Character Lounge

[Joat]

*OOC: Sylver and IC me definitely do have their own way of doing things.*

[Boog]

With a yelp, whatever had been coalescing in Boogey's hand went off, hitting a tree and patterning it. Rather than having its branches blown this way and that all the time by the wind, it simply shifted in the breeze in the same way over and over again in a continuous loop. Snarling, he continued trying to restrain himself as the same hand redied another blast.
"Mel! Somebody! STOP HER!" He howled as he continued hammering at the girls mental defenses, and searching for a crack in said defenses he could wedge open.
HOW DARE YOU!?

[Joat]

“You know, it might be a bit easier to calm her down if you would stop attacking,” I yell.

[Stygian]

The girl's mind was unyielding. Apart from the obvious disadvantage of her inexperience, the uncertainty of some of her thoughts and the way her mind seemed stretched, she was practically untouchable. She was hideously powerful, and had she turned her full attention to the Boogeyman he was not so sure he could have held on. But her will was growing weaker as she was becoming more afraid, and though the power of her mind could not be undone so easily that still meant that her "grip", her mental directive, was becoming less and less controlled.

   Through the place came a rumble. For a second, the air seemed denser, weighing down on top of you, and a low thrumming seemed to make your whole body reverberate. Then, it passed, leaving stillness in its wake. But now the surroundings seemed darker, the feel of the garden more gloomy and heavier. And there was something there. You could feel it; a dark presence had made itself known. Had you all been able to see Aisha's tail ring in the garden, they would have seen it glow and come dangerously close to cracking again.
   Stygian looked up for a second, eyes burning and shadows contorting around his form. Then, there was a blast of darkness.

   Joat was violently hurled back from the girl's shape, and she was snapped up by something. A quickly vanishing black afterimage lingered where Stygian had just stood. Now though, he was behind her, twisting darkness emanating from the ripped skin on his back and shadows and green fumes seething off him. He was slowly changing, the skin and fur on his body ripping and burning off more with every second. His face was twisted and dark, his jaw elongated and his mouth turned a gritted maw full of razor-point black teeth. And set above his head was a burning halo of poison green and black.
   Stygian held the girl high by the throat. Her hands were tugging at his arm, her face terrified, but they did nothing but singe and flay with the darkness seething and twisting around him. She had lost all mental composition now, her fear having risen so high that she could not maintain her mental control at all, and she ceased all she had been doing. Waves of power came off Stygian's shape, sending waves through the air that followed the tentacles of shadow that whipped from him. His long, pointed tongue snaked out between his teeth as he spoke in a cruel, dual-edged slithering rasp.
   "I offered you sentience and power... and the first thing you do is abuse it?!"

   Stygian's claws began to dig into the girl's throat, as did some of the tendrils snaking around and from his now completely blackened arm. She squealed, and shook in his grasp, to no avail.
  "Mel! You wanted to teach this girl a lesson?" he said in a malicious tone that made that burning, snaking rasp even more horrid. "Then get over here and teach!"

[Gareeku]

Suddenly the urge to protect the girl had vanished, Gareeku falling to one knee as a sense of somewhat relief came over him like a wave. Shaking his head and getting back up to his feet, the wolf looked on with widened eyes as Stygian now held the girl aloft. Her face was expressing her terror, but what Gareeku now realised was that she was the one who had gave him the urge to try and attack the others. However, anger was not the emotion rushing through the wolf's blood at that moment. It was a wave of sympathy and fear for her safety instead.

While the girl had had her influence on him, he could sense the fear within her. He realised that she was merely afraid; a terrified child who was completely new to these situations.
"Wait! Stygian, stop it!" Gareeku cried out, rushing forward and coming to a stop merely a few metres away from where he stood. "Please! She's just a terrified girl! She doesn't know what she's doing! Let her go!" he said, desperately trying to reason with the enraged Stygian. He would refrain from using violence by all means possible, though if Stygian tried to attack him, he would be prepared to defend himself. Something inside Gareeku told him that he had to save the girl, and it was his own decision this time.

[Joat]

“Pain will not teach her anything save bitter hatred. Please. I would like to try one last thing; something that will truly teach her what she has done,” I say. I then say to Sathariel, “This is your last chance to save yourself. You must read my mind. Read exactly what was going on in my head as you toyed around with my friends. You will then truly understand what you have done.” I stop glowing yellow.

[Stygian]

Stygian's gaze turned to Gareeku, and he felt a compelling urge to step away... no, to run. Before, even through the green glow one had been able to sense a bit of considerate thought behind Stygian's eyes. Now, they were cold and unliving, singeing the air as they seemed to want to pierce his skull. Stygian didn't even speak with his mouth, only moved it with his tongue snaking out between needlepoint teeth, while the sound formed in the heads of the onlookers, it seemed. It sounded like he was speaking to you from over your shoulder and from afar at the same time.
   "She is unworthy of the power she has. If she cannot use it responsibly, then I will force her to do so! It's either that, or to destroy it. There is no in-between, Gareeku."

