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Shin Hyakuji High School Tvtropes
The Book that is Hyakuji's Story has come to a close. However, there are still plenty of stories left to be told in the madcap Anime Universe it inhabits. As one book closes, so too does another open. Presented by veteran Hyakuji Staff Members, check out the next generation EVOLUTION of "Anything-Goes" Anime Roleplaying at Senki Academy
The Book that is Hyakuji's Story has come to a close. However, there are still plenty of stories left to be told in the madcap Anime Universe it inhabits. As one book closes, so too does another open. Presented by veteran Hyakuji Staff Members, check out the next generation EVOLUTION of "Anything-Goes" Anime Roleplaying at Senki Academy
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| Der Ring des Nibelungen; Closed, Sophie. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 19 2014, 12:40 PM (753 Views) | |
| Pancake Mix | Feb 19 2014, 12:40 PM Post #1 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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Yuzuki had, of all days, brought three children from the Happy Hyakuji Daycare she worked at part-time to her dorm. There was Kiku, a girl whose parents Yuzuki got along very well with. Kiku's parents ran a Mom and Pop restaurant, and Yuzuki shared cooking techniques and recipes with them, as well as occasionally providing fresh produce from her garden for their specials menu. Locally grown by a student, tended with care, and deliciously crisp, Yuzuki's garden yield often sold out the day it arrived, though that was mostly due to limited supply. Kiku herself was a bit pushy, but always said sorry if scolded for hurting someone or their feelings. ![]() There was Hinata, a girl who tended to get into the craft supplies at the daycare and get very messy as a result. Hinata was an orphan, so Yuzuki made sure to provide herself as a surrogate mother figure, though she'd made it clear that if Hinata was adopted and got a "newer mommy", Yuzuki would still be her big sister. ![]() (Of course it was Yuzuki who had bought Hinata that cute little outfit.) And lastly, there was Isaac. The young boy's mute tendencies had prompted Yuzuki and Ms. Urushihara, her boss, to point a flashlight down his open mouth. They weren't doctors, but they identified that Isaac's vocal chords were very weak and undeveloped. So he COULDN'T speak, it wasn't that he was pathologically shy. The tiny, even for his age, and fragile-looking boy was currently eating some watermelon slices Yuzuki had provided them all with to calm them down after she worried them with her reaction to the phonecall. ![]() The day had been planned to be exploring the campus, Yuzu having brought them to her dorm to show them where she lived. Then came the emergency call from Ian regarding Sophie, and all hell broke loose. Yuzuki kept calm, but paced back and forth, staying on the conference call line with Ian and Alex to coordinate their timing. It was looking like Ian and Alex would arrive at the same time, so the poor kids would be exposed to the sight of Sophie's unconscious self. Alex had wisely demanded that Ian make himself look as gentle as possible, not difficult considering Ian was only 4 feet tall. Being short and frail-looking as a result of his severe biomass deficit went a long way to looking like a fairly harmless kid, albeit one capable of carrying Sophie over his shoulder the whole way. Alex arrived first, the elderly man dressed in a warm coat, trying to look serious, yet not harsh, for the children. ![]() "I'm sorry I took so long. Hello, Miss Saito, and hi kids. I'll be taking you over to the front gate, okay? Ms. Urushihara is coming to pick you all up." He gently laughed, trying to ease their tension around a stranger. "You won't have to put up with me for long, I promise." They were unsure. Yuzuki started to do her best to convince them. "It's okay! Hinata, Kiku, Isaac, I'm really sorry about this happening. I'll try to bake some cookies to bring on Thursday, to make it up to you!" This earned a few cheered-up murmers. Alex seemed like a jolly old man (he really was not the jolly sort at all), they could- Alex froze. Isaac froze too, both looking at each other. ".....Of all places...Graham, you heartless-!" He cut off his muttering, which not even the soft-voiced Yuzuki could hear correctly, resuming the matter at hand. "Ahem, sorry, just remembered a chore to run later." He was back to smiling at them, looking the part of kindly old man. "It'll be quick, Ms. Urushihara is only a few minutes away, we'll probably get to the gate after she does." And then Ian came in, in his dwarf body, carrying Sophie. "Yeah, hi. I figured that waiting around was not a good idea given the circumstances." Yuzuki pulled Sophie off Ian's shoulder, cradling her carefully and setting her unofficial foster daughter on her own bed. The look on Yuzu's face said it all, sad, wide-eyed attention focused completely on Sophie. Alex tried to corral the three kids over to himself, but they were all worried about Yuzuki and, to a lesser extent, Sophie. Hinata and Isaac faintly recognized Sophie as having visited the daycare once, but it was a long time ago for them. Kiku had never seen her before. This was...not working. "Kids, I'm sorry. It'll be fine, Miss Saito always makes things okay, right? Everything will be okay, that girl's fine, she's just really tired out after a long day." Alex did his best to calm their concerns, but so many new people and unfamiliar situations were making them very anxious. Isaac actually hugged onto Yuzuki's leg, almost immediately joined by Hinata and Kiku. They'd been taught that hugs made things better, and they wanted Mama Yuzu to stop looking sad. Although, they themselves wanted to be comforted to, and Yuzu not only had her soft furisode fabric, but also a very calming presence (as per her aura). She smelled like a mom should too, they thought! Like fresh, hot bread. That was just because Yuzuki gave them that notion herself, mind you. "I don't think they're gonna let go." "Oh, thank you for your astute observation." Edited by Pancake Mix, Feb 19 2014, 12:41 PM.
