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Revision as of 00:01, 10 August 2006

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Stranger in Paradise

Gennadi: Speaking of time spent around Gennadi... a blue and gold streak blurs down across the mountain. Trees momentarily move themselves out of the way, birds wait just a little bit longer before depositing their droppings, and rocks set themselves carefully back into their proper place just in time for a snakeskin shoe to crunch down onto them.

More steam rises from the water as snaps and hisses scatter across the pool, the water momentarily boiling away from metal heels of those snakeskin shoes.. Selina catches a flash of a pants leg and a hissing shoe passing right beside her head, only an instant's image of someone passing right over her at terrifying speed as her hair whips in the wind. The horse is vaulted as if it was a gymnastic prop, and Gennadi lands on the water before Vorpal, eyes twinkling and standing on the water as he starts to bow.

Of course, the steam clears, the path of Mercury is not wholly precise, and so Gennadi is forced to save the appreciation of the view before he accidentally gives Vorpal a mach-3 headbutt to the chest. He snaps upright, the magic fading in seconds. He sinks into the water with a bit of a quizzical expression, turning to look around and discover just what he's walked into. "Uh... ah... hello?"

He counts figures and recognizes faces (one hopes that's where he looks to check who he's seeing) and by the time he has completed his circuit there is both a small cut on his lip and a tic at his eye, twitching as the various components of the truth assemble themselves in his head. "Oh, sh... dear?" He essays a somewhat twitchy smile at Vorpal.

Selina de Windia: Selina looks at him levelly, not bothering to keep any modesty. "I will not kill you," She begins. "Providing this really was an accident, that is." Standing to her full height, she exhales with an almost sad sound. The area around her right arm seems a bit darker, colder. And then a small crackle of black lightning announces exactly what it is she's going to do. "Come on now. I wanna hear a good reason."

• Gennadi looks ALMOST pleadingly at Vorpal. "Tell me she doesn't have little black death-lightning crackling around her right arm. Please?"

Vorpal: Vorpal's gigantic blade is out and ready well by the time the newcomer reveals his identity. Even after the Pale Angel has recognized the arrival, she still finds it extremely difficult to hold back from delivering that greeting blow, pretending to have mistaken the Sidereal's sudden appearance as an assault on their persons.

Fortunately for Gennadi, she manages to resist the impulse. Instead, she throws up her other hand, the one holding her cloak. "Ladies only! " she snaps sharply as the voluminous satin garment descends around the Sidereal's head, to block the... landscape from his sight.

Iselsis: "See, this is exactly the type of thing I knew would happen if I had gotten naked.", she remarks sarcastically from her place perched upon the rocks. "And it is fun to see him threatened by other people for a change.", she smiles wistfully.

Selina de Windia: "I'm not hearing a good reason." Selina continues in a perfectly calm, reasonable voice. A small ball of necrotic energy forms underneath one palm -- gets bigger. And bigger. And bigger. Until it is the size of a melon, more black lightning arcing over it and her hand and arm.

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: Opal, having been petting Ice at the time, used the large animal as a shield for her modesty as the Sidereal comes crashing in like a blue meteor. Sudden embarassment is replaced by quick anger as she realized who it was, and she scowled at him. "Don't kill him! We need to torture him first!"

Selina de Windia: The collection of energy stops growing for the moment. Selina looks over at Opal dryly. "You think dying this way won't be torture?"

Ice: Even Ice glares at the newcomer with some disdain. However, that is more likely because Gennadi had interrupted the steed's well deserved massage.

• Gennadi raises a hand outside the cloak, a small white flag fashioned of his handkerchief waving on the end of a finger. "Path of Mercury gives the fastest, if not safest path to ensure I make my appointments. I was supposed to meet vorpal, and so I, well, did. The details like where and how don't matter for the charm... Really, it's not my fault." He draws the cloak up a bit more, though leaves his eyes covered to try a grin. "Really, it's yours for not explaining the meeting place..."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "Well, its quick and painful. Wouldn't you prefer slow and painful instead?" She inquired, arching an eyebrow at the Dark Angel. She looks over the back of Ice, before casting Genn a glare. A deep glare. "Well, really! So now your blaming us and an Incarnia?" Her ire begins to mount.

