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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 Vincent Laeretti on Feb 5, 2017 1:37:09 GMT -7
He had been careless.
His posture was locked, his finger poised, ready to pull the trigger at any moment if he had to. If he had had his way of it, he wouldn't have had to resort to such threats, nor would he have needed to maintain the resolve to make good on the threat. He would have liked to simply take Lord Woodrow to trial, and have him behave like the decent human being he had pretended to be all this time. Instead, Woodrow had proved that he would sooner deflect any implied guilt for anything he'd done, and would even resort to instantly threatening Vincent instead of simply trying to talk the matter out. If there was one thing that had tipped off Vincent to the surety of Woodrow's guilt in his actions against Tehodis (at the very least), it had been that simple fact. From the start, he had not tried to peacefully address the situation. He had instantly resorted to threats and his own accusations at Vincent just for having dared to stand up to him.
And now, after a bout of obvious stalling, he had moved more quickly than Vincent was prepared for. No, perhaps that was a lie; perhaps the reality was simply that Vincent hesitated for a split second. The proper course of action for a criminal trying to evade arrest was to reply with force, deadly if necessary. But for that split second, Vincent was seeing the man before him as the man he had been these last eleven years of his life. A friend, a beacon of virtue, and at times even someone who was like family. It was that fraction of time's worth of memory that saw Vincent pulling the trigger an instant too late, firing instead into the window and letting in the wind and the roar of the sea.
And when Woodrow dodged through his advancing guards, it was that same carelessness that allowed Woodrow to order their execution. And he did it with such ease. He ordered Kitai be arrested. Not Vincent. Not his right hand who had spent years by his side, doing the tasks that Woodrow himself could not. Vincent was simply to be eliminated. Because he had called attention to Woodrow's crimes. Because he had implicated his good friend, scum of the earth Thomas Dunn.
Vincent did not often feel rage, but he certainly felt it now, in this moment. And yet he found that in his rage, there was clarity. He didn't find it so blinding as he often heard many claim anger to be. He didn't find it as blinding as it was in his youth, when his inexperienced aggression led him to making sloppy errors during combat training. No, as the guards advanced towards him, he only felt focus. He had let Markus get away, too stunned and too angry for those moments of his escape to simply fire another round after him. He would not make that mistake again, the next time they met.
Vincent observed the room and its happenings with calm, focused wrath, and saw things unfold as though in slow motion. Kikuriku diving into shadows to evade a pair of guards advancing on him. Tehodis, making him feel pride somewhere deep inside of him, as she used his instruction to topple her own foe. And then the two men bearing down on Vincent, one of them advancing with a shield and a club.
Vincent ducked down, avoiding a horizontal swing, spun his pistol in his grip, and then swung his hand up forcefully, jamming the butt of the weapon into his aggressor's elbow. The man shouted in pain, his club falling from his grip. Vincent's free hand plucked it up out of midair as he rose, intercepting the overhead swing of the other guard's sword using the newly-obtained club. The two locked for a moment, and Vincent bludgeoned the man's face with his pistol, forcing him to back off and disengage. He took a step backwards, his opponents closing in on him, and his eyes once again raced to see what was happening nearby.
One guard, dead, a knife in his forehead. Kikuriku with a wounded leg, unarmed. Vincent was about to lift his gun and fire, aiming to shoot the guard that was about to take the Ajatar down, but then Tehodis's guard stepped in and stabbed him. Vincent didn't have time to process this turn of events, only devoting enough brain power to noticing that Tehodis seemed fine, and so instead he swiftly turned his attention back to his two guards. One of them lifted his shield right in front of Vincent, as though intending to block his bullet and make it ricochet back at him. Vincent didn't fire.
Instead, he dropped his pistol and the club and grabbed the shield with both hands - the guard's other arm had a dislocated elbow, he wasn't going to put up much of a fight - swinging it towards his companion, just as the sword was coming up again. The first guard tried to keep a grip on the shield, and merely aided Vincent in adding some weight to the shield blow, stunning the second guard for a moment. With him briefly collecting his wits, Vincent forcibly wrenched the shield from his first victim's hand, knocked his helmet off, and then smacked the shield hard against the man's forehead.
