[HH][1v1] So we meet again (Gale/Edel)

[Zyphiris]

Quote:

Rolling a 2: ALL DAMAGE DONE BACKFIRES ON THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES (ie if you do 6 damage to the opponent, you take 6 damage). All your log seems to take second place as a voice calls to you, vague, agitating. It pressures you to attack relentlessly, brashly, without caring about your own wounds or damage done to your allies.

There were some memories she wanted to forget.

Edel had somehow found herself back at where it all began, though this time the Haunted House was looking even more sinister, if that was even possible. The fog was making hard to see, and despite the ghoul's attempts to find her way back to Amityville, she had inevitably wandered into the depths of the dilapidated building.

Something was very different about this place.

Whether it was the flashes of memories she began to recall as she desperately tried to find a way out, or the vague nagging voice that was calling out to her, all she knew was that she was getting very agitated. She did not want any unwanted encounters this time.  

[kuropeco]

He was unsure why he had come back here.

It had been a long time since Gale's promise with Mei-Xiu, and though he had kept his word and had not attacked any student from Amityville for several months now, nearly a year, there was still that nagging sense that he was wrong, that there were those creatures who were not all as good and as willing to assist as Mei. He could still recall a few of them unwilling to even make the attempt, and though he was going to attempt to continue his promise to Mei, he had also told her that he could not promise to stop fighting altogether. Sometimes situations warranted the need of his gun; sometimes there were those he could not negotiate with, no matter how hard he tried.

This, as it would soon turn out, would be one of those times.

Deep within the twisting passageways of the Haunted House, down a dark corridor he did not remember turning into, Gale found himself unexpectedly not alone. He'd heard Jinhai's murmured warning that there was something with FEAR up ahead, and when it came into view, it was not what Gale had expected.

He had not seen her for quite some time. Pale skin, pale hair, that haughty expression that seemed permanently ingrained on her face; it was undoubtedly the same one he had met here previously, though it had been a few years. Gale eyed her warily, his weapon held up in front of him on instinct.

"...I know you," he said, rather unnecessarily. "I remember you."

Zyphiris

rolling 4 initiative

 

[Zyphiris]

The sense of dread grew the longer she spent wandering and getting lost in the haunted house's endless corridors. By then she had figured that it was inevitable that she would run into something.

Her guard was raised immediately at the sight of the unmistakeable white and gold coat. The last encounter she had ... with Enrique, or whatever his name was, had been civil at the very least. She would prefer not to have to fight.

It soon became clear that civility was no longer an option, as she would recognise the hunter she had run into. It had been a while, and he looked a little different, but she recognised the blond hunter for who he was.

"And I, too" she replied icily, crystals forming over her skin in a reflex. There was nothing else to be said for now.

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

He could still remember the look of loathing on her face. Even after all this time, even after the years had passed and they had both grown, that look in her eyes was something that would be stuck within Gale's thoughts for a long, long time.

And he remembered the pain.

Gale lifted the rifle in his hands, pointing it towards the creature. "You nearly killed me," he said, and his voice was slow, controlled as he circled around her carefully, his feet moving slowly. "I remember because you were so...vivid, I guess you could say."

I'm sorry, Mei, I know I promised.

Bang.

"I won't let you kill me this time."


HP: 57 / 60
DMG: 3 ]

Zyphiris

 

[Zyphiris]

"Well if you recall, that wasn't under my directive," came her equally slow reply as she watched the hunter circle around her, "Teacher says- your words if you remember". There hadn't been any reason for her to attack the hunter when they first encountered each other, until a certain Death lead issued the ultimatum to attack or be captured.

Every single memory beyond that point had just been fuelling her rage so that the second she heard the gunshot, she retaliated with her own. "That has been my greatest regret, letting you live so you could continue to take and kill us." Her glance was cast on Gale's rifle. Whatever the previous hunter told her about his weapon being willing and happy - hah, she'd knew better than to believe a lie.

