destinystrings | 01 - Blizzard Samba

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01 - Blizzard Samba

Who: Anant and OPEN
Where: Capricorn - Central Park at Night
Summary: Anant is sharpening their claws - literally - on the demon populace
Warnings: Violence obviously. I'll tone down on the gore, but I can get carried away, ahaha...

Anant had never really seen snow before. It was soft and powdery in some areas of the park, and they simply had to stop and kneel down in it, pushing their hands into the icy coldness and fluffing it up. Little snowflakes drifted down from the sky lazily as well, and Anant would be perfectly content to watch them, sitting in the snow all night if need be, utterly entranced.

But Anant had come here for a purpose, and that was For Exercise.

They were used to being in perpetual movement, in perpetual exercise, and being holed up in one city, bound inside the walls, they felt caged. They felt bottled up. They were unable to use up the power that purred inside of them, and It began to get snappish at them - so Anant went to use it up. The demon populace were allowed to be played with, so Anant chose them as their playmates.

Out in the snowy fields of Capricorn's park, you may see a masked figure wielding glowing, electrified golden gauntlets against a pack of Baihu. The snow had enticed the white furred tiger demons out into the open, and Anant quite enjoyed their lightning quick movements and bellowing roars. If Anant didn't like humans so much, powerful beasts like these would definitely be a close second!

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"Tae Bo? I do not know what that is," Anant replied, sliding back a step when one Baihu surged towards them, forcing Anant to ram their energy gauntlet into its mouth to hold it back. The beast's fangs were sharp and painful, and they ground down on the gauntlet with a powerful force.

With a quiet hissing noise, Anant wrenched their arm to the side and slammed the Baihu into the snow, the sudden shift in weight making them swing their leg over the fallen Baihu's form, half-crouching over the beast to catch their balance. The others were keeping their distance for now.

"Do you wish to join me? It is fun to play with company, and these demons are poor conversationalists."

"No thanks." There echoes the sound of a petite sneeze. "Like I said. Hot tub and cocoa." Though given that she was warm and snug in her sanctuary at the moment, it was probably an affectation.

"You go ahead and have your fun. We can do the conversation thing even with me up here. Hold on, though, I'm going to make some popcorn."

Anant lifted their shoulders in a 'suit yourself' manner, and wrenched their gauntlet free from the stunned Baihu's mouth. They then curled their claws into a tight fist and rammed it right into the demon's throat, a wet squelching noise squeaking out in the otherwise still, night air.

"Ah, oh dear..." Anant hummed, straightening up as blood sizzled on the surface of its gauntlets, the now dead Baihu vanishing in a crackle of energy. "I accidentally killed it."

"Isn't that the point? Collect your EXP and re-allocate your stats and do the same thing a few hundred times over again and we'll have it made."

Viridi apparently doesn't think highly of the RPG genre.

"I should hope these things wouldn't be much of a match for a god. Maybe Pyrrhon."

Anant rubbed their claws together, sparks leaping into the bloodied snow below. "EXP? Stats? I do not understand. I was merely playing. I don't like killing things."

A roar tugged at their attention, and they half-turned to see another Baihu lunge at him. It seemed the death of their comrade had motivated them a bit more, and Anant only had time to lift their gauntlets up as a shield before the beast's massive weight slammed into them, sending them both tumbling into the snow.

The Baihu's jaws snapped down, but Anant wedged the forearm part of the gauntlet into the beast's mouth, strangely seeming unconcerned as the Baihu wrenched its head this way and that as if trying to rip off Anant's arm. It probably was. Anant's shoulder was hurting from the abuse.

"Perhaps I should retreat?" Anant thought aloud, their free arm resting on the snow and not moving to assist. The snow was rapidly melting where the glowing gauntlet rested, the grass beneath blackening from prolonged contact to the magic.

"...Oookay. Scratch what I said just now; it seems rude in hindsight." Viridi sounds slightly uncertain as the Baihus redouble their assault; still, they were just overgrown tigers, right? A god shouldn't have any trouble dealing with the mooks; it was a bit concerning if such a small group of these demons possessed as much strength as they were displaying here.