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| Sophia Antistita | Feb 20 2014, 04:59 AM Post #2 |
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When Yuzuki set Sophia down on her bed she would notice that the Valkyrie would have mostly reverted to her normal appearance, though a particular silver streak is still evident in the front of her hair. Sophia’s breathing was a bit ragged, but her condition had improved greatly since being released and carried on Ian’s shoulder, and now she looked as if she was merely sleeping, albeit rather uncomfortably. Shortly after her eyelids flickered slightly, as if in response to her adoptive mother’s presence, and they slowly opened. “M…mama…?” Curiously one of her eyes was still red, but looked calm and at ease. “Where… Where is thi… You!!” Her eyes had caught sight of Ian standing near the back of the group as she was looking around and she bolted upright, only to be stopped by a coughing fit. Sophia regained her composure a moment later, but instead of trying to lunge at Ian again she laid back down in defeat. It didn’t take her long to realize that the young man had carried her to Yuzuki’s room after… after… After what? Her head throbbed and she put a hand against it in an attempt to soothe the pain. Her memory was hazy, as if someone had pulled a veil over it. She remembered going to the auxiliary building, running into Ian there, and him threatening Yuzuki. After that he mentioned he had sold his soul to the devil and she attacked him in a rage, but beyond that she didn’t have a clue. “W…what happened? The last thing I remember is me pinning… him…” She stared at Ian again, though more in confusion than in hostility. “Against a wall and he…” She was about to say he liquefied his head, but realized there were children present, so left out that last rather gory detail. “…It’s true then?” There was a slight hint of hurt in Sophia’s voice when she peeled her eyes away from Ian to look at Yuzuki again. “Did you send him to… investigate me..?” |
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| Pancake Mix | Feb 20 2014, 10:23 AM Post #3 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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Yuzuki frowned, and hung her head shamefully. That said it all, but she elaborated. "Sophie, dear, you haven't been yourself lately. Yes, I did request his assistance, specifically because of his notoriously provocative reputation." Alex shot Ian a glare. He was STILL up to those stupid antics, trying to piss off as many people as possible? Did he have some sort of daily quota?! And to the point where he was KNOWN for it! Most people who heard Yuzuki called "Mama" were confused by it, but it was a simple matter to see that the young lady was extremely maternal, that Sophia had issues of some sort, and based on the implements and items around the dorm, Yuzuki took care of many people. "You've been hiding this from me. I don't blame you for whatever it is, but from the sound of what happened, I was correct in suspecting something was wrong. I'd have not asked someone else to intervene had I thought I'd have been able to learn of the matter myself." She looked up, quite obviously upset with herself rather than Sophie for all this. "Please though, Sophie dear, rest now...Ian, can you give us the details?" She pet the children on their heads and doted on them for a bit while he did so, making it obvious that he should leave out certain details. "Yeah, it was pretty straightforward. The important thing is that Sugarpuff there doesn't remember most of it. What I did was imitate the stereotypical 'bad guy' and said the most offensive things possible about you, Princess. I know how to incite people, as you said, and she went ballistic." Ian gestured with his hands, ALMOST starting to twist them into a miniature replication before stopping, as if this situation as a whole made the kids nervous, his prowess in action would be traumatizing. Actually, he made it deliberately clear on purpose that he was about to do so before stopping, as a nonverbal cue to Sophie that he was, like her, taking into account the children. "She attacked me, and I'll be the first to say I'm not a very rational-thinking guy. I'm impulsive, hot-headed, and out of control usually." Alex scoffed. "Anyway, I explained the situation, and to be fair it's not unreasonable for her not to have believed me. But I pointed out that she could give you a phone call and ask you to confirm. Needless to say she- okay, I'm going to need some food, I'm sorry, I'm too weak after what happened." Yuzuki gestured to a nearby cabinet, which held some produce of hers along with some semi-perishable food. Kiku and Hinata did not like Ian, he looked scary even though he wasn't very big or any different-looking than a person. Plus, from what they understood, Ian was not someone "Big Sis" Sophie liked, and that was enough. Isaac meanwhile was glancing at Alex periodically, the two of them fixated on each other. Isaac had only seen pictures of Dr. Vaner, but knew who he was quite precisely. Alex, meanwhile, was suppressing outrage, albeit very skillfully, at what Isaac's presence implied to him. It was a matter of severity to him, but the current context was not appropriate for it. Ian retrieved a jar of peanut butter, selecting it for its caloric and protein content. It was the most efficient delivery of nutrients among what Yuzuki had, and even in this context he'd rather not devour her whole pantry. Ian was rude, yes, but "Princess" as he called her commanded his fear and some respect, as did Alex, and their combined presence kept his fireball nature in check. "Hey, kids, magic trick time. Now you see it..." He turned away from them as he absorbed the whole jar of peanut butter