Author: Seth
"Treat your tools right and you can be sure they'll return the favour."
*Wham*
The sound of metal slamming into concrete rebounded throughout Raitou’s room.
Sighing in annoyance, the panthryan lifted his left arm from the wall and absently inspected the row of fresh new pockmarks adorning the grey, uniform stone. Transferring his gaze to his arm he looked at the crude, brutal sawblade that extended from his elbow where he’d once sported a fully functioning, if automated, arm. Sighing again, the silver headed assassin resisted the urge to slam the hunk of metal into the wall again, and instead turned around and dropped down onto his bunk.
Reaching under his bed, the golden eyed man pulled out a plain, well-crafted metal box, and a folded square of well worn leather. Putting the box to the side for the moment, Rai spread out the leather in front of him. Taking a small breath, the panthryan detached his arm with a wince and a small oath and laid it down on the tough animal hide.
Taking another breath, deeper this time, Rai reached forward and placed his left hand on the hunk of lifeless metal.
Sparks flew, the buzz of electricity mixing with the hiss of smouldering leather to form a harsh symphony of industrial sound, and the smell of scorch animal skin filled the air.
With startling speed, the entire arm lit up, bathing the entire room in a dull red glow as it slowly lost its substantiality.
Rai’d found that remaking only a portion of the limb at a time tended to result in a host of minor flaws which took weeks to find and correct, effectively rendering the time saved by doing half-job zero. That and he usually wound up encountering the flaws mid-battle, and so the near death experiences he saved himself were more than worth the extra time spent to ensure that his arm was in perfect working order.
Once he’d melted the limb into a homogenous mass, and was fairly sure he’d incinerated all the impurities he could without tossing practicality completely out the window, Rai started manipulating the superheated metal, slowly, and with meticulous care back into the forms he’d grown to know oh so well.
Bit by bit, sections of the molten metal were drawn away from the larger body to become plates, gears, screws, cables, and at least fifty other finicky little pieces that kept the whole ensemble going, all formed under the careful guidance of his surging element.
As the last bit of metal twisted to form the tip of his pinky (he always ended up making the tip of his pinky last; he wasn’t quite sure why), Rai turned around and opened the metal box he’d put aside earlier.
Rooting through the container for a moment, Rai’s hand swiftly withdrew from the rectangular receptacle gripping a coil of insulated wire. A few more trips and the young man had, in addition to the wire, an assortment of wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, and knives (along with a scalpel or two) lying in front of him.
Starting at the shoulder, Rai began the exhausting, and insufferably aggravating process of reassembling his prosthetic arm. While he’d put together the mechanical components of his arm together so many times that he could probably do it in his sleep, rewiring the thing remained, crassly put, a complete and utter bitch.
Grunting with no little relief as he snipped off a bit of excess wire and twisted the final connector onto its open end, Rai placed the newly reconstructed arm onto his bed. Replacing all his tools in their box, he folded up the rectangle of heavily used leather and pushed both back under his bed.
He’d have to give the arm a test run, but he really didn’t feel like doing it at the moment. Transferring the arm to his bedside table, Rai took the limbs place on his bed.
He supposed it was actually a bit of a blessing in disguise, having to remake his arm on a relatively regular basis. It kept the limb from getting worn out, over-used.
Not that it stopped the entire process from being a pain in the ass and a half.
Snorting in wry amusement, the panthryan closed his eyes and drifted off into the deep, dreamless sleep that comes after a hard days work.
7/30/2010
Self-Doubt
Categories:
character-Cake,
character-Gryff,
Seth
Author: Seth
"Encouraging your children to succeed is all well and good, but sacrificing their emotional security to do so crosses the line."
The night enshrouding the Jericho compound was silent. Unnaturally so. The usual, never-ending hum that emanated from the surrounding city was still there, but so muted that it may as well have not been.
All in all, the inhabitants of the base found it an enjoyable change. For the soldiers on duty the lack of interfering noise lent them an extra edge during their vigil. The other operatives were able to enjoy a far more restful sleep in the folds of the unexpected silence. In fact, only one member of the Jericho army remained unaffected by the change in noise level.
A tide of synthetic notes and beeps swirled around Bob’s room, accompanied by the uniform click-clack of thumbs on controller buttons.
Sitting in a state of quasi-mediatation – that odd state of half-rest, half-action that was the gate guardian’s replacement for sleep – Bob watched with a casual interest as units marched, battles raged, and experience accumulated. Every now and then the masked teen would save, or re-start the console, depending on whether he’d been RNG blessed or screwed respectively.
A knock on his door – soft, yet firm enough to cut through the mechanical soundscape – brought Bob out of his half-conscious state.
“Door’s open!” The brunette called out by way of invitation.
