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Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 10, 2017 17:15:58 GMT -7
He immediately offered to go with her, and Tehodis’ face fell. Not by much, no, hardly at all… But Vincent’s eyes were sharp, and he had seen the look. She worried for a moment that he’d refuse now, assuming she would go back and help Kiku escape. She wouldn’t do such a thing, of course - wouldn’t betray Vincent’s trust - but all he had to do was think she could, and he’d refuse.
Then, he sighed. Relented, likely against the judgment he had railed against several times in the last half hour. Tehodis couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, Vincent. I’ll be right back. I promise. No secrets.” With that, she turned around and began to quickly make her way back to her room. No pauses, no walking slowly, things were looking up. She and Vincent would go and talk to Lord Woodrow, things would go well with Vincent by her side. Afterward, when everything was sorted, she would go back to Kiku and thank him. Without him, she wasn’t sure she’d have talked to Woodrow at all. Maybe she’d bring him a thank you. She wondered if he liked apples.
Reaching her door, she hardly touched the knob when a single word stopped her in her tracks.
“Blue,” Said a voice that she had only heard in her darkest nightmares. She suddenly felt weak, and she fell against the door, her cheek resting on its cold surface as she tried to turn. She felt frozen, paralyzed, as if someone had struck with a horrible, dark spell.
Post by Thomas Dunn on Jan 10, 2017 17:55:57 GMT -7
OOC. Since Tehodis and Tom are both my characters, I’ve just put this all into one post. If your character would come in and interrupt this, or for any reason change what is happening, let me know. I am perfectly happy to work around interesting alterations.
Thomas had not gone directly to Tehodis Kitai’s room.
No, in a situation such as this, it was clear he needed more preparation. He was not just a man going to speak to a woman on behalf of a more cowardly man. He was a scientist going to regain control of his experiment. He was also a scientist who needed a few moments to himself to relieve his excitement over what he was about to do. Blue. Back in his command. Could his relationship with the SSPB have been any more beneficial?
Arriving in his room, he summoned the presence of Plague, the ACACIA whom he could not label as such. She came as called, of course, so perfectly sweet and obedient. “I’ve a job for you, Skull,” He put a hand on her shoulder, the combination of that and the code-name ‘skull’ activating her false life. Her prime directive was to be a slave of the SSPB, but her ACACIA-Skull directive was to serve Tom and Tom alone. And all it took was one word to activate it.
He went on to explain to her the task she would complete. It was simple, which meant it was perfectly suited to how little time he had spent programming her. Prevent anyone from entering the hallway containing Tehodis’ room until she saw him once more. With notable exceptions of course, in the form of Vincent. He would wait in the room across from her - which he had cleared of its residents under false pretenses. The moment he could be certain she was alone, he would strike.
Unfortunately, she had left the room with Vincent, which didn’t bode well for his plans. Less unfortunately, she returned not ten minutes later. Looking… Happy. He would have to refrain from taking too much pleasure in her pain when he revealed himself. “Blue,” He spoke as he opened the door, smiling as she crumbled against the door, immediately weak at the sound of his voice.
The implant was still working. Tom couldn’t help but swell with pride.
He reached out to stabilize her, his touch obviously only serving to weaken her. Good. “Did you miss me, Blue?” This time it was a whisper as he pulled her up, turning her around so she could lean against the wall. His leg was pressed against her roughly, holding her tight to the door, and his hand was on her face, pushing her lips together and forcing her to meet his eyes, against her every attempt to fight.
“Did you miss me?” He repeated, not able to help himself from grinning. The look of it seemed to stir something in her, and she shook, fighting the order. “Fighting it only makes it hurt more. Answer me, Blue. Did you miss me?”
“Y-yes,” She finally said, it seeming to be purely opposite of her instinct, “Yes.”
“Good girl,” He placated, patting her cheek with the hand holding it tightly, “Seems you’ve left the arms of one important man, and gone right into another’s hm? They’ve all been charmed by you, Blue. You’re so charming, aren’t you?” He moved her head up and down like a nod, “That’s why we needed you Blue. And that’s why I need you. Are you ready to get to work?”
This time, he didn’t need to force her head. No matter how much she tried to say no all she could manage to say was: “Yes.” She wasn’t eager the way Black had been. He had been so ready to rejoin him, so unhappy with his lot in life… Tehodis wasn’t so unhappy. Blue had carved out a new home for herself, perhaps one that she liked so much more. It was too bad for her, he supposed. “That Lord Woodrow has lost himself to you… And I need you to keep it that way. So you’re going to go to him, to his room. You’ll play it coy, but you’ll forgive him. Keep it realistic. And then… You’ll give him what he wants, Blue. Your heart. Tell me what you’re supposed to do, Blue.”
