maskormenacelogs | poetry with amber imagery or something [OPEN]

Entry tags:

poetry with amber imagery or something [OPEN]

WHO: Lucina, various
WHERE: Maurtia Falls, De Chima, misc
WHEN: Early/mid-October
WHAT: assorted happenings
WARNINGS: labeled in subject headers

Maurtia Falls
Lucina's main haunts are still in this city of conflict -- same as it has been, those two and a half years ago. Gods, has it been so long already? So much else has changed...her, too.

She resides on a residential block in a rental house, and might be encountered in the wee hours of the morning on her way out to work, or perhaps on the rare day off, tearing up the sad excuse for a garden she'd tried (sort of) to maintain (and failed to) in preparation for winter.

Downtown, she frequents a cafe and pastry shop where she's made many a friend and good memory. Catching her before she hustles off on patrol or another duty is a great chance for a free treat and a chat...or perhaps a means of teaming up for a bit of crime busting?

At Helix, the base of operations for Aegis Force, practically her second home, she is constantly either at work or training for work. It's not as frantic and despairing as the month before, so she can be a cheerful spotter or sparring partner, or she can help with some kitchen chores or monitor duty! She also likes to take her breaks on the rooftop helipad, enjoying the cooler air as the weather starts to behave more like autumn.

De Chima
It's not a place she visits too often, but at least once a week, Lucina tries to make time to volunteer at the O'Malley Clinic. She's not much of a nurse, but if you ever wanted to know what it feels like to be bandaged up nearly immobile as a mummy for a simple scrape? She's your girl. Also don't you dare try to escape until treatment is over! She can double as a bouncer.

There's always a chance to catch her in the skies, as flying is her favorite pastime -- and it beats traffic. Hopefully she's not spying any trouble from on high, but if you're in a pinch, she can swoop down and lend a hand (or sword)!

Misc
You're welcome to put in a starter or come bug me @

whyellewhy to brainstorm

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ batman comes strolling casually from down the hall, back towards where they can usually find jacob, a confident stoicism to his stride like this were his building. likely they were discussing coordination between their teams; though the justice league was lacking in numbers, their ranks were more than capable. he stops to watch the sparring from a distance outside of the training room, judging their form silently. though he doesn't say anything, his presence emanates a critical judgment of their every move. ]

[it's not every day Batman of all people wanders your halls! one ought to notice it right away, given the lighting and his...well, himness. but Lucina's a bit preoccupied.

it's not a conventional spar he'll see -- instead, a girl and her...shadow? well, a configuration of a shadow generated by the equipment in the room, mirroring her. or is she mirroring it? it's hard to tell, for Lucina is working very hard to keep in tandem with the posture and speed at which positions change. Falchion, her sword and heirloom, is held level while she holds position on her toes.

after a couple beats, she moves through a series of strikes, racing against the counters her make against her, trying to get ahead of it and--]

RAHH!

[cleave it in two.

there's a faint ding from a distant counter somewhere in the room as she relaxes, letting out her breath. it's only when she's straightening up, wiping her forehead, that she turns and glimpses the dark figure at the door. she double-takes before startling, eyes big.]

Oh-! Goodness...! [she thought he was a figment of her imagination at first! chasing shadows all afternoon and all...]

How...how long have you been standing there?

Long enough.

[ he replies, casually leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, before he pushes off and enters the room. ]

How does this work? Hard light constructs, maybe? Or are they only images.

['long enough?' Lucina frowns faintly at that. what does that mean?

she'd ask, but he's already steering the conversation before she can. she looks down to where her doppelganger had been, now just vacant tiles on the floor.]

Ah, it's...it depends on what you want, I believe. Some of the simulations Jacob and Archie have input have been pretty realistic... [her mouth twitches as she looks back up, shrugging as she sheathes her sword.] It seems like magic to me, but it's some kind of remarkable technology.

What brings you by Helix today? [she sure hopes he didn't deposit a bunch of injured people at their doorstep...]

I had to speak to Jacob.

[ he leaves it at that and walks past her, glancing around the room as if he were analyzing it closely. ]

You hold on to that sword pretty closely. [ a glance over his shoulder. ] Is it important to you?

[she stays in place, just turning to keep him in view, watching him with growing curiosity. he has a strange aura about him...his attire is, doubtless, for darkness and intimidation, but he doesn't exude it right now.

he must have many masks, then.

at mention of the sword, her hands close over the hilt.]

...It is. It's been in my family for generations, and it's the last thing my father ever gave me. [not intentionally, but only through death.] Darin reforged the hilt to make it truly mine here, so as precious as it was before, it's even moreso now.

[she hesitates, giving the butterfly hilt a brief look before fixing her eyes back on the bat's back.]

Did you come to this world with anything like that?

My suit. That's all I really need.

[ he looks down at his gauntlet and makes a fist. ]

So, your father then. He... [ he's not a fan of saying it. ]

He was a very valiant and kind man, both in ruling and as a father. [she juts her chin out a bit without realizing it, always the sort to be proud to boast of him. the hurt it causes her to miss him is nothing in the face of her affection for him.] I'd hardly have thought to join an organization such as this, were it not for having learned what it means to have strength and protect others from him. I mean to have Falchion seen as a symbol for that justice and good will he entrusted to me.

[anything less is just not acceptable.]

I see... [ his voice, though deep, holds a touch more tenderness to it. ] I'm sorry. He sounds like he was a good man.