The door creaked open, allowing Gryff to poke his head in. The fair haired gryphane took a quick look around the room before letting himself in.
“Still on the same chapter?” Gryffin as he took in the T.V. screen. His long-time friendship with the other gryphane had lent him a competent understanding of the games Bob played.
“Nah,” Bob shook his head as he calmly paused and selected ‘Restart’. “Second playthrough. I’d be further along, but Ryuu’s stamina keeps on getting the shaft and Tatane keeps criticalling Haru, so...” The brown eyed game enthusiast gestured vaguely at the screen where the words ‘Chapter 3: Siege of Argenfluo’ were emblazoned in bold, shining, golden letters.
Bob paused as a stray thought drifted through his psyche. Looking out his window he took note of how dark it had gotten since he last checked.
“It’s my shift, isn’t it?” He turned to Gryff.
Gryffin nodded absently, his attention captured by the television screen. Bob had paused the game on Ryuuto’s stat screen, and when the blonde soldier looked closer he noticed that all of the iconic hero’s statistics were perfectly even, with the one exception of his stamina which was lagging behind by two points.
Noticing the direction of Gryff’s gaze, Bob abruptly turned off the console, along with the T.V.
“Thanks for getting me.” The masked soldier mumbled as he walked over to the wall, retrieving the naginata that was leaning there.
Gryff said nothing until the other gryphane moved to walk past him.
“We’re proud of you,” Gryffin placed his hand on Bob’s shoulder. “For who you are.” His hand brushed against the length of red fabric his fellow gryphane used to bind his hair. “Not for who she thinks you should be. Remember that, all right?”
Bob remained silent, but nodded his head before gently pushing past Gryff.
Gryffin remained in the room for a couple more minutes, lost in thought. Finally snapping himself out of his reverie, the blonde gryphane cast one last glance at the now black television screen before exiting the room, locking and closing the door behind him with a soft click.
"Encouraging your children to succeed is all well and good, but sacrificing their emotional security to do so crosses the line."
The night enshrouding the Jericho compound was silent. Unnaturally so. The usual, never-ending hum that emanated from the surrounding city was still there, but so muted that it may as well have not been.
All in all, the inhabitants of the base found it an enjoyable change. For the soldiers on duty the lack of interfering noise lent them an extra edge during their vigil. The other operatives were able to enjoy a far more restful sleep in the folds of the unexpected silence. In fact, only one member of the Jericho army remained unaffected by the change in noise level.
A tide of synthetic notes and beeps swirled around Bob’s room, accompanied by the uniform click-clack of thumbs on controller buttons.
Sitting in a state of quasi-mediatation – that odd state of half-rest, half-action that was the gate guardian’s replacement for sleep – Bob watched with a casual interest as units marched, battles raged, and experience accumulated. Every now and then the masked teen would save, or re-start the console, depending on whether he’d been RNG blessed or screwed respectively.
A knock on his door – soft, yet firm enough to cut through the mechanical soundscape – brought Bob out of his half-conscious state.
“Door’s open!” The brunette called out by way of invitation.
The door creaked open, allowing Gryff to poke his head in. The fair haired gryphane took a quick look around the room before letting himself in.
“Still on the same chapter?” Gryffin as he took in the T.V. screen. His long-time friendship with the other gryphane had lent him a competent understanding of the games Bob played.
“Nah,” Bob shook his head as he calmly paused and selected ‘Restart’. “Second playthrough. I’d be further along, but Ryuu’s stamina keeps on getting the shaft and Tatane keeps criticalling Haru, so...” The brown eyed game enthusiast gestured vaguely at the screen where the words ‘Chapter 3: Siege of Argenfluo’ were emblazoned in bold, shining, golden letters.
Bob paused as a stray thought drifted through his psyche. Looking out his window he took note of how dark it had gotten since he last checked.
“It’s my shift, isn’t it?” He turned to Gryff.
Gryffin nodded absently, his attention captured by the television screen. Bob had paused the game on Ryuuto’s stat screen, and when the blonde soldier looked closer he noticed that all of the iconic hero’s statistics were perfectly even, with the one exception of his stamina which was lagging behind by two points.
Noticing the direction of Gryff’s gaze, Bob abruptly turned off the console, along with the T.V.
“Thanks for getting me.” The masked soldier mumbled as he walked over to the wall, retrieving the naginata that was leaning there.
Gryff said nothing until the other gryphane moved to walk past him.
“We’re proud of you,” Gryffin placed his hand on Bob’s shoulder. “For who you are.” His hand brushed against the length of red fabric his fellow gryphane used to bind his hair. “Not for who she thinks you should be. Remember that, all right?”
Bob remained silent, but nodded his head before gently pushing past Gryff.