into his torso, scouring its contents away and digesting the precious nutrients, out of sight. After he did so, he played pretend upon turning back around to them. "Where'd it go? And a one, and a two, annnnd..." The cap then popped out from his lower back, clattering to the floor. "Presto!" Yuzuki bought peanut butter jars made of plant oil-based plastics that were highly biodegradable, which meant Ian could actually digest them too. The cap was the exception, being made out of tougher, more conventional plastic, though it could still be recycled. "Get on with the story, Ian!" "I am, geeze! Just needed some time to get energy! Alright, so here's the thing. At that point, she started sounding different. Her voice is like that now, but here's what she sounded like after that point. Which is, I notice, right where she stops being able to remember!" Ian tweaked his vocal chords easily to reproduce the voice Sophie...or rather, NOT Sophie, had spoken in. Although he got the exact phrasing wrong. "I think the world's better off with less of you!" "...At that point, I gave Sugarpuff one of my little rants about choices and motives. I brought up how her hostility was not something you'd likely approve of, and set out a very simple choice. War, like me? Or peace, like you?" He let the air hang a bit in silence, as the facts of circumstances at the present made it obvious which was chosen. Yuzuki looked at Sophie, unsure of what to say about this until she'd heard everything. However, to make it clear she would love her anyway, she sat beside Sophie and rested the girl's head in her lap, holding one of her hands. Kiku and Hinata huddled close to Yuzuki, being the source of comfort in the room. "I demanded she make a choice, and I told her all I cared about was that it was HER choice. Thing is, how she responded..." "It wasn't her choice." "Bingo. The fact her memory blanks out RIGHT when her voice changed..." Ian let the implication hang a few seconds, thinking it to be pretty clear. "Now, she started speaking in what was soooorta German, and as luck would have it, I can roughly translate." Alexander nodded, the old man having very obviously German features, and being Ian's adopted parent, the explanation was simple. Sophie had spoken in Icelandic, to be precise, but shared Nordic roots to the point where Ian could get the gist of it. "She said, and I'm paraphrasing here since I wasn't exactly thinking about committing it to memory at the time..." He shifted his voice back to the imitation: "Valkyries, great heroes of Ragnarok, hear my prayer!" At that point, however, he was less able to interpret her words, and asked Alex for help. "Er, gimme a hand here, what's a good way to put "kostr sjálfr sem yðarr líkami" in Japanese?" "...Very roughly... "Invest an alternate self in my body." Between this and the memory loss at the point of vocal change, an explanation for the changes in behavior Miss Saito seems to have witnessed emerges." Ian agreed. "She attacked me, and as you can see there's a lot less of me than normal." And indeed, he WAS two feet shorter than usual. "I did what I could to, er...well, she's okay, isn't she? I subdued her the best I could and brought her here." He paused, before interrupting the subject very abruptly, curiosity insatiable even if not appropriate to the situation. "How's Eva?" It was subtle, though Alex noticed it, but Eva was the only one of the "family" of room 308 Ian referred to by name rather than a nickname, though "Eva" itself was a nickname to be precise. He called Sophie "Sugarpuff" and Yuzuki "Princess", though that one wasn't unique to his use. Eva was, subtly, someone he esteemed highly enough to use her more proper name. |
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| Sophia Antistita | Feb 21 2014, 04:47 AM Post #4 |
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Sophia merely nodded when Yuzuki confirmed Ian’s words. Now that she had some time to calmly think about it, the motherly girl had been right to do this. The Valkyrie had been on edge recently due to various events, but like always chose to hide it to keep her friends, especially her adoptive family, from worrying. Looks like she wasn’t good enough at that, either that or Yuzuki knew her too well. She was silent as well when Ian started telling the story of what happened, and remained so until he finished. Most of it was in line with what she remembered, and she did remember saying that she thought it’d be better if there were less of people like Ian around. That voice however… it was hers, but yet it wasn’t. It sounded as if it had been distorted, or perhaps combined with someone else’s. That’s when her memory started to become fuzzy. Apparently she had then attacked Ian out of rage… and even invoked her most powerful spell. “Thine humble servant, Sophia Antistita, offers her body as thine avatar.” Sophia finally broke her silence, looking up at Ian and Alex as the latter translated part of her incantation. “Like the incantation suggests the spell involves the caster giving his or her body to the Valkyrie spirit, essentially letting them possess them. I’ve used the spell many times, but I always stayed conscious during the transformation and remembered everything before. Though… I’ve never used old Norse before, only Latin…” That was probably a minor point all things considered, but it might be a clue to what’s going on. As for Eva, the gynoid was undergoing some maintenance with Maria right now, but Sophia wouldn’t know that. She did tell Yuzuki though, didn’t want mama to be worried after all. |