Iselsis: "Words do not even begin to express how amused I am by all of this.", she giggles and rolls over on her back, her head dangling off the rocks to view the spectacle upside down.

Gennadi: "... yes? It can't bloody well be my fault for getting here as fast as possible when I didn't even know where here was, now can it?"

Selina de Windia: Selina might have stopped, but the grin actually manages to irritate her some more.

That won't do.

Not at all.

"It's all the same to me, Opal dear. I put their ghosts in a bottle and play with them after." Then she looks over to her sister, wanting to either launch the attack at her, or wrestle her naked and throw her into the water. "Shut up, Izabella."

Iselsis: Her response is a snicker. Obviously she'll just be quietly amused then.

Vorpal: "Shut up", Vorpal says exactly at the same time and casts a dry glance over her shoulder at Iselsis, before returning her attention back to the Sidereal before her.

"I don't recall scheduling a meeting with you", she says with stern tones and even as she speaks, she raises Betrayer's dark blade so that it hangs ominously just above Gennadi's covered head. "Nor do I have any reason to trust you. Be careful about what you will say next."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: She presses the intimate parts of herself against Ice to conceal them as she began to ply one hand to again stroke the mare's flanks, as she thought the look the horse gave Genn quite... aggressive. She frowned a little bit, but shrugged toward Selian, "I forget sometimes that the scope of your abilities escapes my experiance at times, mistress." She then looks back toward Genn, and resumes her frowning.

Men, no matter the color of their flesh or anima, were all the same.

Acelia: "You know, Ise..." the girl says, sat on the floor, leaning on a nearby rock... "Sometimes, Exalted are just like people!"

Gennadi: "Now, now, let's all be reasonable... Mind, I said I was going to be back to relay the response of the zephyr... It doesn't really matter if you remember so long as fate counts the meeting as planned." He peeks out from under the cloak up at the blade, rapidly dropping the covering back to hope it will go away. "Why don't we just laugh at my comedic pratfalls and get onto the whole not killing me and killing the bad guys instead stuff? Ahaha, fate can be cruel, group hug?"

Acelia: ... she says, then notices the looks and goes reaaaalll quiet. Just as amused as Iselsis herself, of course.

Iselsis: "I was trying to laugh, but I wasn't allowed.", she remarks again, still obviously quite amused, then at Acelia "Yup! Sometimes. Not usually, but sometimes!"

Ice: Ice holds her ground, proud and solid. She seems to sense that by standing there she is protecting something valuable and important, and thus, it is her duty as a warrior to guard it to the best of her considerable abilities.

Vorpal: "I don't read comedies much", the Pale Angel points out, coolly, the great soulsteel blade swaying idly back and forth, "But if memory serves, it is at this point that peeping boys will usually get beaten black and blue by a variety of girls. Or", she shrugs, "something equally humiliating."

Selina de Windia: "You wouldn't be laughing when I strip you naked and throw you in the water." Selina interjects, reabsorbing the ball with a flourish of her hand. "Except some people would think of the spectacle in entirely untrue terms."

Vorpal: "Humiliating..." Vorpal says the word slowly, turning it around on her tongue, tasting its tone and flavor. Slowly, soundlessly, she withdraws her sword, then allows it to drop lower... and lower... and lower... "Humiliating, yes..."

Gennadi: He takes a short step to the left. After all, he can't really see. "Why don't I just go over there out of sight to give you lot time to think and properly bathe without wasting any more time on me? I'm sure the messages from the zephyr can wait..."

Iselsis: "Fine fine, sheesh. You'd find it funny too if you weren't one of the naked ones though."

Vorpal: "Oh, don't mind us", she smiles, almost amiably. With a quick flick of her wrist she compensates for the Sidereal's sidestep. The tip of the heavy blade slides between Gennadi's legs, soulsteel cold and flat against the fabric of his pants. "Go right ahead and deliver your message. We're all waiting."

Idly, gradually, she begins the raise the sword, higher... ever higher...

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: Opal idly runs her hand over Ice's flank, as she glances toward the animal. She could percieve the flow of his Essence, and it was nearly a breathtaking thing. It illuminated the Dragon Lines of his body, and they flowed into the nexuses of his body: the heart that beat his Essence, sending it coursing through his body like a rhythmic drum. She saw it surge through his muscles, illuminate his tendons, and suffuce his form. And then, she frowned.