“N-no,” She managed to whimper, and Tom was far from satisfied at that. He pushed her harder against the door, his knee crushing into her thigh with a harsh force and she whimpered once more. He hadn’t done it to hurt her… He had done it to get closer to her, to have her smell him, feel him, remember him. It was the pheromones that did it. “Tell me what you’re supposed to do,” He repeated, his breath hot on her face. A tear rolled down her cheek as she fought it, as her eyes flashed white and she tried to look away--
But then they went darker. Bluer. Her skin lost a small bit of its lustre. And she nodded, and told him what she was supposed to do - what she would do, “I am to forgive Lord Woodrow for what he has done to me. I am to ensure that my forgiveness is believable, and complete. Then, I am to submit to his desires.”
“Good,” He dropped her face, pulled back, and let her drop to the floor. She’d need a moment to recover. “But don’t be a whore. He doesn’t want a slut, he wants a wife. Understand?” Tehodis hardly had enough energy to nod, but somehow managed.
“Good girl, Blue,” Tom grinned his toothy grin at her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he observed her. The third of his four old ACACIAs. Returned to his control. Under his power. He walked back down the hall then, using ACACIA-Skull’s code to reset her back into Plague as he passed her. He would wait in his room now. Wait until Markus Woodrow came by to kiss his feet.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 10, 2017 19:10:05 GMT -7
Kikuriku didn’t resist when Vincent handcuffed him to the bed. He could have put up a fight, and maybe even won, but he didn’t want to run the risk of hurting someone Tehodis seemed to have a relationship with. Her lack of shock or effort to stop Vincent lead Kiku to believe that this was, to a degree, something that she was okay with. She apologized to him, and promised not to be long. When she returned, she’d definitely have to give him some sort of prize for being such a good boy.
Sort of a good boy - for Kiku had no intention of staying handcuffed the entire time that he was alone; that would be much too boring. Vincent was a fool if he thought a bright light and some handcuffs would be enough to hold someone with as much skill as Kiku. He probably thought he was so clever, taking away his ability to shadow walk with the lamp, but Kiku was a certified bad-ass thief – he could escape any trap or jail that he was faced with. This time would be no different.
The magical light fixture above him would be a problem, so he decided not to deal with it. Instead, he kicked his legs up off of the bed and over his head, continuing around until he was awkwardly situated on his head. His arms were twisted almost all of the way around, but Kiku was flexible – and had done this at least one other time on a bed. He rested his knees on the top of the bed frame and pushed all of his weight down on his right shoulder. With a loud pop, and an excruciating amount of pain, Kiku separated his shoulder. With the added half-inch of length in his arm, he had a little more ‘give’ in the handcuffs, and with some effort he was able to reach the cuff of his shirtsleeve which always contained a bobby pin for situations just as these. He expertly handled the pin and, in a matter of moments, the cuff was free. The second pair of handcuffs came off in half the time.
Kiku righted himself on the bed, and thought of how to approach the situation. Whether it was just Tehodis who returned or both she and Vincent, Kiku needed to prepare for their arrival.
Maybe I should pose seductively on the bed, and tell them how much I’ve been waiting for them. Or maybe I should just be naked, but pretend to be unconscious, and they would be all like ‘what happened!?’ and I would wake up and be all ‘You rocked my world, that’s what happened.’ …That doesn’t even make any sense. That’s not clever. Shit, I hope their not back soon, I need to think about this. First things first though…
Kiku grit his teeth and thrust all of his weight into a nearby wall, shoulder first. His shoulder popped back into the place. It took all of his effort not to scream out in pain, as returning the bone back into its’ socket was always more painful than popping it out. He made a mental note to body slam Vincent upon his arrival. He sat back down on the bed to catch his breath when he thought he heard the faint sound of the doorknob.
He was jolted out of bed by a bang at the door, followed by another, much louder bang. The second one definitely had some force and weight behind it. Kiku had his hand on his dagger in an instant, and quickly, silently approached the door. Years of training had made him capable of masking most of his own sounds, even without shadow walking. He was inches away from the door when he could hear two voices outside. One was a man, speaking quietly yet forcefully. He spoke almost as if he was commanding someone else. The second voice was one much more familiar – it started off timid and shaky, but grew much more cold.
It was Tehodis.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. But Kiku didn’t have it in him to interject right away. Something unexplainable inside him told him that opening the door right then would result in severe consequences. For him or Tehodis, he couldn’t sure, but he wouldn’t risk it being on her. He closed his eyes and focused on the conversation.
What are they talking about? He’s telling her to go to him… Woodrow? Please, there’s no way that she would do that.
He heard Tehodis refuse, but it sounded like she was struggling to do so. And then, another loud, forceful thud. He was hurting her.
"Tell me what you're supposed to do."
And then he heard her respond. He heard her say, almost robotically, that she would forgive Woodrow and submit to his desires. It was creepy to listen to, and made Kiku’s skin crawl. He didn’t want to listen, but he knew that he had to. He had to find out what was wrong with Tehodis, or if this was her true self.
After a moment, it was silent. The man with the forceful voice was no longer speaking, and Kiku heard footsteps walking away from the door. He opened it and Tehodis fell into arms, very heavy for such a light woman. Kiku stumbled backwards before catching himself, and lifted Tehodis into his arms and took her to the bed. He brushed the hair out of her face and looked into her eyes. Her eyes seemed… dead. There wasn’t the light to her skin that he had seen before. Something was very wrong with her. He rubbed his hand on her face and shook her gently.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 10, 2017 21:00:36 GMT -7
It hurt. Her head, it hurt as the man talked - so much more than her body hurt as he pressed and pushed and crushed her. She felt sick. She felt unlike herself. She felt like… She felt like what a dagger must feel like in a killer’s hand. She felt like what a spell must feel like when wielded by evil. She was a tool, not a person. And no matter how much a small part of her fought, no matter how that small white light shook with resistance… Something else was hiding it.
But there wasn’t just the light, and there wasn’t just the pain. There was a warmth. There was a hand on her face and a sweet voice in her ears. She opened her eyes, and saw Kiku. Kiku, thank Moann, thank Fayana, thank all the deities, She thought, but it wasn’t what she said. “Kiku,” She spoke aloud, sitting up with his help, but she pushed his hand away from her face. She didn’t want to, but she did. “I have to go. Vincent… He’s waiting. We have to…”
She used Kiku to push off of, holding his shoulder with her one hand as she stood. As she did, white magic swirled around her stump, trying to form. Trying to reach out, perhaps, but it was weak. It had something holding it back. I don’t want to leave him, She thought, but she said: “Pretend you didn’t get out, pretend… So that Vincent will trust you. I’ll be back in a little bit. Okay?”
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 12, 2017 18:08:07 GMT -7
Kikuriku stared for a moment as Tehodis tried to leave. She was clearly in very rough shape, but she persisted that Kiku should get back into his restraints and wait for them to return again. Wait, despite having heard almost all of the exchange that had just happened outside the door. It was almost like she didn’t know him at all, even after all of the two hours that they’d spent together. First she pushed his hand away from her face and now she wanted to be away from him – it wasn’t his best work.
“Now wait just a second, I’m not staying here!” Kiku slammed his first against the wall, hard. He immediately regretted the decision because the walls were made of solid wood, but he refused to show the pain on his face. “I just overheard some pretty fucked up shit here, Tehodis. Are you okay? You’re clearly not okay; I’m going with you. Let me be there for you.” Kiku made for Tehodis and placed his hand softly on her arm. When he did so, she flinched ever so slightly. Whoever was outside that door had scared her so severely that her guard was up, even around Kiku.
Who was outside? Was it Woodrow? I’m going to remember that man’s voice, vile and disgusting as it was. I’m going to find him and I’m going to make him apologize.
Kiku reluctantly removed his hand from Tehodis’ arm and opened the door, sticking his head outside and looking around. The coast was clear, there was nobody around. No sign of the asshole he’d heard earlier. He probably ran away, too scared to deal with the awesomeness that was Kikuriku Gouken.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 12, 2017 18:21:38 GMT -7
Kiku wasn't going to make this easy, and inside she was overjoyed. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and not let go, to let him help her ride out the storm in her mind. She would be able to fight if he was there to help her. She hoped she would, anyways.
Unfortunately, the Tehodis inside was merely watching. She wasn't in control. No matter how hard she fought, it seemed all she could do was cause a white glow around her stump of an arm. She wanted to use that magic to reach out to Kiku, to communicate something. Instead, she put her hand on Kiku's back as he looked out the door, grabbing his attention. "Alright," Her body nodded, seeming to decide that this was the best way to accomplish it's task, "Can you do what Vincent said? Be... In the shadows? If he sees you..." She let the thought trail off, it's implications clear. Vincent would strike.
"I just need my file, and then we can go," She told him, walking purposefully to the bedside table where she stooped to grab one file from a pile of many, the others on top tumbling. Some fell behind the table, others to the side. She didn't give them a second look.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 12, 2017 19:02:36 GMT -7
Kikuriku could feel that something was off with Tehodis. It was more than just being afraid of the man on the other side of the door – it was almost as if he was dealing with an entirely different person. This person wasn’t clumsy, wasn’t unsure – she didn’t have that naïve yet determined look in her eye. Instead, Kiku looked and saw cold, steely eyes that didn’t light up when she looked at him. Perhaps, he thought, she didn’t want to be around him anymore. Perhaps he should just stay behind.
Or not. “Who was that, out here, that you were talking to? It sounded like it was a pretty serious conversation… Was it Woodrow? You know, you don’t have to go back to him if you don’t want to.”
Kiku wasn’t sure what sort of information he was looking for, or what answer Tehodis could give that would satisfy him. Thinking back, it obviously wasn’t Woodrow who was talking to her, unless he spoke in the third person. No, it was someone more sinister than Kiku imagined Woodrow to be – the type of person who would push a beautiful flower like Tehodis against a door – thrice! – and order her to do something against her will.
“Come on, let’s go. I’ll stay hidden, just for you.” Kiku stood out of the way so Tehodis could pass. Even speaking to her felt different. Whether or not he would actually hide, he wasn’t sure yet.
Kikuriku was the sort of guy who liked to wing it.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Jan 13, 2017 2:14:33 GMT -7
The inner part of her sighed with relief, happy that Kiku would be going with her to do this. Perhaps with him there she would be able to keep fighting the little bit she was. She had gotten herself to get him to come along, hidden. A protector.
She supposed the other part of her saw his attendance differently. That part insisted she not talk about the orders in her head. They were private, she knew. And there was no possible place where it would be appropriate for her to divulge them. So of course, as he asked about them, she grabbed his hand, pulling him along out the door. "Thank you, Kiku," She repeated, a seeming echo of what she had said before. Inside, she really was thankful that he was doing this for her, and she really did like holding his hand. A lot. But she couldn't focus on that when she needed to focus on stopping every impulse that told her to knock him out cold.
"This way," She told him, closing the door behind him, and walking the way she had come before. This time, there was no idle conversation, this time she did not have excitement and anxiety. This time she felt nearly nothing. When Vincent finally came into view she looked over her shoulder to see if Kiku was visible or not. She wondered if he would think that suspicious. Her body wondered if that would convince him that she was hiding Kikuriku Gouken, and not something else.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Jan 13, 2017 14:16:47 GMT -7
Kikuriku followed behind Tehodis as she strode coolly through the hallway. There was no small-talk, no chit-chat. She didn’t ask how he was doing, or apologize for leaving him in handcuffs. She didn’t even ask him how he got out of them. There was no doubt in Kiku’s mind that something had happened to Tehodis to have her acting this way. He wasn’t sure what to do – but for now he would bide his time.
He slowly sunk into the shadows of the hallway as they walked. Kiku didn’t want to hide in this Tehodis’ shadow – he needed to see and hear everything that went on between her and Vincent. And maybe he could grab Vincent’s attention somehow, clue him in to the fact that Tehodis was different now. Perhaps he would have an idea as to how to get her back to normal.
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Jan 13, 2017 20:08:53 GMT -7
When Tehodis finally appeared again, walking at an even pace as she came down the hall, she seemed... almost troubled? He couldn't quite place it, but Vincent could see something akin to a distant look in her eyes. She glanced over shoulder as she approached, as though checking to see if she had been followed, before finally greeting him and excusing how long it had taken.
"I was beginning to worry," he said, his tone not betraying the sudden sense of unease he felt. He was not imagining the look in her eyes, especially now that she was up close. She'd been gone longer than anticipated, and she'd been concerned by being followed...
Had her friend escaped? Had he been gone when she returned, hence her troubled look? Vincent pondered on this for a moment, but based on what he knew of Tehodis Kitai up until now, he found it an unlikely cause; if Tehodis had been troubled by something like that, she would show it in her eyes. They would appear distressed, her tone might be hinged with more nervousness than usual. She was very straightforward, which meant she was not generally very good at hiding how she felt.
But the woman before him had eyes that were simply... cold. Distant and yet focused, the look of someone who was grimly resigned to fulfilling a specific task. He'd seen this kind of look on soldiers who were about to go into battle and weren't favoring their odds, or in the eyes of a fellow officer as they loaded a gun because they knew that peacefully taking in a suspect wasn't going to be an option today.
"Miss Kitai, would you mind letting me see your file?" he asked.
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