"Do you need help or something? Well. Moral support, I guess. I usually send in my forces, but I'm kinda short on troops at the moment."

Anant perked at that offer. Help? Oh, so they could have Viridi play with them after all!

"Yes, please. Assistance would be lovely to have," Anant said cheerfully, their free claws finally moving to grab the Baihu by the back of their neck and squeeze carefully. Despite Anant's attempts to be gentle, the claws sliced through the thick fur and into the skin, spilling blood over the gauntlets (which sizzled), and over onto the snow below.

The Baihu released them with a whimper, and Anant let go to see the beast bound away, the back of its neck burned and bloodied. Anant simply rolled onto their feet and shook out their gauntlets, the golden surface a bit dimmer than before.

Oof. Tired. And there were still four more Baihu in the Game.

Edited 2012-11-28 11:06 (UTC)

"Alright. Moral support incoming! Give me a sec here."

Heavy thumping accompanied by the soft pitter-patter of footsteps can be heard for a few moments while Viridi makes grunting noises. ...She seems to be doing some sort of heavy lifting for some reason.

"OK, I know you can't see me because your god-powers don't seem to cover that, but every time you hear a thump, I'm doing a pirouette or a split, OK?"

A deep breath.

"Hey, hey, it's time to fight!" Thump. "Divine cheers sound forth tonight!" Thump. "With me to help, how can you lose?!" Thump. "Sock 'em good and leave a bruise!" Thump. "Yaaaaaaay....... -- ...uh."

Pause.

"What was your name again? ....Oh, wait, I got it. Yaaaaaaay, Croissant! Don't give 'em what they want! Fight hard and strong and long, avant; accept no detente!"

A few more thumps, followed by the sound of heavy breathing.

"....OK! How was that? Feel energized?"

"........"

There was a long silence which was filled only by the cold silence sweeping through the frozen park. Even the Baihu were silent - all that this picture needed was a little tumbleweed sadly trundling along in the quiet's awkward wake.

"Were you..." Anant began, their tone sounding a bit disbelieving until they were cut off by the Baihu pouncing. There was a flurry of movement where Anant twisted and dodged and swatted aside the vicious beasts, managing to beat them off to speak again.

"Was that a dance of encouragement?" they asked, sounding a bit winded at the next battle lull. "I...I have never had such a thing before! I feel so honoured! Ohhh, I only wish I could see it...!"

"Sorry, pal. I only reserve that honor for one or two people every other century or so."

Thank goodness.

"Anyway! It didn't actually change any of your stats or anything, but I bet it made you feel all warm and cozy inside, right?! And they said I wasn't good at being supportive."

Viridi is probably self-aware enough to realize that she's being absurd, but there's no need to spoil the joke. The thumping noises sound again briefly as she pushes back whatever she had moved in the first place.

"Oh, look out on your left. You'll never get to see a performance if they bite your face off."

"Ah-"

Anant quickly turned, lashing out with their claws to catch Baihu across the face. The great beast crashed into the snow, and in the swirl of white cast up - there was a roar and one leapt out of the haze, having used its comrade as a cover for it's own attack.

Anant hurriedly lifted up their gauntlet to block, and the Baihu's paws smashed into it - with a noise of breaking glass the golden gauntlet shattered, and Anant let out a yelp of pain as the magic backlashed violently enough for his vision to turn grey and double.

"Ooooh..." Anant staggered back, the gauntlets now longer there, crumpling to their knees as they clutched at their head with another groan of pain. Ow, ow, ow, ow... owww...

There was a growl somewhere above them, and Anant tried to move past that crippling disorientation to get back onto their feet again. Their gauntlets were powerful, but their major drawback was that when damaged to the point of breaking, it backlashed so violently-

Anant's thoughts jolted back on track at the flash of fangs in his vision, the Baihu taking advantage of the God's moment of weakness as its jaws snapped for their neck - only to suddenly be blasted back by a roar of fire that sent Anant right on their rear into the snow.