He went down and out like a light. Vincent would prefer he not be dead. He was following his orders, after all, and had committed no crime other than the same crime of ignorance Vincent had been committing these last eleven years. But he wasn't about to skirt around a killing blow if he had to, not when he was the only one capable of persecuting Woodrow and Thomas the way he knew they deserved to be. He spun his attention back to the sword-bearing guard, who was swinging again. Vincent blocked it with his newly-obtained shield, stepped back, and then blocked again as he went for a thrust. Vincent let him keep swinging, keep aggressing, as he took more backsteps, until finally he stood near the shattered window.
The guard took another swing and Vincent stepped to the side, letting the sword cut into the wooden sill. Like lightning he was behind the man then, and with one swift kick to his off-balance backside, the guard went careening out the window into the frigid Aiss depths, his own armor working as a death sentence against him in these waters. He heard a click from behind him. And in the span of a blink, Vincent pulled a one-eighty, assessed his foe, had his other gun in hand - his special pistol, custom-made by none other than himself - and fired.
His opponent, the guard that had been under some enchantment from Tehodis, had clearly come to his senses. He had a pistol raised, milliseconds from firing. He would not fire it now, though, not with a hole shooting through his neck and severing his spinal cord. Pierced by a bullet of compressed air, the guard fell to a heap on the floor. Vincent sighed. Four dead guards and only one left unconscious. Though he supposed he had only personally killed two of them.
The room was a mess. And just outside, he could see Tehodis and Kikuriku, the latter with his leg injury. Vincent put his weapon away and went to Woodrow's desk drawer. It was, predictably, locked, so he simply broke the damn thing and ripped it open. There were files inside. Vincent took them and tucked them into his cloak, then swiftly made his way out into the hall. Tehodis looked as though she had been trying to give chase after Woodrow, Kikuriku seeming to be stopping her.
"We have to go," he stated simply as he approached them, stopping only to give them both a stern look. "Miss Kitai, we cannot chase him now. This ship is stuffed to the brim with those who will defend him, and we will not make it out alive if we try to fight them all. For now, we need to escape. Kikuriku," he said, turning to the other man. "You cannot walk on that. Get in my shadow."
He would wait for no further response. Time was of the essence, and he was nearly certain that Tehodis would try to argue with him if he allowed it. She was still not in her right mind, and her singular focus would likely be to find Woodrow still, due to Thomas's orders. Even if she intended to kill him, he couldn't let her follow that focus. So he picked her up and hoisted her onto his shoulder, pulled out his gun once more, and began running.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Feb 5, 2017 10:09:13 GMT -7
She had gotten out through the door without anyone stopping her, and one part of her thought they'd be smooth sailing from there. They'd follow the pull in their body. That... Smell. They'd find him - and then the two of them would fight over which order they would follow: Woodrow's, or the light's.
It was wishful thinking, however, and a thinking that had forgotten Kikuriku's ability to pass through shadows. Even with a painful looking leg wound - the Light wished it could heal at the moment she saw it; the other side of her wanted to use it against him - he slipped from one shadow to the next and appeared in front of her, raising a hand to her chest to stop her from moving. They were unhappy with this development. "Kiku--" Her voice was frustrated as she kept trying to move, pushing against his hand. They had little weight to their movement, and even injured: He held her in place.
But they needed to get to Lord Woodrow.
He needed to die, or he needed-- They needed to get to him one way or the other. She began to swipe her arm, the rapier swishing through the air at him, but with a gasp - she simply let it go. It flew off into the hallway with a clatter, not having a chance to make any purchase in Kiku. Her eyes that were flashing white softened, and her gaze was not locked on the hall or the rapier. Her hand raised to meet Kiku's on her chest in a feather-light squeeze, and she heaved with a deep breath, their hands raising and lowering together. She closed her eyes briefly, holding onto the feeling. Letting it ground her.
This wasn't Blue, who was trying to manipulate Kikuriku into getting her to Woodrow, so that she could follow Master's orders. This wasn't the Light, who would do anything to protect and gain vengeance for everything it had seen. This was Tehodis Kitai, and she was mortified by everything that had been happening. The way she had tried to trick Kiku and Vincent. The way she had hoped for Kiku to get hurt. The way she had been so close to striking Vincent instead of threatening Woodrow. The way she had kissed Kiku - not out of this part of her that desperately wanted to, but out of the part that knew she wanted to.