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| Pancake Mix | Feb 24 2014, 06:46 PM Post #5 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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Ian snickered, Alex sighed, and Yuzuki was silent. The three proceeded to talk over each other momentarily, Yuzu almost inaudible: "Go figure that you'd" "is a proble" "tell me anything" "s war!" "uncertain.." It then stopped, Alex taking charge by tipping his hand at Yuzuki, glancing at Ian to prompt both of them to defer to Yuzu first. "Thank you. Sophie...I'm not upset at you, please never think that's the case. I love you." Alex's eyes widened a tiny bit, at the sincerity in Yuzuki's voice. The old, very bitter man had felt more calm than usual, due to her aura of serenity. This was not a normal young woman, was she? "And so I'm really concerned. Very, deeply worried. I don't expect to press my world views on anyone...but from what this tells me, we need to have a discussion about you. I want to know what's troubling you, what's hurting you so much that something like this happens. Anger doesn't exist in a vacuum, it always has a cause...please let me at least try to help you with those causes?" Ian kept quiet, edging towards the door. This was no longer a situation he felt the need to be a part of, and was very uncomfortable being around Yuzuki and hearing her. She scared him. Alex didn't intervene with that, but shot Ian an indistinct glance all the same before speaking up. "Whether this is about choices, ethics, or bottled-up problems, the immediate, practical concern is that she blacked out. If she's allowing herself to be possessed...I do not mean to alarm you..." Pause. "If she's had control in the past, but lacked it this time, that implies a degradation, a decrease in her ability to stay in control. Miss, do you recall any other times you've blacked out like this? The worst case scenario would be that such events will occur more and more frequently as you lose grip on your control." "It's not something I wish to suggest lightly, nor do I want panic to supersede rational consideration..." They were, after all, teenagers. Hormones and a lack of self-control were the stereotype, but Alex was actually basing his assumption on the relative lack of experience. This was not likely to be something they'd encountered before or could likely have a practiced response to. The children, by that point, were very frightened, able to understand the basics of what was being explained. Hinata and Kiku squeezed themselves into Yuzuki, while Isaac- Ian intervened. "Right, I don't CARE if I'm being scary or forceful. Kids, front gate time." He proceeded to yank Hinata and Kiku onto his shoulders, which broadened out under his shirt to support them easily. Isaac was snatched up into his arms, carried bridal style, Ian able to support the three lightweight children fairly easily. They were immediately distressed by this, and the two little girls started hitting his head while making very distinctly unhappy noises, actually raising their voices in alarm. Isaac was more like a doll, both due to his very small stature and docile cooperation, though Ian quickly noticed that he was heavier than he looked. He began to carry the three kids out, amid squealing, earning a cringe from Yuzuki, who began to rise in protest, and an exasperated grunt from Alex. Neither were sure if they should stop him, but at the same time, this matter was quickly getting into territory not suitable for young ears. |
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| Sophia Antistita | Feb 25 2014, 08:38 AM Post #6 |
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Sophia leaned towards Yuzuki a bit like the other children present. “I…I’ll tell you another time Yuzuki…” Perhaps because of Ian and Alex’s presence, the girl didn’t want talk about such a sensitive matter right now. It was clear that the children were quite distressed too, and talking about her reasons would probably upset them more, so she decided to keep quiet about that for now. Back to the issue at hand… Alex’s words weren’t new to her, and she knew the risks involved in using her spell well. She had been using it rather frequently recently too… In Olympus, in the Netherworld, and that time at the waterfall… The girl closed her eyes for a moment, causing memories of that time to flash across her mind. She winced as if struck hard, but soon relaxed and opened her eyes again. “ I’ve never blacked out before. Though… I think there’s truth in what you said. I’ve always acted differently while transformed, but when I face certain types of enemies I tend to lose myself…” Her voice trailed off, unwilling to talk about the sheer bloodbath and carnage she had wrought, let alone in front of children. “A…anyways! I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, I’ve just been using this spell too often recently. I’m sure things will return to normal if I rest up.” Honestly speaking she didn’t know if that was truly the case, but she didn’t want to cause more of a fuss than she already did. Fortunately for her a knock came at the door and it opened to reveal Eva holding a bag of various snacks. “Yuzuki? Maintenance completed ahead of schedule so I purchased some refreshments for the children.” Instead of Yuzuki and the children however, she saw a bed-ridden Sophia with an unfamiliar man next to her and yet another unfamiliar man carrying the three clearly distressed children with an equally distressed looking Yuzuki watching. The gynoid instantly dropped her bags and took a stance. “Unhand the children immediately.” … Yes she’s misunderstanding this as a hostage situation. But could you blame her? Two strange men were in the room that was her home, though the one holding the children seemed familiar somehow, and he was reading like someone she had met quite a while ago… But that wasn’t important. She first had to save her friends first (or so she thought). |