He...he was.

[she wavers here, an uncertainty giving her pause as she considers this turn of conversation. he definitely led it in this direction, but...why? it's hard to be certain, what with the way his mask obscures his expression.

surely he didn't come here to talk about her fallen parents, but it's strange that it'd hold enough interest in him to probe about it. she's too honest to have avoided it, of course.]

You said your suit was that special heirloom that came with you. Was that from someone important, too?

No. It's just easier to do my job with it than without it.

[ he shakes his head and turns back to her now. ]

But like my suit-- like your sword-- you shouldn't rely too heavily on it. There might be a time when it's not available to you when you need it.

...

[her eyes wince. that's an ominous thing to say. without thinking, her hold on the hilt tightens.]

I've...I wouldn't go anywhere without it at my side, though. It's practically another limb.

[ his expression remains unreadable as always. ]

Can you say that in the middle of a fight? That it'll always be there when you need it?

I can't predict the future. [well, not in this world!] You mean to tell me to grow beyond the blade, yes?

[ he nods. ]

I...I can understand that. Yes. [but just openly saying to not rely on Falchion...!] If I'm to be any sort of warrior, I have to be more than the weapon in my hands.

I know that.

Do you?

[ he's... a little straightforward... ]

Your sparring partner was a mirror image of yourself wielding the Falchion. [ a beat, stepping forward. ] I did need to talk to Jacob, but with the League's numbers lacking at the moment, I also wanted to see what Aegis was really capable of.

When was the last time you can remember not using it?

Not long ago at all! In fact, just--!

[she hesitates, going a bit red. the last time fighting without Falchion was, technically, going hand-to-hand with Guzma, but...she's not really keen on sharing the details of that with someone like this.

after a huff:] In any case, I make it a point to avoid drawing the blade on the citizens of this realm unless I deem it necessary. Don't assume, seeing me study my timings once now, that it's all I can do.

Alright.

[ he unceremoniously unclips his belt and lets it clatter to the ground, removes his cape, showing his real broadness beneath it's weight, and lets his gauntlets fall along with them. fair's fair, right? ]

Show me.

[she raises her eyebrows. far be it from Lucina to ever refuse a chance to spar -- especially with someone new. coming off the end of criticism, it only makes her more eager to prove herself, so she doesn't even think to question, instead unbuckling Falchion from her hip and carefully setting it aside.

hand-to-hand, is it? she wonders what she ought to expect, whether she'll be at odds with her super-strength or not. she doesn't know much about the bat -- something she ought to have amended by asking Jaime, but...what better chance to learn than now?

with eyes sharpened and bright, she returns to their meeting point, setting her footing while considering the state of his. like Guzma (and many, honestly, considering her height), he's bigger, but...she may have speed as her aid if brute force won't do her well.

and so it goes: she'll test the waters by punching head-on toward his middle.]

[ she'll learn an important lesson that way: appearances can be deceiving. he may be 6'2" (6'4" with the ears...) and pushing 210, but the way he pivots away from her headlong rush infers that he may have more surprises in store for her. she'll pay for that, though-- he's not as forgiving as some of her other teammates.

he spins on his heel and delivers a punishing side kick to her abdomen, walking away calmly as she recovers. ]

Get up. I'm not your friend right now, and if this were real, you would be dead. I want you to fight like your life depended on it.

[the speed at which that came was surprising, and something she hadn't been ready to guard against, so more's the bruise to her pride as she hops a step to the side and flinches out of arm's reach so she can steady.

her face gets a bit red as he makes his demands, not terribly pleased with his manner. does he presume he can stand her at her most desperate? that's not the way she fights! he'll have to prove she has to go that far.

with a little growl in her throat, she turns to face him once more and advance. this time, she'll feint, with the intention of grabbing at any counter and shifting that momentum away from herself.]

[ he likes the growl, smirking just a little to himself (which if noticed may serve to only goad her on more). she'll expect something similar, maybe, as she feels the fight out, but here comes lesson number two. he performs a similar move on her, a side kick of sorts, maybe a different technique or form, but a side kick regardless. and she may even feel the excitement of success when she's able to get her hands on him...

and then an electrical charge runs through the yellow border of the emblem on his chest, down the lines of his suit, and through her. ]

Gah-!

[she lets go at the first chance her body lets her, taking a few steps back to process what just happened. when she can glean a sense of it, she shoots the bat a wide-eyed, offended glare. is this, or is this not an honorable spar with no weapons?!

...obviously not; he had been uttering things about her life depending on it, but still! can she be blamed for her noble sensibilities?

in any case, he'll get a bit more of what he's looking for, as now she's just going to spring forward with her fist in her hand to swing both heavily at him like a wrecking ball, allowing herself to put more of that supernatural strength behind it. and if that fails? the rest of that momentum is going to go into turning her around entirely in a spinkick that has more business in an arcade than a training floor.]

Nn-- good.

[ he approves, grunting as his heels skid back across the floor after he guards, but ultimately takes the full brunt of her kick. her form doesn't seem entirely mastered, but she seems to know enough to scrape by with her strength and unpredictability.

when batman stands up, he brushes himself off, a small bruise forming at his bare forearms where the gauntlets would normally be resting. he ignores the sting easily, circling. ]

You're starting to get the hang of it. And that's another important lesson: I'm a liar. If your enemy tells you he's going to do one thing during a fight, expect him to do the other.

Helix

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject