Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Takosher]

Monika

General Mina tapped her fingers against her desk thoughtfully. She wasn't much older than Monika, but the way she carried herself still managed to demand respect.

"So let me get this straight," the general said, "Your entire story--the mercenary, Marionette, and assisting Lieutenant Miru--is a coincidence?"

Monika had already submitted a report while she and Kirari were both being questioned in regards to their mysterious appearance mid-mission. It had gone unspoken, but the rules seemed to have been thrown out a window for the whole procedure. There was clearly something going on here, and Mina probably knew exactly what it was. The question was how much Monika was going to be able to find out before it was too late.

Kirari

"It's just down this hall!" Miru announced chipperly, "You remember, right Kira?"

After a lot less procedure than she'd expected, Kirari found herself returning to the Katrian military. There had been questions, but the changes she'd gone through didn't seem to be as glaring to everyone else as they were to her. She did have a medical exam she'd have to take soon, but she at least had a brief respite before she had to worry about what that might turn up. Doc hadn't seemed worried, but there was no telling what clue might trip Katria off the Kirari's true nature.

First she had to survive being reintroduced to the squad by Miru. Luckily, she didn't have to worry much about any of them catching on to who she really was.

Cath-Helel

Jane nodded. "I'm not sure exactly what's up, but I'm all for finding somewhere safe to hide out." she said, "There's a small town nearby. It might take us a day or two to walk there, especially in this condition, but it's safe enough to get our bearings."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Monika

"Pretty much. Like I said in my report, from what I've been able to gather there's nothing that really connects each event to one another" Monika replied, leaning back in her chair as she folded her legs, thankful to finally be within pants again. If she was being honest, she didn't think that it was a coincidence at all, there was something odd with everything that had happened. But at the same time, she had nothing to truly solidify her claims. Especially the claim that this was some kind of deep seated ploy to take her out of some picture.

Was that simply paranoia? Probably. But she wasn't going to take the chance that her superiors, Mina included, had something to do with the string of events. She'd figure it out on her own.

[Chevaleresse]

Kirari

"You know the answer to that." Kira had refused to forget anything. Largely for the worse, in the end, but she hadn't, even petty details like the route to the recreational room. I hope my journals are still safe. If this new member has been using my space, then they may not have been treated with the care they needed. That was another thing weighing on her mind; it hadn't been important enough to bring up earlier, but for now it seemed there was finally a chance to relax. "What is this new member like? If she's 'like another me.'"

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Cath-Helel
A small town, eh? good, good. Some forgotten hamlet in the middle of podunk, nowhere would be a pretty good place for them right now. A day's march wasn't too bad either, all things considered. She'd have to keep the tentacles hidden of course, but that could be easily figured out along the way. Hell, so far she was just keeping them curled up under her uniform's jacket and it worked well enough.
    "Perfect," Eilyth said, "point us in the direction and let's be off. I'll fill you and Pat in on the Truth Game to get you up to speed."

[Takosher]

Monika

"Nothing." Mina repeated, "Except you." She slid a file across the desk to Monika. "Lieutenant Miru seems quite enamored with you, she never misses a detail."

The file contained a litany of oddities Miru had reported about Monika, most of which Monika herself hadn't noticed. Things ranging from minor and explainable, like getting hot coffee out of a cold pot, to things Monika ought to have noticed herself, like actively dodging bullets in the heat of battle. A few she'd done intentionally, but by and large she hadn't even realized anything strange was going on.

Because things had always been that way.

Even without effort, things always seemed to fall into place for her. Despite living in hell, her life was a cool breeze. She'd worked hard to achieve the success she'd gotten, not even realizing just how much of it had been handed to her on a silver platter. It should have been a surprise, but deep down she'd always known. Her hard work didn't matter, it was just a facade she used to convince herself that anything in her life had ever been earned at all.

Kirari

"You'll see when you meet her!" Miru announced cheerfully, completely oblivious to how ominous that was.

Of course, Kirari didn't have to wait long. They quickly arrived at the rec room, and Miru cheerfully barged in with the announcement that Kira was back. Kira entered just behind her, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders as she prepared herself to be introduced to comrades both old and new for the first time.

...

For a second she didn't realize, it was too much like looking in a mirror. But the reflection was one she hadn't seen in years. The hair and clothes were different, but the expression was the same. And then it hit her. It wasn't her reflection at all. There was only one person it could be. The one person who deserved more than any other to hold that vile, murderous expression towards Kirari.

After all, it was the same expression Kirari had shown her when she stole the girl's identity.

Jessie

"Farore huh? Alright, I'll keep you updated." Lali responded, "Hellia is on the move, Mirth has eyes up ahead, and you're on your way up to a vantage point as well. Looks like smooth sailing from here."