   The girl cried and screamed, the tendrils making little rippling movements under her skin and obviously causing her great pain. She tried to get something out that she wanted to do what Joat had said, and that she was sorry and that she would be still and that it hurt, but her speech was a mess of yelps and half-muffled squeals and it was very hard to tell exactly what she was saying.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel settled back on her haunches, there didn't seem to be a hurry at this point. "What she lacks is respect. Hatchlings in my clan would be belly-up with teeth clamped around their throat if they disrespected their elders like she has. She needs to learn her place."

[Gareeku]

Listening to the comments from the others, Gareeku grimaced in frustration.
"Listen to me, she is still a child! If you want to teach her to use her powers, then that is fair enough, but this is not the way!" Gareeku replied, his eyes staring into Stygian's, unphased by the man's cold stare. "Am I the only one who is seeing sense?! This is insane! She is only using her powers like this because she is terrified. I could feel it when she was influencing my mind! Let her go, Stygian. You can teach her to use her powers without having to hurt her like this!"

Turning to Mel, Gareeku's eyes stared into hers with the same calm yet cold look he had given Stygian.
"Doing that would only make it worse." He said calmly, "You want to chew her throat? then be prepared to get some more mind-messing from her. Anger like what you are displaying is exactly why she is terrified, and is exactly why she is using her powers like this."
Turning back to Stygian, Gareeku resumed the stare.
"Let her go. Now."

[e_voyager]

E speaks and Eliander passes on the message. "I think she means metaphorically in this Case Gareeku. thug among dragons it can be quite literal"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

"Very literal," Mel agreed, with a nod to the elder dragon. "I do not care what training method you use on the brat, but an out-of-control child becomes a deadly adult. She has no control over her base urges, no honor to temper them, and no model to mold them. Either prove yourself strong enough to control her or let Stygian deal with her."

[Gareeku]

Hearing Mel's words, Gareeku nodded in acknowledgment.
"Very well. I will attempt to teach her." Gareeku said after a couple of seconds. He didn't know exactly how he would do it, but he would damn well try. "And if I fail, then Stygian can do with her as he wishes...and you may kill me."

[Stygian]

"I have no time to teach a little brat who can't even start to control herself!" Stygian snarled. "If she is to stay, then I will have to have some kind of control over her. And that means there are two possible ways. One; I copy some of Mel's mind and behaviour to her, or two; I infect her..." At the last word, some more of the tendrils started moving toward her neck, and she cried out. "...and make sure she never even has the freedom to start trouble again!"

   Then, he heard Gareeku's words. He stopped, looking wondering for a while.
   "You, teach her? How? As far as I can tell, you and that Aisha both have hidden potentials for power, but psionics is not among them. And I am hesitant to let anything the least like myself out of sight..."

[Gareeku]

"You may keep an eye on her while I attempt to teach her, then." Gareeku replied calmly. "If you are not willing to teach the "Brat" as you call her, then I will attempt to. I may not possess the power of psionics, but seeing as I am the only one willing to give her a second chance, then I feel i must at least try." the wolf continued. "I do not have control over my transformation, and as a result I have the potential to harm the ones I care for. Do you consider me a brat, too?"

[e_voyager]

E sighs watching this his incorporeal form patting Elianders back.  he knew what the dragon was feeling as eliander had been and out of control dragon at one point. they watch gareeku wishing him the best of luck as a third incorporeal form appears on the other side of eliander. this is Erebus and he is in his K9 form again

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel shifted downwards to her being-like size and laid a hand on Valencia's shoulder as she addressed Gareeku. "You would be sorry for your actions. That one doesn't even remember damaging this girl."

Mel looked Valencia in the eyes, "Let's see if she left anything to work with." Her voice went soft and hypnotic as she probed, "Hello there. What did the brat do to you? Hmmm, you're a lucky girl today, she didn't have time to do much more than take down a few signposts and leave you spinning in circles. I think we can get you put back together in no time." Mel smiled vaguely at Joat, "Why don't you and I take your friend back inside. I'm sure she'd like a nice drink with her friend and we'll all have a little talk. She'll be feeling better in no time."

With that Mel put her arm around Valencia's shoulders and started leading her away from the pond.

[Gareeku]

"What will be, will be." Gareeku replied to Mel. "Please accept my apologies, Mel. I consider you a friend, and I hope you consider me one, but I must do this. I have to try."
Turning round, Gareeku looked at her with a caring, yet apologetic smile. "I know you hate her, but I believe we can change what she has been." He continued, "If anything should happen to me, then I hope we do not depart as anything other than friends. You're a good person, Mel. I don't want you to hate me."

