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  1. #9631
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh View Post
    Sarada confirmed it with a few short sentences. A bond Ishtar had only experienced once before had been formed between the two.

    The Oni was silent for a moment then, working her utmost to compress the whirlwind of thoughts and conflicting emotions- happiness, and the lingering pleasure of their lovemaking along with the worry of what this now meant- into manageable words.

    "Sarada ... yes. I ... It is a ... thing that has only happened once before ..." Ishtar started, slowly. "And a thing I have not shared since Sekhmet, and I ..."

    The Oni gave Sarada a small squeeze then, before sighing softly.

    "It seems that there was sufficient ... I mean to say that there was ... You, and the ..." Ishtar paused a moment to steady herself, once more. Such a thing happening now, especially now, when Sarada had offered to make her squirm with pleasure was ...

    Will she not wish for such a thing, now that this has happened ... and when she learns what it means ?

    A thought that caused the Oni more worry than she would have expected, and something Sarada would feel ... and understand. The Oni enjoyed her company, and did not want such a thing to change.

    "In the end it means I care ... enough. So now that we have mated it, the connection, this ... Bonding of Aka Manah is now with ... you. So now you will feel what I feel ... and I you ... and there will be a strength in that ... which is good. Or ... I would hope ?"

    Ishtar asked then, hoping the girl might think so. Though with a sigh, and another gentle squeeze, the Oni added:

    "Though If you do not wish for it ... me to ... I would understand."
    "Aka Manah," Sarada uttered slowly to get the sense of the pronunciation. It was one of Ishtar's techniques that allowed them to feel what the other was feeling. Obviously, that included pleasure, which made sense since they had just mated before it evidently activated. There were immediate concerns that she felt -- and Ishtar would feel those feelings of trepidation and concern flowing through her. How much did they share? Was it just the basics -- lust, happiness, sadness, etc -- or did it extend to things like jealously, emptiness, and pain?

    If so, that made this ability problematic. Still, the mention of a power boost made those concerns lessen. "How much of a boost are we talking here?"

    Not that it mattered. If continuing to taste Ishtar meant remaining bonded with her, then that was what she was going to do. The combat boost was just a secondary benefit compared to that. "Know what? Doesn't matter. I want to keep this going, so if that means keeping this Aka Manah thing going, too, then so be it."

    She leaned in and kissed Ishtar on the neck gently, then remained there to drink in her scent. Her spine tingled when another wave of pleasure washed through them. This is going to take some getting used to. "So, who's Sekhmet?" she asked suddenly. She recalled hearing that name during her explanation. If she mentioned being bonded with this person, then they were obviously someone she mated with in the past. A long time ago, if the nature of the mention was any indication. And given how she had never mentioned them until now, they must have been important.
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  2. #9632
    Retired Overlord
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cyke View Post
    ...Zaofan can't help but smirk and blush with the gesture. "You're right, of course. Til next time."



    "Hah! That's what I like to hear!" Zaofan says to cheer on the Id. "Best of both worlds."



    Smiling yet fairly disgusted, Zaofan wipes his cheek with his sleeve. "I will, I will! You got it!"

    Taking a deep breath of reassurance but also a touch of sorrow, he smiles back at Erosa. "If you take care of Etrina, and I'll take care of your tummy."
    "Cookman have deal." Erosa gave him a head pat. "Cookman pile it ontop of other feast owed....make feast mountain."



    Six months. It seems like such a long time. How does one even plan for six months? Zaofan's vagabond nature meant that he didn't have much in the way of long term foresight or planning -- that he'd go wherever life takes him. And yet, he charted his course, he formed plans, and he made promises.

    "Well, Master Balon's offered to take me in for a bit, to do some training. I figure, he's seen Battersea and the best fighters in the world over and over again. Plus he knows the Dragon Style. But I hope he's tough on me -- surely he saw how Battersea trained."

    "I also made a map of places that Battersea ruined or destroyed. I'm going to see if I can help those villagers and farmers to rebuild. Some of them have been in poverty for years --! If I can help kickstart their crops or help them build houses and equipment, then I will. And, hey, I'm sure those places are infested with the next generation of Battersea-wannabes. If I really want to end Battersea's reign, I have to make sure that everyone he's hurt can live better than before."
    "Well.....seems like you have a full course plotted. I shouldn't expect anything less from my..." Etrina paused, suddenly looking around and biting her nail nervously. "N...nevermind.....More importantly. Its good to hear that you won't be going anything particularly life threatening when I'm not there. After what happened at the tournament......"

    "Oh. Well. I. Uh. It's not. Well. Um. You see. It's like. Actually. No. But really it's. Ah. No. I. Don't. I. Think. No?"

    Zaofan's cheeks turn just as ruby red as his optic blasts, with his hand to the back of his neck.
    Etrina eyed him for a moment, then chuckled softly.

    "......Zaofan........You really need to stop playing the fool, its why I can't help but tease you...."