There was a snarl, a slight disorder.

She reached forth her hand and placed her fore-and-index fingers, and gently touched the spot. Pressing just hard enough, she began to rub that one spot ever so gently, smoothing the snarl.

Selina de Windia: "That's a touch mean, Lilith." Selina observes, then sinks back down into the newer spring she's sitting in. "He's a chosen of Venus afterall. He needs his dick."

Vorpal: "All the more reason for him to speak quickly", Vorpal returns casually.

Gennadi: "It was a good thing you decided on your plans in time, since I got there just before the army was about to leave. They are still expecting you, but now that they're warned they're digging in and aiming to be defensive. Most of their intel was gone so they were going to go see what was causing the trouble." He shifts... forward, oddly enough, a quick flick of his ankle as he takes up something akin to a martial stance. Hopefully, he is not going to flip out over a simple finger touch... yes, that is not a finger at his thigh after all... why is he relieved?

Vorpal: Feeling the unexpected touch, Ice tenses. A tremor runs down her back and legs, the muscles in her flanks and great neck flex and tremble, the massive strength amassed there primal and terrible...

Ice: Feeling the unexpected touch, Ice tenses. A tremor runs down her back and legs, the muscles in her flanks and great neck flex and tremble, the massive strength amassed there primal and terrible...

...and the next moment, all of it seems to simply collapse, like a rapidly melting pile of snow, like a balloon with the air streaming out from a little hole. Her head droops and heavy lids half-descend over her eyes. Relaxation spreads out from the spot where Opal is touching in an almost visible wave, tendons relaxing, muscles smoothening out and then vanishing under the shining dark coat...

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "Hhm. Interesting." She then notes her source of concealment is gone, and she sighs a bit. Well, its not like Genn hadn't seen her naked before.

Vorpal: Vorpal shifts back as well to compensate for Gennadi's move, her boot scraping against moist ground and tugging up a lining of dirt. "What kind of forces does Valencia have left? Do you think she could hold her own long enough for us to arrive?"

Gennadi: "I'm not exactly a Battles, now am I? I do trust that if you're quick, you can make it in time to assist. But I wouldn't wait around terribly long. Lots of troops in a good position don't mean as much as Exalted force."

Selina de Windia: "I'll break them over my knee." Selina says in a smug, self-satisfied tone. "They are right to dig in."

"Say, do they have anything to deal with fliers? Anything notable, that is."

Gennadi: "It would depend massively on whether or not you consider a couple of stern fighters with the ability to get to the pilot proper defense against flying enemies."

Iselsis: "What do you mean, 'you'? You're coming."

Gennadi: "Dear, dear Ise... coming is the last thing I'm thinking of right now." He somehow manages to seem to wink despite being under the cloak.

Selina de Windia: "That's what you think." Selina says in the same tone her sister just used.

Vorpal: Vorpal resists the need to take a deep, exasperated breath at Selina's words.

I repeated it to you again only last night, and you forgot about it already? It doesn't make you seem cool, it only makes you seem stupid!

"Since it is one of the finest general in the North we are talking about and since he is knowingly heading against an army that consists mostly of Winlandians", she says, still holding the sword in place with one hand, "We should assume that he has something in store against fliers."

"You said it yourself", she then aims a slanting smile at the Sidereal. "Exalted force would be quite a big help."

Gennadi: "I'm a lover, not a fighter. A cheater, not a warrior. I do not think that I will get the chance to engage the general in a rigged game of cards while you sneak up behind." He finally flips the cloak over his head and against vorpal, covering her while he looks her straight in the eyes. "What do you expect me to do, sing soprano until they pass out in pain?"

Iselsis: "We expect you to do your piece. Just like everyone here is going to do, even if it kills them. Even if it kills you.", she states plainly. "If Acelia isn't afraid to come with me, then you sure as hell aren't allowed to be."

Gennadi: "Fear is a perfecty logical response when it comes to terrifying opponents who may well kill you."

Acelia: "... wait, wait, I am not afraid to come with you? Since when?"

Gennadi: "I do little good for the cause dead."