She bit her lip and looked up at him, finally herself for a moment, and opened her mouth to speak, "Kiku I'm--" She was cut short by Vincent's appearance, and this part of her faded once more. The light in her eyes returned, and they shot towards the rapier on the floor. Neither Blue nor the Light cared about who was on the ship to defend Woodrow. They would get to him one way or the other. With Kiku descending into a shadow, Tehodis took the opportunity to dash forward - and then hands were around her waist, and she was over Vincent's shoulder. She struggled against his grip, twisting and turning, both sides wanting out. The white magic seeping from her arm tried to pull his securing hand from around her - but it was of no use. She was getting off of the ship, whether she liked it or not.
Tehodis could only hope that once distant from Woodrow, she could take control of herself again.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Feb 7, 2017 15:16:46 GMT -7
It lasted only a moment, but the real Tehodis had broken through. She’d motioned like she was going to attack him, but something in her eyes stopped Kiku from resisting. If she was going to strike him down, then so be it – it would be what she truly wanted – but he had every confidence that she wouldn’t. So when the rapier clattered down the hallway, he was hardly surprised. Instead, Kiku was enveloped in the warmth of her touch.
The few seconds that her hands gripped Kiku’s seemed to last for an eternity. For Kiku, there was only Tehodis in that hallway. The pain in his leg was gone, as was the commotion that surrounded them. Only the two of them remained, surrounded by a soft light that made Kiku feel weightless. Looking into her bright, blue eyes, there was much that he wanted to say to her. To show her that, no matter what, they would get through this ordeal – that she would be better once again. Kiku longed to look into Tehodis’ eyes – her real eyes – for just a moment longer.
But they were interrupted. Vincent came clamoring down the hallway, uttering nonsense about how there was no way they would survive fighting off all of Woodrow’s men. Kiku was inclined to disagree, as he was a badass, but before he could protest, Vincent commanded him to get in his shadow and hoisted Tehodis onto his shoulder. Out of concern for Tehodis, and only concern – nothing else, Kikuriku decided to follow Vincent inside his shadow.
Being inside Vincent’s shadow was different than Tehodis’. For one, he wasn’t an almost transparent being, so he had a much more solid shade. Also, with Tehodis on his shoulder, there was a lot more space for Kiku to comfortably follow along. With the stronger shadow, his hearing and vision were much clearer than before. He could hear that, further down the hallway, there were no less than two guards converging on their position.
“Vincent,” Kiku spoke out from the shadow; his voice was muffled so that only Vincent and Tehodis could hear, “Around the corner coming up, there are at least two baddies on your right. Maybe thirty yards down the hall. If you’re stealthy, we might be able to sneak past them. Or, I could take them out – it’s your call.”
Stealth was Kikuriku’s middle name. His mother wasn’t very good with names. I mean… Kikuriku? Come on.
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Feb 11, 2017 20:47:04 GMT -7
Vincent gritted his teeth as he continued to run, hearing Kikuriku's warning; stealth wasn't really going to be an option in a fairly narrow hallway that was quite well-lit, especially not with people having their eye out for him. He was pretty hard to miss with Tehodis slung over his shoulder.
"We need to reach my room," he spoke back, already readying his gun with his free hand. He'd be coming up on the 'baddies' any moment, the corner looming ahead. The corner he'd need to turn in order to reach the hallway where his quarters were situated on this ship. "Do what is necessary to advance. Avoid fatalities where possible."
His voice was no louder than his footsteps, and the men waiting for him likely didn't hear his mutterings over the sound of his running on the deck. He anticipated they would have their weapons drawn when he turned the corner. Tehodis was still squirming in his grip, but thankfully for him, she was not in the right mind to employ an escape from his hold (and unfortunately even if she was, she'd have likely needed both arms in order to do it the way he'd taught her). He could deal with a struggling Kina and the bruises her thrashing legs might leave if it meant getting them out of this safely.