Gryffin remained in the room for a couple more minutes, lost in thought. Finally snapping himself out of his reverie, the blonde gryphane cast one last glance at the now black television screen before exiting the room, locking and closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Carefree
Categories:
character-Niyou,
character-Ryuu,
Seth
Author: Seth
“You do know you’re supposed to eat that with, well, actual food, right?”
Nyo reached into his pouch of katsuobushi, grabbed a few more of the dried fish shavings and tossed them into his mouth.
“So?” The silver haired thief asked. “They taste good enough on their own as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yeah, but they never fill you up.” Ryuu groused. “I don’t mind stopping once or twice to pick up a snack or two, but we’ve already stopped at seven different fishing stalls today.” The brunette looked about furtively, reassuring himself that none of the proprietors of the aforementioned stalls had somehow caught on and were now hunting them down. “I really don’t feel like having to run away from another six-foot-tall beast of a man wielding a cleaver today, thank you very much.”
“Once!” Niyou gulped down his fish shavings indignantly. “I got caught once, by fluke! And how was I supposed to know that lummox had a licence to use knives?”
“Maybe the fact that he was in the middle of preparing the fugu you stole might have tipped you off?” Ryuu replied dryly. “Really, what possessed you to steal the fish while he was cutting it up?”
“I took two slices! Who notices when two slices go missing!?” Nyo’s hand scrabbled at the bottom of his pouch and he tossed the last of his katsuobushi into his mouth grumpily.
“Says the person who noticed when I traded one of your gold coins for a painted lead fake.” Ryuu raised a thin eyebrow.
“I shower my babies with love each day; of course I noticed!” Nyo huffed. “Are you accusing me of being a poor caretaker, is that it?”
“I rest my case.” Ryuu chuckled. Almost by instinct the young boy’s hand shot out and grabbed Nyo’s sleeve. “Oh no you don’t,” Ryuu muttered as he saw Nyo’s gaze hovering over another fish stall. “You’ve had enough, you stupid addict.”
“Oh c’mon…” Nyo whined. “He’s barely even paying attention. Look!” The silver headed boy gestured pleadingly. “It’d be easier than taking candy from a baby; what could go wrong!?”
“Oh you did not just say that...” Ryuu groaned as he palmed his face.
Unfortunately for the purple eyed boy, habit dictated that he palm his face with his right hand, which also happened to be the hand he was using to grab Nyo’s sleeve. The moment Ryuuto let go of the kurohyou member, Nyo zipped off towards the stall, somehow managing to melt into the crowd despite his haste.
Resigned to his fate, Ryuu followed at a far more sedate pace, keeping a decent distance away from the stall to afford himself a head start if things turned pear shaped. He loved his friend like a brother, but sometimes he wished that the young assassin would take their mutual light-fingered escapades a little more seriously.
If they weren’t careful they really would get caught one of these days.
“You do know you’re supposed to eat that with, well, actual food, right?”
Nyo reached into his pouch of katsuobushi, grabbed a few more of the dried fish shavings and tossed them into his mouth.
“So?” The silver haired thief asked. “They taste good enough on their own as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yeah, but they never fill you up.” Ryuu groused. “I don’t mind stopping once or twice to pick up a snack or two, but we’ve already stopped at seven different fishing stalls today.” The brunette looked about furtively, reassuring himself that none of the proprietors of the aforementioned stalls had somehow caught on and were now hunting them down. “I really don’t feel like having to run away from another six-foot-tall beast of a man wielding a cleaver today, thank you very much.”
“Once!” Niyou gulped down his fish shavings indignantly. “I got caught once, by fluke! And how was I supposed to know that lummox had a licence to use knives?”
“Maybe the fact that he was in the middle of preparing the fugu you stole might have tipped you off?” Ryuu replied dryly. “Really, what possessed you to steal the fish while he was cutting it up?”
“I took two slices! Who notices when two slices go missing!?” Nyo’s hand scrabbled at the bottom of his pouch and he tossed the last of his katsuobushi into his mouth grumpily.
“Says the person who noticed when I traded one of your gold coins for a painted lead fake.” Ryuu raised a thin eyebrow.
“I shower my babies with love each day; of course I noticed!” Nyo huffed. “Are you accusing me of being a poor caretaker, is that it?”
“I rest my case.” Ryuu chuckled. Almost by instinct the young boy’s hand shot out and grabbed Nyo’s sleeve. “Oh no you don’t,” Ryuu muttered as he saw Nyo’s gaze hovering over another fish stall. “You’ve had enough, you stupid addict.”
“Oh c’mon…” Nyo whined. “He’s barely even paying attention. Look!” The silver headed boy gestured pleadingly. “It’d be easier than taking candy from a baby; what could go wrong!?”
“Oh you did not just say that...” Ryuu groaned as he palmed his face.