Selina de Windia: "I'm sure you can fight in some manner, dear." Selina says calmly, sitting in the spring and half-obscured by the mists of hot, moist air. "Knowing you, it is probably not shabby, in its way."

"And you are going to employ it in our service."

Iselsis: "Well you're going to the warzone, if we lose you'll probably die." she shrugs "Stop undermining my point, which is that you're brave and he isn't!"

Gennadi: "I prefer to be called a brilliant coward than a foolish hero. That's the job of sunchildren, after all."

Acelia: "Yes, and? I am going 'cause I have no choice, Ise! I'm hiding under the first rock we see!"

Selina de Windia: "You aren't being asked to run in at the forefront, Gennadi." The Windian states with a razored tone. One of her wings cocks upward a bit. "Employ all the cowardly backstabbing underhanded tactics you know. Running at them is the job of the Pale Angel and myself."

Gennadi: "Better a foolish heroine than a foolish hero. We have less to bounce and distract aim. I suppse, if you really want, I could find someone to choke to death."

Vorpal: Vorpal reaches over her chest and grabs a handful of her cloak. She swings the garment up in a rustling whoosh, placing it onto her shoulder much the same way as how one would do with a towel.

"Let me put it this way", she begins, slowly, gently, as if explaining something to a child. The smile on her face takes on an ominous aspect, a promise of... something. Something dark and fearsome, unknown things lurking unseen in the depths of darkness. The blade glimmers black and oily in her hand, its edge awfully sharp and deadly, all too ready to suddenly spring upwards between the Sidereal's legs. : "If you were to choose between the terror of facing the General's troops soon and the terror of facing our wrath now, wouldn't it be a grand idea to pick the lesser of the two evils?"

Iselsis: "Dibs on the kneecaps if he goes with the latter."

Gennadi: "Given what I know of of your wrath, it would be the clever coward's path to face the army. I'd be terribly put out if I had to explain to a healer why I needed my genitals back as well. Do I get a handshake and kiss on the cheek to seal our contract?"

Vorpal: "Not quite, but you'll get a sweet smile", Vorpal responds, her face melting into just that. She pulls the enormous sword back and lifts it up, easily, to rest on a pillow of her cloak atop her shoulder.

Gennadi: "Can't blame a fellow for trying.... and I do apologize. I simply didn't know what I was walking into for once..."

Selina de Windia: "I thought those are only for me and the Prince." Selina says dryly, crossing her arms over her chest in some irritation.

• Gennadi clasps his hands to his heart. "I'd say you'd have to pry that one out o my cold, dead body, but I don't want you getting any ideas..."

Vorpal: "Now, now", Vorpal arches a good-natured eyebrow at that. "Don't be jealous. I'm too nice to restrict my affections to just two people in the entire world."

Fiona: "Deathknights switch around fast..." the Solar girl giggles, jokingly, reaching an arm to pet Ice.

"You sure he cannot see anything over that?"

Selina de Windia: "I however, have no such resignations." Selina growls under her breath, then sinks back down into the new hot spring.

"However, perhaps we could say a few words on the coming battle and what we'll do."

Vorpal: "Yes, we do", the Ghost-Blooded throws a slanted grin at the other Solar. Indicating Selina with a tilt of her head, she continues: "She used to be so happy about all the conquests she did in the party. Look at her now."

Sobering slightly, she nods in agreement. "Aye, we could. I still haven't said everything I know about what we shall go against, either." Aiming her red eyes at Gennadi, she tells him with a jerk of her head to step up from the pool.

• Gennadi manages to take most, if not all of the infuriating quality out of his grin as he bows low, a step up onto the water again and a backflip to solid land, going to one knee as he lands with a flourish. "I guess this means I don't get to repay you by washing your back?"

Selina de Windia: "Even I'm not dumb enough to try and claim those rights, Gennadi dear." Selina says, raising up one eyebrow, cocking one wing up in amusement.

Iselsis: The demon girl scrambles up and hops down off her high rock, briefly laying a fingertip on Gennadi so the water floods off of him and pools at his feet. She knew that much was safe, at least. Just no kissing of hands.

"Wouldn't want you to catch a cold right before the big battle, would we?"

Gennadi: "... no?" He sighs. "There goes my first excuse. Also, what rights? I assure you I'd get both sides of her back should she require assistance..."

Iselsis: And then she leans back against the rock she was just lying on, crossing her arms as she let's the others chatter away.

Vorpal: "Don't push it", Vorpal adds en passant, then turns away. "As far as I know, the General has seven bodyguards, all highly powerful Dragon-Blooded. On top of that, he rides a behemoth in the shape of a great wolf."

Iselsis: "So we're outnumbered and outgunned? Well that's a first.", she says sarcastically.

Vorpal: "Therefore", the Pale Angel goes on smoothly, as if she had expected Iselsis' comment... or pretended that the demon-blooded had not spoken at all, "Our best hope to win is by divide and conquer."

Selina de Windia: "Which will not be easy considering the General's bodyguard will always be around him."

Selina sighs as she thinks of the situation. Really, this will be a nasty fight. "And there is the issue of numbers."

Gennadi: "The numbers matter? It seems to me that if one can simply nullify the General, the rest of the numbers will sort themselves out."

Vorpal: "Indeed. Which is why we shall strike the General down before his bodyguards can react." Vorpal smiles a thin, dangerous smile as she says this. Her eyes have widened slightly, a confident, eager edge is snaking its way to her voice - the Pale Angel is beginning to warm up for the subject. "We will split in two groups. The Dark Angel and I will be one team, and the rest of you will be the other. The Jadeborn and her war strider will be our anchor. The rock around which the rest of you can fortify. Call it an appropriate thing for someone her kind if you wish, but her size and strength will help to keep the enemy at bay."

Selina de Windia: "They can." Selina replies to Gennadi, pursing her lips as she thinks. "If the General's rear isn't mixed into the battle, I can...wipe out a great deal of it in large swaths. Including any necromancers who might be at the rear."

"However, I'm having trouble deciding on whether that's worth forgoing the initial attack on the General."

Iselsis: "With all due respect, Lilith, but my talents are wasted if you want me to fight the Dragonblooded. I am an exorcist after all, and I doubt these dragonblooded will be quite as dead as they need to be for me to work my art on them."

Gennadi: "I must say, it seems to me as if this is a bit much on the conquer, and not enough on the divide. One target and one split nullifies very little interference... perhaps it is my utter lack of such things as thick armor and warding magics that makes me wary of simply bypassing such things as behemoths and cadres of exalts."

Vorpal: "As I know it, these are Dragon-Blooded Nemissaries", Vorpal turns to Iselsis. "Do they need to be incorporeal for you to use your talents against them?"

"Aine and myself will be taking care of the bypassing", she then responds to Gennadi. "The uppity little princess I call my horse can carry us to the other side of the General quickly and at the safe distance. All you need to do is to stay firm while your anima flare attracts the attention of the Dragon-Blooded. The moment they turn to you, the Dark Angel and I will launch our attack. I can get Aine to reach the General within an eyeblink. With any luck, she can strike him down before he can respond. After that, we will have the enemy inside a pincer. We should be able to take them down."

Gennadi: "I, ah, can't really be flaring like that... Heaven's rule, you see." He scratches at his head. "Not if I'm going to be of any use."

Ice: Uppity little princess. Hunh, Ice ponders as she enjoys Fiona's affections to her heart's content. Warrior queen would be the more proper term!

• Gennadi drums fingers on his arm. Now he needs to find something to agree with so the lady with the big sword doesn't hit him... "Besides, what do we do if we are without luck?"

Selina de Windia: "Heaven can go fuck itself. If Windia falls, Heaven will have alot of trouble. Some stupid salt gods threatened to call a 'censor' on me once." Selina sneers. "Never heard a thing."

Iselsis: "They just need to be necrotic, and not of this world. So that'll do fine, I suppose."

Vorpal: Vorpal lifts her eyebrows, taps her foot once or twice, then shrugs. "We'll just make sure we won't be without luck."

Selina de Windia: Selina seems a bit uneasy at that. "Um, we're going to fight an Abyssal and his Terrestrial honor guard all by ourselves?"

Gennadi: "Apparently!" He tosses off a salute. 'Oh, and his behemoth, too. I wish you luck with that one."

