Mother, Abseenteeism {Angel, Open}

[MARION(ETTE)]

What could be blamed for such an oversight?

One could rationalize it being the residual paranoia, a byproduct of the recent Virus swarm, that kept the eyes of the regal city's citizens glued to every direction except for 'up.' The swarm could just as well have been described as a 'flood', thrusting ahead into a great crescendo of a wave until, surprisingly, it had smashed head long into an obstacle that was stronger than the writhing force of digital nature. It was powerful because of overwhelming numbers, but surprises from the massed threat did not come from the sky.

One could also rationalize that it was the setting that proved a majority contributor to the social lack of skyward awareness. The swarm had, at least temporarily, been stopped. It had not entered the city proper; thus, it could be said that there was no threat 'from within.' And in this place, one looked up for a single reason only - to rest one's eyes upon the majestic tower of time. What other reason was there to turn a gaze towards the sky?

Still, an individual gazing down from the tower should have been able to spot the swinging, purplish mass that was strung up beneath a mini water tower on the roof of one of Clocktower Boulevard's larger buildings. Those on the ground might be able to make an excuse for not looking up, but those with a higher vantage point had so far proven blind with no reason. It was a cocoon of sorts, seemingly solid from far away. Pale purple, streaked with highlights of a threatening red, a closer observation of the thing revealed that it was a whole composed of individual, coiled strands. It was suspended like a baby's mobile, and it lazily rocked back and forth like the proverbial cradle in the tree top. No sound came forth from it; no unseen wind provided its momentum - everything it was was of its own accord... and it had been there for almost a full business week, undisturbed.

Such a time lapse was more than simply convenient. The clock, as it were, started on capture - some indiscriminate little thing that the puppet had coincidentally come across on an adjacent rooftop. An individual, unaware - apparently, just like the rest of the city - that had had the misfortune to be snatched up in puppet string coils of distressing purple. Constraint came by way of those coils; infection came through the needle pricks of hollow fangs. All of this coincided with the hanging of the cocoon, and incubation and gestation were the lucky results of being undisturbed. Had anyone been bothered to investigate this single, solitary-but-in-plain-sight area... perhaps the results would have been different. On the other hand, were things not so distorted... perhaps this day could have been viewed as one of joy.


After all... it was, perhaps in a perverse sense... a 'birthday.'


Days of silence were corrupted by a sound akin to tape being stripped from wrapping paper on a crisp, Christmas morning. This was the opening of the base (or, more correctly, the crown, though upside down) of the cocoon. The slick sliding of jelly seemed to echo out next and then, with no additional fanfare whatsoever, a writhing mass of sludge-like pink slipped out and fell, depositing itself upon the concrete roof; a splatter-noise like that of an unfortunately dropped watermelon smashing onto a hot sidewalk in midsummer.

A few moments passed as the quivering pink mass - a newborn, if you will - worked to organize itself as best as it could. Truly, it was more a reorganization than anything else - a strained but inescapable clashing and emulsifying of the captured identity of the past and the created identity of the present. The pink mass folded; collapsed upon itself - once, twice, thrice - and then it expanded, the pink coloration fading to an ash gray. Appendages - eight in total - were thrust out of the main body; a sprinkling of gem-like eyes appeared on what could be assumed to be the head, and the body took on a bulbous shape. Ash turned to black; jelly became a carapace and, as abruptly as it had been deposited, the new Virus bolted away, skittering across the rooftop and disappearing over the concrete edge. Where would it go? What would it do? Questions for some other time... or questions not worth answering, for as soon as it had been released, it had been utterly forgotten.

"Nnnnnnnnnnnghhhhhhhhmmmmm....."

Satiated. It was the best of feelings; a security trumped only by a handful of scenarios that may or may not have been remembered by the one responsible. It was not, exactly, what she wanted, but it was most certainly something that she needed, for the Viral Puppet Marion had been, five days prior, ever so close to an energy crisis. How long had it been since her previous master had succumbed? Too long was the only answer she could muster. 'Freedom', prolonged as it had been, had already stripped her mentality of the ability to process the concept of 'time.' Fear and flight had been the commanding concepts. Somehow, she had ended up riding along on the fringe of the Virus swarm's wave, splitting from it on a whim only hours before it had been stopped in its tracks. She had moved on instinct, her path abruptly shifting directions on the stimulus of conflict and confrontation that she had to avoid. She had no explanation for how she had arrived within the city and, especially at this moment of complacent euphoria, she didn't need one.

