Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Nov 19, 2015 13:03:07 GMT -5
Bikini smile softened on her cold hurt face when she heard his explanation, how lucky she was to have them in the area... and how sweet Dante really was. Going up the flights of stairs was hard on her, her wings flapping to help with the weight of her, though Dante helped the rest of the way up since she was surprisingly light for her size, that all that escaped from her lips were grunts and groans, no air left for conversation, just focus and patience. But when Dante finally got her to his apartment and set her down on the couch, she looked up at him with a gratitude that couldn't be measured in words, "Thank you..."
However, when Dante asked her how she was feeling, she finally had a moment to think back on all that happened from the moment she lost her lunch, to the moment Dante had the man who tried to tie her tail in a knot pinned down to the pavement. She stood still looking at Dante as tears started forming into her eyes, "Bad. Really bad." She said, the bruises and dry blood inside her wings started to sting. She curled inward into herself and cried, her wings opening and covering herself, though Dante probably could still see her through the gaps where feathers used to be, "I'm... bad. A bad... thing."
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Nov 22, 2015 15:49:08 GMT -5
It wasn’t a surprise that Bikini was feeling bad. How could she not? She had been beaten and abused by five guys. In a way, though, it was actually a relief to hear her admit it, rather than try to hide it like she did with her cold. Still, it pained Dante’s heart to hear her—Wait… what did she say?
Dante’s eyes flared open and his heart sank when he realized what all Bikini had said. He saw her cry and try to hide her tears with her wings. For a moment, Dante felt as if she was flying away, suddenly so far as she closed herself off.
“Wh-what? Bikini, no.” Dante reached forward, hesitant to touch her at first, but he couldn’t stop himself. He touched her head, and would try to touch her cheek if she would allow him. “Bikini, no, you’re not. You’re not bad.” His own eyes watered and he felt his heart and stomach sink further as Bikini’s words repeated in his mind. “Why would you think that? You’re an amazing person. You really are.”
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Nov 23, 2015 11:01:15 GMT -5
Bikini was counting on Dante to tell her no. It didn't surprise her that someone like him would disagree. But the hand on her head made her gasp and look up to Dante, his warm touch so compelling that it almost mesmerized her. His hand then ran down to her cheek in a comforting way, making her stop the tears for just a moment. He wasn't afraid of touching her? Even after that last time he made the bold choice of touching her? He... seemed confident with her now.
"Dante--" Bikini let her head be held in Dante's hand, but her eyes looked away from him. "N-no, you don't get it--" she looked down, letting her face slip out of Dante's warm hand, "I'm... bad." She held out her claws, they looked so normal until they got to her finger tips, darkening and turning into points sharp as razors. "No matter how I look at it, I don't... fit in." She tucked her clawed hands away, her tail curling around her as she held her legs up on the couch, feeling insecure again, but somehow she trusted Dante to tell him her deepest thoughts, "Look at me-- at these wings! This clumsy tail! These!" She gestures violently her claws again, the wind caught on them as she swiped them out it made a small whining like a blade would in the air. "These make me get in trouble. I do bad things. I keep stealing, it's so easy with them. And it's easy to hurt people... I don't even try. They... They're right. Girls shouldn't have these..." She tucked her hands into herself again, her wings shuddered and tucked back into herself and her tail trembled as she coiled it around her feet. She knows it's dangerous and risky to tell Dante how she really felt, but something about him just... made her feel comfortable and safe, and she didn't realize that yet.
She closed her eyes and cried, she looked frustrated and upset at herself, "I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS!"
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Nov 23, 2015 20:37:01 GMT -5
Maybe he was being too forward with Bikini, trying to get too close to her too quickly. Honestly, he didn't know much about this sort of thing. Who did he really have to teach him? Isaac had never told him anything about girls.
Dante's ignorance didn't matter, though. For a moment, he saw Bikini calm down. Her tears stopped, and he didn't feel her shaking as much.
But all of his confidence and relief burned up when Bikini said he didn't get it. Dante felt a jab at his heart, felt his face drop. Bikini kept going, berating herself. Dante tried to reach up and take her wrists when she shouted at her claws. He tried to cut her off and tell her she was fine. But he could do nothing but kneel beside her and listen, too stunned by each word she said to even try to speak.