A figure floated above him, multicoloured and wearing a long red sash; only for it to vanish with a rather amused sounding chuckle. 'Dionysus' whispered in the back of Anant's mind, and the befuddled, disorientated God sat there for a long moment staring at the now empty space.

"...oh, did I hallucinate just now?"

"Ugh, no, you're not supposed to actually get hurt when I say something like that!"

Viridi watches in mild dismay as the demon lashes out viciously at Anant, having already subconsciously thrust out a hand to command the ground troops she didn't have. It quickly becomes a clenched fist as Anant's gauntlet, apparently some sort of divine artifact of some sort, shatters and wreaks its havoc.

"Hey! Stop that! I'm not cleaning up your entrails if you get disemboweled, you know! And no one else knows you're there! You'll have to shovel your own guts back in; you probably want to try and avoid that!"

Very wisely, Anant probably doesn't actually respond to any of that meaningless babbling.

"...Are you listening to me? What are you even doing?! Clutching your head had better be some physical manifestation of your imminent psionic bl -- !!"

Viridi cuts herself off with a groan as the Baihu leaps in for the kill, its jaws violently clamping down to snap the 'God's head............. There is the sound of smashing glass as she stamps her foot on the ground in annoyance.

"I am thou. Thou art -- "

"That's not proper English! Shut up and go help!"

Melia had awakened alongside Dionysus; by the time the wood sprite appears on the battlefield, the god of lunacy had already moved to defend its master; Melia simply bows low to Anant as she casts a Diarama.

"Oh. .............Oh. This is nice."

Anant rubbed their head when a strange Nymph creature appeared, casting a wave of magic that soothed the throbbing pain in their head. Anant's vision cleared, and they shook their head to shake off the rest of the cobwebs before lightly jumping to their feet. The Nymph creature earned itself a curious stare before their gaze flicked around them, and Anant hummed when he realised that the flare of fire had chased off the Baihu. The other demons were lurking near the edge of the trees, their eyes bright in the dark gloom. They just appeared to be watching now.

"Hm. Hm, hm, hm..." Anant reached up to cup their chin. "That was odd. Is this creature yours...?"

"Probably as much as the rainbow hallucinogen over there is yours." Melia finishes healing Anant and backs off unobtrusively. It seems that as a Support Persona, she had no particular desire to be of much active help in this battle.

"Looks like this is the power they told us about when we came. It's not as impressive as my personal power, of course... but it's handy from a distance."

"The 'Persona'?"

Anant brushed the snow off of their rump, tutting softly to themselves. They had wondered about this 'Persona' - and now they see it with their own eyes! Your True Self, that being said - Anant thought that a soul would be required for it, the ability to evolve and change and, and they always thought Gods weren't privy to such a gift.

Did this mean Anant had a soul somewhere, buried inside of them?

Anant shook off the suddenly sombre mood, suddenly letting out a childish sounding laugh as they kicked up some snow. "How delightful! This is - so interesting! I always wished to observe the phenomenon of the Persona up close, to try and understand why - and now there is - ahh, I think I am feeling happy!"

"Can you hold off on the frolicking for now? Like, just until maybe all of those things are gone?"

Viridi's sarcasm echoes flatly as Melia folds her arms about herself and lowers her head.

"I'd like to observe the phenomenon of a Persona kicking demon butt, but that's just me. Feel free to do whatever you'd like."

"Oh! My apologies! Yes, how irresponsible of me, to forget this threat- well..."

Anant paused, staring out over to the trees. The Baihu were prowling uncertainly in the shadows, obviously deciding whether it would be worth tangling with someone that could wield fire. Anant tapped the bottom of their mask in an exaggerated show of thoughtfulness.

"They seem a bit wary now. If you wish to observe the limitations of your Persona, then perhaps I can provoke them to return to us!" Anant chirped, and with a slight spring in their step, pranced over to the tree line with their hands lowered and body language utterly relaxed and loose. A welcoming target.

"I was actually saying that more to get you to attack, not -- Oh, whatever."