Vincent stopped just short of the hallway corner, halting completely. He heard the sounds of weapons drawn and movement, as though the waiting guards had been prepared to strike the first thing that showed itself. They were just out of sight, and evidently, the lack of anything visual showing itself after the telltale incoming footsteps was enough to leave them surprised for just a second or two. That was all Vincent required.
He moved then, turning and seeing two guards, just as Kikuriku had said, both caught off-guard by his timing. He kicked the one whose gut was currently exposed, winding him and knocking him back several paces to land on his behind. The other guard collected his wits quickly enough and raised a pistol to Vincent's face, but his reflexes were too shoddy; Vincent had trained with Artavian military, with Adria Tiira herself, and this guard would need to be faster than that. Even with Tehodis on his shoulder, Vincent swiftly moved to one side and then swung his arm out, knocking the guard's gun arm aside and then catching it with his own. Vincent snared the man's extended arm in the crook of his own elbow, leveraging his arm to twist his opponent's, turning him at the same time.
In the span of a moment, Vincent had the man pinned against the wall, his arm twisted painfully behind his back, and Vincent's back was to the other, downed guard. This was deliberate. That man had begun to get his breath back, and Vincent could hear him getting up. But Vincent's shadow was facing him.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Feb 13, 2017 16:30:38 GMT -7
“Avoid fatalities, you’ve got it boss.”
Kikuriku could empathise with Vincent’s motives – these were not evil men. They were just men who were told by some jackass to capture the fleeing heroes; there was no reason for them to lose their lives if it was avoidable. Kiku thought back to the guard back at the room with a knife in his face. Not the first person he killed, and certainly not the last, but Kiku said a solemn prayer for his soul.
When the action started, Kikuriku was focused on an opportunity. Even with a wounded leg, he was sure that he could be of some help to Vincent. Regardless of how good of a fighter he was, Vincent was at a disadvantage – he was outmanned and out-armed, literally, with Tehodis on his shoulder. Even though she was light, she would be a hindrance in a heated fight – so Kiku waited for an opening.
Vincent moved quickly – so quickly that it was disorienting for Kiku to keep up with the action. One moment he was battling one guard, and a second later he was on the next. It took a tremendous amount of focus to follow along, but when Vincent pinned a guard against the wall, everything became clear. Kiku could see the first guard Vincent flipped climbing to his feet and readying his weapon, aiming his gun directly at Vincent’s back. Either Vincent had gotten careless in the heat of battle or….
Or he trusted Kiku.
He rocketed out of Vincent’s shadow and sprinted at full speed towards the guard, who was unprepared for Kiku. In the split second that it took the guard to adjust his aim from Vincent to this new threat, Kiku planted a fist in his face, breaking his nose. Blood erupted from the guard’s nostrils as he let out a groan, but Kiku wasn’t done yet. Ignoring the pain in his leg, Kiku leapt over the guard, grabbing his head and using his momentum to slam it into the ground. The guard was unconscious, but alive. Just to be sure, Kiku grabbed the pistol from the guard’s hand and stuffed it in his waistband. He’d never been a good shot, but Kiku’s main weapon was already planted in someone else’s face. He reached down to the guard’s handcuffs and used them to lock one arm and one leg together. When he came to, there would be no following the three of them.
Rising from his knee, Kiku walked up behind Vincent and shot Tehodis a wink – he hoped that she saw how badass he was just there. If they were alone, Kiku would repay that kiss.
But they weren’t alone. “Vincent, the path to your office is clear, but we’ve got to hurry. We’ve got more guards incoming.” The sound of many footsteps was clear to Kiku’s ears – they’d be surrounded in mere moments. At that point, if they had any hope to survive, fatalities would be necessary. Kiku's blood was pumped full of adrenaline - the pain in his leg didn't hinder him for now.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Feb 14, 2017 14:10:13 GMT -7
Tehodis felt like a ragdoll in every conceivable way.
Within her mind, she was torn between a painful desire to serve some unknown Master for some unknown Reason; her desire for revenge and retribution which was driving her to go and kill Woodrow - a side of her that seemed alive with magic she had never well-controlled before; and the side that she saw as Herself, the side that knew she would be suffering from all of these instincts and decisions when it was all over.