HP: 46/50
DMG: 4

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

There was something strange about the Haunted House, something not quite right. Gale could feel the heavy tension in the air, thick and toxic, and he gave a little shake of his head, as though to clear it. "Teacher did say, that time," he answered. "But it's not as though you would have just let me off free and clear even if I'd kept my distance."

His grip tightened a little around the rifle, Jinhai making a soft noise inside of his head. "And for the record," he added. "I don't take any of you. I haven't ever; that was a lie you told yourself to make you sleep better at night."

The cold seeped into him, Gale twisting slightly to keep his view on the creature. Jinhai remained silent, every now and then giving a little murmur of reassurance inside of his mind.

"You're the one exception to my rule," he said. "Though I have no desire to make you a weapon."

[ HP: 52 / 60
DMG: 5 ]

Zyphiris

 

[Zyphiris]

"I'll have you know that we were on a fieldtrip then," she replied, her voice twinged with annoyance at the hunter's one-sided memory of the encounter, "Not even one to the human world to harvest FEAR, just a plain, simple school trip" Edel decided that that information was too old to matter giving away anyway. "Your appearance had been a very unwanted surprise," she scoffed.

It struck the ghoul that it was strange how the attacks she was receiving didn't feel like gunshots... but like sharp knives cutting through her skin. The frost demon held the newly formed ice daggers in her hand, holding back on throwing them just yet.

"But you can't say the same for the rest of your lot, can you?" Huh. Why was her tone a little softer now. Her grip tightened around her daggers, reminding herself that the hunter was still dangerous despite his claims. "Your leader especially."

Her guard was raised again and she sidestepped from where she stood cautiously, her eyes and daggers still trained onto the blond hunter. His last comment was met with a bitter laugh. She had seen the weaponization process happen to the other captives... she had experienced it through trance. Every bit of it was a hellish nightmare she wanted to never remember again.

HP: 41/50
DMG: 5

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

Gale gave a small sort of snort, his heart beating slowly, rhythmically in his chest. He couldn't deny that doing this, fighting against a student after so long not doing so made him feel very peculiar - and not in a good way. He could see Mei-Xiu's face in front of his, so willing to trust him.

And what exactly was he standing here doing now?

"Your field trips leave a lot to be desired," Gale responded, as Jinhai pondered the strange feeling of pain that rippled up and down Gale's spine. "You didn't have to come into our world; you lot started this in the first place. What we did was out of defense."

It sounded almost pathetic to his own ears, Gale gritting his teeth. "I don't speak for the rest of my lot," he answered her quietly. "I speak only for myself, and what I do, I do for myself, not for the benefit of anyone else."

[ HP: 46 / 60
DMG: 6 ]

Zyphiris

 

[Zyphiris]

Edel couldn't help but betray a snigger at the field trip comment; she couldn't agree less. The ghoul shifted slowly, closing her eyes as she took in his next statement, finding it quite hard to refute. FEAR harvesting was admittedly, not as well regulated as it should be ...

She held back on commenting that there were human-friendly advocacy groups, deciding that it would sound ridiculous anyway.

The frost demon flipped the dagger in her hand, dissolving it and reforming it into a slightly longer blade. Holding it back up into position, she asked her next question, "So what is it you do then?" She would resume her attack or not, depending on his next answer.

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

She hadn't tried to attack him this time. Gale stood where he was, breathing slightly heavily than he had been before, and watched her carefully, his eyes following her as she dissolved the knife. He himself did not try to desummon Jinhai, and he still held the gun, but it was lowered, a wary look on Gale's face.

Her question confused him slightly. "What do I do?" Gale repeated, and shook his head, just a little, as though to clear it. He felt Jinhai curl up inside of his head, a constant, reassuring presence that somehow made things just a little bit more bearable.

"I leave you alone, for the most part," Gale answered her truthfully. "I have made arrangements with one of your kind. I try not to attack you, and she tries not to attack us. We've got an understanding, she and I.

