Moderator: Nighthand
-
- Exalted Player
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
- Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.
A Slight Detour.
OOC: This thread was conceived and executed largely in chat and PMs. Lo and behold.
IC>>>>>
("I know a place..." That was what he said as they were making their way out of the Anid Sector, faster than you can say "Ticonderoga", if you can say "Ticonderoga". Not the point. Where they found themselves, as soon as they hit the Chaos Gate, was back in Stitcher Sector. IT CAN HAPPEN HERE!! No place that has ever been viewed in this game would possibly compare to this wackiness. It was, indeed, Wackyland in its own right. Yes, there was that place that looked like it was collapsing and on fire...backwards. The combination of a Twizzler and a TARDIS. The upside-down Monty Python foot. So many strange thinga abound, including the players. Don't get me started on them. By all rights, Canti looked normal and Talal didn't even register. Even Shadow was perplexed.)
Canti: I'm never gonna get use to this place... So, during that mission, I got where I was going by asking info at bars. And wouldn't you know it? They're great places to...
(He had to stop a minute as a red carpet unfurled in his path and a...we'll assume it's a man...walked by with a chandelier-head, the carpet rolling up right behind him.)
Canti: ...be. Well anyway, no one will find us. I can't even find us.
Shadow: I can.
Canti: Show-off...
(This wandering around was not without direction. Canti actually knew where he was going in this otherwise-crowded area with people running and walking all around and all over the place. Having been here before, there was actually some sense of direction to be had. Also, a map. So, let's see... They were passing that one rave hall from before, though they were playing different music now. Good, good... A short while later...aha! Can't miss it! Two landmarks you couldn't possibly forget if you'd been paying attention last time! Namely...the Patchwork Castle and - not too far from it, but certainly outside of its territory - the Titan's Tooth. Yeah, this big ole' fang was sticking out of the ground and had a door leading in. Canti went in along with Shadow, then turned to him and Talal.)
Canti: Right, so...bar or table?
Shadow: Rowf!
Canti: That had better not be a vote for 'roof'.
Shadow: Heh heh heh heh...
(The inside of the bar was, amongst other things, active. They said 'Nobody important stays out towards the edge'. Well, fair enough. He was here, in this place which was bigger on the inside and rather popular-if-old-timey in its approach to decor. You got all kinds here. Looks like Badger's crew was hanging about again at their table. They'd helped him before with the whole Suraisu thing, though that unfortunately didn't pan out. There was room to be in either sort of place they wanted, even in a booth. It's just that in order to get service last time, Canti had to be a little rude. Well, it might have to happen again. Just saying.)
IC>>>>>
("I know a place..." That was what he said as they were making their way out of the Anid Sector, faster than you can say "Ticonderoga", if you can say "Ticonderoga". Not the point. Where they found themselves, as soon as they hit the Chaos Gate, was back in Stitcher Sector. IT CAN HAPPEN HERE!! No place that has ever been viewed in this game would possibly compare to this wackiness. It was, indeed, Wackyland in its own right. Yes, there was that place that looked like it was collapsing and on fire...backwards. The combination of a Twizzler and a TARDIS. The upside-down Monty Python foot. So many strange thinga abound, including the players. Don't get me started on them. By all rights, Canti looked normal and Talal didn't even register. Even Shadow was perplexed.)
Canti: I'm never gonna get use to this place... So, during that mission, I got where I was going by asking info at bars. And wouldn't you know it? They're great places to...
(He had to stop a minute as a red carpet unfurled in his path and a...we'll assume it's a man...walked by with a chandelier-head, the carpet rolling up right behind him.)
Canti: ...be. Well anyway, no one will find us. I can't even find us.
Shadow: I can.
Canti: Show-off...
(This wandering around was not without direction. Canti actually knew where he was going in this otherwise-crowded area with people running and walking all around and all over the place. Having been here before, there was actually some sense of direction to be had. Also, a map. So, let's see... They were passing that one rave hall from before, though they were playing different music now. Good, good... A short while later...aha! Can't miss it! Two landmarks you couldn't possibly forget if you'd been paying attention last time! Namely...the Patchwork Castle and - not too far from it, but certainly outside of its territory - the Titan's Tooth. Yeah, this big ole' fang was sticking out of the ground and had a door leading in. Canti went in along with Shadow, then turned to him and Talal.)
Canti: Right, so...bar or table?
Shadow: Rowf!
Canti: That had better not be a vote for 'roof'.
Shadow: Heh heh heh heh...
(The inside of the bar was, amongst other things, active. They said 'Nobody important stays out towards the edge'. Well, fair enough. He was here, in this place which was bigger on the inside and rather popular-if-old-timey in its approach to decor. You got all kinds here. Looks like Badger's crew was hanging about again at their table. They'd helped him before with the whole Suraisu thing, though that unfortunately didn't pan out. There was room to be in either sort of place they wanted, even in a booth. It's just that in order to get service last time, Canti had to be a little rude. Well, it might have to happen again. Just saying.)
Last edited by Lord Canti on Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Re: A Slight Detour.
“I know a place…”
Canti appeared to be all for the idea of some down time so she let him take the lead as it were and enter the keywords into the Chaos Gate. When the rings had dissipated, the young Twin Blade suddenly wished she would have paid more attention. The Stitcher Sector was not exactly what she would have chosen to go but at the same time she didn’t want to choose and Canti was…well, he almost sounded happy to be back. He was right about one thing, everyone and thing were so different, unique, and odd all at the same time that who would really notice a couple more players walking around with a large black demon dog?
The bantering between Canti and his canine companion was at times quite humorous, almost like listening to sibling rivalry or perhaps competitive best friends. It made her giggle sometimes which was actually a good thing as it broke the monotony of the constant seriousness of the situation bringing with it a breath of fresh air. The young girl followed her fellow Twin Blade without question. She trusted the pair with her life, not only because they had already earned that trust literally, but also because of the bond of friendship that was developing between the trio. The friendship was giving Talal a tiny bit of comfort on the inside to keep fighting the vast amount of chaos that had taken over their lives on the outside. She walked along taking in the sights around her. Something that wasn’t really done the last time they were here because of having to be more focused. Everything in Stitcher, including the people, had its own twist or odd uniqueness. It almost was comical in its own way to see and experience. By now she had let out the braid in her hair allowing her long waist length locks to hang freely around her shoulders. Since her attire was pretty simple, it was the one way she felt she could alter her appearance, especially now that Garaa would be searching for them a little more diligently.
The group finally came upon a large stone sticking up from the ground. In it was a door which Canti did not hesitate to open and go through followed by Shadow and then herself. Talal looked around at the bustling establishment. The simple fact there were a lot of people in it made her nervous about being found or turned in. Of course none of the Freedom Fighters knew yet if Garaa had gotten the word out or not. Her left palm was hurting and she looked down at it realizing that she had been subconsciously rubbing it and forced herself to stop. The dark clad Twin Blade immediately turned and asked where they should sit.
”Oh! Umm….either is fine, but would it not be better to sit at a table or booth near the back wall so as to keep a better eye on everything and everyone considering the circumstances?”
Where they sat really didn’t matter to the girl. She was trying to be logical and still allow herself to enjoy the time they had that currently didn’t consist of running for their life or in a fight to the death. Even in a place like the Titan’s Tooth, Talal oddly felt…safe, if only because of being there with her two companions.
Canti appeared to be all for the idea of some down time so she let him take the lead as it were and enter the keywords into the Chaos Gate. When the rings had dissipated, the young Twin Blade suddenly wished she would have paid more attention. The Stitcher Sector was not exactly what she would have chosen to go but at the same time she didn’t want to choose and Canti was…well, he almost sounded happy to be back. He was right about one thing, everyone and thing were so different, unique, and odd all at the same time that who would really notice a couple more players walking around with a large black demon dog?
The bantering between Canti and his canine companion was at times quite humorous, almost like listening to sibling rivalry or perhaps competitive best friends. It made her giggle sometimes which was actually a good thing as it broke the monotony of the constant seriousness of the situation bringing with it a breath of fresh air. The young girl followed her fellow Twin Blade without question. She trusted the pair with her life, not only because they had already earned that trust literally, but also because of the bond of friendship that was developing between the trio. The friendship was giving Talal a tiny bit of comfort on the inside to keep fighting the vast amount of chaos that had taken over their lives on the outside. She walked along taking in the sights around her. Something that wasn’t really done the last time they were here because of having to be more focused. Everything in Stitcher, including the people, had its own twist or odd uniqueness. It almost was comical in its own way to see and experience. By now she had let out the braid in her hair allowing her long waist length locks to hang freely around her shoulders. Since her attire was pretty simple, it was the one way she felt she could alter her appearance, especially now that Garaa would be searching for them a little more diligently.
The group finally came upon a large stone sticking up from the ground. In it was a door which Canti did not hesitate to open and go through followed by Shadow and then herself. Talal looked around at the bustling establishment. The simple fact there were a lot of people in it made her nervous about being found or turned in. Of course none of the Freedom Fighters knew yet if Garaa had gotten the word out or not. Her left palm was hurting and she looked down at it realizing that she had been subconsciously rubbing it and forced herself to stop. The dark clad Twin Blade immediately turned and asked where they should sit.
”Oh! Umm….either is fine, but would it not be better to sit at a table or booth near the back wall so as to keep a better eye on everything and everyone considering the circumstances?”
Where they sat really didn’t matter to the girl. She was trying to be logical and still allow herself to enjoy the time they had that currently didn’t consist of running for their life or in a fight to the death. Even in a place like the Titan’s Tooth, Talal oddly felt…safe, if only because of being there with her two companions.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
-
- Exalted Player
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
- Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.
Re: A Slight Detour.
"Oh! Umm….either is fine, but would it not be better to sit at a table or booth near the back wall so as to keep a better eye on everything and everyone considering the circumstances?"
(He considered this for a moment.)
Canti: You know...that does make sense. Alright, booth it is.
(The kinds of people that were in this place, you'd almost expect a comment about scum and villainy to be mentioned, or to see at least one Jedi wannabe Blademaster. No such luck. Canti led the two of them to one of the back booths, although he winced when he heard the shout and Ka-Thump! of someone tripping over Shadow. You had to watch yourself in a place like this. They came to the booth and Canti took a seat, and then the Bogie attempted to get into- No, he really didn't fit- Hey, would you stop- You have this sizable canine attempted to force its way into the booth now and get into something almost like a human sitting position, but frankly it was impossible without halfway sitting ON the table. This was left with Shadow still trying to force his way in with his hindlegs sticking out.)
Canti: Shadow?
Shadow: Yes?
Canti: Floor.
Shadow: Okay.