  3. #9633
    Astonishing Member Ptrvc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA View Post
    Despite how ridiculous this 'confession' was, Sarada found herself short on words. It was a foolish, mushy thing to say, but it also made her feel a little warm inside, for some reason. It was clear that he felt something for her -- it was evident that Earthers had different criteria for mates than Saiyans did.

    She started to answer, but that devolved into a simple sigh.

    She knew the answer: that he was her friend. Yet, she felt that wasn't what he was hoping to hear.

    Since when did she care about what anyone hoped to hear?

    "You're my friend," she answered finally, after several moments of hesitation. "Where I come from, that's about as close as two people can get without being life-mates."

    That was enough of an answer, but it also didn't feel like it was good enough. She scratched the back of her head. This mushy **** made no sense, which was why she only focused on the sex. "Look. I... grrr... care about you, too." She scowled and looked away. "I mean, if someone fucks with you, obviously I'm going to do something about it. But, like I said the first time we fought and Meagan thought it was a dating ritual, I'm not ready for all that... romance **** or whatever you Earthers call it."

    She shrugged. "At this stage in my life, I'm only really concerned with sex. If you wanna be life-mates, come see me in about... thirty years or so, then we'll fight it out. Until then, only sex for me."

    There. That was an honest and satisfying -- to her -- answer.

    "So... is there a bed around here?"
    Jack paused for moment and then his mouth started to tremble, then slowly his whole body began to go through the same rhythmic motions as before. Finally, at long last he could not hold it in any longer. A great booming laughter filled the entire hall, sending a nearby stalactite falling to the ground and shattering to pieces.

    "Thirty years? Heh, girl if I last thirty more years...I will...haha..I will have made some kind of terrible mistake with my life's choices!" Jack said struggled to get out, managing to stifle the rest of his laughter.

    "Well. Thanks for being honest girl Had to ask, no reason to speak more of it," Jack pointed to the room that had originally been his not long ago, "Bed's in there."

  4. #9634
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Falcon View Post
    The Singing Void being gripped Asha'rah's arm with a force that she would have approved of if she had clamped down with Monkey Steals the Peach. Plates on her arm buckled and gave way before Asha'rah found herself slammed into the soil. Then she spoke, madness filling her eyes. She claimed there was a universe before the light. A universe cold and empty, but filled with life of a sort. She compared Asha'rah's light to a pestilence, driving away beings older than Ash'rah herself. To her mind, Asha'rah was but an invader who had destroyed everything she had ever known. For a moment, Asha'rah allowed herself a twinge of doubt. But it had no place on the battlefield, simulated or not.

    "I might be more inclined to sympathize, if you had not murdered a child a thousandfold."
    "I did my very best.....to minimize her suffering. It would be better if she died here....but that is beyond my power now. She will be a puppet in the hands of Fate. And you...."

    Something was coming from the mad being's eyes. Something Asha'rah would do well not to take lying down. But before it unleashed its horror, it spoke one word: Submit. It wished Asha'rah to surrender? What did it hope to achieve from such?

    Asha'rah twisted, her legs sweeping the golden being's anchor foot from under her. Using the being's weight against her, Asha'rah leveraged the pinning arm, slamming the being into the ground and trapping her in an armbar. Asha'rah pulled on the arm, forcing joints to bend in ways they weren't designed to. In the meantime, her orbs surrounded her foe's head, four of them battering at her skull while the others whirled around. The moment the being unleashed whatever it was preparing from her eyes, a vortex shield of aura would come sweeping down like a fishbowl around her head, trapping her with her own attack. Heaven's Gate.
    "...I'm sorry......but I want to see you suffer now...." At this distance, Asha'rah could see Parsics open eyes, and in the iris of one of them another eye opened.

    It blinked once.

    Her other eyes exploded in a mass of writhing barbed phantasmal tentacles that Asha'rah just barely trapped within Heavens gate. The rest of her body ruptured only a moment later, flinging Asha'rah back as...something....thrashed about from her immobile body, swinging it around like a weapon along with a dozen elongated arms that triggered horrible pain upon contact.

    It was a beast from outside, a creature of void forced to exist beyond the current extent of the universe.

    Meanwhile the fight between Etrina and Chrona was escalating, the two exchanging blows furiously with each other. The aspect of time was swift, almost supernaturally go, but Etrina judged her angle of attack and deflected with her chronically charged wand. It one could get a good look at the aspects face, one might even observe something akin to a smile.

    Then....Chrona slowed for a moment, taking a little more time the usual to aim before launching a thrust attack with her sword. Etrina, not wasting a chance, slide the wand all the way to the hilt and slammed her hand down on Chronas wrist before sweep kicking her feet out and slamming the time aspect into the ground. The sword hilt slipped from her grasp, caught before it hit the group by Etrina who then flung it beyond the time aspects grasp and towards Asha'rah.

