Antimatter for the Master Plan {open}

[xthelonelypuppetx]

Mr. N needs to be more, I dunno, consistent with workdays... I'll have to work every day for three weeks straight, and then he decides to take five days off without telling me. Kinda makes me miss the rebels... At least they gave me something to do. I was constantly working, but it was fun. That's what matters the most about a job, right? If you get your job done and have fun doing it? If only my world didn't have to disappear... And if Flare were still alive, that'd be great, too... But wait, I have Razor now, don't I? Well, if HAVE is the correct word... Love is too confusing, sometimes... Would 'love' even be the right word? Ugh...

A blonde woman found herself leaning against the wall of a weapon's shop, arms crossed over her chest. She didn't look up from her shoes for the longest time as if her entire being depended on their existence. Her thoughts seemed to be trained on something of incredible importance, for her brow was slightly furrowed, her lips subtly turned downwards. The woman sighed softly at last and peered up at those who passed by with emerald eyes. It was neither a stare of happiness or despair... It was a look somewhere in neutral territory, touched by a hint of boredom.

Sparx heaved another great sigh. She was slipping into a bit of a depression again. It was hard--always had been, really--to deal with the loss of one's world. Some took it differently than others. Some bottled up the emotions, only to let them go at the most inopportune of times. Others let it all out only to be a fixed up, even in the slightest, at a later time. Again, Sparx's position was fixed in the neutral territory. She knew that she would get better at some point in time, but still, she let that despair fester under the facade of a smile. When she was left to her own devices, the depression would come creeping back, slowly, steadily...

Again, her eyes dropped back to her shoes.

[[To whoever decides to join this, I don't mind where this thread goes ^^]]

[Ellie who has 0%]

I need to get up... The thought beckoned a pair of once empty marroon eyes to open with a solemn verocity. "I can't live like shit anymore."

Sitting up sluggish a rava viera arose from her slumbering depression; it had left her thinner than before, and she even lost some muscle tone. Her lack of self-treatment made her dizzy and unstable when merely sitting up; it was obvious that it would be more complicated to stand on a ceramic shilling roof with stilettos to compromise with her long feet. Coffee growled as she wobbled like a fawn during its first step, but she grasped hold of herself to a chimney.

She was in the state beyond pathetic. Days of dirt layered over her mocha skin, armory and thin fabric. Even her snowy white hair had a tint to it. If she had a place of her own in this world, she would clean herself up, but like the wild viera she was, she lived in the wilderness or like the viera she is now, living like a vagabond. She still had a space-craft to return to, so perhaps she wasn't completely helpless as she forced herself to exist hopeless in Radiant Garden. The radiance hardly touched her heart to fill the empty gaps made by her MIA comrades. This was probably why she resisted forging any ties for so long; one got too attached and suffered the consequences when stripped from it.

Some how after dreams of her former teacher and lover chastizing her state, demeanor, lifestyle, and name, Coffee had rose from the dead back to her distant cold self without the sense of self-destruction. Despite how rugged she looked, she still carried the arrogant aura of pride around her; it was a safe guard to keep unwanted company at bay, since she wa now picking up her pieces to regain herself.

Before desending down from her perch, she looked at her most prized possession that had suffered as much through Coffee's depressing state. Esmeralda has been neglected during those times without a proper polish in weeks, and even when she used it, the viera forgot to check up on its sharpness. Her lids drooped with guilt, while cooly looking at her reflection. "What have I done to you..."

Who would think getting a patch up job for a halberd would be considered a step in a new direction? Yet if one was a warrioress for the majority of her life, then it was understandable. Afterall her halberd and minute emerald earrings were the only connections she had to her world where important people of her heart had lived. Even if she had disregarded her past, she wasn't going to spit on the remnants of the good things she had then, while she strutted through the busiest area of Radiant Garden with her once shoulder cropped hair trascending down messily her back. They were in messy waves unkept and uncombed for days; she didn't even run her claws through it during her lifeless lounging periods.

Her sharp eyes glanced from different shops until finding it. As she approached, her brows arched at the unattentive worker; she hardly cared how 'professional' she was, but she better do or get someone to do a commendable handiwork on Esmeralds. She doesn't let anyone touch it, and if anyone whom she relunctantly entrust to tend to...tarnish her prized treasure, they would ensure a rude awakening.

"Can you tend to this?" Her voice was thick with a foreign accent as the halberd was placed on the counter with a thump. "She's dull and need polishing, and I lack a kit."