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| Pancake Mix | Mar 1 2014, 03:37 PM Post #7 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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Ian, thoroughly exasperated and in zero mood for further exposition and justification, proceeded to shove Isaac into her arms while letting Kiku and Hinata slip down. They all recognized Eva from her visit to the daycare, the 'cool robot' as the boys found her, the 'giant doll' to the girls, and the gynoid Isaac had been quite affectionate to to him. "Awesome, I will GLADLY do so, you go right ahead and take them, thanks a bunch!" Grunting in pure irritation, a rare moment of IAN being annoyed by repeated conflict, he was calmed a bit by Eva's presence. He lacked the discretionary mass to shift into Jean to identify himself, but gave a rapidfire, terse explanation. "Alright, this happened. Yuzuki asked me to..." ![]() "-so I brought her here after. YOU are someone I need to talk to, as a matter of fact, and I want some time outside to recoup strength, so since the kiddies here like you, easier for us to go together." Ian, notably, used Yuzuki and Sophia's names rather than nicknames when speaking to Eva. Hinata and Kiku were calmed by being with Eva, and Isaac had warmly snuggled into her body, smiling in delight at being reunited. He was mute as ever, unable to speak, but the happiness beaming up at her spoke for itself. If she scanned his biometrics, however, boy would she be in for a load of surprises. He would be registered as a flower for one thing... Alex stayed silent, though when he made a gesture to Yuzuki asking if he was to leave, she shook her head. "Please stay, sir, you seem to know of these matters, and at very least are much more familiar with the nature of anything Norse than I would be." He assented, prepared to offer advice and act as interpreter if necessary. And boy did he furrow his brow at Eva, recognition once again plaguing his thoughts. The past few minutes had been shocking, first the S3 being confirmed, now he'd seen DARPA's semiconductor skin at work, though his expression remained dormantly neutral. He retained a contact network within the US Military, despite being retired, often consulted for this or that, and had heard down the grapevine of Colonel Spurence, at some point promoted to GENERAL Spurence in the intervening years. He remained authorized to be informed of classified matters, and his lips were sealed on vital matters he'd been occasionally consulted with, generally areas of overlapping disciplines. Alex's encyclopedic mind was not almighty, he flat-out didn't have the TIME to learn everything about everything to say the least, but because of his broad knowledge and uncanny analytic and calculative skills, he was a go-to resource for involving multiple fields at once, as that meant a specialist didn't have to be given security clearance, keeping the number of possible leaks minimal. He pretended to be watching Ian and Eva interact, but he was focused entirely on the duo of Eva and Isaac. S3, and what seemed to be some madman's attempt to make the ages-old idea of an auto-soldier a reality. Academic curiosity gripped him, he'd relish a chance to analyze Eva or at least question her. Pretending to get a buzz at his phone, Alex wrote a quick text message to Ian, set on a five minute delay before it would be sent: "Please ask her if she could predict how each of the children would react to something." In short, Alex was requesting that Ian test Eva's empathy. His ulterior motive for doing so was to test Ian's own, immediately realizing that Ian's lifelong lack of empathetic understanding was very likely comparable to that of the automata. He knew very well that Ian would be very annoyed at him for probing at Eva with such a question, and that Ian would very likely reveal the text message to her. It was a test of them both, as well as intended to subtly guide both of them into paying attention to the kids, which would lead likely to scrutiny on Isaac/S3 and some insight into him. As for Eva...could the "Ace of R&D", someone he'd never met, be behind this? He'd been gently ribbed a few times by old colleagues and newer faces, that Mr. 15 (dear god he hated the fact people still called him that!) himself had been replaced with a way cuter, more modern upgrade. Alex had responded very angrily to any code names involving the number 15, and had ultimately been referred to in classified files as "Razor". The constantly evaluating, permanent state of calculation and analysis Alex was in gave him a very pointed, cold gaze, and his old prowess with iron manipulation hadn't been forgotten. Not to mention his sharp mind, though various people, annoyed that Alex could NOT let the past go over the 15 thing, had deliberately advocated the codename due to the connotations of violence and blood it had. Alex also took it as a joke at his beard. Musing all the while on Eva and Isaac, lost in thought, he lost track of Sophia and Yuzuki. "If losing control of yourself is nothing to worry about, Sophie, I'm not sure what would be..." At any rate, Yuzuki was concerned, dryly suggesting that this, no, WASN'T something to dismiss. She was relieved, though, that Eva was here to help smooth things over. Eva's cuteness would surely win some smiles from the kids! "If you want us to have a private period to talk about this discreetly, please don't hesitate to say so, I'm sure Mr. Vaner will oblige." Alex, upon being addressed by his family name, returned to attention, and subsequently realized that his surname-sake had quite the relevance to a Valkyrie situation. Coincidence, of course, but Alex was always connecting ideas and correlating statistics even if they were pointless. Edited by Pancake Mix, Mar 1 2014, 03:52 PM.