  5. #9635
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ptrvc View Post
    Jack paused for moment and then his mouth started to tremble, then slowly his whole body began to go through the same rhythmic motions as before. Finally, at long last he could not hold it in any longer. A great booming laughter filled the entire hall, sending a nearby stalactite falling to the ground and shattering to pieces.

    "Thirty years? Heh, girl if I last thirty more years...I will...haha..I will have made some kind of terrible mistake with my life's choices!" Jack said struggled to get out, managing to stifle the rest of his laughter.

    "Well. Thanks for being honest girl Had to ask, no reason to speak more of it," Jack pointed to the room that had originally been his not long ago, "Bed's in there."
    Sarada joined in a hearty laugh. It really was funny. She thought he wanted to start some kind of relationship or whatever they called it on Earth. Apparently not, since he was sure he was going to die before she was ready.

    As she laughed, that thought finally dawned on her. Wait, what?

    "Ahahhaheheheh. Good one, Earth man. But, seriously, you're not going to be dying any time soon. I won't let you." With that reassurance provided, she grinned and took her armor and gloves off, leaving her in just her tights and boots. Tossing them on a nearby table, she walked swiftly to where he said his bed was.

    She was starting to feel nervous. I can't believe I'm about to mate with a man! She swallowed those nerves down and reached inside her tights to pull out a contraceptive she found in the bathroom of the Lookout before she left.

    "Here, put this on. I'm not giving you permission to breed me."
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  6. #9636
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tami View Post
    After her talk with Zaofan, Etrina and Erosa Meagan entered the building, but stayed just inside the doorway, looking out onto the plaza. The others were getting ready to leave, but for her, this would be her new home for at least several months if not longer.
    Meagan then walked the stairs down to the lowest levels of the Lookout. Mostly just wandering, thinking about what the future will be like, what she needs to do until the time came for her to return home. Every so often she'd stop to look around, then go back to walking and thinking. Eventually she'd make her way back up, one level at a time, but right now she can take it a little slow. Starting tomorrow, she would begin her training, research and study.

    Already, the dwindling sounds of voices as the others take their leave reminds her of the first month or so she spent on this planet, a stranger on a strange world, wandering alone. With each floor upward, she remembered the experiences she had, and the people she met, and the kindness she had been shown. It was then she realized what she had been fighting for, right here, on this world.

    That's two worlds to save, possibly three if Sarada's concern for her own home-world bore out and her help was needed. That was an enormous burden to bare. Yet, that burden didn't slow her down, it only made her even more determined to put these next several months to good use.
    Last edited by Tami; 04-30-2018 at 07:18 PM.
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
    Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.

  7. #9637

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sion Reaver View Post
    Karine hadn't exactly flown a lot, certainly not as much as Totoma when he did have that ability. Considering the number of years Totoma hadn't been able to access said ability means the gap wasn't as pronounced as it would have been normally though certainly there was a notable one.

    The mental intrusion turned question threw her slightly off guard though she answered it in stride. 'Yes and no.' She admitted over the link. 'I had..uh..I guess fantasies of certain things but a lot of the time the character in those novels was just a a vehicle for my imagination. I liked you for you. Sure you weren't the dashing hero or anything, but you had a charm of your own. It those traits and quirks that made you endearing. Though..'

    'I guess to answer your first question too is I've been trying to be less shy and this journey has helped me a lot with that. Remember when I fought that Yeti? I was unsteady and nervous but now? It's still there, but I can deal with it. I've gotten this far, and I still have ways to go.'
    Totoma slowed his pace a bit so that Karine could gain some ground. At the moment, he wasn't entirely sure whether to go for the win or let Kari win. Hehehe, either one was appealing, really.

    'Oh come on, I am totally a dashing hero. Why, I've saved countless people and... even a planet or two when I was a kid. And my poses are totally the stuff of legends!'

    He went silent for a moment.

    'But... um... speaking of fantasies, is there... anything you've... uh, fantasized about me doing that you want to try out? I... er...'

    He went silent again, actually getting kind of embarrassed at this line of conversation, despite no one else being able to overhear it. Maybe it was because the 'big moment' was, he believed... pretty close and he was getting a sort of pre-emptive stage fright?

    '...and, um... I heard somewhere that nosferatu... bite... while mating. Is that, um... true?'

    Another momentary pause.

    '...because if it is, I think you should know that Saiyans bite, too.'

    This is what happens when one doesn't know when to stop talking. Seriously.
    The poster formerly known as Daiyoukai Ramza.

  8. #9638
    She/Her Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA View Post
    "Aka Manah," Sarada uttered slowly to get the sense of the pronunciation. It was one of Ishtar's techniques that allowed them to feel what the other was feeling. Obviously, that included pleasure, which made sense since they had just mated before it evidently activated. There were immediate concerns that she felt -- and Ishtar would feel those feelings of trepidation and concern flowing through her. How much did they share? Was it just the basics -- lust, happiness, sadness, etc -- or did it extend to things like jealously, emptiness, and pain?