Physically? Vincent wasn't being gentle - life or death situations tended to enforce such a lack of caution - and she was feeling it with every shift. A ducking movement felt like a punch in the gut, a swift spin left her feeling light-headed and dizzy, and as he twisted an officer's arm, she felt herself wobble precariously.
She had to focus.
There was too much going on for her to be as useless as she was being now. She couldn't quite reach any of the attackers with her solitary arm - and Kiku seemed to take care of the other one in swift, and admittedly impressive measure for someone with a leg injury. She had no weapon, so she couldn't jab out. Her senses were jumbled and hearing anything that might be ahead was downright impossible. She needed to focus.
She closed her eyes as the movement started once more and took deep breaths. Slowly, surely, she felt herself drifting away. She was sure if she hadn't had some kind of clarity in this moment that she'd assume they were in the water. That Vincent had dropped her into the sea and she was floating on a lightly roiling surface. Her mind was consumed by white light, and though she could hear Kiku's intel echoing in her mind - it was distant. There was something more present.
She saw the scene from above. Vincent carrying her, looking focused despite how everything had turned upside down. Kiku looking confident but worse for wear. Tehodis had to admit that she looked different from this angle. Her lines looked harder than she imagined them. Her hair had fallen out of it's ponytail - when did that happen? - and the top-most button on her blouse had come loose at some point. Her skin looked... Different. Brighter, and darker at the same time. Almost too entranced by this new perspective on herself, Tehodis didn't realize the vision was moving. Quick and cautious through the halls to get to Vincent's cabin. The door was open in moments, Tehodis didn't seem to be that much of a hindrance to Vincent's impressive dexterity, and they seemed home-free as the door slammed behind them and locked. They'd have at least a few moments before the door would be knocked down but--
She saw her clear as day. The girl Tehodis had arrested. Plague. She was hidden in Vincent's closet, and she held a pistol. She didn't look fearful the way that Tehodis remembered her. She looked completely calm. She didn't shake the way she did during all of Tehodis' interrogations. It was Plague, certainly - but it wasn't the girl Tehodis had arrested. Before she could think on it another moment, the group walked past the closet. Plague burst through, and a single shot was all it took to knock Vincent down, a small trickle of blood from the new space between his eyes.
Time seemed to move back as Tehodis cried, and Vincent was slamming the office door closed again. "In the closet. She's in the closet." The Tehodis in the vision said. Kiku nodded to Vincent and approached the closet, pulling the pistol he'd stolen from a guard. Slowly, slowly - the door burst open and the girl cried out as she tried to shoot Kiku... But he was too quick. Two shots, and the girl tumbled to the floor. The Tehodis in the vision sighed in relief -- but then the door burst open directly behind them, and she felt herself being yanked from Vincent's shoulders by rough hands. Her feet scrambled beneath her as she hit the floor, and she could only watch as guards filled her vision and left the fates of Vincent and Kikuriku a horrible mystery.
Then, she saw them in the hallway again, moving towards Vincent's office. This time, she heard herself say: "They're already in there." And watched them continue to sneak down the hallway. It was no safer. Another three guards - who Vincent and Kiku fought off with only a few scratches and bruises... But it wasn't the challenge, it was the time. By the time the guards were down and they started off running again: their path was blocked by guards and officers on either side. Pistols raised. A cacophony of gunshots rang out, piercing through them all. Kikuriku fell, and Tehodis had to look away from the way his cheek had been blown open by a round. Vincent fell next, the red of the blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt from where he'd been shot in the chest. Tehodis tumbled off his shoulder, the few gunshots she had suffered leaking a white mist - but it wouldn't kill her.
Then, she gasped and opened her eyes. She could see the hall ahead of them, feel the warmth of Vincent as he held her firmly to his shoulder, and Kiku was right behind them - saying those words again. Her eyes were pricked with tears and she knew she had very little time before it would be too late. Her words were spoken as hushed as she could manage in her near-panic, and the speed at which they fell out of her mouth made them nearly incomprehensible, "They're coming from both sides -- we can't fight them off. Inside your office, in the closet, the girl is there. Plague. She's going to attack us, she has a pistol -- they'll knock the door down if she doesn't get us--" It was pessimistic information, no way out... But then she realized what had been wrong with each and every vision. Her. "You both... You have to let me deal with her. Vincent we need to get a way out. And fast. We won't have any time."