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| Sophia Antistita | Mar 3 2014, 01:54 PM Post #8 |
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Eva was quite taken by surprise when she found Isaac bodily shoved into her arms and when Kiku and Hinata came running to her. She didn’t know what was going on, but with the children safe she was free to act. Ushering the kids to stand behind her, she listened to Ian explain the situation but remained unconvinced, that is until… “… It’s alright Eva, he’s not an… enemy.” Sophia’s word reassured Eva somewhat, but the gynoid remained cautious of both Ian and Alex. Sensing this, Sophia gave Eva a reassuring smile. “Please do as he says, the children shouldn’t be here right now.” It took all of a minute for Eva to override her tactical assessment in favour of her friend’s words and gave a curt nod to Ian before leading the children outside, pausing for a moment to pick up the bag of snacks she had dropped. Once outside Eva waited for Ian to join them, making sure to keep herself between Ian and the kids. “Before we conduct any conversation I require some information from you.” She ran all sorts of scans on him and eventually found a match in her memory banks. But that shouldn’t be possible, the person with the exact same readings as Ian was a female, in appearance at least. “Who are you? I have encountered someone similar to you, a monozygotic twin perhaps?” -------------------Back in Yuzuki’s room…------------------- With the children safely out of earshot, Sophia relaxed a bit now that she was free to talk. The girl actually smiled a bit, Yuzuki knew her too well to accept that this was something that can just be easily dismissed. “Haha… yeah, you’re right…” The smile faded off her lips as her dual coloured eyes fell upon Alex. She wasn’t sure about having a stranger hearing such things, but if Yuzuki trusts him… “It’s alright, he seems like he can be of help.” Sure enough Alex seems to know his stuff, even knowing her signs of degrading. “Like you said… my hatred came from very deep roots. I doubt it’s a rare story in a city like Hyakuji, but I’ve lost my family, friends, and home to demons and the undead. They killed everyone in my village like animals…” Her hands clenched the bedsheets tightly. “But they didn’t get everyone, seems they realized their mistake and came to finish the job recently though. Hah, they had no idea what they were up against.”A slight grin showed on her features, but unlike before it appeared more feral in nature. “This time it was them who faced the butcher’s blade…” |
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| Pancake Mix | Mar 4 2014, 10:58 AM Post #9 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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Ian was sorely tempted to demonstrate the shift into Jean, but declined to do so as he lacked the mass to be that frivolous with his body. So he leaned to the side of the path and snatched up a handful of grass and dirt. Clenching it in his hand, he demonstrated his flesh engulfing it and absorbing the biomass. "This'll be our little secret...Jean, the girl you met? That's me. Biokinesis, that's what I do, and I've found that disguise pretty handy. I'd show you, but like I said, I'm seriously blown out after that there...kerfuffle. And that time with the piano...Ah, Eva, I have not forgotten you. Remember how I even told you back then I sold my soul? Sophia did not enjoy that tidbit, like I said. So there's a link between times, right?" The children had by this point begun to ignore anything Ian said, they didn't like him, though Isaac seemed to be an exception, more neutral and curious. Though, Isaac was holding Eva's hand and strongly focusing on her. Kiku stuck her tongue out at Ian when Eva wasn't looking at her, Ian responded immediately with the same! However, he grinned widely as he began to explain why he esteemed Eva so highly and treated her with actual respect, a rarity for him. "I'd like to, y'know, sum things up a tad. You're very exciting to me, Eva. I have a huge focus on identity and self-definition. You're marvelous...wonderful. Proof to me that a self can arise from raw logic, that the chaos of free will can emerge from pure order. Not only that, but you've made yourself what you are. Eva is as Eva chooses...It's kind of hilarious, how this works out! I sold my soul, and the old gentleman told me to always remember...'you chose this'. I kinda picked up on that, myself. We're our choices. We're what we make ourselves. You, Eva, are an embodiment of my values and beliefs. How I view the world and its people...is perfectly captured in you!" ----- Alex took one look at the face Sophia was getting and shot a glance at Yuzuki. This was her field. Stepping out the dorm's door, he then held his palm out, gathering iron particles from the building's infrastructure and even some in the earth's crust, a thick iron door appearing to seal Yuzuki and her daughter in rather than risk conflict spilling out. Yuzuki took a risk she didn't like. She stood up, and watched her dear Sophie...change. "...Go on, Sophie...please explain...let me hear it." Yuzuki wished to confront the entity of rage that was possessing and taking over her daughter. She kept a calm, placid demeanor on her face, but was saddened to see this happening to her precious Sophie. Appreciating the iron wall sealing them into the dorm, she was highly averse to fighting, but it seemed like this war-spirit cared only for such. Yuzuki formulated a few choice words to give the being. |
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| Sophia Antistita | Mar 5 2014, 06:00 AM Post #10 |
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The sight of Ian absorbing the grass and dirt into his flesh was… new for Eva. Then again anyone who saw it would probably be surprised, or even disturbed. The gynoid quietly noted what she saw along with what Ian said into her file on him, including the part about him also being Jean. “So you are able to assume other forms I assume? A very useful ability.” She made a note to run biometric scans on her friends as well in the future, just in case it was Ian in disguise. But… that might not be necessary, seeing how his interest in her did not appear hostile. Rather, it seemed more… friendly, or even admiring. “And what do you wish to do now that you have found ‘an embodiment of your values and beliefs’?” The gynoid was monotone as ever, but despite knowing what he thought of her his intentions were still unclear. As she spoke she idly began splitting the snacks she brought amongst the children, some chocolate, chips, and candy, even some juice boxes. “Do you wish to monitor me? Study me? Or perhaps enshrine me?” She might come off as rude, but this was the first time that someone had told her this, and from what she could find, people tended to want to preserve an embodiment like her. ------------------------------------------------- “I KILLED THEM ALL!!” Sophia’s eyes shot wide as her words echoed in the room. “Those cowards had already caught me off guard, but they weren’t sastisfied with that and had to outnumber me too! Hahaha… They were going to have their way with me too, and even had me pinned at one point, but I fought back and killed them thanks to this power, thanks to San…” Her voice abruptly cut off as if someone had clamped their hand over her mouth, and the two girls were left in an eerily silent room. Sophia hadn’t even noticed when Alex leave the room or seal them inside in some kind of metal enclosure, but she did notice Yuzuki watching her. Twin trails of tears fell from her eyes and she quickly turned away, wiping them away. “T…that’s all… I…I’m s…sorry…” |
