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 Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2025 8:46 am
Quote: The Gargoyles (1) : Even when you thought you’d seen the last of them, it seems like you’re never really in the clear. A while back, there was an infestation of awful gargoyle creatures–and while every Star Festival had its fair share of oddities, this one seems to have introduced a permanent infestation upon the city. Maybe you see them perched on the roof, or hiding in the shadows, but not all of these grotesque creatures are satisfied with just escaping their interdimensional prison–some of them still have a bone to pick. They seem stony; some of them will watch with a penetrative gaze and never strike to attack, but some of them will dive down to target anyone who gets too close. The monsters come in an array of sizes and shapes, but they are no more than half the size of their target. Their goal is uncertain, but they will crumble into a pile of rocks and dust if struck hard enough. This RP can be used as a battle requirement as long as there are at least two powered characters involved; you must be interacting with another player’s powered character and cannot solo this with two of your own characters. This does not count as the ‘one youma battle’ per stage for growth. This can only be used as a battle requirement once per character, but there is no limitation for how many times a player can use this prompt. Pausing as she passed through the dark, quiet streets of Destiny City, Saiph frowned and absently rubbed at the back of her neck. It felt like there were eyes on her, though she couldn’t see or really feel anyone nearby. There was an Order aura that was sort of close, but not so much so that it would be giving her the heebie jeebies. And an Order aura wouldn’t be giving her the creeps in the first place. No, this very much felt like someone was glaring daggers into her back. Glancing up and around, all the chibi senshi could see in the gloom were the stony, lurking visages of some random gargoyles. Grimacing, she stuck her tongue out at the things and began walking again. The sensation of malevolence returned and intensified. Something was out there and she had no idea what it might be. Pausing again, she considered for a moment before reaching into subspace and withdrawing a worn, but sturdy baseball bat. Until she knew one way or the other if something was watching her, she preferred to take the better safe than sorry approach.
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2025 9:21 pm
The Order aura, which had been vaguely meandering nearer, suddenly seemed to be approaching with much more briskness, accompanied by a vague sound of wings, and a voice called out as soon as it was even remotely within earshot. "Boy, I hope you're armed and dangerous," a woman's voice called, with that strained kind of cheerfulness that generally accompanied someone trying very hard to remain calm. She emerged from between two buildings at something between a brisk walk and a job, neither pace being suited to an appearance suggestive of lounging around on a throne somewhere, although the whip in her hand certainly looked like something that meant business. "Oh for ******** sake," she said, exasperated as she clapped eyes on her momentary ally. "Not another goddamned child soldier. What the ******** is wrong with the Cauldron?" This was not, apparently, directed at Saiph, but rather at the world at large, and it was accompanied by an impressively thunderous crack of the whip, which unleashed a bolt of light in the direction of some large shadow swooping above. "Bat's a good call," she said. "I take it this isn't your first rodeo."
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2025 8:34 am
The woman’s voice, calling out from the darkness, caused Saiph to squeak in a completely undignified manner as she spun around, eyes wide and bat held ready to bludgeon anyone who got too close. Once she saw it was just a knight, she relaxed slightly. But only slightly as the woman held a whip in one hand and looked ready to use it. Then, her brain actually registered the words coming out of her new acquaintance and Saiph felt a rush of mingled agreement and offense. She wasn’t exactly thrilled by the circumstances that had brought about her awakening, but she couldn’t change the past either. And as for the Cauldron… she had a flashback to the memory of a boy flailing and fighting against a rush of magic and shuddered. “Yeah, when you figure that part out, lemme know because I’ve been wondering the same for a couple years now,” she said tartly. And she would have said more had that whip not cracked out and created light that she was in no way prepared for. But that light gave her a glimpse of something big swooping through the air above them and Saiph found herself wondering if it would be appropriate to have a meltdown now or later. Because that feeling of being watched had been accurate. And the watchers, apparently, really had been the gargoyles. Another yelp clawed its way from her throat as she swung her bat on instinct, narrowly missing a gargoyle that had broken off from the rest. “If by rodeo you mean these things,” she finally managed to say, in a far calmer voice than she would have thought possible, “I’m afraid it is my first time. I thought it was just a run of the mill creep following me…”
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2025 6:35 pm
"What a lovely stroke of coincidence that you're aptly-armed, then," she said cheerfully, adding: "This is probably a better alternative than a creep. Give them a good whack and they disintegrate. Creeps have a tendency to be persistent." This seemed backed up by the fact that when the whip sang out again - without the accompanying light this time - it landed squarely on the first target, which promptly crumbled into dust. This had, apparently, been foreseen by the Knight, who neatly nipped out of the way and absently brushed a hand over her hair as if to dislodge any wayward rock guts. "Bit cathartic, really," she said, scrutinizing the increasing movement of wings above as if to choose a particularly appealing target in the moment's breath between swooping charges. "I've been imagining my enemies' faces on them."