(He pulled out of the booth and sat by it. Honestly, Canti didn't know why he was trying that. None of the chairs at the tables would accommodate him either. And it's not like his head didn't reach. If he was going to order something, he'd be able to reach it and...and... You know, he didn't really want to think about what a dog orders at a bar. It sounds like one of those bad rimshot jokes, right along the one about the priest, the rabbi, and the nun. And before we get on that tangeant, Canti focused on something else.)
Canti: Man, I wish I'd thought of this sooner, but the other serves don't HAVE a cafe to relax in or anything. Now, I should warn you that I have NO idea what they really serve here. The last order I gave was something with zing and I still dunno what that was. And I had to bribe the Badger with an expensive drink.
(He actually nodded in that guy's direction. Damn, it was like the animal-man hadn't even left. Hey, maybe he didn't. maybe happy hour lasted forever around here. Was there any way to even tell how long they'd been comatose? In a place that never answers to the sunrise or sunset, it was easy to lose track of him. Finally though, a man with three noses came to ask them what they'll have.)
Canti: Ladies first.
(He considered this for a moment.)
Canti: You know...that does make sense. Alright, booth it is.
(The kinds of people that were in this place, you'd almost expect a comment about scum and villainy to be mentioned, or to see at least one Jedi wannabe Blademaster. No such luck. Canti led the two of them to one of the back booths, although he winced when he heard the shout and Ka-Thump! of someone tripping over Shadow. You had to watch yourself in a place like this. They came to the booth and Canti took a seat, and then the Bogie attempted to get into- No, he really didn't fit- Hey, would you stop- You have this sizable canine attempted to force its way into the booth now and get into something almost like a human sitting position, but frankly it was impossible without halfway sitting ON the table. This was left with Shadow still trying to force his way in with his hindlegs sticking out.)
Canti: Shadow?
Shadow: Yes?
Canti: Floor.
Shadow: Okay.
(He pulled out of the booth and sat by it. Honestly, Canti didn't know why he was trying that. None of the chairs at the tables would accommodate him either. And it's not like his head didn't reach. If he was going to order something, he'd be able to reach it and...and... You know, he didn't really want to think about what a dog orders at a bar. It sounds like one of those bad rimshot jokes, right along the one about the priest, the rabbi, and the nun. And before we get on that tangeant, Canti focused on something else.)
Canti: Man, I wish I'd thought of this sooner, but the other serves don't HAVE a cafe to relax in or anything. Now, I should warn you that I have NO idea what they really serve here. The last order I gave was something with zing and I still dunno what that was. And I had to bribe the Badger with an expensive drink.
(He actually nodded in that guy's direction. Damn, it was like the animal-man hadn't even left. Hey, maybe he didn't. maybe happy hour lasted forever around here. Was there any way to even tell how long they'd been comatose? In a place that never answers to the sunrise or sunset, it was easy to lose track of him. Finally though, a man with three noses came to ask them what they'll have.)
Canti: Ladies first.
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Re: A Slight Detour.
Talal was happy that she was making sense and smiled slightly. It was nice to see her fellow Twin Blade in such a good mood and at the same time felt it odd how he could switch moods so quickly after a fight. If she didn't know better she'd almost admit that she envied him. The bar was like any other that she would've imagined how they looked; tables close together and not too much room to walk in between chairs. Although startling, it really didn’t surprise her when somebody tripped over Shadow, making her quietly gasp. She followed the pair through the maze of chairs and tables until they reached the back wall where Canti had found a booth and immediately took a seat. Having been behind Shadow she had to wait until the large hound found his spot at the table. His attempts to sit however became rather humorous when instead of sitting on the floor like a typical dog, he decided to try and fit at the table like a human. The young girl raised both of her hands up to her face and covered her mouth and nose in awe at what was happening in front of her.
She felt sorry for Shadow. His intelligence and actions certainly earned him a spot at the table but because of the form that had been chosen for him it would never work. Canti quickly realized this and directed Shadow to the floor to which the large black dog also agreed. With their canine companion comfortably sitting on the floor, Talal slid into the seat on the opposite side of the table from Canti. It was so relaxing just to be able to sit down for a moment that without thinking the girls’ eyes softly closed and she let out a deep breath. It only lasted a few seconds as Canti was apparently in a very chatty mood and began talking about the establishment they were in and his last visit to it. Her eyes followed his gesture towards the furry looking individual across the way that he had been trying to get information from and then back to her friend across the table.
She looked at him wondering what was going on in his mind. How was he really handling what the group had just gone through? She knew him well enough that her actions on the battlefield were possibly embarrassing to him. Not only things that she had said but her actions as well. He had portrayed himself to her to be the type of man who didn't like to show weakness of any kind. Having to be helped out of the dangerous zone because he was unable to do it on his own she was sure was not the highlight of his day. She knew he had emotions but they were buried deep inside. Canti had only let them surface briefly when they were discussing about getting out of the game. Hmmm, sounds a lot like another friend of mine. Her thoughts were interrupted when, what she assumed was the waiter who happened to have three noses making her stare for a brief second, asked them what they would have. Talal could feel herself blushing a bit, hoping it wasn't showing, when Canti’s gentleman-like qualities were shown allowing her to order first. She had had alcohol in the real world before and knew what she liked. Not knowing what her companion’s experiences were outside of the game, she wasn't sure if ordering such would offend him. However, maybe it was just what she needed to relax a little and loosen up.
"I'll have your equivalent to a double shot of Jaeger followed by a raspberry margarita please." She looked across the table and smiled. "What are you going to have Canti?”
She felt sorry for Shadow. His intelligence and actions certainly earned him a spot at the table but because of the form that had been chosen for him it would never work. Canti quickly realized this and directed Shadow to the floor to which the large black dog also agreed. With their canine companion comfortably sitting on the floor, Talal slid into the seat on the opposite side of the table from Canti. It was so relaxing just to be able to sit down for a moment that without thinking the girls’ eyes softly closed and she let out a deep breath. It only lasted a few seconds as Canti was apparently in a very chatty mood and began talking about the establishment they were in and his last visit to it. Her eyes followed his gesture towards the furry looking individual across the way that he had been trying to get information from and then back to her friend across the table.
She looked at him wondering what was going on in his mind. How was he really handling what the group had just gone through? She knew him well enough that her actions on the battlefield were possibly embarrassing to him. Not only things that she had said but her actions as well. He had portrayed himself to her to be the type of man who didn't like to show weakness of any kind. Having to be helped out of the dangerous zone because he was unable to do it on his own she was sure was not the highlight of his day. She knew he had emotions but they were buried deep inside. Canti had only let them surface briefly when they were discussing about getting out of the game. Hmmm, sounds a lot like another friend of mine. Her thoughts were interrupted when, what she assumed was the waiter who happened to have three noses making her stare for a brief second, asked them what they would have. Talal could feel herself blushing a bit, hoping it wasn't showing, when Canti’s gentleman-like qualities were shown allowing her to order first. She had had alcohol in the real world before and knew what she liked. Not knowing what her companion’s experiences were outside of the game, she wasn't sure if ordering such would offend him. However, maybe it was just what she needed to relax a little and loosen up.
"I'll have your equivalent to a double shot of Jaeger followed by a raspberry margarita please." She looked across the table and smiled. "What are you going to have Canti?”
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
-
- Exalted Player
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
- Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.
Re: A Slight Detour.
(Oh, you think he's just plainly in a good mood, do you? Well, yes and no. It was a matter of fact that Canti was more than a bit complicated on these matters, but there were two determining factors involved. First, he hadn't had a decent break in a LONG time. And second, they just killed one of the Elites and secured his item. The more Elites that were toasted, the better chance they had to get home. So, at least for now, this was a celebration. True, the Twin Blade was annoyed that they didn't get Garaa, but he had to be equally glad for the fact that they were no longer flagged. The barriers are all gone. We can move freely now. So anyway, a man with three noses had come to the table for their order. Of course, there were worse things in life, but this was at least a fairly-harmless gag. Talal ordered an actual drink-type drink from the man, then inquired about what he was going for.)
"What are you going to have Canti?"
Canti: Well, if they've got real-equivalents, I'll take a spiced rum.
"I'm sorry, but we're fresh out."
Canti: What? Why is the rum gone?
"Well, there was this spaced out pirate-y fellow who..."
Canti: C'mon, man... You can't just give it all to every Johnny Depp you s-
"Sir?"
Canti: What?
"Kidding. Anything else?"
Canti: Oh, errr... No, I think we're g-
Shadow: Gin and tonic, and a straw.
"Very good umm...sir."
(He actually couldn't decide whether Shadow was a male or female or even player. Shrugging, the man went off to go take care of things with this booth and other patrons. He could see that Talal was at least enjoying himself as he shook his head over the whole joke about the rum. Equally so, she seemed amused by the previous exchange between him and Shadow. They were a strange pair. He could tell that Rey designed such a quirky canine. However, this break from their unreality suddenly reminded him of his real reality. Canti sighed.)
Canti: I just remembered... I'd be at this one bar I know, taking out my frustrations on whatever guy was giving people trouble. Great place to be. I was Barry's unofficial bouncer. It's weird, though. I've been taking up a whole load of habits in here, for the sensation of it, even though- Where...is Shadow going?
(He interrupted himself as the Bogie stood up without warning and padded off towards the bar. Was he so uninterested? No, that wasn't it. There was a particularly loud guy yakking the owner's ear off, when suddenly...WHUMP! He fell to the floor, having had the stool yanked out from beneath him. He watched then, as it was carried away by the monster dog and brought...back to the booth. Shadow placed the stool down and jumped up onto it, sitting perfectly balanced on the thing.)
Canti: You're a real stubborn guy, you know that?
Shadow: Indeed.
(Funny parts aside, here is how it is. You're two Twin Blades in a bar with a watchful canine nearby. It's been one thing leading directly to another with very little rest or time to really get that acquainted thus far. Do you take advantage of the side-trip or let it slide? Therein lies the question. Ah, and drinks were arriving. Perfect.)
"What are you going to have Canti?"
Canti: Well, if they've got real-equivalents, I'll take a spiced rum.
"I'm sorry, but we're fresh out."
Canti: What? Why is the rum gone?
"Well, there was this spaced out pirate-y fellow who..."
Canti: C'mon, man... You can't just give it all to every Johnny Depp you s-
"Sir?"
Canti: What?
"Kidding. Anything else?"
Canti: Oh, errr... No, I think we're g-
Shadow: Gin and tonic, and a straw.
"Very good umm...sir."
(He actually couldn't decide whether Shadow was a male or female or even player. Shrugging, the man went off to go take care of things with this booth and other patrons. He could see that Talal was at least enjoying himself as he shook his head over the whole joke about the rum. Equally so, she seemed amused by the previous exchange between him and Shadow. They were a strange pair. He could tell that Rey designed such a quirky canine. However, this break from their unreality suddenly reminded him of his real reality. Canti sighed.)