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| Pancake Mix | Apr 7 2014, 09:18 AM Post #11 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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Ian, thoroughly amused by Eva's question, gestured to the children and quieted down. He'd be waiting for the kids to be taken by the Urushihara lady. They were a little upset to go, but the snacks and Eva, along with Yuzuki promising them earlier, pacified them somewhat. Now that the impressionable youngsters were gone, Ian could relax a bit, though was still very hungry. Sitting down near Eva on the dirt, four tentacles stabbed from his back into the soil, slowly feeding upon subterranean mass to replenish himself. It was very inefficient, but reliable. "Befriend you. I don't have any friends, I don't get along so well with most people. I don't want to study you, you're a person, not a statistic. I want to get to know you more, spend time with you even. Like I said, you're a very important example of what I esteem. However..." Ian narrowed his eyes somewhat, his voice dropping in tone just a bit. "You are also important for another factor, your mechanical body. For one, you don't age. Due to my biological powers, I'm never going to die naturally. I need not fear your loss! And related...you're sturdy and strong. You can keep me in check, even my greatest offenses are lackluster against metal." He paused momentarily, before grinning very wide. Not ear to ear, but it was significantly larger than a human could normally smile, showing off the fact that Ian lacked molars and had teeth that would make Jaws ring up a lawyer. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those types here who has a split personality. Eh, Jean might sorta count actually...uh, anyway! What I mean is that I don't need to worry about losing sight of my ideals and goals. I'm a tough guy, Eva, and I'm only getting tougher every day. Power is an obsession, and I always strive for more. If I ever get jaded and give up on my visions, you can stop me." As he joked, he didn't have an 'evil side'. Ian was Ian, and he didn't foresee himself losing control (in that regard) or acting against his beliefs. If he was evil in some way, and he accepted that he probably was, it was him and him alone, not some alter ego. Despite essentially asking Eva to strike him down, or at least knock sense into him, if he betrayed himself, he was visibly ecstatic. Ian's eyes were wide, gleaming with anticipation, and his gestures got a bit more pronounced as he continued to absorb mass from the soil. "And also...we can have a sort of symbiotic relationship. Assisting in each others' growth. You've no doubt caught on to the fact I'm a big wonk on the idea of the ego and individual. Pride, Eva! Let us revel in it! Esteem yourself, and evolve! You don't get normal folks, and neither do I, but we can get each other exactly because we don't really understand the norm." That was...questionable logic, but not completely wrong. Ian, notably, showed zero fear or unease caused by Eva's flat mannerisms. She moved in ways that were subtly "off", plunging into the uncanny valley for most humans due to lacking correct body language. Like he said, he didn't 'get' people, and his lack of empathetic connection and understanding with others was actually rendering him perfectly comfortable with her. "I want to see you succeed and flourish. Prosper, and develop! The ideas, the very cores of what I believe in, I want to see them proven true! I want to see an ego, a will, an individual, a truly strong PERSON! Ihihihihi! Hyeaha!" He was giggling and laughing now! "Eva! To choose your own identity and arise from void into greatness! You are more human than any human I have yet met!" Ian's general mania and love of grandiosity were obvious, the guy absolutely loved hamming out with theatrics and extreme enthusiasm. |
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| Sophia Antistita | Apr 7 2014, 01:15 PM Post #12 |
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Eva could only stare back at Ian with her usual stoic expression, a sharp contrast to the young man who laughing, manically even. Most people probably would be unnerved by Ian at this point, or even outright creeped out, but the gynoid took it all in stride. “While you present a logical argument, this is a sudden development.” In Eva’s eyes, this is essentially the first time they’ve met. They did have a meeting once long ago, with Ian posing as Jean at the time, but they were never introduced. So basically here was a stranger asking her for an interdependent relationship that could possibly last till the end of time. “I understand what you’re saying Ian, do not misunderstand. You and I both have things we can offer each other, but I do not know you enough to make such an important choice at this time. To put it simply, I do not trust you.” …Quite blunt, isn’t she? One does not simply put their future developments in the hands of someone you just met; it was pure logic, straight and simple. Eva didn’t quite understand the concept of empathy either, so she saw no reason to sugar-coat her words. “However, I am willing to establish a preliminary relationship with you first, or as you call it, ‘befriend’ you.” Unlike him, Ian wouldn’t be Eva’s first friend, but this IS the first time anyone has straight up told her they wanted to be her friend. She found it most curious, how does one befriend another person anyways? This would be a good chance to find out, so the gynoid held out her hand to Ian. “Is that acceptable? |