"Mmmmm...."

It was a sigh of exhausted, exquisite pleasure. Ever so slowly, the coils of the cocoon relaxed, splitting apart enough to reveal the purple and red, blonde-haired form within. She was, as might have been expected, upside down; suspended in the air by purple-ish coils cemented into the base of the underside of the mini water tower. Her eyes were closed and a half-smile seemed to play upon her lips. Had one been ignorant, one might have thought she was sleeping. But sleep... sleep was nothing more than a memory; a figment of the collective imagination of the digital world.

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] [] WHAT DOES IT MEAN!? -insert epic intro here- Angel, A soon-to-be hero of hero, who had barely just joined this world. Less than a year ago he appeared here, no one could answer these possibilities. Some people didn't believe the poor child,But though he had so many obstacles to over come the world's challenges. The threats he fought, the friends he made, and the factions he opposed. He had became famous, He lead a small army, including some viruses, defending the virus hive, against a huger army, with a general who had evil intentions. He had won, A natural born leader, though he fled from the world. He went rogue, for 4 months as he tried to discover who this master puppeteer was. Would he rid of the viruses and make them back to normal? or would he die trying. He may have been a hero to some, yet he was a villain to others. Especially the general, who had been hunting him down. He wanted him, and he would capture him someday. Yet, Angel had something that most people didn't... Was it stupidity? or just naivety, but he always had hope in his friends, himself, and everyone. Angel sighed as he stood on top of the clock tower. He was finally back in the safety zones, and in the public. Yet he made sure no one noticed him for now. He was undercover, under his sur name, Zero [wearing different clothes and shiz, shown in link]. It was obviously him if someone were to stare, but he made sure he never stood in one place too long today. His return was important to him. He had 3 reasons of being here. 1."To apologize to Ayame, Leanne, and Elizabeth." 2."To fix the rumors saying he was murdering people" 3"To find the solution. Angel nodded as he punched his fists together, activating his eye peice, scanning the area of interest. Nothing's changed since I left... Angel smiled as he turned it off, glancing at the people passing on the streets. Hrmm....I wonder If this is ok... Angel shrugged as he noticed an odd colored person. "...." It seemed odd... He wasn't able to pinpoint what "IT" was...and where it was, maybe a tower? or a rooftop... Angel sighed as he tried to ignore his curiosity, but it slowly tingled him as he kept his eyes on it. "OI!" Angel lifted the face mask back on his mouth as he leaped off, gliding down with his some-what cape. Slowly walking towards it, it seemed more like a female, and similar to a virus... Angel winced as he walked towards it, keeping his distance. "Hey you!, WHY ARE YOU ALONE!?" As noted before.....An idiot...or naive.... Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

Satiety.

What a wondrous concept, what a wonderful thing. The state of being full; of being complete... and, in a way, however obtuse, a state of being secure. The security of being fed to fullness - whether by food, as it was in the real world, or by energy, here in the digital - was a nearly ubiquitous feeling. 'Food' was life. Being 'full to bursting' - the overflow of sustenance - once correlated with the most exquisite aspects of high living. Physically, it manifested as contentment.

....But there was another side effect to it. The reversal of the sated state was ravenous hunger. Feral, impulse and instinct driven. On bloody edge. When the feral proved quashed by the heavy weight of physical gluttony... the individual grew complacent. Security, contentment, fullness, complacency... begat laziness and a shirking of awareness.

Such was the state that Angel-as-Zero found the hanging puppet, his voice booming with a question whose answers could be either vague or specific. His descent might have been largely silent and his landing quite soundless, but the question made no attempt to hold on to any veil of secrecy. It was just as well. Words from afar, no matter how loud, were far less startling to the Viral puppet than anything appearing in close proximity.

"Hey you!, WHY ARE YOU ALONE!?"