[xthelonelypuppetx]

"Care you tend to this?"

Sparx peered up from her shoes.

"She's dull and need polishing, and I lack a kit."

"...YOU HAVE BUNNY EARS!"

The woman had never seen anything quite like it. Before her was a tall lady, scantily clad, her skin a deep mocha color. Her hair posed a stark contrast to the rest of her body--it was some kind of platinum, perhaps cream-like color. Scantily clad--this was realized with the slight widening of the eyes on Sparx's part--and possessing a set of silver bunny ears and maroon orbs for eyes, the strange... creature was like something out of a storybook. Well, besides the fact that she looked a bit out of shape, so to speak. Her hair had obviously grown out and hadn't been attended to; her dark skin was somehow even stained by dirt; something also seemed a bit off about her aura, like she wasn't happy with something. A set of emerald eyes gazed over the woman with the strange ears until finally, the rebel realized that she was being spoken to.

"Oh, wait, ahahaha, me? I, uh, can't say that I know how to polish a sword... I don't even know how to fight with one... But maybe I could pay for it to be done? I mean, I promise, I wouldn't mind at all..." As if to reiterate her point, Sparx produced a handful of munny from her pocket. She peered up into the shop as if to find a list of prices conveniently posted on the wall, but there was no such luck. In fact, the weapon shop looked practically empty. On the counter, a service bell had been placed. This was rung consecutively in rapid succession impatiently. No movement occurred within the shop. Is it their day off or somethin'? Well... I always was the do-it-yourself kinda girl...

"Oh, hell... I'll just do it myself, then..." Within the next moment, Sparx had put away her money, hoisted herself on top of the counter, slipped over it, and had dropped down to the opposite side. After browsing through various shelves, the rebel came across the necessary materials and placed them out within eyesight of the woman with bunny ears. "Don't worry," Sparx said with a sweet smile, "They can't arrest me. Let's just say I'm good at running." Stepping up to the counter, she continued, "My name's Sparx, by the way~ I can't say I've ever seen someone like yourself... Pardon my enthusiasm over your ears." Her smile widened; her emerald-like eyes glistened.

Maybe she'll let me touch her ears if I'm nice...!

[Ellie who has 0%]

The viera hardly reacted to the woman's exclamation; even her ears didn't flattened in distaste. Her marroon eyes resisted to roll in annoyance, but they kept a distant gaze as a silver brow arched, "obviously..."

An ear twitched for confirmation of its existence and genuinity. Being use to the gawking and staring, the viera permitted her the indulge with observation, while she gazed the girl over. Her nose twitched as the hume's scent wavered in the air. She was fairly young, but not to the point of adolescence. Eyes narrowed to pick up a smug of dirt on her cheek, while roaming around to drink in the rest of her wardrobe; she truly wasn't dressing to the job of a blacksmith or even an apprenctice. How unusual? "So...have it?"

When the younger asked if she was talking to her, Coffee arched a brow silently asking who in the worlds else would she be conversing to. The viera was having second thoughts as her claws clicked uncertainly on the counter. Was this the pentacle of professional? She couldn't even identify what the weaponry was.

"Esmeralda's a halberd," the viera corrected; she doubted the she heard because she was muttering to herself for a moment, but her keen ears picked the words up perfectly. Then she threw her off by advertising to pair of the repairs itself; silver brows dipped in a questioning manner of her intent, but who was she to pass up a free offer. "agreeable."

Oh, helll....I'll just do it myself, then..."

Ears turned back and curled up in an unsettling manner. The girl didn't even know how to polish a sword; hopefully she can polish and sharpen it without wrecking havoc on herself and her precious halberd. The viera chuckled a snort when the blonde batted away the idea of any concern of her well being; personally she was more concerned that she could do the job adequately. As a theif and bounty huntress, she lived in the grey shades and hardly seen the lines of boundaries...just oppurtunities.

"Hmm, then I presume I won't have to ask you if you seen another then," her accent thick again as she shook her head; she had lost tracks of Maya, another viera a while ago, and during her downess, she hardly made it a priority to scout and sniff her out, "if there were more vieras about, I would tell you to get out more. So don't concern yourself with enthusiasm, you aren't the first and surely won't be the last."

[Deleted]

((>.> You spoke Maya's name, Ellie. Now she will join. :3 Hope you guys don't mind~))

That scent...it is!

As Maya had been wandering the streets of Radiant Garden, the young viera had caught a slightly familiar scent, and her instinct made her follow it, like a hound on its prey's musk. Soon, she was on it good, her nose twitching as she took in breath after breath of the sweet aroma.