With Melia's power, Viridi wasn't terribly concerned about Anant's well-being at this point, but she still releases a sigh of exasperation. Why couldn't she meet someone who was sane and logical and a good strategist for once? Probably, she considers, because it wouldn't be nearly as fun annoying them. Still, there was something to be said for acting as mission control for someone who wasn't a total dork.

"Look, I don't think my Persona is that great at attacking, so. I'm just going to heal you whenever you get mauled, if that's OK with you."

"It is perfectly fine!" Anant assured the goddess - only to slip on an icy patch of snow and go falling flat on their face, kicking up a great flurry in the process. Anant merely made a small, confused noise, scrambling up onto their knees as their hands pressed against their mask, the thin piece of porcelain having almost slipped off.

Immediately the Baihu lunged past the tree line, deciding to take advantage of this clumsy opportunity, but Dionysus appeared in a wild spark of light, casting a burst of fire towards the lead beast. The Baihu yowled and lunged to the side, barrelling into one of its companions and sending them crashing into the snow in a tangle of limbs.

Viridi sighs again, this time a bit more noticeably.

"Alright, Melia, you know the drill. I'm going to get more hot cocoa..."

The dryad smoothly casts Diarama again on the hapless person flailing around on the ice, seemingly unaffected by the slipperiness of the ground herself.

"Say, what's with the mask, anyway? The focal point of your 'powers' or something?"

"Ah, no, no, it isn't..." Anant's mutterings trailed off, frantically checking that the mask was secure again. Once they were satisfied that it wasn't in danger of falling off, their clear panic and agitation disappeared immediately and they nimbly leapt to their feet.

"I cannot show my face. That is all," Anant finally replied, focusing energy into one hand to summon the golden gauntlet. It was mostly to err on the side of caution though, as Dionysus seemed quite happy in setting the Baihu on fire with sweeping, exaggerated movements. The situation was under control.

thank god everything was wet and not flammable enough to cause wildfire

~~and then melia bursts into flames and dies good job anant~~

"What, do you have acne under there or something? I have some creams for that if you need to borrow some." Viridi's voice is muffled slightly as the sound of rummaging is heard. "Tea tree shampoo, lavender facial wash... Oh, here - 100% bay leaf oil from the South Coast. Moisturizes, cleanses, and rejuvenates your skin. Soft as a baby, I guarantee it, and yours for ten easy installments of 99 drachma."

"Acne- ah, no. I do not have a skin condition. My face is aesthetically fine. I...presume," Anant added uncertainly. They weren't very aware on what counted as 'pretty' or 'ugly', although symmetry played a large part in it. Anant's face was rather...normal? Average? Perhaps??

The flares of fire stopped, and Dionysus floated before them as the rest of the Baihu fled with their tails between their legs. The field had patches of burned grass poking through the snow, and Anant rubbed the bottom of their mask rather sheepishly.

"Oh my. It seems my Persona is rather free with the fire..."

"Oookay. We're trying to kill demons here, not the environment." As their opponents appear to have fled, Melia slowly fades away with a carefully guarded bow towards Anant. "I'll give you a pass on this one since I'm assuming you don't really have this under control yet, but let's try to avoid turning the forest into a copy of your world."

Viridi's disgruntled tone lightens slightly.

"Still, not bad. For a first-timer, anyway. These demons aren't so tough."

((Sorry for the wait! This weekend was super hectic.))

"My apologies."

Anant was staring curiously at their Persona, and Dionysus was staring right back. It almost seemed like a staring competition had erupted - if Anant had been looking anywhere near the Persona's eyes. It was so bright and colourful, all splotches and smears, swirling into a great rainbow of light...

Trippy.

Anant turned away abruptly, shaking their head as Dionysus melted away without a word. They felt a bit sleepy now, and Anant lifted their arms up into a tight stretch.

"Yes. They are bit more durable than the wildlife I am accustomed to, but ultimately they are rather...manageable. Did you ever have creatures like these in your domain?"

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forceofnature - 2013-01-03 02:35 (UTC) - Expand

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01 - Blizzard Samba

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omfg viridi

the dance of her people

word vomit blargh

oh no blarghmonsters =O

harghablargh

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