The sated state of complacency made her slow, but Marion's eyes - pinkish orbs set on a background of black sclera - eventually slipped open. Hanging upside down, rocking back and forth ever-so-slightly, Marion regarded Angel with what could only be described as a completely blank expression. The smile that had curled her lip moments before was gone, and it had been replaced by, largely, nothing. Her outward demeanor was stoic...

...but, internally, rusted gears were turning. Anxiety, flavored with curiosity, were the primary conductors of her emotional, mental train. Anxiety came from being discovered, with half-memories of hatred, fear, and unapologetic assault fueling her never-quite-dormant run instinct. Yet, those same half-memories also fueled her curiosity. This... thing (for her mind could not find the proper way to classify Angel) ... had approached her, kept "it's" distance, spoken... and had not immediately attacked. The scenario did not make any sense.

A moment of simple staring passed and, curiosity currently winning the war with anxiety, Marion chose to linger. The decision was, of course, not free. She had been addressed. Words had been flung her way. Such a thing required a response. But a response... a response required understanding.

Why are you alone? It seemed a simple enough question, in and of itself, but it confounded her. What did the question mean? What was truly being asked? A hundred responses, all at once, came into her mind and, no filter ready to sort them out, came from her mouth as a sound akin to gurgling water. An annoyed, somewhat confused look passed across her features, and she dashed the next responses back into silence, while she shifted her position.

How long had it been since she had properly spoken? Too long, it seemed, for her mouth did not want to work and her mind did not seem capable of forming full sentences. But she felt compelled to try. And the best place to start was with what was most obvious to herself.

"Virus."

Straight-forward, right? Her head twisted, turning itself right side up while her body remained upside down.

"Hated. ... Feared."

Universal truths, more or less. A delayed reaction then occurred - her body followed her head's lead, and turned itself right side up. The thick, purplish tendrils that kept her hanging in place seemed to flex and strain, as if they were preparing to leap into action. She made a more complex communication attempt.

"To not die. ...To persist."

Abruptly, a flash-wave of distortion came from her body. Spherical, but short range, the momentary burst did not quite reach Angel... and it wasn't intended to. In truth, it wasn't intended for anything. It simply happened in response to the first of her heavy strings being plucked from the base of the water tower. A burst of water struck her head, wetting down the blonde-like 'hair' pieces.

"Master gone. ...Converted... Distorted... Could not... pay... upkeep. Too weak..."

One by one, her strings were pulled from the base of the water tower. Torrent after torrent of water covered her, obscuring her body... and when the flow was its heaviest, her form temporarily changed. Let loose from the water-tower-as-rafters, she should have simply dropped - but her transition into her Distortion Blade form delayed the effects of gravity. She was a blade, shrouded in water, hanging in the air. And then, just as quickly as it had occurred, she transformed back, landing rather limply on all fours. As the last of the water trickled out of the tower and spilled onto her form, she locked her eyes back on Angel.

"Hunt...ing. Hunt...ed. You are... the same?"

Though she appeared quite languid, she seemed ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Her puppet strings had all pushed backwards, snaking towards the building's edge to facilitate an escape, as soon as it proved necessary.

((OOC: An idea, eh? Anything specific you might be looking for in this thread for that?))

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] Stupidity vs. Naivety Angel smiled as watched the female, waiting for a response in return. What was the boy thinking, interacting with a random creature upon where she could ambush him at any point and no one would notice. He would just die there, unless he fought back of course. Angel's foolish grin was interrupted as he noticed a few people walking by staring at the female, Angel blinked as he glanced at the female as well. What did they see wrong with her? Was there a bug on her? O:, Angel shrugged as he took a step closer to her. Maybe she was an enemy? Or a bandit... Or someone famous!? Could it she was an acto- Are there actors in this world? Hrm.... It would seem Angel would have to investigate the world more... All the time he spent on looking for the puppet master brought him to step one. Lost in the vast...data system? Angel shrugged as his thoughts were interrupted in a flash. Her eyes slowly opened, they seemed, hungry. It was infact a weak person, their data programming seemed hungry. Could it be? A friendly virus!? Angel smirked as he clapped his hands, He knew it was possible! He would have to show Ayame someday. This brought his curiosity up as he stood there, curios of her intention. Could it be hostile? maybe... "Virus." Angel blinked and nodded, taking two steps closer to her. "I know," Angel smiled slightly as he placed his arms behind his head. Showing no threat to her. "Hated. ...Feared."