    If so, that made this ability problematic. Still, the mention of a power boost made those concerns lessen. "How much of a boost are we talking here?"

    Not that it mattered. If continuing to taste Ishtar meant remaining bonded with her, then that was what she was going to do. The combat boost was just a secondary benefit compared to that. "Know what? Doesn't matter. I want to keep this going, so if that means keeping this Aka Manah thing going, too, then so be it."

    She leaned in and kissed Ishtar on the neck gently, then remained there to drink in her scent. Her spine tingled when another wave of pleasure washed through them. This is going to take some getting used to. "So, who's Sekhmet?" she asked suddenly. She recalled hearing that name during her explanation. If she mentioned being bonded with this person, then they were obviously someone she mated with in the past. A long time ago, if the nature of the mention was any indication. And given how she had never mentioned them until now, they must have been important.
    As Sarada uttered the ancient- and powerful- name back to Ishtar, the Oni found herself more worried than before. After all, what was just admitted to, was not simply some fleeting experience. It was as far as Ishtar herself knew, something that would require the Oni to seek out another connection, to terminate.

    And the trepidation, and concern, that filtered through the newfound connection from Sarada herself; did nothing to ease the feeling. It was like the source of the concern after all, was that Saiyan was considering the full extent of the connection. Of how it offered not only pleasure, but pain, and sadness, and regret ... and all those things one of her species refused to admit to willingly. Such a concern was Justice, of course ... Yet if it is too much for Sarada to accept?

    Ishtar knew well what that would mean. And while it would pain her, she would leave Sarada be. And it would be enough for a time, to have felt a connection with someone- something- after so long a time without. Yet after waiting in silence for Sarada to respond however, what words were offered were ... unexpected. The concern Ishtar held was seemingly misplaced, and after a moment the Saiyan asked after the strength of the 'boost'; only to then say after another moment of silence that it did not matter.

    Despite the concern over Aka Manah, Sarada wished to continue ... this. And to punctuate it, a gentle kiss was applied to the the Oni's neck. And what Sarada would feel then- as she lingered to drink in Ishtar's scent, and asked her question- through the bond; was nothing short of ecstatic relief. And after a moment of simply allowing the pleasure of the kiss to linger and fade, Ishtar finally spoke.

    "It will continue as long as you will have it, then ... and as to the strength of this ... connection. I cannot sense the ... uh, power levels myself. But I believe it is half, of what I have to give ... As for who Sekhmet was, she ..." The Oni trailed off, before falling silent to find again, the words.

    "Sekhmet was what you might call a ... Life-mate. If you would hear of her, I will tell you; yet it is ... it will perhaps, come with it a sadness." Sarada would feel as much as well, beneath the happiness and contentment provided by her proximity, was a melancholy haze at the remembrance of what happened.
    Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran

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  9. #9639
    Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero MKA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh View Post
    As Sarada uttered the ancient- and powerful- name back to Ishtar, the Oni found herself more worried than before. After all, what was just admitted to, was not simply some fleeting experience. It was as far as Ishtar herself knew, something that would require the Oni to seek out another connection, to terminate.

    And the trepidation, and concern, that filtered through the newfound connection from Sarada herself; did nothing to ease the feeling. It was like the source of the concern after all, was that Saiyan was considering the full extent of the connection. Of how it offered not only pleasure, but pain, and sadness, and regret ... and all those things one of her species refused to admit to willingly. Such a concern was Justice, of course ... Yet if it is too much for Sarada to accept?

    Ishtar knew well what that would mean. And while it would pain her, she would leave Sarada be. And it would be enough for a time, to have felt a connection with someone- something- after so long a time without. Yet after waiting in silence for Sarada to respond however, what words were offered were ... unexpected. The concern Ishtar held was seemingly misplaced, and after a moment the Saiyan asked after the strength of the 'boost'; only to then say after another moment of silence that it did not matter.

    Despite the concern over Aka Manah, Sarada wished to continue ... this. And to punctuate it, a gentle kiss was applied to the the Oni's neck. And what Sarada would feel then- as she lingered to drink in Ishtar's scent, and asked her question- through the bond; was nothing short of ecstatic relief. And after a moment of simply allowing the pleasure of the kiss to linger and fade, Ishtar finally spoke.

    "It will continue as long as you will have it, then ... and as to the strength of this ... connection. I cannot sense the ... uh, power levels myself. But I believe it is half, of what I have to give ... As for who Sekhmet was, she ..." The Oni trailed off, before falling silent to find again, the words.

    "Sekhmet was what you might call a ... Life-mate. If you would hear of her, I will tell you; yet it is ... it will perhaps, come with it a sadness." Sarada would feel as much as well, beneath the happiness and contentment provided by her proximity, was a melancholy haze at the remembrance of what happened.
    Ecstatic relief, followed by a dull melancholy when Sarada inquired of who Sekhmet was. Those were the emotions Ishtar felt from the moment she accepted this bond she was offering to when she mentioned that the tale of who her former life-mate was was one filled with sadness.

    She relished in the relief, but felt uncomfortable when the melancholy hit. It wasn't an emotion she was used to feeling; her version of sadness was the blistering rage she felt at the very thought of being caught in a moment of emotional weakness. That fact only proved that she was going to be caught completely off-guard by the double-sided onslaught of negative emotions that would soon bubble up when Ishtar told her tale.

    She felt a bit nervous about what she was going to hear as she nodded her head. "Lay it on me."

    With four words, she opted to wrapped her hand around Ishtar's -- so to speak -- and leap into the unknown with her together. To think, she was actually morbidly curious to hear about Ishtar's ex-life-mate.

    "I can take it," she added, one final bit of reassurance that would hopefully put Ishtar's nerves and mind at ease. At least for the time being.
    DBM | Sarada | Parsley

    ROLL TIDE ROLL!

  10. #9640
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tami View Post
    After her talk with Zaofan, Etrina and Erosa Meagan entered the building, but stayed just inside the doorway, looking out onto the plaza. The others were getting ready to leave, but for her, this would be her new home for at least several months if not longer.
    The Nevadian grumbled lightly to himself, still somewhat bitter at the failure to chronicle the days events in any sort of legible form. Held was simply to tired, and the events to bizzare and unbelievable to write down without seeming like a work of fiction. The Raid, Kenshiko, Battersea, Willia, Chris, Fife, a Fife who was not fife, but was actually some sort of parasitic worm....

    The eternal dragon alone had defied disbelief. Taken on their own, writing the events would have been difficult, but all together, during the same day? His notebook had been filled with pages of scribbled notes, before he had simply settled for drawings, until he could better collect his wits.

    Having thought some fresh air might do him some good, he wandered about the lookout.

  11. #9641
    Astonishing Member Lord Falcon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Dog View Post
    "Yes. But it often seems impossible for me to catch up with beings who can change, grow, evolve, and improve themselves through hard work, while I can only do such things by having someone else work on me like the machine I am. Shiro's planning on going on a trip to gather materials to help improve us so we're not left behind, which will likely only work until everyone else grows beyond what the improvements give us." Midori said.

    "If I'm being honest, I have to admit that a selfish little part of me wished that I'd used one of the wishes from Dragon Balls to transform myself into a biological being so I can grow and improve myself like the others." Midori explained, rubbing at her arm as she spoke.

    "I hate that I have that little part of me, because there are better things those wishes could be used for and it'd probably hurt Shiro more than one could imagine." Midori said, not looking to the elder android, ashamed by her admission.
    Envy. Bitterness. Midori had found a brick wall and could do naught but stew in her frustration. She saw the others training, practicing over and over to not only improve their skills but also the simple speed and strength of their bodies. Then she looked at her own body, made of materials of set strength, servos of set responsiveness, and could but conclude herself limited, her dreams stymied. Perhaps it was because that out of all the androids, she was the most human.

    Asha'rah tapped her chin. Midori had not truly conversed with Ochazuke yet. Her resolve had yet to be truly hardened in his unyielding kiln. But she'd had a taste of it during the battle with Battersea, driving her out of her despair to attack a superior foe anyway. Just a taste. Perhaps a little push then, half a teaspoon of sweet honey if she could bring herself to reach for it.

    "When man was young, he learned that there were creatures of the Earth bigger and stronger than him. So he fashioned the club. He found sharp things were better against soft flesh, so he thought of the spear. The bird looked delicious, but he could not fly. So he made the bow. No matter how cunning the wolf, how massive the elephant or even how insidious the germ, man could think of a way to overcome them. And so on and so forth did man live, making tools that rendered him king of all beasts."

    She looked straight at Midori now, her impassive faceplate reflecting the morning sun.

    "Your entire body is a tool, yet you possess the soul and ingenuity of man. Why do you wallow? Why content yourself with staying relevant, when you have the potential to surpass us all?"

  12. #9642
    Astonishing Member Lord Falcon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh View Post
    Asha'rah remained silent a long time.

    Perhaps simply to digest what was somewhat cryptically offered, by Ishtar herself. Which was understandable. There was no denying that when it came to the matter of her nature, the Oni had ever attempted to work around the blunt truth of things. Especially now, exposed as she was to her own emotions and the emotions of others; after so many centuries with only herself to confide in. And in the past perhaps the reason for such obfuscation- within the confines of speaking only truth- was simply a matter of her own lingering grief, and shame ... and hope, that such an eventuality might have been forestalled.

    Yet there was no such hope now.

    Eventually however, the silence was ended, and Ishtar listened as Asha'rah spoke of her own aims.

    'I would know the state of what I forged ... beyond getting out there though, I have no concrete plans.'

    In this, the Oni knew Asha'rah spoke of the stars. The planets that circled them. The carnal pleasures of all sentient life, and likely more ... so much more. And so, for the second time in as many days, Ishtar could only wonder at what the truth of the former Goddess before her was. Of how she rose ... and fell, and why; and along with it came an interest in what she looked like ... felt like, wholly freed.