The satchel bag at her side held loot she had gotten from the castle Coffee and her had explored earlier, and she planned on selling it. The onyx would fetch a nice price, enough to buy her the supplies she needed. But Coffee had disappeared, and she had worried about her nonstop. So Maya tracked the scent to the shop, and burst the door open, dashing at the older viera and hugging her from behind.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you, Coffee? Where we-Hmm?"

Maya's ears twitched in embarrassment as she noticed the hume that was watching the two, realizing the scene seemed rather...

awkward.

"Uhh...hello."

Her sack of loot dropped, and she fumbled around to pick it up, looking like even more of a buffoon.

[xthelonelypuppetx]

"Do you really think so, Miss--SHE'S GOT BUNNY EARS, TOO!" Nearly dropping a rag she had picked up to clean the sword with, Sparx beamed up at the newcomer, who didn't look too different from the first. This one seemed to be a little cleaner than the woman, and a little more... girlish. While she did definitely possess some womanly qualities, the second one seemed a bit younger and more naive than the first. The rebel could remember those days quite well; she missed Director Sparx, her teacher and her namesake. When he had died off, the world became a lot darker, and her childhood innocence needed destroying in order to cope with his death. She had to become a woman fast in order to properly take his place...

The depression, no matter what, always seemed to come back.

"H-hi, Miss Younger-Girl-With-Bunny-Ears! My name's Sparx!" Sparx greeted, feigning cheerfulness. "Can I, uh, get that for you?" Without even asking, the woman was over on the customer's side of the counter again, helping the girl with her dropped items. "As I was just saying to the other one over there... pardon my enthusiasm over your ears. They're just a bit foreign to me, buuuut they're still cute, don't worry!" She smiled softly, letting her emerald eyes drift back to the woman before she remembered that she still had to polish her sword. "Oh, right." Handing the sack over to the girl, Sparx proceeded with her trip back over the counter.

"Ma'am, since I'm kind of new to this, could you run the process by me once? I would really hate to just do it and potentially screw up... This sword must mean a lot to you, after all," Sparx requested with a quiet humility. She could definitely definitely try it... and risk making her mad... and losing the chance to touch her ears... "Oh, damn..."

In her state of self-doubt, the rebel almost didn't notice that the Weapon Shop's owner was standing right behind her. Emerald eyes peered up at him shyly. In the midst of trouble, the rebel ventured, "Well, hi there!"

"Why are you behind the counter, ma'am...?"

"Umm... 'cuz I wanna sharpen a sword?"

He heaved a sigh. "Let me do it. Girls shouldn't be playing with swords, in the first place..." Within the next moment, he was preparing various pieces of equipment for the job.

Sparx turned back to the woman. "My offer to pay for it still stands, y'know~" The emerald eyes found the girl, then. "Do you two know each other?"

[Ellie who has 0%]

Although she couldn't smell the scent that was approaching for being down wind, the viera can hear the rushing sprint that had a distinctive sound. How many she knew could run in such heels with out inharmony? Naturally she would find it normal for a viera in such a speed and grace, but her known compendium of vieras period was a short list. Her ears had turned backwards to track the sounds from behind, but she knew an instant when the scent flew fowards as the figure stopped to hold onto her. There was a selective few, three to be precise, were allowed to be so close to her, and her lids hooded her eyes solemnly at the thought of it.

Maya... The viera said nothing; she didn't even react to Sparx's excitement; it was as if her mind right then and there drifted to a distant world light years away. Her maroon eyes did flicked up to Sparx and merely uttered to rid of formalities, "It's Coffee, and this is Maya."

Her nose twitched, and as if anticipating a new arrival, her focus shifted towards the back door as the shop owern walked in. He seemed to have hovered over Sparx by his height and just lingered there. Looking from the two, she wondered how long would it take the employee to feel his presence.

"Why are you behind the counter, ma'am...?"

"Umm... 'cuz I wanna sharpen a sword?"

Her eyes narrowed for a moment before clarifing dully,"She's...a halberd."

"Let me do it. Girls shouldn't be playing with swords, in the first place..."

For a moment her eyes were about to roll, but the viera held her tongue from repeating herself; she already made her decision to most likely NOT return to this place...especially if they can't distinguish weaponry...unless this guy can do a spanking good job.