Canti: I just remembered... I'd be at this one bar I know, taking out my frustrations on whatever guy was giving people trouble. Great place to be. I was Barry's unofficial bouncer. It's weird, though. I've been taking up a whole load of habits in here, for the sensation of it, even though- Where...is Shadow going?
(He interrupted himself as the Bogie stood up without warning and padded off towards the bar. Was he so uninterested? No, that wasn't it. There was a particularly loud guy yakking the owner's ear off, when suddenly...WHUMP! He fell to the floor, having had the stool yanked out from beneath him. He watched then, as it was carried away by the monster dog and brought...back to the booth. Shadow placed the stool down and jumped up onto it, sitting perfectly balanced on the thing.)
Canti: You're a real stubborn guy, you know that?
Shadow: Indeed.
(Funny parts aside, here is how it is. You're two Twin Blades in a bar with a watchful canine nearby. It's been one thing leading directly to another with very little rest or time to really get that acquainted thus far. Do you take advantage of the side-trip or let it slide? Therein lies the question. Ah, and drinks were arriving. Perfect.)
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Re: A Slight Detour.
It was all she could do to keep in her laughter after watching the waiter completely pull one over on Canti. She herself was not very talented in the joke department. Heck, half the time it took her way to long to even get the joke and by then, it was too late to provide a retort. This one though was priceless. Talal was also happy to see that ordering an actual drink hadn’t phased her companion at all and it surely didn’t faze Shadow, ordering a drink of his own. At this, Talal just kind of stared at the large canine for a moment as she tried to figure out how would he have any knowledge of what to order? How did he know he liked Gin and Tonic of all things? The thought was way too taxing on her brain at a time when she was supposed to be relaxing so the young girl just decided that it must be the drink that Rey likes and was included in his data just for kicks.
Suddenly the atmosphere around Canti turned somber, remembering something from his real life. She could tell by the sound of his voice that it was a good memory, something he missed. It was oddly soothing to sit there and listen to him reminisce. She wanted to learn more about the man behind the mask as it were. They way he talks, it sounds like he is a rough and gruff sort on the outside and a big softy at heart on the inside. Of course, she was known to be wrong more often than not. He started talking about habits he had taken to while in The World and she thought she was about to get a little insight when Shadow’s movement brought the brief sharing moment to an end. The pair of Twin Blade’s simply watched their cohort in crime steal a stool out from under some loud mouth at the bar. Hopefully, it wouldn’t cause a bar brawl, that would really work against the whole trying to keep a low profile thing.
Shadow returned to the booth with stool in mouth, placing it at the end of the booth and jumping up on it to sit. For the moment it didn’t appear that the loud mouth was pursuing his runaway stool but Talal did spy their waiter approaching with the drinks. Talal moved the double shot to the side for now and pulled the margarita closer, criss-crossing her arms and leaning in to take a sip from the straw it came with. It wasn’t exactly like the ones at home but it would do. All things considered, it was a lot better than she thought it would be. It still confused her how programmers could do the things they do with data code, wires and computer chips let alone put smell, taste and feel into it like the Freedom Fighters now experienced. Finishing her sip, she looked up at Canti, tilting her head slightly. She still wanted to hear more about these habits and about him.
”Please continue, what sort of habits?”
At this, Canti looked a bit embarrassed. ”Well, the bar-hopping, of course. And while I haven’t bothered eating - no actual need – I actually took up smoking, for a while. It’s not real, but the effect is there. I don’t wanna get too deep on that trail, though. It was bad enough when I…ehhh, you don’t wanna hear about that.”
Talal smiled, grabbed the straw on her margarita and stirred slowly. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uneasy and break the relaxing mood.
“Isn’t it nice to just sit for a change? I thought we’d never stop being on the go.” With that, he looked to lighten up a bit, more than likely glad to be off the topic.
”Yeah, definitely. The only breaks I’ve had are times where I’ve slept, trained, or gone on some sort of side-quest. I don’t think I know much about relaxing.”
”Me either. It’s been one thing after another. First with the Eventide Crescendo and now our group. What I wouldn’t give for a relaxing evening under the stars, on a beach listening to the waves crest one after the other.”
She took another sip. The thought gave her shivers, especially when her thoughts started going in a direction that a moment like that would be even better when shared with someone. With that she quickly grabbed her double shot to change the subject yet again, raising it up and midway across the table.
”Cheers….to us!” She so didn’t mean that the way it sounded and quickly downed half of the glass in one swig.
”Heh, cheers.”
Shadow: ”Mmm?”
Canti had raised his glass as she did and finally took a drink. Good stuff, heady stuff. Shadow didn’t have the thumbs to pick up his glass, nor it appeared any idea what they were doing. He had a mouth full of his straw at the moment.
”Ahhh… Beaches are nice. I want to get back into a car, or a bike. Hell, a vespa. Something that isn’t a mount. I gotta tell you, I don’t like riding animals bare-back.”
Shadow: ”Neither did I.”
”Oh…right, I DID do that earlier. Sorry.”
She paused suddenly realizing that in the real world Canti sounded like he was a little older than she was. However, she knew a lot of young adults that didn’t drive so what she was about to say shouldn’t give anything age wise away.
”I’ve…never driven a car. I had a bike but I agree, anything with wheels would be a wonderful change of pace.”
”Oh, it’s fun. Good to work on too. I love making things work. Even better when people pay you to do it.”
”So, you are good with your hands then.”
She wanted to do a face palm but chose to down the rest of her drink instead which made her make a funny look from the burning sensation going down her throat. Her words were not coming out right. That or her mind was definitely somewhere else. What the hell did they put in these drinks? Time for a quick rebound before she turns bright red in the face.
”I mean, in a mechanic sort of way?”
”Yeah, mechanic. Exactly that. Bit of a prodigy, family-owned business.”
Talal suddenly felt envious of the black clothed man sitting across from her again. She wanted that closeness with her family, but it was gone and even if she survived the battle with the Elites and woke from her coma, she didn’t know if she would ever get to be close to them again after the last argument they had.
”So you have close ties with your family then?”
”I did.” The words were said with no elaboration and Canti took another swig of his drink making her feel like she had hit a nerve or something she didn’t mean to.
”Sorry, I didn’t mean to drudge up anything. If it helps, I know what it’s like to lose those close family bonds.” She smiled and had to restrain herself from instinctively reaching out with her hand to comfort him. She wasn’t sure how he would take that or if he wanted to be touched. Some people didn’t like that. She went back to her drink and took another sip.
Suddenly the atmosphere around Canti turned somber, remembering something from his real life. She could tell by the sound of his voice that it was a good memory, something he missed. It was oddly soothing to sit there and listen to him reminisce. She wanted to learn more about the man behind the mask as it were. They way he talks, it sounds like he is a rough and gruff sort on the outside and a big softy at heart on the inside. Of course, she was known to be wrong more often than not. He started talking about habits he had taken to while in The World and she thought she was about to get a little insight when Shadow’s movement brought the brief sharing moment to an end. The pair of Twin Blade’s simply watched their cohort in crime steal a stool out from under some loud mouth at the bar. Hopefully, it wouldn’t cause a bar brawl, that would really work against the whole trying to keep a low profile thing.
Shadow returned to the booth with stool in mouth, placing it at the end of the booth and jumping up on it to sit. For the moment it didn’t appear that the loud mouth was pursuing his runaway stool but Talal did spy their waiter approaching with the drinks. Talal moved the double shot to the side for now and pulled the margarita closer, criss-crossing her arms and leaning in to take a sip from the straw it came with. It wasn’t exactly like the ones at home but it would do. All things considered, it was a lot better than she thought it would be. It still confused her how programmers could do the things they do with data code, wires and computer chips let alone put smell, taste and feel into it like the Freedom Fighters now experienced. Finishing her sip, she looked up at Canti, tilting her head slightly. She still wanted to hear more about these habits and about him.
”Please continue, what sort of habits?”
At this, Canti looked a bit embarrassed. ”Well, the bar-hopping, of course. And while I haven’t bothered eating - no actual need – I actually took up smoking, for a while. It’s not real, but the effect is there. I don’t wanna get too deep on that trail, though. It was bad enough when I…ehhh, you don’t wanna hear about that.”
Talal smiled, grabbed the straw on her margarita and stirred slowly. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uneasy and break the relaxing mood.
“Isn’t it nice to just sit for a change? I thought we’d never stop being on the go.” With that, he looked to lighten up a bit, more than likely glad to be off the topic.
”Yeah, definitely. The only breaks I’ve had are times where I’ve slept, trained, or gone on some sort of side-quest. I don’t think I know much about relaxing.”
”Me either. It’s been one thing after another. First with the Eventide Crescendo and now our group. What I wouldn’t give for a relaxing evening under the stars, on a beach listening to the waves crest one after the other.”
She took another sip. The thought gave her shivers, especially when her thoughts started going in a direction that a moment like that would be even better when shared with someone. With that she quickly grabbed her double shot to change the subject yet again, raising it up and midway across the table.
”Cheers….to us!” She so didn’t mean that the way it sounded and quickly downed half of the glass in one swig.
”Heh, cheers.”
Shadow: ”Mmm?”
Canti had raised his glass as she did and finally took a drink. Good stuff, heady stuff. Shadow didn’t have the thumbs to pick up his glass, nor it appeared any idea what they were doing. He had a mouth full of his straw at the moment.
”Ahhh… Beaches are nice. I want to get back into a car, or a bike. Hell, a vespa. Something that isn’t a mount. I gotta tell you, I don’t like riding animals bare-back.”
Shadow: ”Neither did I.”
”Oh…right, I DID do that earlier. Sorry.”
She paused suddenly realizing that in the real world Canti sounded like he was a little older than she was. However, she knew a lot of young adults that didn’t drive so what she was about to say shouldn’t give anything age wise away.
”I’ve…never driven a car. I had a bike but I agree, anything with wheels would be a wonderful change of pace.”
”Oh, it’s fun. Good to work on too. I love making things work. Even better when people pay you to do it.”
”So, you are good with your hands then.”
She wanted to do a face palm but chose to down the rest of her drink instead which made her make a funny look from the burning sensation going down her throat. Her words were not coming out right. That or her mind was definitely somewhere else. What the hell did they put in these drinks? Time for a quick rebound before she turns bright red in the face.
”I mean, in a mechanic sort of way?”
”Yeah, mechanic. Exactly that. Bit of a prodigy, family-owned business.”
Talal suddenly felt envious of the black clothed man sitting across from her again. She wanted that closeness with her family, but it was gone and even if she survived the battle with the Elites and woke from her coma, she didn’t know if she would ever get to be close to them again after the last argument they had.
”So you have close ties with your family then?”
”I did.” The words were said with no elaboration and Canti took another swig of his drink making her feel like she had hit a nerve or something she didn’t mean to.
”Sorry, I didn’t mean to drudge up anything. If it helps, I know what it’s like to lose those close family bonds.” She smiled and had to restrain herself from instinctively reaching out with her hand to comfort him. She wasn’t sure how he would take that or if he wanted to be touched. Some people didn’t like that. She went back to her drink and took another sip.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
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- Exalted Player
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
- Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.
Re: A Slight Detour.
(Oh yes, you KNOW Rey had something to do with his order. Fact is, she could have, out of amusement, fed him the information right now. Shadow was, after all, a communications node. Still, Canti had no idea how they did it, how anyone could simulate that strange reproduction of the real thing in life. He didn't want to go too far with it, like how apparently there were drug dealers in Yamiyo. That would be going down a particularly dark path, and not one that he'd want to go through when he's already got the Twilight virus inside of him. Canti tried not to allow himself to get too positively soused by this mug of rum. And for why? Because it would look bad when he got back. Fortunately, drinking under age was something he was familiar with, being an unofficial bouncer for Barry Lanslow, back in Boston. He'd give 'im a few as compensation for throwing guys out. Great guy, that Barry. Understanding, life-saver... Yeah, Canti missed his life back in the real. They both did. They started to talk about the things they wanted most along with their toast. It was nice to go on a bit about his profession as a mechanic, carry on about how good he was, but then they hit the subject of family...)
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to drudge up anything. If it helps, I know what it’s like to lose those close family bonds."
Canti: Or family itself.
(He was silent for a moment, looking down at his drink, then back at Talal...attempting to look alright with this.)
Canti: It's okay. I've already said as much to Baron. Don't worry about it.
(Nevertheless, a look of concern washed over her face. She wasn't buying it, which meant that Canti need to learn how to lie better or something.)
"Funny how you don't look okay. I also happen to know that I have a bad habit of prying where I'm not wanted so, if you ever want to talk, I'll be there to listen."
(However, knowing the mood being set here, she decided that now was not that time - precisely what Canti was thinking - and moved on to a different subject...which was about what they'd been served.)
"Now then, I don't know about you but, I think these drinks are a lot stronger here than back at home."
(The dark Twin Blade shrugged, then spoke more casually.)
Canti: Kinda' why I didn't have too many while asking for information. We shouldn't have too many here or it'll look bad when we get back."
Shadow: I'll have another.
(Canti blinked at this. Did they even affect him? Talal found this funny as hell.)
"You have a good point. I must say, watching a dog have a drink through a straw is a first for me."
Shadow: Same.
Canti: Yeah, but you ordered this.
Shadow: It's still a first.
Canti: Fair enough. But you're not having too many. You're not even a dog's year old.
"He's right! You're just a pup...technically."
(Here's where some trouble started. Talal reached over and grabbed Shadow's drink, pulling it away from him and towards the center of the table. As a response, the demon dog began to growl, the volume of said growl rising in proportion with the distance of the drink from its original position.)
Canti: Hey, behave!
Shadow: But she's taking my drink...
Canti: Hey, I have to look after you, alright? That's what she told me, to make sure nothing happens to you. If you get drunk and wander off and someone powerful comes by, you could fragged and I've no idea if Res items even work on you.
Shadow: Very well...
(The 'she' that Canti was referring to was not Talal, but Shadow's creator. Reyome had some rather specific instructions on this if Canti ever wanted to retain any contact with the outside anymore. True, the data flags were off and so he could step on up to the other servers, but still...the dog was sort of important. He had to look after him. At this time, Shadow seemed a bit shamed by Canti's mention of standing orders. And he'd sort of frightened Talal, by the look of things, as she'd retreated to a corner of the booth now. Sighing, Canti gave the Bogie a pat on the head.)
Canti: C'mon, just don't raise your voice to my friends, that's all.
"Sorry Shadow. Didn't mean to make you angry."
(These words appeared to make the dog feel worse about his reaction, and thus he remained silent. The winged Twin Blade looked back at Talal, to try and reassure her.)
Canti:He wouldn't do anything, really. Not after what happened before with Garaa.
(She didn't move from the corner, though she understood.)
"So...how are you feeling from that attack? Is everything back to normal?"
(They both blinked now, confused at this.)
Canti: The...Doom attack? I'm fine. Shadow? All systems go?
Shadow: ...yes.
(Whoops. He wasn't getting over this one easily.)
"Good, good. You both had me worried there for a bit."
Canti: I'll admit, that one had me down pretty bad for a while. I had this feeling that Sheena's rune-thing would keep us out of hot water, but I guess it's not complete yet.
"I'm glad she had such an item. I'd hate to see what would have happened to you otherwise. Both of you. At least I was unconscious for most of my ordeal and a major migraine was about the worst of my pain."
Canti: Oh yeah...what the hell was that?
"Well, I did a lot of thinking on that walking back to that makeshift shelter with Demorian. Best that I can tell...I got overloaded with the massive amounts of Twilight in the area, what with Garaa and Rugu and probably the more elevated members of our group. The battle just happened to come about when I was starting to get what I think are my own abilities, like you have."
Canti: Really? Huh... Wonder if I got anything...
(Shadow glared as Canti scratched the back of his head...and a razor-sharp spike shot out of his elbow into the floor somewhere. It was swift and silent. The Twin Blade didn't even hear it. What the hell was that?!)
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to drudge up anything. If it helps, I know what it’s like to lose those close family bonds."
Canti: Or family itself.
(He was silent for a moment, looking down at his drink, then back at Talal...attempting to look alright with this.)
Canti: It's okay. I've already said as much to Baron. Don't worry about it.
(Nevertheless, a look of concern washed over her face. She wasn't buying it, which meant that Canti need to learn how to lie better or something.)
"Funny how you don't look okay. I also happen to know that I have a bad habit of prying where I'm not wanted so, if you ever want to talk, I'll be there to listen."
(However, knowing the mood being set here, she decided that now was not that time - precisely what Canti was thinking - and moved on to a different subject...which was about what they'd been served.)
"Now then, I don't know about you but, I think these drinks are a lot stronger here than back at home."
(The dark Twin Blade shrugged, then spoke more casually.)
Canti: Kinda' why I didn't have too many while asking for information. We shouldn't have too many here or it'll look bad when we get back."
Shadow: I'll have another.
(Canti blinked at this. Did they even affect him? Talal found this funny as hell.)
"You have a good point. I must say, watching a dog have a drink through a straw is a first for me."
Shadow: Same.
Canti: Yeah, but you ordered this.
Shadow: It's still a first.
Canti: Fair enough. But you're not having too many. You're not even a dog's year old.
"He's right! You're just a pup...technically."
(Here's where some trouble started. Talal reached over and grabbed Shadow's drink, pulling it away from him and towards the center of the table. As a response, the demon dog began to growl, the volume of said growl rising in proportion with the distance of the drink from its original position.)
Canti: Hey, behave!
Shadow: But she's taking my drink...
Canti: Hey, I have to look after you, alright? That's what she told me, to make sure nothing happens to you. If you get drunk and wander off and someone powerful comes by, you could fragged and I've no idea if Res items even work on you.
Shadow: Very well...
(The 'she' that Canti was referring to was not Talal, but Shadow's creator. Reyome had some rather specific instructions on this if Canti ever wanted to retain any contact with the outside anymore. True, the data flags were off and so he could step on up to the other servers, but still...the dog was sort of important. He had to look after him. At this time, Shadow seemed a bit shamed by Canti's mention of standing orders. And he'd sort of frightened Talal, by the look of things, as she'd retreated to a corner of the booth now. Sighing, Canti gave the Bogie a pat on the head.)
Canti: C'mon, just don't raise your voice to my friends, that's all.
"Sorry Shadow. Didn't mean to make you angry."
(These words appeared to make the dog feel worse about his reaction, and thus he remained silent. The winged Twin Blade looked back at Talal, to try and reassure her.)
Canti:He wouldn't do anything, really. Not after what happened before with Garaa.
(She didn't move from the corner, though she understood.)
"So...how are you feeling from that attack? Is everything back to normal?"
(They both blinked now, confused at this.)
Canti: The...Doom attack? I'm fine. Shadow? All systems go?
Shadow: ...yes.
(Whoops. He wasn't getting over this one easily.)
"Good, good. You both had me worried there for a bit."
Canti: I'll admit, that one had me down pretty bad for a while. I had this feeling that Sheena's rune-thing would keep us out of hot water, but I guess it's not complete yet.
"I'm glad she had such an item. I'd hate to see what would have happened to you otherwise. Both of you. At least I was unconscious for most of my ordeal and a major migraine was about the worst of my pain."
Canti: Oh yeah...what the hell was that?
"Well, I did a lot of thinking on that walking back to that makeshift shelter with Demorian. Best that I can tell...I got overloaded with the massive amounts of Twilight in the area, what with Garaa and Rugu and probably the more elevated members of our group. The battle just happened to come about when I was starting to get what I think are my own abilities, like you have."
Canti: Really? Huh... Wonder if I got anything...
(Shadow glared as Canti scratched the back of his head...and a razor-sharp spike shot out of his elbow into the floor somewhere. It was swift and silent. The Twin Blade didn't even hear it. What the hell was that?!)
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Re: A Slight Detour.
Talal still didn't have a great understanding of Twilight and how it works, but what little she did know told her that there had to be a lot of it present before something would happen. This made more sense when she compared herself to the other Freedom Fighters. For instance, Sheena had tremendous power and it wasn't all from simply leveling up. The way the young Twin Blade figured it from the bits and pieces of information she's gathered, Twilight slowly builds up in the comatose player’s system. So the longer the player is stuck in the game the more Twilight is in their system. As Canti reached up to scratch his head Talal thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She leaned to the side where the spike came from but didn't see anything and returned to the conversation.
"Well, there was a lot of Twilight in the area. If it could affect someone without a real ability yet, then it would make sense that it could affect you too."
Shadow: "I'll say."
"Huh? Why, am I on fire?"
Shadow: "No, but you just wounded someone's chair."
Apparently at another table, the leg of another person's chair had been cut off and he'd fallen back, confused. Shadow having the keen eyesight and hearing that he did had seen it all happen. Needless to say the young girl was back to her confused self. She looked again but this time at the wounded chair causing her brows to furrow.
"Shadow? How exactly did Canti cause that?"
The large demon dog hesitated to answer the question but then explained where the spike, that had sheared part of the chair leg completely off, had come from.
"My elbow? That's a weird place to launch a...what the hell?"
Meanwhile, while Canti commented on launch sites another spike came out of his palm and was now firmly held in his fingers. Surprised and thankful the palm spikes stopped at his fingers instead of shooting across the table at the unsuspecting Twin Blade, Talal sat up a bit to get a better look and suddenly found herself in a very spicy mood which for her was unusual. All things considered it would've been bad form not to take full advantage of the situation.
"How many places do you think those come out of?"
It was really too bad that she didn't have a poker face at all and couldn't hold the serious look of the question but rather giggled and allowed a teasing smile to cross her face. Canti's face paled, immediately realizing what she might be insinuating.
"I don't want to think about it"
Her spiciness did its job and brought the typically confident male Twin Blade to a point of slight embarrassment. She reached over the table and tapped him on the shoulder gently shoving it backward.
"Oh, c'mon cheer up. This is awesome! You have new stuff to play with!"
"Er, sorry. Bad mental image. Though uhh…I think these are my transformation spikes, once I get when I get all...demon-like." (Had Talal even seen him with horns and spikes and stuff?)
”Uhh…transformation spikes?”
She knew he transformed into black flames when he used his abilities or rather that was his ability? She had never noticed a transformation stage, it was always Canti and then black flame Canti with nothing in between. Thinking of Canti with spikes suddenly made her remember an old TV series and a character named Doyle in his demon form. The brown eyed Twin Blade wasn't sure or rather didn't want to picture Canti that way for now. She liked him just the way he was without the spikes. Granted as sharp as they appear to be she was sure the ability itself could come in very handy and that he was probably going to enjoy having it.
"It happened when my infection got mean. All the darkness-embued Twilight started altering my character further when I got mad. When that happened, I'd demonize and have spikes jutting from my body and stuff."
Talal pondered this for a moment. ”So, does that mean you only go through this spike transformation when you are mad or does it happen every time now?"
”Nah, can't be. No horns.” He checked his forehead, then shrugged. ”Thing is, the spikes and stuff were just supposed to be edits, like my wings. The wings work, but my flying doesn't actually have anything to do with wind or gravity. It's still just a game. So, I guess it's sort of evolved out of being just for looks.”
It made sense as much as anything else in The World that was odd, so she ran with it. ”Well, if you can figure out how to control them, then you have a nifty new weapon…err…weapons? at your disposal. Sounds like we both need to find a deserted area to practice. I still need to figure out what I can do and how to make it happen.” She laughed lightly but was actually rather serious about getting some practice and trying to find an on/off or volume control switch for her new and improved hearing.
”Looks to me like you screamed his head off back there. Sure sounded it. Hope I don't keep launching these by accident.”
"Tch. Tell me about it," said a bison-man walking by with a spare chair. (Ah, so that’s who’d fallen over… Canti grimaced briefly.)
”I did? To be honest, that last few moments before I blacked out, things are a bit hazy. All I remember is that I couldn't take all the noise anymore. All the explosions and spells going off were horribly amplified to me. Baron might know better. I remember helping him right before. Regardless, I think leaving here and going someplace a little more…less populated would be a good idea, don't you?"
(Canti thought about it, and about time taken between leaving the others and getting back to the Fire Castle. Ah, heck with it.)
”Yeah, this seems kind of important. I'm a hazard if I don't get a little control here. And you get stunned from your hearing power.”
Talal wasn't sure if getting stunned by her own hearing power was exactly correct but it wasn't that big of a deal so she scooted out of the booth and began walking back towards the door. On her way out the thought hit her that they hadn’t paid for their drinks so she took a sudden detour and headed for the bar.
”We should pay for our drinks, heh.” Canti nodded as he was getting out of the booth and followed suit stepping over to the bar to pay, still holding the spike in his hand. Shadow followed, of course. As he paid... The bar keeps memory was sparked.
”Oh yeah, I remember you. You were looking for some guy. I heard you caused trouble at another bar.” Canti was quick with an answer, a talent Talal lacked horribly in. ”Uhh, not me. Some Blademaster. He was just there is all.” The barkeep didn't seem to believe Canti but nevertheless stayed fairly neutral in the conversation. ”Well, keep out of trouble.”
”Sure.” Far far FAR too late for that one, though…
Canti turned to leave and Talal finished paying for her tab thanking the barkeep before turning and walking out the door. Stopping just outside, the young girl turned towards her companions.
”Lead the way, oh spiky one!”
She was giving him a bad time sure, but more so she was just in a really good mood for the first time in what seemed like forever. It made her wonder... What was it about these two that seemed to always turn her around like that? She hoped it wasn't the whole ‘hey you rescued me and now I'm forever grateful’ kind of thing. No, it was something else, something she couldn't quite put her finger on yet. Canti threw the spike aside and a couple of seconds later, the trio heard someone go “Ow”. Just as the male Twin Blade was about to go off in some direction, he stopped and said...
”I’m sorry, I haven't got the faintest idea of where to go. Shadow?”
”Reply hazy. Ask again later.”
The girls’ big brown eyes got even bigger when the black demon dog pulled a magic eight ball response out of the bag. At that point it made her question how often the hacker that created him was eavesdropping on their conversations. As much as she wanted to talk to shadow or rather through him and ask a question directly aimed at Rey, she had remembered telling herself that she was going to treat Shadow like she would anyone else. That meant in this instance, calling out Rey through him would not jive with her promise to herself. Instead, she decided to treat him like a pouty little child.
”Shadow, you’re not still sore about the drink are you? I tell you what, I will buy you however many you want when we don't have to worry about going into battle later in the day. Deal? Friends?" Talal smiled one of those friendly and innocent smiles while reaching over and scratching the hound behind the ear.
”Hmmm…alright. However, I still don’t know any empty spots.”
”Maybe someone in the bar knows?
”It’s worth a shot I suppose. Better than wandering around for too long.” Talal turned back, grabbing the handle of the door, opening it for the others. ”Nah nah, won’t be a second.”
Canti literally swooped back in to have a word with the bartender. She’d never admit it but she was glad to see that he was willing to go do the inquiring. Approaching strangers on her own to ask for directions was never something the soft spoken female liked to do. The only time she managed to do so and be less fragile looking was when she was part of a group, much like the instance in the Vak Master’s castle earlier. Thinking quietly to herself, Talal honestly liked that quality about her fellow Twin Blade. He was confident in himself and his ability even if she didn’t always agree with his headstrong ways of doing things. Within moments, their dark clad companion came walking back out.
”Done it! Let’s go.”
Wow! He's good, she thought. "Lead the way!"
She motioned with her arm and hand like a butler welcoming someone in the door to their master’s home. Canti accepted the lead without skipping a beat with Shadow padding after them both. As they walked, her curiosity at what made her friend tick surfaced again, realizing she still didn’t know a lot about him but really wanted to. "Canti? Does anything scare you? I mean, you go to all these weird places and take on powerful enemies practically head on without hesitation." Her tone was light. There would have been no doubt that she was asking out of sincere interest. Her question gave him pause and although he didn’t stop moving, he did appear to be mulling the question over before answering.
"Sometimes, yeah. But there's a point where I think I've had too much to get freaked by the regular things. Everything powered by the virus has me worried, actually. Including myself. People like Rugu and Tritoch alot, though...and any time someone's got my weakness as a power. There's been some freaky times, Talal. Why do you think I started smoking? You just caught me at a good time, when I'm able to cope.”
She appreciated his genuine and honest response and smiled gently. "I see. I don't know why I'm surprised that there are things that get to you. I guess you have just been extremely confident and stable since we met. I'm glad you stopped smoking though. No need to start bad habits in here. I look forward to the day I can join you in your confidence and stability."
Her friend was apparently amused by her comment, evident by the tone of his voice. ”Oh, so you think I'm confident now? I'm just a little de-sensitized, and I've sort of had to build myself from the ground up. Happened during training, actually. Speaking of...we're heading for a warehouse some guy created that's just a bunch of empty space no matter how many people enter. Creates new rooms, the bartender said.”
"Training, now there's a concept. I for the most part just got thrown to the wolves at supper. It was learn or be eaten. It will be nice to get a little time to actually train myself on something before having to actually use it." All things considered, she was very light hearted and upbeat, almost excited if he didn't know better to be going to the warehouse. In truth, she had wanted to find someone that would be interested in training her a bit on Twin Blade skills, moves and what the best weapons and armor were to use.
Takua had been a great mentor in the beginning, teaching her about how the Chaos Gate and monsters in the fields worked. The Wavemaster had been the one to break down all of the walls she had built in real life against making friends and at first, she almost hated him for it. But because of information they had shared and the general feeling that he had no one to watch his back while he was busy watching out for everyone else, made her want to stick with him which ultimately ended her up in her current comatose state. Something she knew made Takua feel horribly responsible for. Something she hoped she could fix with the right words, actions or both. He was family to her at this point as she looked toward him like a girl would look to an older brother.
Canti had been extremely understanding and helpful in his own special ways making the young girl feel like she belonged and had friends despite how she may feel about the group of Freedom Fighters. Whether he wanted to take on the role of trainer however, was yet to be seen and if he didn’t, it wouldn’t change the way she looked up to him.
"Well, there was a lot of Twilight in the area. If it could affect someone without a real ability yet, then it would make sense that it could affect you too."
Shadow: "I'll say."
"Huh? Why, am I on fire?"
Shadow: "No, but you just wounded someone's chair."
Apparently at another table, the leg of another person's chair had been cut off and he'd fallen back, confused. Shadow having the keen eyesight and hearing that he did had seen it all happen. Needless to say the young girl was back to her confused self. She looked again but this time at the wounded chair causing her brows to furrow.
"Shadow? How exactly did Canti cause that?"
The large demon dog hesitated to answer the question but then explained where the spike, that had sheared part of the chair leg completely off, had come from.
"My elbow? That's a weird place to launch a...what the hell?"
Meanwhile, while Canti commented on launch sites another spike came out of his palm and was now firmly held in his fingers. Surprised and thankful the palm spikes stopped at his fingers instead of shooting across the table at the unsuspecting Twin Blade, Talal sat up a bit to get a better look and suddenly found herself in a very spicy mood which for her was unusual. All things considered it would've been bad form not to take full advantage of the situation.
"How many places do you think those come out of?"
It was really too bad that she didn't have a poker face at all and couldn't hold the serious look of the question but rather giggled and allowed a teasing smile to cross her face. Canti's face paled, immediately realizing what she might be insinuating.
"I don't want to think about it"
Her spiciness did its job and brought the typically confident male Twin Blade to a point of slight embarrassment. She reached over the table and tapped him on the shoulder gently shoving it backward.
"Oh, c'mon cheer up. This is awesome! You have new stuff to play with!"
"Er, sorry. Bad mental image. Though uhh…I think these are my transformation spikes, once I get when I get all...demon-like." (Had Talal even seen him with horns and spikes and stuff?)
”Uhh…transformation spikes?”
She knew he transformed into black flames when he used his abilities or rather that was his ability? She had never noticed a transformation stage, it was always Canti and then black flame Canti with nothing in between. Thinking of Canti with spikes suddenly made her remember an old TV series and a character named Doyle in his demon form. The brown eyed Twin Blade wasn't sure or rather didn't want to picture Canti that way for now. She liked him just the way he was without the spikes. Granted as sharp as they appear to be she was sure the ability itself could come in very handy and that he was probably going to enjoy having it.
