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 Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2024 1:58 pm
Though Ilmare had, over time, learned that someone the higher ups with the Dark Kingdom were a bit... random, she'd yet to have the randomness directed her way. And yet, here she was in the dimly lit parking lot of an abandoned and condemned grocery store waiting for a mysterious sparring partner.
The note she'd received had been short, to the point and filled with quiet menace should she fail to follow orders.
You will train with Lieutenant Magnesia. Excuses will not be accepted.
Whatever General had gotten their knickers in a twist had arranged everything about this training session. All Ilmare had needed was to show up. And hope for her sake, as well as the mysterious Magnesia's, that the Lieutenant didn't have any habit of being late.
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Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2024 3:02 pm
The downside to always being underfoot in Negaspace was that Magnesia would occasionally catch someone's attention who would look at him and say, 'You seem like you need something to do; let me help with that.' Whether he expressly wanted something to do or not wasn't really important. And he'd apparently done a good job of making his presence in the Castle known, so it was time for him to get out and do something elsewhere.
It had been arranged that he would meet and train (the specifics of what that meant were still a little fuzzy to him) with a senshi who had a little more experience in the Negaverse.
Surely literally everyone had more experience in the Negaverse.
...But it was his first time being back in the city like this. As Magnesia. As this creature-thing. And he couldn't pinpoint in words exactly how he felt about that. Of course the city hadn't changed, obviously. They weren't even that far from where he worked- where he had worked, so the area was even kind of familiar. But it couldn't be home, anymore. That should probably be upsetting. Was it? He didn't know. Hard to say at this point. Time would tell.
More importantly, the someone in front of him right now. The 'more experienced' one.
Whether he was late or not didn't occur to him. Wasn't like he had any control over when or where he showed up from Negaspace, so he was definitely lacking any sense of apology as he approached. Just all fang-toothed smiles and a curious twitch of his long ears- that he had to resist scratching at. The feeling was unfamiliar and unexpected.
"You're, uh. Ill-mare? Ill-mahree? How you say it?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2024 5:45 pm
She'd felt the officer's aura before he saw him. Well good. On time and that meant both their skins would stay intact. She heard the greeting and turned with a bright smile and... froze. Her smile turned brittle and she had to wonder if she'd somehow managed to really piss someone off.
This was a youma. Youma did not like senshi. Not even the ones on their side.
For half a second, she considered bolting, General be damned. Then, she noticed that the overly toothy smile, while alarming, held no malice. There was only a kind of neutral friendliness in his eyes. This, then, was one of the uncommon half-youma officers that she'd heard about but never encountered before now. But she'd always heard that it was the older officers this happened to. Her note specifically said this was a lieutenant. Curious.
Recovering enough to not look like a rabbit facing down headlights, Ilmare shook her head and stuck her hand out.
"Second one is close enough," she replied. "So you must be Magnesia. Sorry if this is rude, but how the hell are you part youma? Are you older than you look?"
She wanted to ask if this was a bit and someone was playing a really bizarre joke on her, but figured that would be unforgivably rude. Magnesia was still part youma, after all. Better to not piss him off too much.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 8:47 am
Maybe he imagined it. That quick second of some unenthusiastic look when the Senshi turned and first laid eyes on him. But Magnesia doubted it. Even if he hadn't been like this for months and months, he could already tell that those sorts of looks weren't going to be uncommon. Most people were probably not going to be excited to be approached by something like him, even if they weren't 'regular' people. He hadn't really...
Well, he thought it would be like that for civilians, sure. But others in the Negaverse shouldn't be that averse. Probably. He hoped.
To her credit, she recovered very quickly, enough that Magnesia could convince himself that she'd just been startled and hadn't expected him. Y'know, it wouldn't be so far fetched to think that whoever had sent her out here just hadn't mentioned what exactly she'd be meeting with.
"Uh, s'not rude, I don't think." Far be it from him to ever condemn someone's curiosity. But this was all as foreign to him as it must be to her, if she was asking, so Magnesia just gave a helpless little shrug of his shoulders, still smiling. "I dunno. Really. Uh, I've only been like this for a week or so- Only known about all this for just as long too, so you probably have more information than me. But, yeah. I guess my General had to do some quick magic or something to save me after I got shot, and this is just kind of what it turned out like." And that was uncommon, he knew. Most people were made into regular human agents. Magnesia would've been too, if he was smart enough to avoid a bullet.
"But- 'older than I look?' What's that got to do with anything? I'm eighteen..." So he wasn't a child, if that was her worry.
And his General looked even younger than him! He was definitely shorter than Mag, if nothing else. Wolframite was like- thirty, or something? Not quite double hiss age, but kind of close, and Magnesia knew he'd been with the Negaverse for a long, long time... But didn't know exactly when he'd become a half-youma and didn't actually know why, either... "What? Are there supposed to be some conditions, or something?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:22 am
”Oh my god, you’re baby!” Ilmare squealed and grinned before she could stop herself. Realizing what she’d just done and still very aware of those teeth, she slapped both hands over her mouth and looked horrified. After a moment’s mortification, she shook herself and turned her focus back on the lieutenant.
“Sorry, sorry. My mouth is faster than my brain, sometimes. Still, though,” now she grinned without constraint. “You're just a baby in terms of serving.”
Feeling more like herself now that Magnesia was showing no signs of wanting to disembowel her, Ilmare took a moment to circle him, studying everything she could in the dim light. So, he’d been shot and possibly close to death when recruited. And other than the usual, it sounded as if his General had done a little something extra.
Feeling more confident by the moment, the corrupt senshi waved aside his age and after a moment’s thought, took the plunge. The higher ups might be annoyed, but gossip happened. It was a thing and it was unlikely the Dark Kingdom would ever be able to stamp it out.
“Okay, prefacing this with ‘I’ve only heard’, got it? You’re the first half-youma I’ve ever met and for a second I thought you were full. Full youma do not like senshi. There’s a reason why we’re not supposed to go near the Rift even though you officers usually can once you’re strong enough.”
Pausing, Ilmare stood in front of Magnesia and looked at his face, wanting to maintain eye contact for this.
“So, why I thought you might be a lot older is because most half-youma tend to be officers who’ve been in service for a while. At least, that’s what I’ve heard, so please don’t take it as gospel. I mean, clearly you’re an exception to that. So I don’t know if there are conditions and rules or if it’s just the Universe doing it for the lolz.”
Eyes narrowing and turning appraising, Ilmare stretched her arms up over her head and cracked her spine.
“Either way, not my business. You’re still part human and unlikely to try to eat me, so we should really do what we were sent out here for. So, any special abilities you’d like to clue me in on?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 11:47 am
Heat prickled in Magnesia's cheeks as he bit out a sharp: "I am not- He was expecting some shot at his age as the Senshi squealed at him. 'Oh, little baby teenage boy, has no idea what he's doing.' It was all too common, and he was not impressed with the mindset that he was young and dumb and confused. But...
Well, 'in terms of serving,' he probably was one of the very newest in that regard. And pretty dumb and confused to boot. "Yeah. Alright. I guess," he grumbled.
"Eh, s'fine anyway," Mag decided, rolling his eyes and flapping his hand to dismiss her apologies. It wasn't like she was wrong. He just wished there was a better way to say 'newb,' but calling someone green was hardly a compliment no matter how it was said. But it'd get better with time. He was pouting as she circled him, but kept still, despite a peculiar antsiness that it was weird to be studied like some bizarre creature- which he was. He was a bizarre creature that she'd never seen before. His nose scrunched.
Youma not liking Senshi seemed like pretty standard knowledge; he'd had plenty of time to read up on the basics while he was recovering. "Yeah, I remember reading that in the tablet," he said, giving a little nod, ears flapping. "But it didn't say why, aaand..." He leaned in, giving the girl a curious sniff as if judging how it might affect his senses. "Dunno, I don't think I feel any different about you than I normally would, so must not apply to half-youma."
"Or maybe it'll crop up later. When I'm older. Why- Uh, why? Why?" Why didn't Youma like Senshi. Why were half-youma usually older? That didn't make any sense, did it? "I'm a half-youma because..." Well, because he was young and stupid, actually. "Because of a mistake. It'd be kinda weird if it was just older, more experienced officers making those kind of mistakes. ...I guess they could be more likely to get into those really dangerous sorts of fights and need something extra to save them- But surely they'd be more likely to get out of those situations. Not like someone with less experience. Who wouldn't know what the ******** was going on."
And making half-youma wasn't considered good, he knew. It wasn't something most officers strived for.
He'd ask Wolframite later... He would know.
Either way, that wasn't what they were doing here, and the chatter would come easier, more naturally once they'd worn themselves out a little. He rolled his shoulders. Magnesia snorted, golden eyes lighting with amusement and lips pulling into a grin. "Do I wanna tell you what I can do? ******** no? If we're gonna fight, we're gonna fight. I'm not telling my enemies what to watch out for."
And with that being said, he wasn't very interested in waiting for her to get her bearing and figure him out, either. They knew what they'd met up for, it shouldn't come as any surprise when he kicked off hard toward her, aiming an abrupt and unapologetic swipe with his claws at her stomach.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2024 10:38 am
Okay, having a half-youma suddenly leaning towards her and sniffing was… alarming. But given she’d been analyzing him, she couldn’t really protest. But she still froze before forcibly reminding herself to relax.
“Like I said, this is all only stuff I’ve heard. I’ve got theories, but I’m not about to go nosing around to try and prove them,” she said, shrugging helplessly. “As far as folks like you being okay with folks like me, I think it’s because you’re still more human than youma in there. So logic and intellect are more in charge than instinct.”
It was as good a theory as any and seemed to fit what she’d heard. Was it completely infallible? Probably not. But for now? It worked.
Running her fingers through her hair, Ilmare felt a moment of pity for Magnesia. He was clearly a bright and curious person. Not having all the information possible probably drove him up the wall. And that, once she gave it some thought, was what convinced her that he wasn’t some beast to cower in terror of. He looked scary (so scary), but he was intelligent and had a happily bubbling brain. Granted, if he startled her at night, she’d probably scream and jump, but she wasn’t terrified now.
Visibly relaxing, she shrugged again, “I have no idea why you came out the way you did, M. As for the longer serving officers, think about it. I mean, still just me spitballing, but it makes sense to me. We spend so much time in and around the Castle. Have you stopped to think about how much pure, raw Chaos is there? Maybe some people are more welcoming of it and that’s what changes them. Maybe it’s more intentional. I don’t know but I think that chaos exposure is part of it. Whichever it is, you’re more likely to find an answer than I am.”
She snorted at his grin and challenge. Okay, typical brash boy hijinks. But his speed took her off guard and she barely scrambled out of the way fast enough to avoid having her stomach ripped open. Scuttling and rolling, she managed to regain her feet and glared at the lieutenant.
“Rude!”
Still, if he wanted to play that way, she’d oblige. Cupping her hands, she whispered, “Fairy Bells Ring!”
The tiny cup appeared and filled quickly enough, but she needed to judge this just right since Magnesia didn’t have a lot of skin on display. Darting towards him, she leapt once she was close enough and threw the ‘cup’ in her hands towards his face. ”indigo_plateau” Fairy Bells Ring Effects - Ilmare cups her hands before her and speaks her attack. A small cup that looks like a harebell appears and is filled with an iridescent white liquid which Ilmare then throws at her opponent. Should the liquid strike bare skin, the target will be subject to mild hallucinations of a fantastical nature (player discretion as to what they see) for 25 seconds. Should any of the liquid strike the eyes or go into the mouth, the hallucinations last for an extra 5 seconds. Able to use twice per battle.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2025 4:48 pm
Magnesia found that he actually kind of liked talking to this Senshi. The amount of people who had to hang out around Negaspace as often as he did was pretty limited, and most of them who were there considered it their job; no one was lounging in such a Chaos-infused area just for the hell of it. Which Magnesia understood! Of course. It just... didn't really lend itself to simple, friendly conversation.
He talked to Wolframite more than he talked to anyone else, and Wolframite was definitely an agent before he was a person. And besides being what they were, they didn't actually have that much in common...
So even if it was just for a minute, to sit in Destiny City and have a... relatively normal conversation (albeit one still about Chaos- but not about working, which was different), it felt nice to chatter to Ilmarë. Magnesia resolved right then that he was going to make a freaking effort to get out and have normal conversations with normal people. He was not going to be trapped, in the way that felt inevitable for a half-youma like him to be. He could still have some normalcy.
But not right at this second.
Right at this second, he was, essentially working. And right at this second he should be way more on guard for whatever she could throw at him- because a Senshi's magic could be capable of literally anything, and he had no idea what to expect of the magic liquid that splashed into him as he whirled back to face her.
But it didn't burn, so it was probably not acid, and that was a really good start. And it had the faintest, fresh and floral scent, so delicate he wasn't sure if he'd be able to pick it up at all, if he was human. "Z'is, like... perfume or something? What'd you do?" Besides being wet, it didn't hurt, didn't paralyze him, didn't seem to cause an illness- Those things could come later, he guessed, but it wasn't stopping him now-
When Magnesia turned his attention back to her, ready to make another strike, it was to find Ilmarë only a few feet away, still standing as she would've when she splashed him. Only she wasn't the only one.