Ears perked up once Sparx spoke, and Coffee nodded her head accepting the offer she had presented previously. When she asked about her and Maya, her dark red eyes drifted back at the other viera as if contemplating, "Yes, you can say that. I guess you can say that rare commodities tend to stick together, especially since vieras aren't quite so popular."

Deciding that she have given Maya enough silence, she inhaled deeply and looked at the satchel of loot the youth carried, "You still have that on you; I'm surprised you haven't sold it."

[Deleted]

If the viera could have blushed, her face would be scarlet with shyness, but instead her ears flicked every now and then, as if knocking bugs away. She muttered a quiet thanks to the hume as she helped her pick up her loot, then tied the bag to a rope on her waist and hugged Coffee's arm close to her body, trying to make herself scarce. As she leaned on the elder viera's arm, the scent of Coffee filled her nostrils and she instead lost herself, savoring every whiff of it. Her subconscious caught what the hume girl said to her, but her conscious mind dismissed it as she just sat there, trying to take in as much as she could, subtly as she could.

But she was aroused from her trance as she heard Coffee speak to her, and looked down at the bag hanging next to her leg.

"Umm...I did sell the bag you and me got. This is the sixth or seventh...But I have enough munny now to live fairly comfortable with another, and very well on my own...which is why I wanted to find you. You haven't been around, and I was worried about you...Please, don't leave me like that again, Coffee!"

Her ears flicked violently this time, and she resolved to talk to Coffee about the subject later, when there weren't any humes around. But, out of respect, she looked at the girl as she was turned away by her boss, and smiled at her, her brown eyes filled with sympathy. Males had never been...admirable to her, and this one seemed like a piece of work. Then, letting go of Coffee spitefully, she went over the the halberd as the man got equipment to sharpen it, shaking her head.

"Treat her well, she's a VERY valuable asset for us. It would be wise not to mess up..."

As she said this, she traced the outline of one of her metal claws with the index claw of the other, trying to make a show of this. It wasn't for Coffee, it was to give the girl a chance to prove herself. Everybody deserved a chance, and Maya got the feeling this man believed in male superiority over female.

A trait she did not agree with at all.

"It wouldn't be good if you slipped..."

[xthelonelypuppetx]

"Ahahaha... what?" The rebel seemed sincerely confused, an event that was rare to see in such an intelligent but hyperactive woman. These rabbit-eared women--Coffee and Maya, Sparx supposed she should call them now--were discussing something to do with the younger one's bag of loot. That much was certain and rather obvious. The woman rubbed a bit of dirt off of her cheek, then she grazed over the x-shaped scar on the opposite cheek. A slight bit of frustration welled up in Sparx at her own confusion, the former being an awfully familiar feeling. She didn't like being frustrated or confused. And now, being both of these things, the rebel allowed herself to be depressed at her shortcomings, and now she was THREE things she didn't like.

A sigh came forth from her lips. This was going to be a long day.

Sparx turned back towards the man as he sharpened the sword--err, halberd. The rabbit-eared women, vieras, she believed they called themselves, were busy chatting about something. Maya had approached the man and the halberd, saying something with a hint of malice in her tone, but the woman didn't catch what, exactly, was said.

Oh, Axelle. This is boring me... should we not be searching for our master?

Master... whatever. The Sandman's too busy taking a dirt nap.

She smiled at her own rotten joke and watched as the shop owner used some old method to sharpen this halberd. It made the rebel think of how technologically advanced her world was... They had the technology to sharpen and polish any sword in seconds. Her raygun, Eclair, was the most advanced of its kind, with the biggest magazine and the least reload time. She would have known what to do, given the correct equipment... correct being the latest technology of her world. But now, having taken what would have been a sprint back in time, none of that technology remained.

No wonder she was so lost.

"Sir, uh, is that how you sharpen a halberd? Perhaps, then, you could show me how to sharpen my sword..." She unhooked the estoc from her back and placed it on the counter, not daring to draw it out. Sparx would leave that to the man; if she unsheathed that sword, this whole store would end up a total mess.

[Ellie who has 0%]

As the runt began increasing her voice, her ears turned to block out the bulk of the loudness, but it would be impossible to cease the entire buzzing unless she can instantly go deaf by choice. The viera wasn't in the particular mood to hear and tango with the sort of rants; at the moment she was beginning to fill her hollowness, so it may be a while before she began to care.

Not knowing if Maya could feel her distance, the viera finally felt like she could breath when the runt detached herself from her; she took her freedom to lean on the countertop waiting patiently. Jer eyes fell on Sparx wondering why she was working here; it seemed like she barely got a chance to touch anything. Mentally she shrugged it off assuming this was just a gig to put money in her pocket not a lifestyle. Her ears turned upright; without shifting her face or moving, her eyes drifted to Maya and her sudden boldness. For a moment, she wondered where the hell did that came from, but it jumped gears.