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| Pancake Mix | Apr 13 2014, 02:28 PM Post #13 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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"Absolutely!" With no hesitation, Ian grabbed Eva's hand firmly and shook it with his typical amount of enthusiasm: excess. The grin plastered on his face didn't seem like it'd be leaving any time soon. "You're smart. Not trusting me is a pretty good idea, given I've dropped in out of relatively nowhere. Well, I mean, I remember that time you were playing the piano and I gave you some tasty tidbits of advice. Soul or no soul, you've got an ego, and I mean that in the golden-oldies sense. An identity. I hope that advice worked out for you!" He wasn't offended or frustrated in the slightest, and quite the contrary, he applauded her for it. Eva excited him, but to be perfectly honest, his usual mania masked the fact he was genuinely happy. Not predatory, not hysteric, not trying to disturb anyone on purpose like usual. Actually delighted! "I've got a friend now! My first one! Oh Eva, you never forget your first!" That innuendo would sail right above the cute gynoid's head most likely...probably for the best. "Hard to believe it's this simple...well, I mean, no, not SIMPLE. It was a lot of complicated stuff leading to asking you. Let's be honest here, people think I'm an impulsive fireball of crazy. I picked my first friend verrrrry carefully, for all the reasons I described." "Ihihihi~" Ian's giggle followed. Based on the muscle movements at his jaws, cheeks, and around his eyes, it could be assumed he was extremely happy. The downside to all his talk about individuality and...provocative nature...was relative loneliness. Heck, not even relative. Before Eva, there was only one person Ian identified as anything close to a friend, and that was the devil! And he knew that wasn't exactly reciprocated. "I'm not gonna ask you for a date or anything. Yet. Frankly, as long as I'm being honest, I'm pretty tempted to go down that route. Respect, caring for what the other person means in the world...hah! I'm probably just a blitzkrieg of confusing and sudden ideas, ain't I?" He hadn't let go of her hand, and squeezed it fondly. Ian didn't really understand love, let alone feel it. But given Eva was his only friend, he did muse that if anyone would help that along, it'd be her. Really, Ian was aware of his flaws. He wasn't EXACTLY a sociopath, he did have empathy to a very tiny degree, it was just difficult to express or recognize. On top of that, he was ruthless, vicious, amoral, and an utter dick. Fun as all that was, being a homicidal maniac wasn't too productive. And as he thought about that, his grin faded...though perked right back up about 5 seconds after. Ian greatly esteemed the creation of value and making things in the world mean something. He had never been able to do that himself, it all looked pretty crappy to him, hence why Eva was the first person he'd ever desired as a friend and companion. He stole and assimilated, synthesizing, to be sure, and he'd grown very powerful from it. Had he created anything? Had he brought meaning into a world so devoid of it? Ian wasn't unhappy about the lack of meaning in the world, he thought it was a responsibility of the people, of those of strong character, to give and create meaning. The problem was, he'd never done so, because he couldn't. He couldn't care about anything besides himself enough to consider it meaningful. Tearing apart false values and showing people what he thought of the things they found meaningful? Sure, easy as pie, and just as tasty. Eva was different. Eva had made...Eva. And that was certainly meaningful. He couldn't resist musing that out loud. "You made who you are...and you made you matter. THAT is the strength, the power, I hunger to see." In himself and others. |
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| Sophia Antistita | Apr 14 2014, 06:37 AM Post #14 |
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Eva had never seen anyone quite so… ecstatic as Ian looked when she agreed to be his friend, let alone for something like this. It was honestly a bit strange, though she showed no sign of discomfort. “I suppose I should congratulate you then.” The gynoid tilted her head in curiosity. Humans were social animals, so desiring friends was nothing unexpected. In fact she was more curious about how Ian coped with having no friends before. “Though I hope that having someone as inexperienced as myself to be your first is satisfactory.” While her stoic expression wouldn’t show it, there was a subtle hint of hesitance in her voice. “My human interactions mostly were initiated by others, so I do not know what ‘befriending someone’ entails. How do people become friends exactly?” Maybe Ian wasn’t the best person to ask, but it should be an interesting experience for the two of them. His comment about being tempted to ask her on a date didn't go unnoticed mind you, the gynoid just chose to ignore it. She still hardly had any ideas about friendship, so something like romance was a concept that was out of her grasp. Besides, from what she had seen in various stories, dating does not occur until the couple had known each other for some time, so even if she was looking for a partner Ian doesn't meet that criteria just yet. |
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| Pancake Mix | Apr 16 2014, 09:58 AM Post #15 |
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"OH GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "That reaction is how I KNOW I did a good job!"
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How do people become friends? Ian saw it as simple. "Well, other people do this sort of long, extended implied thing. They'll rarely ever say "be my friend" or "you're my friend now", to be sure, which I think is weird. If people want friends, why don't they ask for them outright? As far as I'm concerned, friendship is something that grows, it isn't a yes or no thing." He traced out an arc in the air with one of his fingers, using his other hand to give alternating thumbs up and thumbs down to contrast visually. "Friends do things together so they get to evaluate more and more of their friends' identities, seeing what kind of person they're really like through demonstration. The more time spent, is the more time they get to know them, and the more they know them and like them, the better friends they are." That was Ian's understanding of the topic. Very, very basic, and pretty devoid of emotional attachment. He himself thought it was flawed and incomplete, but it was the best he could do. That said, given no emotional attachment was given in the explanation, it was possibly easier for Eva to understand. Ian wasn't sure whether or not to tell her that he had only a rudimentary idea. |
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