There were... other things around her, kinda vaguely blobby but somehow animal-like (honestly, they looked real kickable, and he wasn't opposed to trying) as they hopped around her feet. Another something, like a frilly bone snake, swam through the air between Mag and Ilmarë, like it was keeping him at bay with his own body. But all these weird, ******** creatures were about to learn. He flapped a hand through the air. And it... didn't feel like it collided with anything, but the snakey thing sort of billowed away at his touch. And then Magnesia was on the move to make a soccer ball of one of these other critters, aimed right at Ilmarë's head.
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2025 9:33 am
Sometimes, Ilmare thought, she really wondered what on earth people saw after getting hit by her magic. It had to be interesting, given the way Magnesia was swatting at the air. Had he not been a clawed Horror Against Humanity, she would have felt far more relaxed. As it was, she was ready to move just in case whatever he saw provoked an actual attack.
Which seemed to be actively happening, she thought, watching him kick at empty air.
Moving carefully, she went to the side and considered. She could just ******** off and leave him to recover on his own. It was what she would have liked to do after he’d gone for her gut with his claws. Training sessions weren’t supposed to be free game to actually injure someone! But, by the same token, he was still Baby and she was still very technically the ranking person here. It would be bad form to abandon him to the crazy juice.
Much as she might enjoy it.
No, no. She’d behave. Mentally ticking off the seconds that she knew the magic would persist, Ilmare sighed and moved to crouch on the crumbling curb. The effects of her magic should be winding down any moment now. And really, from what she could see in the dim light, sense seemed to be returning to his eyes. But that didn’t mean that she was going to put herself in his path. His little stunt had cost him her trust. The little she’d had to start with anyway.
“If you’re quite done acting like a fool,” she said tartly. “I believe this concludes our jolly little evening. And you can consider yourself lucky that I even stuck around long enough to make sure of your recovery.” Standing up, she brushed at her skirt and then glared at the half youma lieutenant. “Whatever General thought this would be a good idea can be as angry as they like at me, but we are finished here. But, just in cause the youmafication process scrambled your brain when you were brought on board, training sessions aren’t an excuse to try and ******** maim your partner! This isn’t some stupid Lone Wolf, Last Man Standing bullshit! We’re supposed to be able to work together as a ******** team when needed.” Ilmare’s voice became glacial. All freezing cold and spiky. Unfortunately, the time that her magic took to do its thing had given her far too much time to think and really consider that Magnesia could have seriously hurt her and probably been happy to. And frankly, that was unacceptable.
“We. Are. Done. Find somebody else to turn into a target.”
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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2025 11:41 am
Magnesia was still in a state of 'having a pretty good time,' even if he had been caught in the snare of her magic. He didn't have a super crisp idea of what was going on, but who could when spells and s**t were involved. The little thingamabobs hanging around her didn't seem dangerous- they were even kind of cute!
Just distracting. He didn't want to be distracted while someone was attacking him.
And someone should be attacking him. That was what they'd agreed to meet up for.
But as the apparent hallucinations started to swim away, to fade into the recesses while everything else came back into focus, it was only to see that Ilmare had kept well clear of him, and she didn't seem keen on getting close. Magnesia didn't necessarily blame her for the distance, but just as he opened his mouth to joke that she could stand to be a little more hands-on while her magic was going, the Senshi had the audacity to sound genuinely offended.
"I- Okay?" He was confused enough, caught off guard enough, to not really know how he was supposed to respond to her sudden frustration. They'd seemed to be on alright terms not thirty seconds ago, and then he had not hit her, but she had successfully hit him with her magic, and she was mad? Like, huh? The ********? He hadn't even done anything besides 'act a fool' as she'd so delicately put it.
And then...
"What?" He spat, ire spiking so hard he felt the rush of it to his face, coloring his palid skin a bit warmer. "Are you serious? I didn't even touch you! Didn't use my magic, even though I could've." He didn't need to comment on how that had historically had mixed results- he was in control! He was totally in control. Like, what was she expecting him to do? Stand around? Not go for her? That had magic, for <********> sake- Even if he struck her, she could be healed.
If she was mad, Magnesia could be ******** mad too- over nothing- and further exasperated because he'd thought she was cool.
Not if she was gonna try and tell him off for-? Doing what he'd been sent to do?
"Fine, whatever," he snapped. "I can't believe that's all it took for you to get scared and dip. No one else is gonna pull their punches, but if you're gonna be a lil b***h about it, you can just run off and cry. Loser." He spat a glob of saliva on the ground as thanks for her 'staying' and 'seeing that he recovered' from the hit that she'd made on him after he'd done nothing. And then he was whirling around, leaving the street to go find something he could take a no-consequences punch at.
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