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Feb 14, 2017 15:33:56 GMT -7
Vincent heard the commotion behind him without needing to see it - Kikuriku had clearly done as Vincent expected he would, and promptly reported as much once he was finished. Vincent swiftly released his hold on the guard he had pinned, only to grab the back of his head and slam it against the wall decisively. He went down, senses jumbled, and Vincent turned back to Kiku.
"Good work," he said, nodding at his handiwork with the other guard and noting the presence of the pistol at his waist. "We should-"
Tehodis started speaking. Vincent's attention was pulled to her, her voice hanging on desperation as she proceeded to rattle off a scenario that seemed to imply their impending doom. It confused Vincent for a moment until his memory caught up with him, reminding him that Tehodis was a white Kina, and this was not the first time she'd displayed a flash of the magic she didn't seem to be able to use on her own. Though this was certainly the first time she'd given Vincent a description of an actual vision. His mouth was set in a grim line as he listened and thought on what she was saying.
After a moment of contemplation, he took Tehodis off his shoulder and set her on the ground again. It was a potential risk, with how she'd been behaving, but from the sounds of things he might have no choice but to trust her right now. If what she said was true, then they might die otherwise. Of course, there was always the chance that she could just be lying in order to have a chance at getting away from him, but with all current risks evaluated, that was a chance Vincent had to take. Optimizing the rate of survival was priority one.
He gave her a nod, putting his will to trust her into his eyes and hoping that the part of her that was still her would see it and maintain control. "We need to move, then. Kikuriku," he said, turning back to the other man. "Back into my shadow until we arrive at my room, if you will. We need to minimize the amount of time you spend on that leg."
Kikuriku responded to this with something of a theatrical salute, possibly more silly than the situation called for, and did as asked. He melted into Vincent's shadow after a moment, and left him standing with just Tehodis. Vincent offered her one more look and then got moving, somewhat relieved to hear her footsteps behind him.
The clamor of officers was audible everywhere. There were sounds of footsteps on the deck above them, the sound of voices down a few hallways around turns, some even sounding alarmingly nearby. The ship may have been very large, but certainly not large enough that a fleeing individual would be given much breathing room.
Vincent reached his door in less than a minute, Tehodis close behind, and it took only a second for him to quickly unlock it and get inside. The door was closed firmly, but not loudly, once Tehodis followed him in, and he locked it behind him. If what Tehodis said was true, there would be guards here any moment to break the door down, and there was an assassin waiting in the closet. The pirate girl.
Vincent's focus thus far had been driven entirely by his ability to compartmentalize his feelings when necessary, analyzing only what was directly in front of him, but now he did allow himself to take just a few seconds to consider the implications of Katerine's supposed presence. If she was here, waiting to kill him, then that could only mean she had been sent by Thomas. Whether that was under instruction by Woodrow or not made no difference; Thomas was quite likely happy to see him dead, and Vincent imagined he'd relish the opportunity to have his disgusting creation do the job. Though it was worth wondering if this had been done even before the debacle in Woodrow's office - after all, that had happened not long ago, and Thomas would have had to have moved quite quickly to get her into position already. Especially considering that Woodrow would also have needed time to actually get to Thomas after his escape. Which meant this assassination was likely something Thomas had arranged independently. He was planning on killing Vincent on this trip no matter what.
That man was pure scum.
A part of Vincent wished he could simply take Katerine with them once she was handled and have the work on her undone, just to spite him. But adding another individual to their escape, especially one with a much more stable device in her head for mind control, was just an additional risk, and Vincent couldn't even guarantee she'd live through this encounter regardless.
It was with those thoughts, all across the span of just a few seconds, that Vincent turned back to Tehodis. He was silent as he nodded at her, and then gestured with his chin over towards the closet. He also glanced down at his shadow, nodding as well to the man who was waiting inside of it and gesturing at the door. Tehodis said they wouldn't have time. So he'd need someone to hold the door while Tehodis took to her volunteered task of dealing with Katerine.