    Yet such thoughts perhaps, would be saved for later; as what was uttered next, caught the golden-eyed Oni off guard: an offer to accompany.

    ... What ?

    Head jerking around to focus slowly on the burnished plate of Asha'rah's facsimile face, Ishtar could only stare for a few moments before finally managing a response.

    "You ... would ... walk with me ?"

    Perhaps not the most coherent response, but the words themselves were all the Oni could manage at first. After all ... most of what the golden-eyed Oni had done ... most of what she had seen; had been alone. What moments of shared experience there were to be found in Ishtar's past, were few and far between. For Asha'rah to offer, it was ... almost too much.

    It took another few moments, then, but with eyes still locked on that expressionless mask Ishtar found within her more words.

    "Would travel with me, be my ... company; as I- we- made our way to Tatenen ... and, Ilargi." The Oni paused. To blink. To think. And when the pause was ended, the golden-eyed Oni blinked, and bowed her head slightly.

    "Asha'rah I ..." Ishtar started, softly.

    "Your company would be ... enjoyable, I do not doubt such ... but ... It is a lot to ask ... and that I do not know what is waiting for me in the ruins of my past ... I ... do not know."

    The golden-eyed Oni sighed, before raising her eyes to gaze at Asha'rah once more.

    "... I made promises to Sarada, I would try to keep despite this newfound calling. I will attempt to stay ... another day, at least. Would you ... could you ... maybe ... please ... give me time to think on this ?"
    Ishtar had not been expecting an offer of company, apparently. Her head jerked to face Asha'rah, her amber eyes widening in realization. The depths of those eyes opened in the morning light, as if the light of creation itself could be found within those orbs. The years must have been wearing for an immortal like the oni, travelling from one mayflay to the next, with naught but the emptiness for company in between.

    As a god, Asha'rah was comfortable enough in her own company. It was a necessary part of the essence of godhood in most cases. But that did not mean Asha'rah did not enjoy interaction. Erosa, Etrina, Midori, Karine, Ochazuke, Evangeline, Meagan...they had all brought joy to Asha'rah's existence in their own ways. But how she felt about the oni was subtly different. Like Ishtar was...a peer? Yes. She had the feeling of someone who would enrich Asha'rah endlessly by her very presence if they so chose.

    In any case, she was happy to bring the prospect of joy to Ishtar's bleak travel plans. It would hardly be a detour. Asha'rah had much to see among the stars herself, but in no particular order.

    Ishtar was gladdened for Asha'rah's offer, which gladdened the former god in turn. But she was hesitant, of the effort and time involved in the journey. Asha'rah placed a reassuring hand on Ishtar's shoulder, careful not to let the metal rest too heavy upon tender new flesh.

    "We both seek something of our pasts among the stars, Ishtar. It is no sacrifice on my part to live through this with you. Take all the time you need."

  13. #9643
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Falcon View Post
    Envy. Bitterness. Midori had found a brick wall and could do naught but stew in her frustration. She saw the others training, practicing over and over to not only improve their skills but also the simple speed and strength of their bodies. Then she looked at her own body, made of materials of set strength, servos of set responsiveness, and could but conclude herself limited, her dreams stymied. Perhaps it was because that out of all the androids, she was the most human.

    Asha'rah tapped her chin. Midori had not truly conversed with Ochazuke yet. Her resolve had yet to be truly hardened in his unyielding kiln. But she'd had a taste of it during the battle with Battersea, driving her out of her despair to attack a superior foe anyway. Just a taste. Perhaps a little push then, half a teaspoon of sweet honey if she could bring herself to reach for it.

    "When man was young, he learned that there were creatures of the Earth bigger and stronger than him. So he fashioned the club. He found sharp things were better against soft flesh, so he thought of the spear. The bird looked delicious, but he could not fly. So he made the bow. No matter how cunning the wolf, how massive the elephant or even how insidious the germ, man could think of a way to overcome them. And so on and so forth did man live, making tools that rendered him king of all beasts."

    She looked straight at Midori now, her impassive faceplate reflecting the morning sun.

    "Your entire body is a tool, yet you possess the soul and ingenuity of man. Why do you wallow? Why content yourself with staying relevant, when you have the potential to surpass us all?"
    Midori listened to her fellow cybernetic being speak, talking of man creating weapons to best the animals around him. Then how her body was tool with the soul and ingenuity of man that could surpass them all. It all sounded very inspirational, and she wanted to take them to heart and become the greatest warrior of them all.