"Treat her well, she's a VERY valuable asset for us."

She hadn't decided whether she liked the sound of that, an 'us'. The pronoun sounded so binding and constricting . With a heavy exhale, she let it go for the moment and dazed off into her own mind. Her lids felt heavy as if she was going to fall alseep, and sleep was the last thing she needed. Her ears perked up hearing chattering of a sword. Her eyes cracked open to see it sheathed away and placed on the countertop.

"What's its name?" The viera asked in genuine curousity, "Unmask it."

She was being hospitible by not unsheathing the sword herself; she knew how touchy one can be to their prized weaponry; hell she couldn't talk for she loved her halberd. It was one of the personal things she kept close to heart, and one of the least that's been with her from another life, a life she would hardly even discuss with anyone. Emseralda has a strong backnground; it was a gift from the sole person she had ever looked up to.

[Deleted]

(( D: Forgiviness, please. proboards went and ate my post for dinner. ))

As she overlooked the sharpening of the halberd, Maya stroked her metal claws together, making small sparks and a scraping sound, hoping to unnverve the male hume and ensure the job got done. But seeing a hume sweat wasn't a bad consolation prize, and she was pleased to see him sweat.

Eventually she had turned away and was listening to the other two females, being silent but curious, occasionally looking back to the male as he worked on Esmeralda. Once she could have swore that the man was looking at her, but she knew that the base emotions of humes had roots based in lust and desire.

However, this made her a little more...self-concious, and she went back over to stand next to Coffee, leaning on her arm instead of holding it like before.

And she stood and listened, as Coffee and the girl discussed the weapon about to be unveiled.

[xthelonelypuppetx]

After tending to the halberd, the shop owner waddled on over to inspect the estoc on the counter. Sparx gazed at her blade hesistantly. The prism-like jewel located at the pommel threw off dazzling colors as the light hit it. Still, the metal shined, even if a little dulled. Greve looked almost exactly as the rebel had received it years ago... or stolen, rather. That was just days before the... incident. She had failed to assassinate the Foreman, and then...

It pained her to think of what happened next.

"What's its name?" Coffee asked, seemingly curious. "Unmask it."

Broken away from her thoughts, the young woman laughed uneasily. "Greve is a bit... special... He has special... uh, properties, I guess. I don't use him a lot... He's... very... uh, powerful..." And there she went, being all depressed, again! Running a hand apprehensively through her hair, she watched as the shop owner slowly unsheathed the estoc that once belonged to her enemy. It gleamed in the light as he brought it up to inspect the blade itself. True, it was dull, but just so. And, to Sparx's relief, it didn't burst with energy as the man held it in his hand. It stayed as normal as Coffee's estoc.

"Treat him nicely, okay? Greve has been... pretty loyal to me, so he needs to be cared for properly." The rebel smiled, slightly. Greve had never once cut her, and he always came in handy when she needed him most. Fingering the x-shaped scar on her cheek, Sparx watched as the man brought her blade over to the medieval instrument and began to sharpen it as she looked-on, studying. Without turning her emerald-like eyes to the two bunny-eared girls, the rebel continued, her perkiness picking up, "He's got quite a story behind him, you know. He belonged to my biggest enemy... a world-wide dictator. But his allegiance lies with me, thankfully."

And, again, Sparx didn't feel so depressed, anymore.

[[meh post, sorry TT_________TT]]

[Ellie who has 0%]

Grasping hold of Esmeralda, Coffee eye balled it and tested its sharpness with her claw. She looked up at Sparx a bit curious of the vague detail of this Grieve's history, "So you triumph over him and claimed his blade..."

She glanced at the Grieve's sheath and hummed lightly. It was quite peculiar. How she spoke it alluded towards the concept of the blade having a mind of its own. Even so it sounded quite odd that it would switch masters with ease, "Now that's peculiar."

"Esmeralda is spellbound, but she isn't that aware of who touches her, but I won't allow anyone else to wield her. As you said...she too have a history. At time, she's all I have really...," a short chuckle bounced in her chest, "so take good care of it and use it...wouldn't want it to get restless or become unfamiliar with it."

She couldn't talk; she hadn't used her halberd in a while, but she could never forget her training, how to runt, how to track, or the endless winding of the trees.