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Angel winced, taking another step carefully, "I don't fear nor hate you!?, I wanna be your friend!" Angel smiled as he nodded once more.

She kept speaking more and more, as he waited for her to finish, he noticed the water tower breaking apart. "Hey! Lady! Look out!?" Angel quickly rushed to her as it fell apart, but soon stopped in his trails as she submerged. He was pretty close, not touching distance, but almost there. "A-are you ok!?" Angel winced as he glanced around, WHy is no one helping her!?".

His eyes showed slight sadness as he watched her for a moment, "I'm a siren, I wish to protect everyone, all races alike. Including the viruses..." Angel nodded as he waited to see her face. "Do you need help?"
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Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

How had 'it' gotten so close? Had she become so complacent in her gorged state that even the feral part of her - the one that was slowly dominating her psyche - had gone to sleep? With Angel standing a scant few inches away from her, Marion found herself perplexed and the expression on her face matched that feeling. What kept her in place? Was it the water that had so thoroughly drenched her? Could it have been Angel's impassioned words?

In truth, it was a combination of these things... and something else. The water had certainly 'cooled' her, but this was a transient effect. The water, combined with her momentary transformation into sword form, had robbed her of her sight. That combination had allowed Angel to close the distance. But his words played a role in her current paralysis, as well.

"Friend?"

Such an alien word. It had always been alien to her. In reality, there were none to be had and she had no purpose for them. In the digital realm, she simply didn't understand.

"...Help?"

The question was posed to Angel as much as it was to Marion, herself. How could he possibly help her? How could she... help herself? And what form would 'help' take, if it even could be had? Beyond that, whatever it could be... how would the rest of this 'city' respond to it?

"No... friend." Abruptly, the purple marionette's body grew visibly tense. Her eyes were moving, sliding from one side of the building, over Angel, to the other side. The expression she was wearing had turned quite serious. "Master... ... ...Servant. ...That... is... all." Her eyes came back to him for a moment. There seemed a moment of clarity. "...Help is a command."

On the opposite side of the platform, behind Angel, the door to the roof slammed open. From the shadows, a large form bolted forward, the multi-pronged tail giving the racial identity of the individual away immediately.

"What the fuck are you doing, kid?!" - This inquiry was obviously shouted at Angel. "Get the fuck away from that thing! Or do you wanna die?!"

As if to emphasize the issue, the Claw produced what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail, promptly lit it, and launched the firebomb in Marion's direction. If Angel happened to look at the puppet at that moment, he would have noticed that a queer smile had appeared on her face. Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper:

"Help... yourself."

Yet, even as she said this, Marion was already acting. Though her body did not move from its spot, her puppet strings were flying. They curled around her - and Angel, as it was - and they slammed together in front of the pair, snapping into a solid wall in front of them. The Molotov struck the wall of strings and bounced off, harmlessly... and the wall spread out like a fan, allowing both Siren and Virus full visible access to the furious individual that had so poignantly declared himself the Viral puppet's adversary.

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] What is the difference between a Hero, and a Fool. Angel winced for a moment, she repeated everything he said. Maybe that's how she processed her thoughts? Her way of communication... Angel nodded as he listened and watched her. He would have to show her he meant his friendship. Was she injured? no...Low on energy. But even so.... She was unique... If they were too fight... it wouldn't be easy on both of their halves. Angel shrugged as he took another step but was soon interrupted a claw.... This speech angered him, as his eye piece and speed crystal activate quickly in response, but it was futile as she activated a wall to block them from the fiery bomb itself. "Please wait here..." Angel nodded as he shone a great white blue light, looking godly himself. He couldn't de activate this until he calmed down... "..." Angel slowly walked towards the claw, holding out his -now- virtualizing gun, soon pointing it at the claw. "Leave. Now." He wouldn't stand for any species picking on the other, no matter what. Everyone was equal until proven guilty. [[Angel has been trying to help all the races to fight together in peace, and work together, but anyways, He's been trying to prove to his friends that there ARE some friendly viruses. But the ones he met died in the war [event] that happened. And plus he wants to fight the general. O:]] Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