    However, a frown crossed her face, and she looked at her hand as she said "I understand what you mean and appreciate your words. Unfortunately, my problems can't be solved by something as simple as crafting clubs, spears, or bows and arrows. I need advanced technological and metallurgical changes to do so, and I wasn't built for thinking of or performing those things."
    Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence.
    - C.S. Lewis

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    Astonishing Member Lord Falcon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Dog View Post
    Midori listened to her fellow cybernetic being speak, talking of man creating weapons to best the animals around him. Then how her body was tool with the soul and ingenuity of man that could surpass them all. It all sounded very inspirational, and she wanted to take them to heart and become the greatest warrior of them all.

    However, a frown crossed her face, and she looked at her hand as she said "I understand what you mean and appreciate your words. Unfortunately, my problems can't be solved by something as simple as crafting clubs, spears, or bows and arrows. I need advanced technological and metallurgical changes to do so, and I wasn't built for thinking of or performing those things."
    "As far as I can tell, you were not built to doubt yourself either, yet here you are." Asha'rah said, chucking slightly through a shrug.

    "Knowledge can be gained. And in that you are far more blessed than most. Your creator is alive, is he not?"

    She shook her head.

    "Really, you seem like you want to perform heroic acts. Yet when you hit a wall, where does that heroic spirit go? All I hear is a focus on your unchangeable flaws, as if they were all that defined what you may become."

    Asha'rah wondered if she had said too much already. She wanted to help Midori, she really did. But any more and she risked becoming another Shiro.

    "I must say no more. Shiro spoonfeeds you enough easy solutions as it is, and for all her love I fear it has hampered your growth. If you truly have the drive to do more than stand still and wait for others to do the heavy lifting, you should be able to do something for yourself with what you already have."

    If not, well, maybe Midori was but a false promise. It wouldn't be the first time Asha'rah had been wrong. But she wanted to believe that the fiery hope in the green android's eyes was more than a flash in the pan.

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    Default The Death of Sekhmet, Part 1

    Quote Originally Posted by Sub-Zero MKA View Post
    Ecstatic relief, followed by a dull melancholy when Sarada inquired of who Sekhmet was. Those were the emotions Ishtar felt from the moment she accepted this bond she was offering to when she mentioned that the tale of who her former life-mate was was one filled with sadness.

    She relished in the relief, but felt uncomfortable when the melancholy hit. It wasn't an emotion she was used to feeling; her version of sadness was the blistering rage she felt at the very thought of being caught in a moment of emotional weakness. That fact only proved that she was going to be caught completely off-guard by the double-sided onslaught of negative emotions that would soon bubble up when Ishtar told her tale.

    She felt a bit nervous about what she was going to hear as she nodded her head. "Lay it on me."

    With four words, she opted to wrapped her hand around Ishtar's -- so to speak -- and leap into the unknown with her together. To think, she was actually morbidly curious to hear about Ishtar's ex-life-mate.

    "I can take it," she added, one final bit of reassurance that would hopefully put Ishtar's nerves and mind at ease. At least for the time being.
    For several minutes after Sarada offered her words of acceptance, and reassurance; Ishtar remained silent.

    The emotions that roiled under the surface however, could be felt as plain as the Oni had felt both the young Saiyan's nervousness, at what lie in store; and her macabre curiosity to learn of Sekhmet.

    The melancholy that Sarada had felt was yet there of course; the realization that the loss still weighed heavy amplifying the sadness that would always be there. Foremost however, the golden-eyed Oni was nervous. This story, this history ... had never been made known in full to another living soul. The occasional glimpse, surely. After all, six days prior as the Oni sat tired, and lacking in a right arm; she had offered a glimpse at the truth. Brief words, of a woman who had gifted a blade, before passing away ... and again, to the young Saiyan, Totoma. Mentions of the woman, and of a tale that she had yet to tell.

    What could be felt next, paired as it was with the golden-eyed Oni's own nervousness was: vulnerability. It was not simply some story to be recounted with the benefit of years to dull the pain. It was an event that had been- as a result of Ishtar's own grief- etched into the heavens themselves. For Sarada to learn of it ... to be made to understand, and feel what the Oni herself had, then, was ... beyond even what Sekhmet had been given. After all, how could the dead feel the grief of those they had left behind ?

    What Sarada would feel next, then, was concern for her own well-being.

    After all, feeling the story as Ishtar herself had lived it. Experiencing- even muted by time, and what protection the Oni could manage- the pain, and sadness, and the overwhelming grief that had led to a madness that had given birth to the path the Oni had walked year, after year, since that fateful day ... There was no knowing how the girl would react to the emotions that would be experienced. Yet ... quickly on the heels of this concern for the girl that now lay nestled in her arms; came with it a small, almost flickering ember of ... relief, that slowly began to swell.

    It was relief, that the girl who now shared a bond ever only held by Sekhmet herself, was willing to listen. It was relief, that Sarada was not going to turn tail- quite literally even- and leave. It was also relief, at being able to perhaps lessen the burden. And paired along with with that, almost as if it was the anthracite that fueled it ... was the hope that the Oni may have found within Sarada, more than simply a friend- and body- with which Ishtar shared a bed.