Unfortunately for the purple eyed boy, habit dictated that he palm his face with his right hand, which also happened to be the hand he was using to grab Nyo’s sleeve. The moment Ryuuto let go of the kurohyou member, Nyo zipped off towards the stall, somehow managing to melt into the crowd despite his haste.
Resigned to his fate, Ryuu followed at a far more sedate pace, keeping a decent distance away from the stall to afford himself a head start if things turned pear shaped. He loved his friend like a brother, but sometimes he wished that the young assassin would take their mutual light-fingered escapades a little more seriously.
If they weren’t careful they really would get caught one of these days.
Pins
Categories:
character-Aurora,
character-Inferno,
Seth
Author: Seth
"A bauble, little more, but still it was another stitch in the tapestry of their lives.
A testament to the things they'd been through, and the relationship they shared."
A temperamental flurry of sparkling stars fell through the stratosphere, weaving an enchanting pattern upon the heavens. Truly an even that would remain in one’s soul for the rest of their life.
A pity that it had so few admirers.
“Inferno, what are you doing?” Aurora asked her friend who was staring speculatively into the blue, midday sky.
The tsumejin shook his head. “Recognition.” He replied without further explanation, walking to catch up with the patiently waiting roujin.
Aurora tilted her head quizzically. Glory wasn’t exactly one of Inferno’s top priorities, and so the response made her curious.
She didn’t pry further. Her fiery headed companion knew her well enough to hear her silent question, and he would answer on his own if she let him. That is, if he answered. Sometimes he didn’t, and that was all right too. Everyone had the right to keep their thoughts to themselves if they so desired.
The pair wandered leisurely through the teeming bazaar, wrapped up so far in their own little personal bubble that the bustling crowds about them may as well have not existed. Every now and then one of them would stop at one stall or another and pick up some item that caught their fancy or that their little trio required.
“Suppose no one ever understands what we’ve done?” The grey eyed teen asked lightly after a few minutes. “How would you feel?” He stopped at a small table over which spilled an incredible array of jewellery (literally).
Aurora paused and bit her lower lip as she thought. “I… don’t know. It’s the right thing to do; I’ve never really thought about it.” She smiled wanly as she looked at her companion who was browsing the stall. “I might feel a little… cheated I guess, but not too much.” She admitted.
Inferno gently picked up a burnished bronze hair pin out of the pile, looking at it critically for a moment before paying the vendor for the hair ornament.
“Because at least one person knows what you did?” He asked, smiling softly as he placed the pin in Aurora’s hand.
Aurora looked at the gleaming ornament for a moment before matching her friend’s pleasant expression. “Yeah,” The roujin replied, letting down her aqua hair before pinning it back up once again, two pins to hold it up now, just as it used to be. “As long as someone knows.”
"A bauble, little more, but still it was another stitch in the tapestry of their lives.
A testament to the things they'd been through, and the relationship they shared."
A temperamental flurry of sparkling stars fell through the stratosphere, weaving an enchanting pattern upon the heavens. Truly an even that would remain in one’s soul for the rest of their life.
A pity that it had so few admirers.
“Inferno, what are you doing?” Aurora asked her friend who was staring speculatively into the blue, midday sky.
The tsumejin shook his head. “Recognition.” He replied without further explanation, walking to catch up with the patiently waiting roujin.
Aurora tilted her head quizzically. Glory wasn’t exactly one of Inferno’s top priorities, and so the response made her curious.
She didn’t pry further. Her fiery headed companion knew her well enough to hear her silent question, and he would answer on his own if she let him. That is, if he answered. Sometimes he didn’t, and that was all right too. Everyone had the right to keep their thoughts to themselves if they so desired.
The pair wandered leisurely through the teeming bazaar, wrapped up so far in their own little personal bubble that the bustling crowds about them may as well have not existed. Every now and then one of them would stop at one stall or another and pick up some item that caught their fancy or that their little trio required.
“Suppose no one ever understands what we’ve done?” The grey eyed teen asked lightly after a few minutes. “How would you feel?” He stopped at a small table over which spilled an incredible array of jewellery (literally).
Aurora paused and bit her lower lip as she thought. “I… don’t know. It’s the right thing to do; I’ve never really thought about it.” She smiled wanly as she looked at her companion who was browsing the stall. “I might feel a little… cheated I guess, but not too much.” She admitted.
Inferno gently picked up a burnished bronze hair pin out of the pile, looking at it critically for a moment before paying the vendor for the hair ornament.
“Because at least one person knows what you did?” He asked, smiling softly as he placed the pin in Aurora’s hand.
Aurora looked at the gleaming ornament for a moment before matching her friend’s pleasant expression. “Yeah,” The roujin replied, letting down her aqua hair before pinning it back up once again, two pins to hold it up now, just as it used to be. “As long as someone knows.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)