((OOC: LoL. So I've gathered. Marion, on the other hand, couldn't even begin to understand that, in her current state. She hasn't completely degraded into a purely instinct-driven, feral form yet, but she's pretty well on her way since she's been without a 'master' for quite a while. I think she has at least a partial grasp on the idea that Angel isn't trying to hurt her at this point - hence the string wall she created - but anything more complicated than that will go right over her head. She will, however, continue to degrade until she has a 'master' that will wield/keep her in her Distortion Blade form. A non-productive 'partnership' will stop the degradation and allow her to achieve some sort of childish working mentality. A productive, nurturing 'partnership' could eventually allow her to function 'normally', so to speak - as is necessary for her to use her 'human form' ability. So, I guess the ultimate question here is: does Angel want a living weapon that comes with all the baggage and benefits associated with Marion or not? LoL. Check her profile for the specifics. If not, she will eventually run away from him/this situation. If he does, then we can figure out how that will work as we continue on and/or at a later time.))

"Please wait here..." Angel nodded as he shone a great white blue light, looking godly himself. He couldn't de activate this until he calmed down... "..."

Wait? Wait for what? To Marion, this 'command' seemed one without purpose. By her 'logic', the numbers just didn't add up. There was an 'enemy' - which was about as specific as she could be when identifying the Claw that had thrown the firebomb - and that 'enemy' had two 'enemies' - the creature-that-had-spoken-to-her-and-that-was-now-glowing and, of course, herself. In her mind, the numbers spoke for themselves: two versus one, thus, the two would destroy the one. It was quite simple, really.

But... she had been commanded to wait. The confusion caused by this took a moment to process.

Angel slowly walked towards the claw, holding out his -now- virtualizing gun, soon pointing it at the claw. "Leave. Now."

"H-holy shit, kid! Are you serious?!" The offending Claw was incredulous. "It's a God-damned Virus! Yo, Mickey, getta load o' this!"

The second part of the Claw's verbage was a summoning, of sorts, as upon the spoken word a second figure - this one female, and either a Leech or a Siren - appeared in the doorway leading to the roof. She wasn't the prettiest thing... but she was carrying a pretty mean looking machine gun, and she promptly leveled this in Angel's direction.

"The hell is goin' on here? Jacob, you idiot, didn't I tell ya to clean this up quick?"

Was the female the boss? It was a strange situation... but it didn't matter to Marion. She had been commanded to wait and, as far as she could tell, the only way to 'wait' was to 'stay still' - and the only way she knew how to 'stay still' was to-

"What the fuck is it doing?!"

-transform into the Distortion Blade. Abruptly, the puppet strings she'd used to block the Claw's firebomb were retracted; sucking back into her body in a furious manner. And then, almost instantaneously, her purple form flickered, then shrunk, collapsing upon itself back into her intricate longsword 'dormant' form. The tip of the blade sank into the rooftop as easily as the proverbial hot knife through butter. And there she 'stood', a shimmering, digital "sword in the stone."

The transformation was somewhat problematic, however. It left Angel between two hostile individuals, without the potential benefit of Marion's puppet string wall. But the new, reversed status quo of two versus one did not linger long.

"F-fuck!" exclaimed the Claw, suddenly. "There's two of them!"

By 'them' he meant 'Viruses'... for the spider-like form that Marion had so recently converted had reappeared over the edge of the building. It sprang lightly up, its eight wicked spindly legs clattering over the roof top. It was fast and a single leap took it up to the top of the water tower that Marion had nearly destroyed. Newly born and completely feral, the spider-virus could differentiate between only two things: self and foe.

With a squealing roar, it promptly attacked, sending a viscous, sticky ball of red webbing flying at the machine gun wielding female. The threads stuck fast, but would obviously not hold the woman very long. Towards Angel and the Claw, the spider-virus unleashed a series of gray-green acid-like distortion globules, with at least one of them striking the Claw full force, causing him to scream, drop to the ground, and writhe in pain. Suddenly, the virus dropped from its perch on the water tower and rushed to the Distortion Blade, awkwardly tackling it - dislodging it from the rooftop. It seemed to try and gnaw on the sword for a moment and then, apparently realizing that it could not damage the blade, it flung it aside, returning its attention to the three 'living' creatures still on the roof.