[Stygian]

"No," Stygian said, dropping the girl like a ragdoll and his tendrils pulling from her. The darkness around him started pulling back, very slowly. But his eyes were still cold fires of evil green as he walked closer to Gareeku. "You I consider a loose cannon. And I will watch you both... closely..." His skin was slowly growing back. This close though, Gareeku could feel the charge in the air, the stinging, burning acidic feeling of him.

   Stygian stared into Gareeku's eyes a short while, reading what thoughts and feelings that came off him. He was very determined, and worried, and quite angry too. And there was still a bit of him that was thinking of Aisha. Stygian knew that he shouldn't be doing what he did, a great portion of his essence stretched out at Gareeku and even a few phased lashes of him bending the light and snaking around him slightly, ready to stab at the wolf's body or mind, whichever might prove neccessary. But he was still seething with slow anger.
   Calming himself, he quickened his transformation, darkness pulling in under swiftly growing tissue, and pushed his anger to the back of his mind to let it burn out. He would see what happened and take careful action, not rush and haste and fail because of bluntness or clumsiness.
   "Yeah. Let's go inside. I'm getting a bit thirsty from all this, myself," he said, turning and walking back up to the mansion.

[Gareeku]

Feeling the tension between himself and Stygian, Gareeku could feel his anger rising slightly, but quickly brought it under control, pushing it to the back of his mind as he calmed himself as much as he could. He couldn't help but smirk slightly at Stygian's comment.
"Thank you very much. I appreciate it." he said, bowing slightly to show his thanks for letting him try and at least talk to the girl.

Less than a minute later, he and the girl were alone. The garden was completely silent, save for the soft breeze which caused the leaves of the flora to rustle softly. Walking slowly over to the girl, Gareeku was now completely calm and relaxed. Sitting by her on the ground, he looked at her. "You ok?" he asked in a soft voice.

[e_voyager]

e sighed and the others watched ins silence. then eliander spoke up. " E i think i'm going back to sleep of a decade or two. " e nods. the dragon did not like the situation here. strong emotions were fine as were organized out lashing like the rebellions gains him but this was chaos on a lever that only leads to despair. e had to agree as he was shifted back into domain status . that was in a bad way.

[Stygian]

The girl was supporting herself weakly on her knees, her eyes still big and terrified, and she shook with the shock of it all. She looked up at Gareeku, and then a sound grew in her throat and her eyes ran with tears. She threw herself in Gareeku's arms and weeped horribly, clinging to him for protection and burrowing her face in his chest.
   "He... he was going to... It... noooo...!" Her words were muffled in his clothing, but faint feelings and images started forming in his head when she showed him what had happened. Apparrently she had tried influencing Stygian with her thoughts too, and he had snapped back at her as if she had stepped in a beartrap. Grating, ripping and crawling thoughts still filled part of her mind, most of them horrid and alien enough that anyone would go to lengths to try and forget all about them. If Stygian had been thinking those things... Slowly she wept.
   "Please don't let him... don't let him take me... please..." she looked up at Gareeku, pleading.

[Joat]

*OOC: Darn! Were I available OOC during that time, I would gladly have had Sylver cast his protection.*

I begin to hum a soft tune, the one that my “parents” used to sing to me when I needed comforting.

Sylver walks up to Sathariel. “Don’t worry. We’re friends. When friends are there, any obstacle can be overcome.”

I then add, “Yeah. That whole tendil-around-the-neck thing was just a bluff. I never would have actually hurt you.”

Inside Valencia’s mind, there seems to be total chaos. However, once the memory of what had happened earlier comes up, her mind seems to snap back into place all at once. She looks at me and says, “Why in the world are you comforting her? Does she still have her hypnotic spell over you?”

“Valencia, hatred brings more hatred. We need to teach her, not…” I begin.

“Oh, I’ll teach her, alright; she’ll know all there is to know about getting her @#$ beaten when I’m through with her for this!” Valencia dashes at Sathariel, ready to attack.

A tendril reaches out, wraps around Valencia’s body just tightly enough, then lifts her into the air. “I’ll put you down when you calm down,” I say. I then send the other three tendrils out to tickle her.

“Stop! Desist! Put me down! Okay, fine! Uncle! Uncle!” Valencia says through her laughter.

I gently lower her. “Very good, class.”

“You are evil, you know that?” Valencia comments.

“Just be glad I didn’t use the tae kwon limp technique on you. ‘Boot to the head’.”

“Joat, you are always making song parodies.”