Selina de Windia: "You have a weapon, don't you? Even the most pathetic Terrestrial paper pusher has a weapon of some kind." Selina rises out of the hot spring, water sheeting down her form, and walks up to the Sidereal, standing behind him irritatedly.

"Let's see your weapon. Not the one between your legs either. The one for combat."

Fiona: "And... the rest of the army? I think I might be better with them, I... am not sure if I can handle heavy Exalted fighters, even with Opal's pillar..." She says, her hand running down Ice's neck. "So, let me get this straight, we call their fire, you jump on the big one?"

Vorpal: "We simply have to", the Pale Angel responds with a sigh and holds her hands over her chest. "Valencia's troops will be hard pressed to just stay alive as long as the General leads the Abyssal army. The Dragon-Blooded and the behemoth can wait, but we have to take the General down first. After that, we can always rally the Winlandians to drive our enemies away." Even as she speaks, she shifts her gaze and raises her chin slightly, following the spectacle unfurling between Selina and the Sidereal with some interest.

Iselsis: "Then might I suggest I join you two in the attack on the General. I still feel my talents will be put to better use there.", she shrugs a little. Part of her more polite and repeated requests were to keep an eye on the two abyssals. Then again, she was better suited for single target combat.

Selina de Windia: "Our kind isn't actually dead, however. Though we count as it for many things -- wards against the dead work against us to extent, I've noticed over the years." Selina replies to her sister.

"Or maybe I'm just so blasphemous that they work against only me. Never seen another deathknight near them, so I wouldn't know."

Gennadi: "Now, now, being in the middle of a fight hasn't stopped a bit of the old in-out before... A woman like you should know the ruling passions aren't that different." He sighs and unbuttons his shirt, shrugging out of it and spinning to catch it, a flick to the stiff collar draping the expensive silk across Selina's front. There, safe! He snaps his hand back to wrap the end of the fighting chain around his knuckles, the curves perfactly settling around each as if by magic.

The chain itself continues on, down his arm and to the shoulder, crisscrossing it's way across and around until it disappears into the waistband of his pants. He snaps his foot up lightning fast, holding a perfect position as he wavess it slowly in front of her face to display the light wrapping around the ankle, one smooth motion left to right.

Words in languages she knows and ones she doesn't, prototypes of languages even the fae have yet to dream of and simple suggestive curves, pictorials of failure, submission, and the joy of despair wrap across the links, the sheen of starmetal making it rather difficult to focus on any one link. "I fight with this on occasion." He taps his temple, dropping the foot to the ground with a whirr of sliced air. "But mostly I fight with this."

Iselsis: "Dead enough for it to count, as far as I know.", she shrugs again. "I'm fast and hard to see or catch, and work better fighting as extra firepower against one target than fighting off several. But I suppose I'm not the one in charge here, so it's not my call."

Fiona: She places a hand over her eyes, "So, not just he gets an eyeful of us all, but he does his own strip now?"

Gennadi: He steps aside, flamboyantly waving his hands to draw attention to Selina and the shirt "Hey, I was a gentleman. I'm ALWAYS a gentleman."

Iselsis: "So he does carry a weapon, how quaint!", she gives Gennadi a questioning look, "You do know how to use it, right?"

Vorpal: "I'll have to consider that", Vorpal says to Iselsis in low tones. Then, she raises a finger and speaks more loudly, with a strange half-smile on her face: "I'd like to suggest something. Put on clothes, will you?"

Gennadi: "This is a weapon? Damn, and I got it at the underwear shop."

• Gennadi pouts momentarily

Selina de Windia: "Good, you can choke out one of those Dragon-Blooded. Or perhaps the Behemoth." Selina says dryly, taking the shirt off of herself and draping it over Gennadi's shoulder.

Then she smiles wolfishly and sheaths her body in desireability, simple magic enhancing even its flaws to an odd sort of perfection. Right up next to the bastard. Too bad the sword isn't still between his legs. Her voice is razored, seductive amusement, her aura is taunting lust.

"You mistake me for someone with shame."

She's been wanton enough in the past to call him on that!

Vorpal: Vorpal stares at the wondrous creature of sin for a moment. A twitch in the corner of her eye is the only emotion she betrayes, and then she turns away with cold, deliberate step.

"...idiot. "

The word drips with nothing but disgust and disappointment.

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