"It happened when my infection got mean. All the darkness-embued Twilight started altering my character further when I got mad. When that happened, I'd demonize and have spikes jutting from my body and stuff."
Talal pondered this for a moment. ”So, does that mean you only go through this spike transformation when you are mad or does it happen every time now?"
”Nah, can't be. No horns.” He checked his forehead, then shrugged. ”Thing is, the spikes and stuff were just supposed to be edits, like my wings. The wings work, but my flying doesn't actually have anything to do with wind or gravity. It's still just a game. So, I guess it's sort of evolved out of being just for looks.”
It made sense as much as anything else in The World that was odd, so she ran with it. ”Well, if you can figure out how to control them, then you have a nifty new weapon…err…weapons? at your disposal. Sounds like we both need to find a deserted area to practice. I still need to figure out what I can do and how to make it happen.” She laughed lightly but was actually rather serious about getting some practice and trying to find an on/off or volume control switch for her new and improved hearing.
”Looks to me like you screamed his head off back there. Sure sounded it. Hope I don't keep launching these by accident.”
"Tch. Tell me about it," said a bison-man walking by with a spare chair. (Ah, so that’s who’d fallen over… Canti grimaced briefly.)
”I did? To be honest, that last few moments before I blacked out, things are a bit hazy. All I remember is that I couldn't take all the noise anymore. All the explosions and spells going off were horribly amplified to me. Baron might know better. I remember helping him right before. Regardless, I think leaving here and going someplace a little more…less populated would be a good idea, don't you?"
(Canti thought about it, and about time taken between leaving the others and getting back to the Fire Castle. Ah, heck with it.)
”Yeah, this seems kind of important. I'm a hazard if I don't get a little control here. And you get stunned from your hearing power.”
Talal wasn't sure if getting stunned by her own hearing power was exactly correct but it wasn't that big of a deal so she scooted out of the booth and began walking back towards the door. On her way out the thought hit her that they hadn’t paid for their drinks so she took a sudden detour and headed for the bar.
”We should pay for our drinks, heh.” Canti nodded as he was getting out of the booth and followed suit stepping over to the bar to pay, still holding the spike in his hand. Shadow followed, of course. As he paid... The bar keeps memory was sparked.
”Oh yeah, I remember you. You were looking for some guy. I heard you caused trouble at another bar.” Canti was quick with an answer, a talent Talal lacked horribly in. ”Uhh, not me. Some Blademaster. He was just there is all.” The barkeep didn't seem to believe Canti but nevertheless stayed fairly neutral in the conversation. ”Well, keep out of trouble.”
”Sure.” Far far FAR too late for that one, though…
Canti turned to leave and Talal finished paying for her tab thanking the barkeep before turning and walking out the door. Stopping just outside, the young girl turned towards her companions.
”Lead the way, oh spiky one!”
She was giving him a bad time sure, but more so she was just in a really good mood for the first time in what seemed like forever. It made her wonder... What was it about these two that seemed to always turn her around like that? She hoped it wasn't the whole ‘hey you rescued me and now I'm forever grateful’ kind of thing. No, it was something else, something she couldn't quite put her finger on yet. Canti threw the spike aside and a couple of seconds later, the trio heard someone go “Ow”. Just as the male Twin Blade was about to go off in some direction, he stopped and said...
”I’m sorry, I haven't got the faintest idea of where to go. Shadow?”
”Reply hazy. Ask again later.”
The girls’ big brown eyes got even bigger when the black demon dog pulled a magic eight ball response out of the bag. At that point it made her question how often the hacker that created him was eavesdropping on their conversations. As much as she wanted to talk to shadow or rather through him and ask a question directly aimed at Rey, she had remembered telling herself that she was going to treat Shadow like she would anyone else. That meant in this instance, calling out Rey through him would not jive with her promise to herself. Instead, she decided to treat him like a pouty little child.
”Shadow, you’re not still sore about the drink are you? I tell you what, I will buy you however many you want when we don't have to worry about going into battle later in the day. Deal? Friends?" Talal smiled one of those friendly and innocent smiles while reaching over and scratching the hound behind the ear.
”Hmmm…alright. However, I still don’t know any empty spots.”
”Maybe someone in the bar knows?
”It’s worth a shot I suppose. Better than wandering around for too long.” Talal turned back, grabbing the handle of the door, opening it for the others. ”Nah nah, won’t be a second.”
Canti literally swooped back in to have a word with the bartender. She’d never admit it but she was glad to see that he was willing to go do the inquiring. Approaching strangers on her own to ask for directions was never something the soft spoken female liked to do. The only time she managed to do so and be less fragile looking was when she was part of a group, much like the instance in the Vak Master’s castle earlier. Thinking quietly to herself, Talal honestly liked that quality about her fellow Twin Blade. He was confident in himself and his ability even if she didn’t always agree with his headstrong ways of doing things. Within moments, their dark clad companion came walking back out.
”Done it! Let’s go.”
Wow! He's good, she thought. "Lead the way!"
She motioned with her arm and hand like a butler welcoming someone in the door to their master’s home. Canti accepted the lead without skipping a beat with Shadow padding after them both. As they walked, her curiosity at what made her friend tick surfaced again, realizing she still didn’t know a lot about him but really wanted to. "Canti? Does anything scare you? I mean, you go to all these weird places and take on powerful enemies practically head on without hesitation." Her tone was light. There would have been no doubt that she was asking out of sincere interest. Her question gave him pause and although he didn’t stop moving, he did appear to be mulling the question over before answering.
"Sometimes, yeah. But there's a point where I think I've had too much to get freaked by the regular things. Everything powered by the virus has me worried, actually. Including myself. People like Rugu and Tritoch alot, though...and any time someone's got my weakness as a power. There's been some freaky times, Talal. Why do you think I started smoking? You just caught me at a good time, when I'm able to cope.”
She appreciated his genuine and honest response and smiled gently. "I see. I don't know why I'm surprised that there are things that get to you. I guess you have just been extremely confident and stable since we met. I'm glad you stopped smoking though. No need to start bad habits in here. I look forward to the day I can join you in your confidence and stability."
Her friend was apparently amused by her comment, evident by the tone of his voice. ”Oh, so you think I'm confident now? I'm just a little de-sensitized, and I've sort of had to build myself from the ground up. Happened during training, actually. Speaking of...we're heading for a warehouse some guy created that's just a bunch of empty space no matter how many people enter. Creates new rooms, the bartender said.”
"Training, now there's a concept. I for the most part just got thrown to the wolves at supper. It was learn or be eaten. It will be nice to get a little time to actually train myself on something before having to actually use it." All things considered, she was very light hearted and upbeat, almost excited if he didn't know better to be going to the warehouse. In truth, she had wanted to find someone that would be interested in training her a bit on Twin Blade skills, moves and what the best weapons and armor were to use.
Takua had been a great mentor in the beginning, teaching her about how the Chaos Gate and monsters in the fields worked. The Wavemaster had been the one to break down all of the walls she had built in real life against making friends and at first, she almost hated him for it. But because of information they had shared and the general feeling that he had no one to watch his back while he was busy watching out for everyone else, made her want to stick with him which ultimately ended her up in her current comatose state. Something she knew made Takua feel horribly responsible for. Something she hoped she could fix with the right words, actions or both. He was family to her at this point as she looked toward him like a girl would look to an older brother.
Canti had been extremely understanding and helpful in his own special ways making the young girl feel like she belonged and had friends despite how she may feel about the group of Freedom Fighters. Whether he wanted to take on the role of trainer however, was yet to be seen and if he didn’t, it wouldn’t change the way she looked up to him.
Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me that we may be as one.
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Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
***************************************
Talal
![Image](http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/SemLovari/Talal/Talal.jpg)
Level 39 (0/1000 EXP) Twin Blade
Weapons/Armor: Mukuro (Swirling Dark, Dark Dance), Ice Hunter Cap (Repth), Wristbands (Juk Rom), Fishing Gloves (Rue Kruz), Wyrm Hide (Gan Don), Snow Panther (Ap Vorv)
Wish List: Scrolls, Tarot Cards, and Armor higher than level 30.
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- Exalted Player
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
- Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.
Re: A Slight Detour.
(Their trek to find this alleged warehouse was taking a bit long, but he was certain that the directions were at least accurate. While this was happening, Talal remarked upon her experiences as a Freedom Fighter, thus far. 'Thrown to the wolves' was an understatement. By that anology, she was really escaping the wolves, having stoned one to death in their own larder and legged it. Talal and the others, all of whom were acquaintances of Sekai, had done fairly-well when you consider the circumstances. They had been forced into an aspect of The World without introduction or mercy, while Canti at least had had some tutorial and Q&A prior to doing anything heavy. Actually, as a Twin Blade, he could only do anything 'medium', but that's neither here nor there accoding to the rimshot in his head. But he had to understand that Talal was, for all intents and purposes, winging it. And before the flight-capable Twin Blade started making puns about that, he glanced back at the Bogie and asked him...)
Canti: Shadow? Any formal training?
Shadow: Nope.
Canti: Didn't think so. Looks like I have to be teacher. I don't have goddamn clue how to pull that one off...
(Yeah, it was pretty much as he'd feared. Canti had become one of the veterans and now he was charged with handling problems that new people had. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't really looking forward to that. He did not really like to lead in anything. Action-guy, remember? Yeah... Talal began to chuckle at his statement.)
"I didn't mean to imply... Any suggestions you may have, be it technique, weapons or armor would be greatly appreciated."
Canti: Okay, okay... I gotcha. I'm not complaining....heh, much.
(That aside, they were moving along, moving along...and Canti stopped. And then, he facepalmed.)
Canti: To the left of the giant mexican hat building...but did they really have to? I mean, really?
(The 'warehouse' was, in fact, nothing like one, externally. No, that would be far too easy. Somebody decided to make the exterior of their building resemble a certain blue box from a show about time travel and label it, "The Warehouse". Honestly, hadn't they already SEEN something like this earlier? And yet, they had to go with a design like this, because they wanted to make the "It's bigger on the inside!" reference. Keeping his eyes on the ground, Canti headed inside with Shadow following.)
Canti: That's a bad joke, even for here.
"Ohhh my...you're right, that is bad."
(It took her a second, but she got it and followed him inside. Fortunately, there did not follow any sort of room with a roughly hexagonal console or a column that was rising and falling, nor was anyone ranging from the likeness of William Hartnell to Matt Smith to be found. Instead, what we had here was a big giant movie warehouse interior...with lots of wooden supports, scaffoldings, and catwalks around! There was one door out, and Canti and Shadow proceeded towards the middle of the massive room. Shadow stayed off to the side, though, as he had no Twilight power whatsoever. The dark Twin Blade clapped his hands together now.)