Only one thing she said shocked him enough to actually say anything. When Bikini admitted that she stole, he muttered, "You… I…" He had to stop himself. How could he possibly scold her for stealing? She lived in the Slums. If Isaac hadn't made money putting on street shows, the two of them probably would have had to steal, too.
When Bikini screamed and fell back into a fit of tears, Dante stumbled. His lips quivered, and tears formed in his own eyes. He reached for her again, stroking her cheek to see if it would do any good. It was all he could think to do at this point. He was too confused by what she said, and so he asked, "Bikini, what do you mean? You didn't get these yourself? None of them?" He had thought for sure that she had gotten her wings and tail, and that the claws had been a side effect. That happened with gene mods, right?
"Did your parents not have these?"
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Nov 24, 2015 15:52:19 GMT -5
Bikini shivered again when the only thing Dante could do was hold her cheek comfortingly. She was for sure that Dante would hit or hurt her when she told him she stole, her heat sensory felt a rise in temperature when she did admit to it. But no, she was still as gentle as he always had been. And when Dante kept asking about her gene mods, all she could do was look into his eyes, full of confusion and oblivion sparkling in her sad eyes. She shook her head each time he asked, soon looking down and still shaking her head.
"I don't know. I... don't remember. I can't remember them." She finally said after a long pause, feeling more alone than ever right now. "I don't know them, I dunno if I was born a child, or even if I just came out of the dirty ground." But she wasn't alone, there was Dante. Bikini felt like she mattered when she was with him, and her heart began to hurt when she realized that. She could tell him everything... right? Maybe just this for now.
"I woke up under an underpass-- I think, and I was already like this..." Bikini's hand came up to touch Dante's hand on her cheek, trying to move his hand down off of her, "... a monster. Just hurting people when I ask them for help, stealing from those men just to eat... I'm bad." She said again, her body temperature dropping a bit from the unpleasant memories, making her shrink down a bit on the couch, getting more and more worried and afraid of Dante that she was making things worse, that she was ruining the friendship. "... are you mad at me?"
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Nov 25, 2015 9:41:17 GMT -5
A sharp pain shot through Dante's heart when Bikini told her story. Somehow, Dante had thought that her parents were still around. He didn't know why his foolish head had thought this, but he figured they all lived in the Slums together, but Bikini was an orphan just like he was. But… she didn't remember being a child?
"How is that possible?" he asked, struggling to understand. "I mean, you had to have been a kid. You're not a—" But Bikini beat him to it, calling herself a monster. Dante refused to let go of her, to let her push his hand aside. He couldn't tell if he was being a creep or not, but he knew that what Bikini needed right now was assurance. His hand had calmed her down before. He couldn't stop.
When she asked if she was mad, Dante leaned forward, and he wrapped his arms around her gently, trying not to disturb her wounds. "No," he said. "I'm not mad." He pulled back and looked into her eyes, showing her his serious but watery eyes. If she would let him, he would take her hand with both of his. Whether she allowed him or not, he said, "I can't be mad at you for surviving. And I know you never meant to hurt anyone. You're not like those guys who attacked you. You're not."
His eyes drifted down to the floor, and he got lost in thought for a moment, trying to pick his words carefully before even starting again.
"I want to help you, Bikini. Stealing is still a crime, and I don't want to see you get in trouble. Let me help you never steal again. I can… I can help you study for your next test. Isaac can help, too. We can help you get to the Lower Class. Or heck, with the way you dance, maybe even the Middle Class. And until then, maybe you and I can do shows together. We can dance and get enough money for you to buy Lower Class groceries. And I can show you the soup kitchen that Isaac and I volunteer for. You can get free food there. What do you think?"
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Nov 27, 2015 22:08:25 GMT -5
It surprised Bikini that Dante refused to let go of her. She was sure by now that Dante would resent her now, if not just a little and think less of her as a being. And when he came in to give her a warm gentle hug, she felt her own body rise in temperature, mostly in her cheeks. Before Bikini could realize what that meant she was caught staring into his eyes, teared up by her story, or maybe sympathy or both even, she couldn't tell. His hands was warm and firm on hers, her own clawed hand grasping him a bit, but not enough to hurt. She was... surviving. Surviving was an interesting word to use, Bikini never thought of it to call what she's done that word.