Vincent turned his own attention to the window. His room was situated right below where one of the life boats was hanging. Woodrow no doubt knew that and would have warned his guards about it - there was likely going to be a group waiting above deck with their guns pointed at the boat, should Vincent show his face. He would need to devote all of his focus to that.
He took his own gun in hand, and waited. First things first; Tehodis would need to get Katerine occupied.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Feb 14, 2017 16:10:36 GMT -7
At the door to Vincent's room, Tehodis felt that tug at her mind again. It told her how easy it would be to get back to Woodrow. All she'd have to do was keep walking. Go down the hall and into the arms of guards who would apprehend her. They would arrest her, and perhaps it would be hours before she would see Woodrow again - but she would see him. He would be there, and she would either rip his heart out, or kneel at his feet. Both of those sides of her felt it was worth the risk.
But there was Vincent. The look in his eyes had instilled in her a trust that she had so desperately wanted from him since their first session. And there was Kiku, who - had she been in her right mind, her own mind, certainly would have earned a small smile for his anachronistic actions. Both of them had done all of this to help her - certainly they needed to now, to save themselves... But if they had given her up before, they wouldn't be running. She couldn't give them up now.
So she entered behind Vincent and Kiku hiding in his shadow, and took a deep breath as Vincent shut the door. If that vision was right (the way it had been right about Kiku, Charlotte, and now the Laeretti brothers), she was right there. In that closet. Just waiting. Why she was there, Tehodis couldn't even fathom a guess. Had she escaped? Why would she pick Vincent and not Tehodis, not Woodrow? She stood in front of the door, remembering the way that Plague had seemed so calm. The way that she had not been shaking as she held the pistol in the closet. And she recalled the way she had heard herself act. So calm. So composed. A plan embedded in her mind.
She knew why she could help.
The door burst open before Tehodis could open it, and Tehodis ducked and shot her arm and shoulder up into Plague's elbow. The pistol fired into the ceiling and Tehodis brought her arm back up to knock the arm into the door jamb, forcing the pistol out of her hand. The thing clattered to the ground and Tehodis met Plague's eyes, which seemed... Absent. There wasn't fear. Fear was how she had known Plague, defined her. The girl struggled and Tehodis knew she didn't have the strength or weight to hold the girl in place, so instead she stepped forward and put her hand to the girl's cheeks.
Plague's eyes moved to Vincent, to the pistol on the ground, and then to Tehodis' arm. "They don't control you," Tehodis insisted, her nails lightly digging into the side of Plague's face - she ignored the weird chuff of dead skin that met her grip and continued, "They don't control me and they don't control you."
Plague's hand slapped across Tehodis' face with a sharp, stinging might, but Tehodis only dug her grip on the girl's face in tighter. Finally, Plague's eyes met Tehodis'. In that moment, Tehodis felt herself overcome with pain. Her head screamed at her, her stomach reeled, she saw bright white teeth, and she heard Skull in that same voice she'd heard Blue once before. "My name isn't Blue!" She argued, but it meant nothing to Plague. She didn't need it to.
"Plague! You are under arrest by the title of the Sumish Sea Peacekeepers Brigade and its officer identified as one Tehodis Kitai. You have the right to remain silent under the law of the Sultan of Submiere, though we advise to you that the truth is your saviour now and always. Do you understand what I have just told you, Plague?" The speech froze the girl's struggles, and she met Tehodis' eyes once more, this time more evenly. She quivered under Tehodis' grasp, and then whispered, "There's two of me."
Tehodis knew exactly what she meant, but she had no way to fix it. She pulled the girl in, and wrapped her arm around her, lips brushing the frayed hair around the girl's ear, and she said as much: "Fight it. With everything you've got. You are no one's tool." The hair at her cheek was wet, and pressed her face against the girl's hair to make sure to remove the traces of tears. She pulled away slowly, taking a deep breath before tightening her grip on Plague's hair and smacking her head clean against the door jamb. "I'm so sorry..." She whispered to the dizzied and near-fainted Plague, "I'll come back for you."
And with that, she grabbed the pistol from the floor, closed the door, and looked to see if they had a way out.