*OOC: The mad scientist? The voice of reason!?*

[Mel Dragonkitty]

When Valencia tore herself out of Mel's grip Mel just threw her hands up in resignation and continued on to the lounge. Everyone was so determined to be stupid. She grabbed a glass of whatever the first thing on the bar was and found a chair in the corner to sulk. How many times did you tell a friend they were being irresponsible before you let them go to deal with the consequences of their actions? The girl was a powerful predator and infant predators needed containment and training from someone more powerful. Mel had no faith that Gareeku was that person. If anything he seemed more susceptible to her tactics than anyone. He'd fallen for her weepy baby routine when they had taken her out of the wardrobe and continued to fall for it over and over again. What was the good of sharing 100,000 years experience traveling the multiverse if no one listened?

[Gareeku]

((OOC: Mel, from your post I sense that you yourself are upset over this. It's just an rp, calm down. )


When the girl hugged him, Gareeku wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace, stroking the back of her head softly as he tried to comfort her.
"Ssssh...there there...its ok now..." he said softly. As the girl's memories made themselves present in his mind, the wolf could not help but gasp slightly. The images were indeed horrid, and the wolf wanted to forget them quickly. Considering the anger that the others had displayed towards the girl, Gareeku was careful not to form a biased opinion about the girl. He had done that once before, which had led to the others being angry with him as a result. Looking down at her, the wolf wiped the tears from her face with a finger.
"I won't let him..." he said softly, although whether he could actually back up his words was another thing altogether. Gareeku knew that Stygian was powerful, maybe more powerful than he was, and then there was the fact that he had agreed to submit himself to the mercy of the others if he should fail, which was a very likely possibility.
"Please leave us." Gareeku said to the others, "the girl is frightened of you all, and it won't help if I am supposed to try and teach her how to control herself."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

OOC:  ? Nope. I'm not upset, it's a silly game. Don't worry. Guess I must have been overly florid in my writing. Just trying to get across that Mel isn't mad at Gareeku, she's worried about him biting off more than he can chew. I'll tone it down.

[Stygian]

"I know what you're thinking. Really," Stygian said to Mel, having slumped on the couch with a large glass of wine which he idly swirled. "It's not that I put more weight into age rather than power, but knowledge trumps all. And he might well be in over his head." For some reason his clothes had shifted back to his regular attire, and his voice sounded more... well, regular that one too. His eyes were almost back to as normal as they could be, and though still black the dangerous green glow had faded to a mere shadowy gleam that reflected in the light of the fireplace.
   "He's really intending to..." he started, then looked on his glass and frowned. With an unreadable expression he emptied it in one long swig. He swiftly put it on the table, sat up, and walked off toward the table of drinks. "I'm going to do something stupid too, just since it seems to be the trend," he said matter-of-factly. "I'll actually cut loose, and let myself get drunk. I hope you'll do thesame." With that, he began working on a rather considerable bottle of Vodka.

   The girl leaned on Gareeku and didn't bother watching the others leave. Her sobs had stopped and her tears turned to a small trickle, but both her mind and body were practically hiding in comparison to before.
   "Are you... really going to teach me?" she asked, looking up at him with fearful eyes. "I can't... Do you know how?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel saluted Stygian with the glass of whatever it was. "That sounds like an interesting plan." She took a sip and made a face. "Not strong enough." The glass frosted and ice formed. "One nice thing about being an ice dragon is that you can always make your drink a higher proof with a bit of ice distillation."

[Stygian]

Stygian turned to Mel, interestedly watching her putting advanced chemistry to practice in a matter of moments. He was still amazed how she could steal heat from the reaction, and how it must imply controlling molecular and atomic movement at a level and with a detail that he had only seen machines and augmenteds do before, and even they had needed to be in very direct contact with the substance. He was intrigued. And as always when someone did something that way, implying that they were showing off their capabilities, it was customary to respond in kind.
   "Hehe... I'm not sure I can top that. At least not that way, since I can't do magic. But..." he said, and poured some Vodka into a shaker, added some soda and flexed his arm a bit meanwhile. Then, he brought a sharp claw to his palm and cut a deep gash in it, spilling a bit of deep green, almost blackish blood into the metal shaker. He threw some ice into it, put on the lid and then shook vigorously for a short while. When he poured the resulting drink into two small cylindrical glasses, it fluoresced a poisonous harlequin green and steamed little fumes that sent sparks between them.
   "I did do well in organic chemistry..." he smiled to Mel, offering her a glass.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked at the fizzing glass a bit doubtfully "This looks more interesting than what naughty dragon children do with the fruit juice when their mothers aren't looking." Then she chuckled, "Why not. As long as we're resetting the bar for stupid today we might as well do it right."

[Gareeku]

Looking down at the girl, a concerned look appeared on Gareeku's face.
"I do not possess powers like yours, but I feel I must try." He said calmly, wiping the tears from her face again, "You need help, and I will help as much as I can."