his shoulders drop to try and relax.
"You confuse me to no end, Freya." He said as he shook his head a little with a soft smile.
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Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2024 11:28 am
Freya chuckled and sighed, "I know...sorry."
After a few seconds she also allowed herself to relax. She felt good. Well, not quite good but...nice. Yeah, she felt nice. So nice that she felt compelled to do something else she never would have thought of doing.
Her hands twitched, and with a little bit of hesitation her arms raised enough to be level with his hips. Her hands were about to make contact behind Liam's back when-
*crack*
Freya's ear twitched, and her look of uneasy serenity became one of frustration. Her hands fell back to her sides and she wiggled out of Liam's grasp.
"How long have you been there."
Okami was peeking over the edge of the window sill with big, golden eyes. Liam and Freya could not see it, but the wolf had a big smile on her face.
"Long enough. I came when I heard the screaming and crashing. Guess I should've waited a little bit longer. What happened to your hair?"
"Sliced it of in a symbolic gesture. Sort of like letting go of the old me." she said while she played with what was left of her hair.
Okami replied, "Ooooooh. Well, don't mind me. Go back to doing what you were doing."
Freya was about to smack her sister in the snoot when the sound of music could be heard from the direction of the town. Freya collected the kodachi and made her way outside. From further down the valley, the tones of a koto and a shakuhachi could be heard. They were accompanied by vocals that sang a mournful song of a wolf that found itself alone; only to be encouraged by a familiar voice carried by the wind.
Freya cried again, but they were not tears of sadness. Liam was right. She and Okami had left a lasting impression on the town. The appreciation she felt filled her with pride.
Okami looked to Freya and Liam. "I think...I'm going to stay here a little longer."
Freya looked to Okami and sighed, "You do what you need to do, Tsukiko."
Okami smiled and bounded off to higher ground. A few seconds later, a grateful howl could be heard in response to the music. The people who could remember knew then that their guardian had returned.
Freya stood and allowed herself to appreciate the experience. She glanced at Liam a few times and felt her face become warm. With some hesitation, her hand twitched and she forced her pinky to hook around his.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to Valhalla now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as Heather's limo was about to park, she got am urgent message from Vera Claiborne, the only other woman on the board. She wanted to meet in person at her penthouse. Heather thought it was odd, but she could not pass up a chance to build a bridge and gain an ally. She asked the driver to pull back out and head toward the destination she forwarded to his gps.
As they approached the city she began to feel nervous, but she knew one way to remedy that. She took out her phone and called Liv's number. Heather hoped her girlfriend was doing okay considering what happened while she was dealing with the jerks at work.
She placed the blue tooth device in her right ear and waited for Liv to answer the phone.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 4:07 pm
These seconds lasted much to short for him. She finally allowed him to do this. But as much as he wished for that moment to last forever. It was interrupted by Okami.
Freya easily left his embrace and his arms felt...empty. Looking at Okami's direction, he glared a bit at her before leaving with Freya. Short hair looked good on her. Though he surmised about anything would look good on her. He heard the song and music carried by the wind.
Looking over at Freya who let her tears flow again but they were a different kind of tears. He could tell that much. Liam gave Okami a smile and a nod as she left. He looked at her run off and howl a few seconds later.
Then Freya surprised him again. Looking down at her, he couldn't help but smile.
"Then let's go home."
From the shadows they emerged in his living room. There was a strange silence, he noticed getting a bit...anxious? His heart was certainly starting to beat a bit faster. Standing here with Freya after what just happened, he was unsure on how to proceed. Despite of it, he took a deep breath.
"Do you...want to continue? The hug I mean. I would very much like to."He asked. It was then that he remembered Lokelonni's and Okami's words. To take things slow. Which currently was surprisingly difficult for him to do, despite all of his patience. "That is, ofcourse, if you want to.".
Meanwhile Liv was lazily playing with Mr.Bojangles when her phone rang. A selfie with the both of them appeared on the screen. Her girlfriend.
"Hello hello,this is your one and only Liv speaking. What's up?"
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