Post by Markus Woodrow on Feb 17, 2017 11:48:31 GMT -7
[attr="class","mwoody"]
[attr="class","mwoody2"]
[attr="class","mwoody3"]A PREDATOR OF THE SEAS
[attr="class","mwoody4"]CURING THIS OCEAN DISEASE
[attr="class","mwoody5"] Markus Woodrow II had been angry many times in his life, but he could hardly remember a time when he was filled with this. Much. Rage. Perhaps it was his aasimar heritage, perhaps it was simply that the anger had gripped him so completely - but it was rushing through his body as if it were his blood, and he could feel his breathing almost stiffen as the small gills behind his ears tried to control the process, and the light glisten on his skin seemed to be steaming - as if the water that completed him was boiling.
Vincent had betrayed him. Vincent, whom Woodrow had looked at almost like a friend. Whom Woodrow had treated with greater respect than any of his men. Whom Woodrow had permitted some amount of actual control over his SSPB. It cut more deeply than he might have imagined it would - in fact, though he would not admit to it, he was more hurt over the slight than Tehodis Kitai's horrific behaviour. She was a woman, after all... It was to be expected. Vincent was a man. Woodrow held him in far greater esteem.
Thus, Woodrow would see him hang.
But first -- Thomas Dunn. He was the cause of this mess, was he not? He had done something - something - to ruin this for Woodrow, and he would answer for it. When he arrived at the man's door, he did not stop to knock, he simply turned the knob - and when that did not budge - he checked the door with his shoulder once, twice, three times until the lock burst free and the door hung limply from its hinges. He entered the room like a hurricane, and found Thomas' neck swiftly, using it to crush the other man against the wall with a heavy slam.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Feb 17, 2017 16:13:55 GMT -7
Kikuriku couldn’t keep up.
He couldn’t keep up with all that was happening around him. One minute, Vincent is telling him to get back into his shadow (and he listened because now was not the time to argue) and the next he is in Vincent’s room with a would-be assassin. It was certainly not how he’d imagined the day to go when he first snuck onto this ship – but he had gotten a kiss out of it, so it was all okay.
Vincent had his job of finding a way out and Tehodis had her job of dealing with the assassin girl (whose name was Plague, or something), so it was Kiku’s job to take care of the door. The door, which had two or three guards on the other side, waiting for the right moment to barge in and start killing people – Kiku wouldn’t let that happen. Two of the three people in the room were people he cared about – and even the assassin was kind of cute in that gross undead sort of way. No one else was going to die today.
Kiku took a glance back at Tehodis. She was wrapped with the zombie, and from where he was standing he could see the piercing blue fire that was her eyes. Her uniform was prim and proper, though dishevelled from being thrown over Vincent’s shoulder. Her hair was long and messy, yet even still she was the picture of beauty; almost impossible to duplicate.
Almost.
The hardest part would be her one arm, but there was no time to get used to it now. Kiku closed his eyes and focused his energy. He pictured Tehodis in his mind, as she was now – a fraught mess, but still graceful and composed. Guards wouldn’t be likely to notice one or two things off – this wasn’t Woodrow that he was trying to fool – but he liked his shapeshifting to be as perfect as possible. When he was fully prepared, he opened his eyes towards Vincent, who seemed to have his hands full.
The guards had arrived. They pounded at the door with such force that it shook Kiku’s focus. It would have to be now. He looked back at Vincent again, pleading through his eyes to get Tehodis out of here – to get to safety. He mouthed ‘trust me’, and turned towards the door, placing his right hand on the knob. In the corner of his eye, he saw Tehodis emerging from the closet, having finished dealing with the zombie.
Hopefully, this isn’t ‘Goodbye’.
Kikuriku opened the door and whirled himself outside, closing the door swiftly behind him. He stood in front of three heavily armed guards, his hand shaking on the doorknob behind him. It was a precarious situation, to be sure.
“W…wait just a moment, gentlemen,” he began, the words trembling from his lips. “I am an officer of the Sumish Sea Peacekeepers Brigade, and I demand to know why you are barging on this door!”
Kiku’s voice, and his appearance, was that of Tehodis Kitai.
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
FORTUNA-RPG was created by MELLIE. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.