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2025 10:31 am
Okay, Saiph thought, this lady was both the coolest and weirdest person she’d ever met. She couldn’t imagine being so calm in the face of gargoyles coming to life and swooping around, but this lady did it. And looking like a goddamned Queen while doing so. Saiph might have been just a tiny bit in love. “I always figured creep persistence depended on where and how hard you hit ‘em,” she replied, taking a stance and watching as one gargoyle broke from the rest and dove. If fancy lightning could kill them, then she might have a chance with her bat. Hoping that she had her timing down, the chibi senshi swung with every bit of enhanced strength she possessed as the gargoyle she’d been eyeing dove for her. The resulting THWACK sound was highly satisfying. And maybe it wasn’t a one shot kill like the knight’s lightning whip, but her gargoyle was stuck floundering on the ground now. Standing over it, Saiph considered for a moment. She didn’t really have any enemies that she could imagine. She just had annoyances. Like Maus. And while the idea of beating Maus upside the head was entertaining, she didn’t really want him dead. Sighing a little, she ultimately decided that the gargoyle was ugly and monstrous enough on its own and began swung her bat repeatedly, taking out the wings first before going for the head. And by the time her’s was a pile of dust and rubble, she was panting from the effort. Glancing at the knight, she grinned slightly. “You’re right. That was pretty cathartic. You sound like you’ve run into these ******** before. How tenacious are they?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2025 8:32 pm
She had, in the meantime, almost as if to demonstrate the answer to Saiph's question, cleared off another, and she paused warily in the quiet, eyes scanning the darkness above them, alert for any movement of wings. "It depends," she said, hefting the whip uneasily. "Some of them take a bit of wailing, and others seem like they're made out of eggshells and used-up Scotch tape. I haven't run into any really dangerous ones so far, but I worry about a Mauvian in cat form, say."
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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2025 11:31 am
Saiph considered this for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement. Cuan she was convinced that Cuan would and could take care of herself, she was very small. All it would take would be one of these things to pick her up and fly up to either drop or throw the kitten to the ground. It was a grim thought, but more than enough to rile the chibi up. "Then we make sure we don't leave any who can hurt a cat," she said, face determined and bat held at the ready. "Cuan's managed to survive the big damned space snake. ******** if I'm losing her to one of these rockheads." Apparently she'd found the magic lever to make her okay with powering up. Just threaten the well being of her guardian kitten.
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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2025 3:50 pm
"Right," she agreed, hefting the whip. "But I think we've just about cleared this batch - look how leery the other ones are getting. We could -"
She paused, abruptly struck by a thought, and turned a beaming broad smile at Saiph. "Cuan? Cuan Oilean? Oh, I love her, she's -"
Unfortunately a gargoyle spotted the moment of distraction, leading to the rather queenly and dignified Knight suddenly swinging wildly, as one might at a wasp trying to tangle itself in her hair in a very undignified fashion. <******** Destiny City Bullshit," she sputtered, in a tone that suggested this was a formal, frequently used curse, as she began beating the thing with the whip handle.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 10:59 am
******** Destiny City Bullshit was, Saiph feared, destined to become something of a constant mantra. Someday, she thought, she'd be able to find someone who could run a study and figure out just why this town was so damned weird. But until then... She watched the knight pummel the gargoyle and turned her eyes up to watch the others. They were definitely acting a lot more cautious now. Well, good. Hefting the bat, she watched the ones still flying about unblinkingly, her entire posture reflecting an attitude of <******** try me. Taking a quick moment to really take in the knight's appearance and match it up with descriptions provided by the kitten, Saiph put things together and grinned. "Oh! You're Joyeuse Garde, aren't you? Cuan couldn't stop talking about you when she got home." Of course, Cuan had described a reasonably calm and dignified lady. Not someone currently rendering a monster to dust using nothing but a whip handle and outrage. "Um. I don't think there's much left there for you to beat up."
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2025 7:17 pm
"Not much for either of us," she said, and it was breathless, but it seemed somehow the breathlessness of indignant anger more than actual exertion, as if she had all the air knocked out of her lungs by the insult of being attacked mid-sentence. "Tell me how Cuan's doing," she said. "She remembered me and spoke highly, huh?" She did not say well, of course she did, but her expression broadcast it anyway. "I think these things are going to clear off," she added, relaxing into a somewhat less watchful posture and tucking the whip into her belt. "Thanks for having the foresight to carry a bat." She stuck out a hand. "What's your name? I like you, so I'm less likely to forget it," she added cheerfully, apparently preparing to make her departure, barring any sudden return of aerial attack.
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Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2025 7:06 pm
Taking the offered hand and grinning, Saiph laughed softly. For once, she didn't regret having powered up. "I'm Saiph and Cuan is fine. She's been working on something, but she won't tell me what it is." This sounded indulgent rather than annoyed. "She spoke very highly of you. Said you were polite and quite sensible. Also that you were very good at scritches." Glancing up at the sky, it was remarkably free of flying menaces. It was probably safe enough to relax. Nodding to herself, She tucked the bat back into subspace. "She's going to be thrilled when I tell her I ran into you and you kicked all the a**. Hell, I'm thrilled that I got to meet one of the people she'd told me about." Clearly she wasn't that worried about the knight heading off. That was just the nature of things. But it was good to have made a tiny connection that would let her report to the kitten that someone she liked was still alive and kicking. "Thank you for the help, I appreciate it. I'm gonna go right now to tell Cuan I saw you." She gave a cheerful wave and turned to head home.
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