And it should have been. But sometimes things just weren't that simple.

Jessie was the first to see her, years of sneaking and hiding clued her in to the odd way the woman moved even among the crowds. The dark-haired intruder was on a beeline for Hellia and Farore, clearly planning to disrupt the mission. Hellia didn't have the view or awareness, so she hadn't noticed yet. That left things up to Jessie.

Silvia

"I dunno, they're pretty crazy." the papers said with a shrug.

This turned out to be a grave miscalculation, as the unstable stack could not withstand such an innocuous gesture. Suddenly overwhelmed by the toppling mountain, the girl behind the stack fell to the ground in a dazed heap as the files collapsed upon her.

One sheet in particular floated gently down onto the girl's face, the "confidential" marking on it immediately drawing Silvia's attention. It was the file for "Ambrosia Viard," and although she didn't recognize the name, the blurry picture of a woman with an Esteemed eye was more than enough to tell her that she needed to know more.

Astarte

"I have heard of such things, yes. I am quite well informed." Mathyas said, lifting his chin a tad in response to Astarte's falttering, "But I fear you're mistaken if you think I know anything of Ambrosia's whereabouts. As such, I cannot assist you in this matter. Please be on your way."

[Chevaleresse]

Kirari

Time seemed to stop. Another me. You don't know how right you were. She recognized that expression. Or rather, she knew what that expression felt like. The relentless, gleeful desire to see the target suffer as much as possible, because you wanted them to. Because you could make them, and they couldn't do anything about it.

Kirari reached for her scarf, already beginning to bring it up protectively in front of herself - and the other Spirit meister beside her. "Miru, you need to leave, or you are going to die." She couldn't say for sure if Aia would follow in her grisly footsteps, but her drive was stronger than any Kirari had during her reign of terror. "I know what you want to do to me, but leave the others out of it."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Monika

Taking a brief moment to give the General a confused look, Monika leaned forward and took the folder, opening up and scanning the contents within, keeping her face straight as she did so. To be quite honest, she didn't expect such a list of events related to her actively kept track of by the personnel, even if it was mainly a list kept by Miru, but looking at it herself... She could see the lines being connected here. The world, for whatever reason, seemed to give Monika what she wanted, as if it was working for her. She never really paid much attention to it, looking back at the struggles of her troops, she could see how her smooth path could be seen as such an oddity.

Perhaps she... Never deserved the success she managed to achieve?

... No, that's pessimistic talk. Even if much of her success was 'handed' to her, she still made sure to work towards it.

"... So," Monika eventually said, closing the folder and placing it on the desk in front of her once again, "I'm guessing your theory is that somehow, directly or indirectly, I'm the connection between these events, am I right?"


Astarte

"Hm... Funny, I don't recall ever saying their name" Astarte began, resting her hand on her hip as she continued to focus on the Esteemed One, "and seeing as how you don't have access to the same military reports as I do, that means you learned it from somewhere else. Like an informant, perhaps? I'm not going to ask for a location, but wherever you learned their name should be a good place to start."

[Takosher]

Kirari

Kirari didn't even have time to finish her request before Aia charged her. The weapon she had once wielded with such brutal grace now swung wildly towards its former master. Aia had none of the training or skill that Kirari did, clumsily holding the weapon more like a short knife than a sword as she stabbed down from overhead. Her inexperience and unfettered rage combined into a sloppy assault that Kirari could more than easily dodge. Indeed, the strike was not one of an experienced mass murderer, but instead one that belonged to a hurt and traumatized child.

"Give it back!" Aia cried out in anguish.

Monika

Mina nodded. "That much seems clear. I take it you don't know any more than we do then?" Evidently Mina was just in the dark as Monika was.

Astarte

Mathyas visibly shrank as he realized his mistake, much of his haughtiness falling away as he scrambled for an excuse. He didn't find one.

"...Fine." he said, defeated, "I like to keep tabs on my competition, you'd do the same in my position. Ambrosia's name is well known among Esteemed Ones. She is the very best, after all. I heard she'd be in my territory about a month ago. I don't know where she will be next, but I can give you the name of my informant. Will that suffice?"

[Chevaleresse]

Kirari

Kirari ducked away from the assault, moving her scarf such that she'd be prepared for the next one. The key to surviving here would be getting that rapier away from Aia - and praying that she didn't have the expertise to seize control of her anyway. "Then stop!" she hissed. "Killing me won't help you get anything back!" She did her best to back off, attempting to put distance and obstacles between herself and Aia. She hoped she'd continue her reckless attacks and give Kirari an opportunity to break her grip on the rapier.