Canti: Alright, this is your unskippable tutorial session right now. If you've played Final Fantasy 8, you know where I'm coming from. Where shall we get started?
(For those of you not savvy enough, like if you've never played that game, you may not want to. There will be parts of it which are slow and tedious, and unskippable. In this case, it was unskippable, but necessary. They needed to improve themselves.)
"Ummm...I don't know...stances maybe or attack moves?"
Canti: Funnily enough, I started developing different methods of attack with my blades because I was bored. I mean, all the blades are different, so I thought I'd mess with them a bit. I'm not a stances guy and most of the basic Twin Blade maneuvers are good, but we're creepy-agile people with awesome reflexes. So like...I'd take one of those knives with the three blades in the different directions...and start spinning 'em about like a sawblade. I practiced this, for hours on end, so I could have buzzsaw hands. Or uhh...did you mean more the viral stuff?
"Oh! ah, no that was great. I tend to forget how agile we are as Twin Blade's and don't use it to its full advantage. Stances now that I think about it are probably not as important since most of our attacks are done on the move. I guess what would really benefit me would be having the time to practice as you did."
(She had a laugh at this, which admittedly DID seem funny. Then, she said "Hold on a sec." as she spied one of the supports and went over to it. From there, she pulled out a piece of chalk - Where did she get chalk? - and drew up a makeshift bullseye on the thing. Canti seemed to approve of the improvision she was showing here. A good idea and all. Stepping back then, she said...)
"There! How about you? Try to aim one of your spikes but umm....wait until I get out of the way. Hehe"
Canti: I like it. Now, let me see if I c- Hey!
(Whoosh...THUD! He'd raised his hand so that he could then point-and-fire, but the instant he was thinking about it...it happened, and the spike went sailing behind him instead. It hit a different support and stuck there.)
Canti: I think I'm going to need more practice than you.
"I think you're right. Just...keep it over there will ya? I'm not made of spike proof material over here. Go ahead, try again!"
Canti: Neither am I...
(She'd been trying to hide the smile on her face, but Canti knew a potential snerk-fest when he saw one. Right now, that potential lay in a Twin Blade in leather with black wings and black eyes. So be it. And we don't know exactly when this happened, but Shadow was actually behind Talal all of a sudden, kind of like a ninja... Smart dog. Now then, Canti continued to launch spikes at the target, all of them missing and hitting the floor behind it or just nicking the support. Finally, he hit the target...but what he'd thrown at it was his right shoe.)
Canti: Hah!
(We're just waiting for the other shoe to drop here. Talal had that kind of eeek look on her face. He needed to find his trigger. But how? What was happening wrong? She decided to interject before he began again. So, as he was putting his shoe back on...)
"Okay... do you remember what you were doing or thinking before the shots that got the closest?"
Canti: Getting really angry and moving my hands quicker?
Shadow: Muttering obscenities and death threats at the target.
Canti: Stop reading the chat log!
(The other Twin Blade tapped Shadow on the should and told him that he wasn't helping. But then she whispered "But keep reading them." with a wink and a look of mischief. Whether the devil dog got the hint on that, we may never know. He was more intelligent than he looked, though rather odd as well. Now, she was back to dealing with with the winged one.)
"Okay Canti, let's try again. This time concentrate on your thoughts and movements. Try to think about aiming then release. No sudden jerks with your arm either until you are ready to let go. Ready? Go!"
(This time, he tried to just make it appear in his grasp like last time and throw it. Okay, that worked. Now, he tried it like he was firing his Darkness Flame attacks from his hand. That worked. Then, he-)
Canti: What the...?
(Okay, another spike hit the target and he hadn't even moved. Canti noticed that it came from his chest. He blinked and tried this again. And...that worked as well. He followed by trying some wing-launches and...missed, of course, but he was more intrigued now by where he could launch things from places like this. He shot more from his chest and hands, badly-damaging the target beam at this point.)
Canti: I'm a Cactuar! A Cactuar, I say!
(And yet, you would more or less call this a Spikey Hell, which is a different monster technique altogether. In response to this, he heard Talal clapping and walking towards him once he was done launching spikes around.)
"Very nice! I think its safe to say the bullseye is defeated. Feel a little better now?"
Canti: I feel...less likely to kill someone with a handshake, yes. I'm not sure how to make your shriek thing work, though.
(There was a pause as she thought something over.)
"Can I ask you something?"
Canti: Shoot.
(Bad choice of words. Talal appeared to hold her hands up suddenly, as if to protect herself from maybe a launching blade which...didn't happen. There had been a strange sort of ripple involved in that. When a multitude of spikes failed to happen, she slowly lowered her arms and shrugged, going "Heh, reflex?" before regrouping her thoughts a moment and continuing.)
"Is it right to assume that these abilities, or viral attacks I think you may have called them, start small and gain power and a greater degree of damage as you learn how to control them?"
Canti: Definitely. My black flames are fueled by SP and they were originally just as a flamethrower move. I've had to compensate by buying a ton of Mage's Souls. I've cornered the market. I'm a little more efficient now and getting up in levels helped. Learning new ways to use it sometimes holds better than actually being more powerful.
"Okay, good. Because my thought is that as far as that 'shriek thing' as you called it goes, I don't think I'll have to worry about controlling it for a while. I think it manifested because I was {A} feeling very overwhelmed and was freaking out and {B} because of all the Twilight in the area. So really, I just need to figure out if that and super hearing are the only things I can use or if there is something else."
(That was sort of a toughy, wasn't it? She had this lost sort of expression, unsure of where to really go from here in terms of figuring it all out. For Canti, it'd been easy. He made flames. He made flames that were composed of Darkness. Once you realize that it's due to his elemental strengths, the rest comes naturally and you figure out the dynamics from there. Hers, though... He had to think about this for a moment. She had had exceptional hearing, listening to a conversation from across a room, and then shrieked so powerfully that Garaa was visibly affected. Was it...?)
Canti: Well, seems to me it's all related to sound, I guess.
"Yeah, that's where I'm at too. But really, what good will it be to me or the group until I'm big enough to let out that shriek thing again?"
Canti: You gotta figure out what triggers these things, for one, and see if there's a way to will it. What do you feel when any of this starts up? Tell me, anything, even small things.
"Honestly, all I felt was fear when we entered the Anid sector. I hope that isn't my trigger because I don't want to be afraid all the time. Wait! When I heard that conversation between Takua and Sekai, I was...relaxed, calm. I guess you could say I had an open mind?"
Canti: Sort of a zen focus? Why not?
"So, I just need to have clear thoughts? That....could be problematic. Okay, let's try something. Canti, you go over there and then whisper something that I couldn't possibly hear."
(She was pointing over to a spot some 25 feet away, across the room basically. Alright, fine. Giving a shrug, he went over there and started quietly sing something. Talal closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She listened, but at first...nothing. She opened one eye to make sure he was saying something. Seeing his lips move, she continued to concentrate, focusing and trying to picture him in her mind. A slight tilt of her head and she begain tapping her foot and smiled.)
"Are you going to share those coconuts?"
(Canti looked impressed at her, but then shouted...)
Canti: The song's not really about coconuts!
(As you may have guessed by now, he had been singing "Lovely Bunch of Coconuts". And...well...you know as well as I do that it has nothing to do with actual coconuts. Talal began to say "If they're not about coconuts then...." Her eyes went big, gasping and slapping her hands over her mouth. Oh yeah. Payback for the comment about where all the spikes can come out of!)
"You better not be talking about part of a woman's chest Mr. Canti!"
Canti: I regret nothing!
(This said in a half-joking manner, the dark Twin Blade risked moving in closer so that he didn't have to yell across the room anymore.)
"Regardless, I think I have the hang of it. Do we have time to....spar a little?"
Canti: I dunno. I'm planning to lie my ass off about where we've been so we don't get shouted at. D'you think we can pull off a spar?
"You have a good point. As you said, everyone that enters here gets a different room. We would be very difficult to find in a place like this. Sparing can wait. We probably should head towards the castle. Rain check?"
Canti: I'm weak against water.
(Another rimshot came from...somewhere, probably Canti's playlist.)
Canti: But yeah.
(She smirked and looked around, holding back the urge to playfully smack him for the comedic response, but had a retort of her own.)
"Thanks for the tip! Now I know how to defeat you. Mwahahaha! How do we get out of this place?"
Canti: The door, naturally. You expected maybe a catapult?
"Well, it would be a quicker way to travel, but ahh...no. The door will do just fine."
Canti: Thought as much. Wouldn't want to traumatize you, getting back.
(He was referring to her problem with heights. She caught the reference, but reacted defensively about it.)
"Hey! It wouldn't traumatize me."
Canti: Maybe not, but it would hurt at the end.
(The Twin Blades went and left the room. Shadow, who had been mostly silent for a while now, got up, and began to recite an excerpt from the original Transformers movie.)
Shadow: Proceed...on your way to oblivi-
Canti: Shadow, will you hurry it up?!
Shadow: Yes, master!
(The demon dog ran to catch them up, and they were now on their way back to the Vak.)
OOC: From here, we return back to the point in time where my post picks up again in the main thread.
Canti: Shadow? Any formal training?
Shadow: Nope.
Canti: Didn't think so. Looks like I have to be teacher. I don't have goddamn clue how to pull that one off...
(Yeah, it was pretty much as he'd feared. Canti had become one of the veterans and now he was charged with handling problems that new people had. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't really looking forward to that. He did not really like to lead in anything. Action-guy, remember? Yeah... Talal began to chuckle at his statement.)
"I didn't mean to imply... Any suggestions you may have, be it technique, weapons or armor would be greatly appreciated."
Canti: Okay, okay... I gotcha. I'm not complaining....heh, much.
(That aside, they were moving along, moving along...and Canti stopped. And then, he facepalmed.)
Canti: To the left of the giant mexican hat building...but did they really have to? I mean, really?
(The 'warehouse' was, in fact, nothing like one, externally. No, that would be far too easy. Somebody decided to make the exterior of their building resemble a certain blue box from a show about time travel and label it, "The Warehouse". Honestly, hadn't they already SEEN something like this earlier? And yet, they had to go with a design like this, because they wanted to make the "It's bigger on the inside!" reference. Keeping his eyes on the ground, Canti headed inside with Shadow following.)
Canti: That's a bad joke, even for here.
"Ohhh my...you're right, that is bad."
(It took her a second, but she got it and followed him inside. Fortunately, there did not follow any sort of room with a roughly hexagonal console or a column that was rising and falling, nor was anyone ranging from the likeness of William Hartnell to Matt Smith to be found. Instead, what we had here was a big giant movie warehouse interior...with lots of wooden supports, scaffoldings, and catwalks around! There was one door out, and Canti and Shadow proceeded towards the middle of the massive room. Shadow stayed off to the side, though, as he had no Twilight power whatsoever. The dark Twin Blade clapped his hands together now.)