    And with that relief- fueled by the catalyst that was hope- coupled with the reassurances offered by Sarada moments before giving her the strength of will necessary ... Ishtar sighed softly, and pulled Sarada a little closer.

    "To understand ... first I must tell you briefly, of my tutelage, under Zurvan. Of how he taught me, and how I came to find Sekhmet."

    In starting off, the golden-eyed Oni's tone was soft; and in this beginning there was little in the way of concrete emotion to be felt. Just a weak undercurrent of fear that the Saiyan may reject her upon learning the truth of things. Yet it was too late for such a fear to stymie the words now; and after a brief pause the blue-skinned Oni pressed forward.

    "At the start, when first he pulled me from the Afterlife ... he would beckon, and I would set out to find him. Traveling from one world, to the next. So that I might learn of his two sons, and in so doing come to understand how to think, and be ... and live; outside the Timeless Gardens of the Afterlife. Yet over time, the lesson changed ... he would not beckon, merely offer insight so that I might meditate. Sending me off instead, to worlds nearing the end of their cycles. So that I might witness the rise and fall of civilizations ... it was a lonely existence. Yet for so long, it was all I knew."

    A feeling of emptiness, and loneliness, passed briefly across the connection then. And with it Sarada might come to understand, that for most of Ishtar's life, all the woman had known was the comfort of her own council. Yet it faded, as the Oni continued on, so that she might finish her brief explanation and touch upon the truth the Saiyan wished to know.

    "Occasionally, I would venture into the cities. Mingle with the inhabitants, so that I might understand a bit better ... yet I was an outsider, and at times an ill-omen ... so by and large, I simply meditated, and watched, and waited. Until the civilization fell, or my meditating upon the lesson provided by Zurvan yielded understanding ... which you might know well as the abilities I have manifested. I did this several times, hopping from world to world ... before I found myself on Ilargi, the moon of Tatenen."

    The Oni lingered then, her memories of those first few years on the ancient world, allowing a fondness to work its way slowly across the bond, offering Sarada a respite from the less pleasant emotions offered thus far.

    "For a few short years, I spent my time alone ... meditating ... watching ... occasionally speaking with passers by. Yet my curiosity took the better of me, and during my fourth year, I made my way into its largest city. It was strange ... those that saw me did not find anything strange, or even my horns out of place. In truth I was largely ignored in favor of the tasks of the day ... and yet upon stepping into the a temple; I was immediately noticed ... by Sekhmet."

    And at the memory, and the utterance of the Khosian's name, Sarada would feel the warmth and happiness, Ishtar had felt, then. Enough to almost erase the undercurrent of emotions that had guided the two to this point. Yet losing herself in the pleasant memories was not the point of this retelling, and after a few moments of simply lingering, so that she might explain the Order of the Twin Luminaries- of which Sekhmet served as the High Priestess-

    "We talked for hours, that first time. Each question asked, met with one of her own. And I found it within myself to return almost daily, then. Simply to talk, and to ask questions of the High Priestess; who despite her station allowed me audience in exchange for stories of my travel ... and over time a connection was formed. I grew to care ... as did she; and so we decided such a thing might be made permanent. And so it was, that I first realized Aka Manah ..." Ishtar trailed off then, allowing the feelings of love, and contentment to pass from herself to Sarada. While also giving the girl time to digest what had been said, and after another moment had passed, the Oni neared the story's end.

    "From then ... I was slowly allowed into the Order of the Twin Luminaries. My lessons wholly forgotten now, I spent my days with Sekhmet in love, and happiness. Yet as the years dragged on ... there came a shifting in the Order. The Moonsworn, or at least those younger, and more arrogant ... found within them a growing disdain for the High Priestess, and of her decision to allow an outsider ... to allow me ... into the innermost circles of the order. After all, I was neither a Daughter of Iah, nor a Child of Ilargi ... and so such feelings festered- in secret- until it could not be ignored."

    Ishtar trailed off once more ... this time however at the bubbling sadness she found at remembering what came next. A thing Sarada would come to feel ran to the core of the golden-eyed Oni. Though for now it was not overwhelming, the Oni was doing her best to pace herself to allow proper time. A thing that was not like to persist much longer.

    "As I said ... Zurvan taught me ... yet I was not taught how to fight ... and I was young ... naive. I did not notice until it was too late, and by then ... it was ... it ..." the golden-eyed Oni slipped into a silence then. It was time now, and as the final barrier to Ishtar's most guarded truth gave way, Sarada would feel all of the sadness, and fear, and pain of that day; as Ishtar had. Far less so than the Oni had herself, of course ... but enough to know what it had done to the blue-skinned woman. And as it was finally revealed, the Oni's voice began to waver slightly, when next she spoke.
    Yeah, but if you... man, we're getting into weird analogy territory, like if you disintegrated Superman's arms he wouldn't be able to go "fool! Little did you know that my arms and I are one and can be remade from me!" and will his arms back into being from pure nothingness. - Pendaran

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