And where was Marion flung to? There was no specific direction in the mind of the spider-virus. The Distortion Blade went flying away from the group, crashing onto the rooftop and screeching across its surface as it slid. She came to a stop near the edge of the building, on the complete opposite side compared to Angel and the disgruntled anti-virus (but not VDF!) pair.

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] [[That will be perfect, and I can use this to when I buy the attribute change to Null, I'll say the blade messed up his data and shiz <3, quick question. Is it ok if I make this an ability to summon the character at any time? and it'll be like a data clone? or something of the sort? Oh and a warning, to be fair to the rules, Angels' weapon usage atm is gonna be weaker than normal, since his charrie sheet was deleted I'll have to make a new one, so he will malfunction here and there.]] What is the difference between a Hero, and a Fool. Angel winced for a moment, a summoning? A familiar? Fuck. Angel called his second pistol as he aimed it at the now appearing member. WARNING, MALFUNCTION. Angel's eye piece flashed red as his pistols disappeared from reality, almost as if they never existed. He felt slightly weaker now, maybe this was the distortion taking place. A machine gun was now aimed at Angel, he could dodge it in his current state, but what about his new friend? better yet what if a civilian got caught in the cross fire. Angel's machine gun problem was now the least of his worries, as he watched the spider, and the sword. The lady... Angel winced as he tried to screech out his barrier spell. nothing. How could this happen? could his change somehow weaken his power? or maybe something else was happening. "Please stop!?" Angel screamed at the spider thing, hoping it would listen, or at least back down. He had to save her, now. His reactions were swift as he shone a bright blue, sprinting towards the claw and -boss lady- "Distract the virus." Angel nodded as he quickly looked for the easiest path towads the blade, is this safe? or was it a trap all along... Angel sighed, Everything I do is never safe... Then again since when do I have a plan?. Angel glanced at the virus for a moment, At the amount of energy I'm burning I may lose speed in no time... His only thoughts were to get her to safety. Angel nodded as he kneeled to picked her up and soon felt a jolt of pain insert into his body. "GRYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Angel clenched the blade tightly as he tried to hold it up right. [[Sorry for fail post =/]] Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

((OOC: ? What do you mean by 'data clone'? It would certainly be interesting to see Angel with a "Summon Sword" type of ability, for sure. On one hand, though, it would only be truly useful if Angel intended to have Marion 'move about on her own' rather often, because she tends to want to stay in Distortion Blade form and be carried on her master's person "at all times" once the partnership is established. That being said, Marion's master can command her to do anything[/b] and she will comply to the best of her abilities. The master/servant connection will remain until a)she is destroyed, b) her master is destroyed or runs out of energy/builds up too much distortion and is converted into a Virus by her, or c) she is specifically dismissed by her master. So, Angel could easily command Marion to operate as a solitary agent any time he likes, thus making the "Summon Sword" ability much more useful than it originally appears. She is 100% obedient, so I don't think a 'clone' is necessary - that is, no matter what she is doing, if her master calls she goes, period, unless something is physically preventing her from doing it. A summon spell could circumvent that prevention, lol.

In terms of weapon usage, like I said, Angel can command her to do anything. If we have to wait for a weapon slot to open for Angel to be able to directly wield Marion as the Distortion Blade as a 'normal' weapon, he can just as easily command her to transform and attack 'autonomously' in puppet form, using her Distortion Blade charged attack as her special ability from time-to-time until she can be slotted as a primary weapon - that is, transforming and charging while 'jumping' back to him for the 'activation swing.' Additionally, he can pass her off to allies to use at any time, as well, so long as it is a 'command.'))

"Marion...ette."