[Takosher]

Kirari

{kirari arceneaux's theme}

Perhaps Kirari underestimated her weapon. Perhaps she simply didn't know its true power to begin with. Perhaps it had even changed to meet the needs of its new wielder. Whatever the answer, Kirari wasn't ready when a wild mass of shadowy tendrils erupted from the blade's tip as it stabbed into the floor. Tearing forwards in a violent wave, they latched onto Kirari's legs. A flash of thought ripped through her mind.

Hierarchy.

Suddenly unable to move her legs, she was helpless to flee as Aia swung the rapier up towards her stomach. But there was something else. She couldn't move, but Aia wasn't moving her either. Despite having Kirari at her mercy, Aia wasn't taking full advantage of the rapier's power. Unrefined, just like her swordplay. Aia may have been in control of the rapier, but she couldn't control it. If Kirari could somehow get her hands on the weapon, she might just stand a chance.

[Chevaleresse]

Kirari

Several ideas flitted through her head, stirred up by the wake of the first. Aia didn't know what she was doing. That didn't mean she couldn't easily kill Kirari, but it provided her with several opportunities the girl may not have been aware she could take. Her legs being locked down interfered with the maneuver, but she could still use her - Aia's - holy weapon. She put the scarf into the path of the rapier, aiming to catch it as she'd caught Mack's back, what felt like ages ago. It might not work, she might simply take her arms, but that wasn't the end.

[Takosher]

Kirari

The lip-stealing mercenary turned out to be good practice for Aia, whose rapier technique was definitely more like that of someone wielding a bat. Kirari managed to successfully ensnare the blade, prompting a grunt of rage and pain from Aia as her wrist twisted unexpectedly. Kirari's ankle twisted in response, causing her to lose her balance. This turned out to be an unintentional boon, as the burst of shadows from the tip of the blade would surely have engulfed Kirari's face if she hadn't fallen.

[Chevaleresse]

Kirari

Kirari barely caught her own fall, but turned the momentum to her advantage using the scarf as leverage (to the extent she could.) Now! Fully committing to her "attack," Kirari threw her body weight forward into Aia as hard as she could manage. The girl had a poor grip on the rapier already; a stiff impact would likely make her let go entirely. Kirari would be weaponless, but so would Aia, and that meant she could win. She didn't truly know if her plan would work, but she still had her place in the hierarchy. Aia was a pretender, a scarred child wearing the mask of a monster; Kirari, meanwhile, was the terror, the true master of that grim estate, and regardless of what she desired, it was time to reclaim it. She just had to oust Aia first.

[Takosher]

Kirari

Releasing her weapon proved to be a fatal mistake. Aia didn't have full control, but she instinctively shrank back from a sudden tackle, with Kirari's legs following suit. With neither leg nor scarf to support her weight, Kirari found herself completing her fall to the floor face-first. Aia wasted no time in stabbing her, the tip of the vile blade penetrating the back of Kirari's throat and emerging between her screaming lips.

Hierarchy.

She could see it. Not just a glimpse as it latched onto her, the entire thing. This was her weapon, she controlled it. Although Aia ranked higher than her, the girl's control was lacking. If it came to a power struggle again, Kirari would win. But there was something wrong. Though she could see the hierarchy, she could find no trace of the girl. Instead, she found two iterations of herself. And then it dawned on her. She hadn't failed that night in Nerest, she'd succeeded. Her power had subsumed Aia entirely, the body she inhabited now was just as much Kirari Arceneaux as her original. The mind of the Katrian girl that had fought back wasn't even truly there, a mere ghost clinging on to a hope that couldn't exist.

Aia fell to her knees beside Kirari, holding herself up on the sword that pierced her nemesis even as her head hung in pain. "Give it back." she whimpered.

But even if Kirari wanted to, she couldn't. Aia Watts was dead, she'd been dead for years. And what little was left of her was more Kirari than Aia.

[Chevaleresse]

Kirari

The world flashed. She didn't know if it was black, white, or red, but it flashed. A wave of agony surged through her, and for a moment she was tempted to give in. This was almost a mercy to Kirari; continuing to live might not be as agonizing as her death here, but she'd been holding herself back all this time. Using Verna, using Doc, using Monika, holding the disparate parts of her personality together despite their mutual loathing with the assistance of the people this monster had somehow come to call friends.

No. This fate is too kind. Kirari had to press on. Her arm moved slightly toward Aia, but the real reach was within her mind, dragging at her weapon. Redemption wasn't something that could ever happen for her; that opportunity had passed the moment she had a holy weapon and the freedom to use it. Kirari desperately grasped at her shadow, the remnants of her final crime, trying to push her down and reclaim her place. I'm so sorry. If she had a functional voice to speak the words with, she would have. I can't give it back. It's time for your pain to end.