"Dante...?" She said, listening to what all Dante wanted to do for her, all of this to help her live. Bikini smiled and teared up again, but this smile had the pure happiness Dante should be familiar with, but with a hint of something else special in it. "YES!... u-uh, I mean.. I-I..." she said, her body trembling. But she wasn't sick, and she lunged for him, hugging him tight as if she had all her energy back just like that. "Thank you, I... I want you to be my teacher. I'd love to learn from you, Dante." Bikini then let go of him, and closed her eyes, finding deep inside her what she truly wanted to say. "...I want to be strong like you, Dante."
Sure, she still felt like a monster. Society still scared her. But if Dante was there to hold her hand, and show her the way out of the darkness- well, she felt like she could do it, like she had a good chance this time.
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Dec 3, 2015 19:35:33 GMT -5
Dante wrapped his arms around Bikini when she hugged him, a smile stretching back across his face. Forgetting all about the fight and the wounds, Dante squeezed Bikini as the two of them welled up with joy.
When they pulled away, Dante stood up and said, "Absolutely. I don't know how much of a teacher I'll be, but I'll do everything I can to help you. We'll practice dancing, and we'll study together, and we'll hang out and—" He had to stop himself from getting too excited there, letting his energy fizzle out in a chuckling sigh. Dante put his hands behind his head and squeezed his arms in, trying to control himself, but nothing could kill the smile on his face. He paced around the room, eyes to the ceiling, thinking of what he and Isaac would do to help Bikini.
"But—you know—Isaac is gonna be a way better teacher. If he can teach me math, he can teach you anything. He even found ways to make studying fun. Trust me, he's the best teacher in the whole city."
…
……
………
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Civilians
 C[re]ate Champion
Posts: 106
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Isaac Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Isaac on Dec 3, 2015 19:36:58 GMT -5
…
……
………
"Hold on a sec."
The moldy, disheveled bar was dark and damp. Beneath an overpass, the half-finished pub was left to rot in the far corner of the Slums. Isaac knelt down against the warped wood floor, and he slowly raised a single finger to his lips.
"I was trying to chase down the other guys that got away. I lost 'em, though. Sorry."
A muffled groan, terrified and frantic, tried desperately to be heard. Isaac thrust his left arm forward, pressing his palm into a pair of dry lips. Once more, he raised his finger and silently shushed.
"Same for you. How is she?"
Dante's frantic voice grew calmer in Isaac's head, but his own face remained hard despite the good news. Beads of sweat rolled down onto Isaac's left hand, and the muffled voice spoke out again. Instead of shushing, Isaac wrapped his fingers back around the steel pipe in his hand, and he pressed it against the throat of his captured troublemaker.
The leader of the thugs trembled in a corner of the bar, his mouth sealed by Isaac's hand, his throat impeded by the pipe. Another quiet but firm shove against the wall was enough to keep the thug silent.
"Sounds good. Look, I'm on the far side of the Slums, so I'll meet up with you soon… You too." Finally, Isaac hung up and pulled his hand back. He stood up tall in front of the thug, who gasped for air and stared up at Isaac with fearful eyes.
"Please," the man pleaded. "Please, don't kill me. Please. We never meant to hurt her. I'm sorry, please!"
The man's voice rose in an agonized scream as Isaac struck him with the pipe, cracking him across the shoulder. "If you think you can lie to me, you'll need to try harder than that. Now…" Isaac pressed the pipe against the man's head and growled, "Swear you'll never touch that girl or the boy ever again. Not you, and not your gang. And if you try anything funny, you know what I'll do. Now, say it."
"I swear, we'll never hurt her. We'll never hurt anybody. I swear!"
Slowly, Isaac lowered the pipe, letting it glide down to the man's neck, then his shoulder, before drifting away and leaving him alone. The man sighed with relief, only to gasp as Isaac drew the pipe back for a swing.
"I don't believe you."
END
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