Canti: Alright, this is your unskippable tutorial session right now. If you've played Final Fantasy 8, you know where I'm coming from. Where shall we get started?
(For those of you not savvy enough, like if you've never played that game, you may not want to. There will be parts of it which are slow and tedious, and unskippable. In this case, it was unskippable, but necessary. They needed to improve themselves.)
"Ummm...I don't know...stances maybe or attack moves?"
Canti: Funnily enough, I started developing different methods of attack with my blades because I was bored. I mean, all the blades are different, so I thought I'd mess with them a bit. I'm not a stances guy and most of the basic Twin Blade maneuvers are good, but we're creepy-agile people with awesome reflexes. So like...I'd take one of those knives with the three blades in the different directions...and start spinning 'em about like a sawblade. I practiced this, for hours on end, so I could have buzzsaw hands. Or uhh...did you mean more the viral stuff?
"Oh! ah, no that was great. I tend to forget how agile we are as Twin Blade's and don't use it to its full advantage. Stances now that I think about it are probably not as important since most of our attacks are done on the move. I guess what would really benefit me would be having the time to practice as you did."
(She had a laugh at this, which admittedly DID seem funny. Then, she said "Hold on a sec." as she spied one of the supports and went over to it. From there, she pulled out a piece of chalk - Where did she get chalk? - and drew up a makeshift bullseye on the thing. Canti seemed to approve of the improvision she was showing here. A good idea and all. Stepping back then, she said...)
"There! How about you? Try to aim one of your spikes but umm....wait until I get out of the way. Hehe"
Canti: I like it. Now, let me see if I c- Hey!
(Whoosh...THUD! He'd raised his hand so that he could then point-and-fire, but the instant he was thinking about it...it happened, and the spike went sailing behind him instead. It hit a different support and stuck there.)
Canti: I think I'm going to need more practice than you.
"I think you're right. Just...keep it over there will ya? I'm not made of spike proof material over here. Go ahead, try again!"
Canti: Neither am I...
(She'd been trying to hide the smile on her face, but Canti knew a potential snerk-fest when he saw one. Right now, that potential lay in a Twin Blade in leather with black wings and black eyes. So be it. And we don't know exactly when this happened, but Shadow was actually behind Talal all of a sudden, kind of like a ninja... Smart dog. Now then, Canti continued to launch spikes at the target, all of them missing and hitting the floor behind it or just nicking the support. Finally, he hit the target...but what he'd thrown at it was his right shoe.)
Canti: Hah!
(We're just waiting for the other shoe to drop here. Talal had that kind of eeek look on her face. He needed to find his trigger. But how? What was happening wrong? She decided to interject before he began again. So, as he was putting his shoe back on...)
"Okay... do you remember what you were doing or thinking before the shots that got the closest?"
Canti: Getting really angry and moving my hands quicker?
Shadow: Muttering obscenities and death threats at the target.
Canti: Stop reading the chat log!
(The other Twin Blade tapped Shadow on the should and told him that he wasn't helping. But then she whispered "But keep reading them." with a wink and a look of mischief. Whether the devil dog got the hint on that, we may never know. He was more intelligent than he looked, though rather odd as well. Now, she was back to dealing with with the winged one.)
"Okay Canti, let's try again. This time concentrate on your thoughts and movements. Try to think about aiming then release. No sudden jerks with your arm either until you are ready to let go. Ready? Go!"
(This time, he tried to just make it appear in his grasp like last time and throw it. Okay, that worked. Now, he tried it like he was firing his Darkness Flame attacks from his hand. That worked. Then, he-)
Canti: What the...?
(Okay, another spike hit the target and he hadn't even moved. Canti noticed that it came from his chest. He blinked and tried this again. And...that worked as well. He followed by trying some wing-launches and...missed, of course, but he was more intrigued now by where he could launch things from places like this. He shot more from his chest and hands, badly-damaging the target beam at this point.)
Canti: I'm a Cactuar! A Cactuar, I say!
(And yet, you would more or less call this a Spikey Hell, which is a different monster technique altogether. In response to this, he heard Talal clapping and walking towards him once he was done launching spikes around.)
"Very nice! I think its safe to say the bullseye is defeated. Feel a little better now?"
Canti: I feel...less likely to kill someone with a handshake, yes. I'm not sure how to make your shriek thing work, though.
(There was a pause as she thought something over.)
"Can I ask you something?"
Canti: Shoot.
(Bad choice of words. Talal appeared to hold her hands up suddenly, as if to protect herself from maybe a launching blade which...didn't happen. There had been a strange sort of ripple involved in that. When a multitude of spikes failed to happen, she slowly lowered her arms and shrugged, going "Heh, reflex?" before regrouping her thoughts a moment and continuing.)
"Is it right to assume that these abilities, or viral attacks I think you may have called them, start small and gain power and a greater degree of damage as you learn how to control them?"
Canti: Definitely. My black flames are fueled by SP and they were originally just as a flamethrower move. I've had to compensate by buying a ton of Mage's Souls. I've cornered the market. I'm a little more efficient now and getting up in levels helped. Learning new ways to use it sometimes holds better than actually being more powerful.
"Okay, good. Because my thought is that as far as that 'shriek thing' as you called it goes, I don't think I'll have to worry about controlling it for a while. I think it manifested because I was {A} feeling very overwhelmed and was freaking out and {B} because of all the Twilight in the area. So really, I just need to figure out if that and super hearing are the only things I can use or if there is something else."
(That was sort of a toughy, wasn't it? She had this lost sort of expression, unsure of where to really go from here in terms of figuring it all out. For Canti, it'd been easy. He made flames. He made flames that were composed of Darkness. Once you realize that it's due to his elemental strengths, the rest comes naturally and you figure out the dynamics from there. Hers, though... He had to think about this for a moment. She had had exceptional hearing, listening to a conversation from across a room, and then shrieked so powerfully that Garaa was visibly affected. Was it...?)
Canti: Well, seems to me it's all related to sound, I guess.
"Yeah, that's where I'm at too. But really, what good will it be to me or the group until I'm big enough to let out that shriek thing again?"
Canti: You gotta figure out what triggers these things, for one, and see if there's a way to will it. What do you feel when any of this starts up? Tell me, anything, even small things.
"Honestly, all I felt was fear when we entered the Anid sector. I hope that isn't my trigger because I don't want to be afraid all the time. Wait! When I heard that conversation between Takua and Sekai, I was...relaxed, calm. I guess you could say I had an open mind?"
Canti: Sort of a zen focus? Why not?
"So, I just need to have clear thoughts? That....could be problematic. Okay, let's try something. Canti, you go over there and then whisper something that I couldn't possibly hear."
(She was pointing over to a spot some 25 feet away, across the room basically. Alright, fine. Giving a shrug, he went over there and started quietly sing something. Talal closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She listened, but at first...nothing. She opened one eye to make sure he was saying something. Seeing his lips move, she continued to concentrate, focusing and trying to picture him in her mind. A slight tilt of her head and she begain tapping her foot and smiled.)
"Are you going to share those coconuts?"
(Canti looked impressed at her, but then shouted...)
Canti: The song's not really about coconuts!
(As you may have guessed by now, he had been singing "Lovely Bunch of Coconuts". And...well...you know as well as I do that it has nothing to do with actual coconuts. Talal began to say "If they're not about coconuts then...." Her eyes went big, gasping and slapping her hands over her mouth. Oh yeah. Payback for the comment about where all the spikes can come out of!)
"You better not be talking about part of a woman's chest Mr. Canti!"
Canti: I regret nothing!
(This said in a half-joking manner, the dark Twin Blade risked moving in closer so that he didn't have to yell across the room anymore.)
"Regardless, I think I have the hang of it. Do we have time to....spar a little?"
Canti: I dunno. I'm planning to lie my ass off about where we've been so we don't get shouted at. D'you think we can pull off a spar?
"You have a good point. As you said, everyone that enters here gets a different room. We would be very difficult to find in a place like this. Sparing can wait. We probably should head towards the castle. Rain check?"
Canti: I'm weak against water.
(Another rimshot came from...somewhere, probably Canti's playlist.)
Canti: But yeah.
(She smirked and looked around, holding back the urge to playfully smack him for the comedic response, but had a retort of her own.)
"Thanks for the tip! Now I know how to defeat you. Mwahahaha! How do we get out of this place?"
Canti: The door, naturally. You expected maybe a catapult?
"Well, it would be a quicker way to travel, but ahh...no. The door will do just fine."
Canti: Thought as much. Wouldn't want to traumatize you, getting back.
(He was referring to her problem with heights. She caught the reference, but reacted defensively about it.)
"Hey! It wouldn't traumatize me."
Canti: Maybe not, but it would hurt at the end.
(The Twin Blades went and left the room. Shadow, who had been mostly silent for a while now, got up, and began to recite an excerpt from the original Transformers movie.)
Shadow: Proceed...on your way to oblivi-
Canti: Shadow, will you hurry it up?!
Shadow: Yes, master!
(The demon dog ran to catch them up, and they were now on their way back to the Vak.)
OOC: From here, we return back to the point in time where my post picks up again in the main thread.
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
- Nighthand
- Master of Games
- Posts: 1265
- Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:23 pm
- Class: Bladesmage
- Location: ...Tracking...please wait...
Re: A Slight Detour.
Canti
+ 1500 EXP
+ 1200 Gold
+ 1 Vital Target
Dunno if you have your EXP count in your profile somewhere and I just can't find it, or if you never added it, but you should now. Also your wishlist has been woefully unspecific for years. Then again, looking at your sig, you do like procrastinating... Oh and + whatever hack or thing I said was coming from this.
Talal
+ 2200 EXP
+ 1500 Gold
+ 2 Hale Cross
Also missing your EXP count in that profile there. At least you beat out Canti in the sig department. Also + whatever hack or anything I had said was there, if there was anything. I can't keep track of all this stuff.
+ 1500 EXP
+ 1200 Gold
+ 1 Vital Target
Dunno if you have your EXP count in your profile somewhere and I just can't find it, or if you never added it, but you should now. Also your wishlist has been woefully unspecific for years. Then again, looking at your sig, you do like procrastinating... Oh and + whatever hack or thing I said was coming from this.
Talal
+ 2200 EXP
+ 1500 Gold
+ 2 Hale Cross
Also missing your EXP count in that profile there. At least you beat out Canti in the sig department. Also + whatever hack or anything I had said was there, if there was anything. I can't keep track of all this stuff.
![Image](http://static.flickr.com/48/185807763_8ac187a5da_o.jpg)
Wishlist: Any Armor or Weapons under level 50, Any Scrolls (prefer level 2+)