"Though," he added, with a nod in the ice demon's direction. "Sometimes that understanding is stretched a little."

Zyphiris

 

[Zyphiris]

Edel listened quietly as she took in what the hunter said, still wary that he may not be telling the entire truth.

"Sounds like treason on both sides," she replied skeptically. The frost demon turned her gaze to the lowered gun before returning to the hunter, examining him for any falters in his expression or manner that would give him away. There was none.

"What kind of an arrangement? An exchange of information? Well I'd be jacked if that doesn't come back to bite us," the ghoul remarked scathingly.

At the last comment Edel simply shrugged. She wasn't too pressed about reaching any form of amicable understanding with the hunters as far as she was concerned.

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

Gale pointed the rifle with the barrel directed towards the ground, stretching it up vertically. It nearly reached his head, but Gale leaned against it as though it were a staff of sorts, studying the demon in front of him with a scrutinizing expression.

"It's not treason," he said quietly. "And my bosses know about my deal with her and have given me permission to move forward with it."

With a small sigh, he shook his head. "It's not exactly an exchange of information. It's...rather complicated, and it's difficult to explain, but she was the one who came to us, not the other way around. She was the one who wanted to make this deal."

Gale leveled a look at her. "I may not agree with everything Deus does, but you can't always make us out to be the bad guys."

Zyphiris

 

[Zyphiris]

"Well forgive me for thinking otherwise, ever since my first encounter you lot," she responded sarcastically, but even she was beginning to grow tired of that too. She paused, examining Gale closely. What next.

"You seem to be... much more autonomous in your decisions and opinions," she remarked, keeping her gaze level. Edel let that last comment sit.

"Well I don't know if she speaks for the rest of us, making that deal," the frost demon continued, her tone much more negotiable now, "Same as how I'd assume this pact of non-aggression would apply to the rest of you -" The sentence was left hanging there, as if the ghoul was merely musing aloud to herself.

"Could this be about the horsemen?" It was a guess.

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

He stared at her, trying to decipher that rather flat statement. "I think carefully, if that's what you mean," said Gale slowly, the gun feeling cold beneath his fingers. Jinhai stirred inside of his mind, ever alert. "I don't do things rashly, and I put a great deal of effort into my decisions. I don't just attack blindly, no matter what you may think."

There was a small sigh, Gale looking slightly away. "At least," he said quietly, "not anymore."

<< Peace, friend. >>

Gale pushed the darker thoughts away. The creature was sounding less antagonistic now and though she wasn't exactly warm and friendly, she was at least not trying to kill him. "She speaks for herself, as all she wants is to protect all of you," he said. "Same as how I want to protect the ones I care about."

She'd hit it dead on without realizing it. A look of anger flashed across Gale's face. "I disagree with anything that lot has to do or say," he answered with irritation. "The Horsemen are a group entirely dedicated to serving their own interests. If there is anything that I am against, it is them."

Zyphiris

 

[Zyphiris]

Bingo. Edel measured the look on the hunter's face, rather amused by the sudden change in attitude. The fact that his attention and aggression was now directed to someone else was nice to know. As for her, she was rather indifferent towards the horsemen; the frost demon was not aligned with their motives but they did help to keep that fine balance of power between the different factions. Better still, now that they are a distraction for the hunters away from the Halloween denizens.

"Well then, I think that's quite enough for today," she declared, turning to look at Gale nonchalantly. "Ah- complete destruction of your race isn't what we'd want either, but other than that-" she shrugged, the next part of the sentence not said aloud:

-I couldn't care less how many of you hunters and them get killed by each other.

A barrier of ice had formed between the two of them as she spoke. Edel wasn't inclined to attack him any more, but that didn't mean that she trusted the hunter.

"So if you don't mind, Goodbye." The frost demon then turned around and made way to look for for the exit. She was done here.

T3 Barrier in effect!: 15/15

kurotomato

this be my finish post UNLESS GALE DOESN'T WANT TO LET GO~~~~ ty bby *v*