As soon as Angel's hand closed on the handle of the blade, this single, potent thought exploded in his mind. The word was accompanied by two things: a washing of extreme excitement - a result of Marion assuming that 'wielding' her would be akin to 'claiming' her - and a flash of a picture of herself, seemingly taken from only a moment before, when she had created the string wall. The picture, naturally, was an attempt to connect the name 'Marion' and identity 'marionette' to the Viral puppet and the sword she had become, though she could not be sure if her efforts would prove effective. Still, it was something... and was probably more effective than the broken language she had been speaking before.

In the meantime, the 'battle', as it was, was continuing. The spider-virus, displeased with Angel's bolting from its immediately proximity, had initially attempted to chase the Siren. With the Claw still on the ground, the only thing that could have altered its direction was the 'boss lady' - and that is precisely what occurred. Having broken free from the spider's webbing, she let her machine gun loose, the weapon vomiting a volley of 'hot lead' in the spider's direction. The attack did not hit home, but it did prevent the virus from chasing Angel simply because it was forced to dodge. It leapt backwards, regaining its perch atop the decrepit water tower.

Unfortunately... the lady didn't bother to follow up with a second attack on the spider.

"Jacob! Get yer ass up and flame that thing!" she screeched, shifting her stance and once again bringing her machine gun to bear on Angel. "I'll take care of this one!"

The Claw tried to follow his partner's orders. Really, he tried. His body still stinging from the spider's distortion attack, the one identified as Jacob stood, grimaced, and fetched another Molotov out of the satchel on his side. Unfortunately for him, he was not a fast enough combatant to keep the spider-virus at bay. Before he could even light his weapon, the virus was upon him. It mauled him, its guttural growls combined with the Claw's screaming filled the air with a distasteful cacophony.

The lady in the gun did not appear phased. She kept her gun focused on Angel.

"Command me!" came Marion's internal cry. Again, as before, the words were accompanied by a wave of emotion and, this time, a cascade of pictures. The emotional wave was a mixture of sorts: anxiety, excitement, fear, and anger. All these things were at a strange interplay with one another, forming, twisting, and mixing together like paint on an artist's easel. The pictures, on the other hand, were much more specific.

The first showed the Distortion Blade illuminated with a flashing power. The second, a follow up to the first, was a graphic representation of the Blade being lodged in the gun-lady's head. The third addressed the problem a different way, showing a half-transformed Marion leaping from Angel's grasp, a collection of her purple puppet strings launching out in the direction of the gun lady. The fourth and final picture was much different, showing Marion in full puppet form crouched atop the decrepit water tower, her puppet strings hovering menacingly over the spider-virus and the fallen form of the firebomb-wielding Claw.

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] [] Even the strongest heroes, fell to powers of the evil, until they learned to control themselves, But this isn't a fairy tail now is it.... Angel smiled as he held the blade up high. The distortion effecting, slashing the air, as a small wave of distortion came out. This felt....odd, images flew into his mind, not his own. "I choose Marionette, as my wing-woman." Angel nodded, trying to collect his thoughts. It felt as the power was too much for him, maybe she was rejecting him. No, he wasn't focusing, She needed a strong master. Not a fool. Angel smiled as he thought for a moment, I can't cause harm to those civilians, and I can't kill the virus... Angel sighed as he held the blade on his shoulder, a peaceful resolution... Angel nodded. They are enemies.. He couldn't do anything, if he didn't fight, they would kill him, He felt odd controlling her, but maybe that was her form of friendship. "Marion, I wan- No! I COMAMND YOU!, Give me all your strength!" Angel swung the sword as hard as he could, holding the sword to the virus, aiming it as a gun. The moment a reaction was accepted, he would finish the three in a second. Marion must've been weak at the moment, so he would let her rest... He would protect her. "Jikan no saiken!" -CHAIN REACTION!?- Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

"Marion, I wan- No! I COMAMND YOU!, Give me all your strength!"

To a creature like Marion, these words represented purity. They gave her purpose; they filled her with energy - though not the kind of energy that represented 'sustenance' in the digital world. Purpose, direction, usefulness - such things were the 'fuel' of the puppet's fractured mentality. They were the glue... that could piece her back together. Further still, the very fact that they had been spoken - and not simply realized as a confusing pipe dream in her head - cemented her to 'this' reality. They were 'real' and, as a result, so was she. A new connection had been born.

This excited her to no end, and the resulting emotional wave she produced formed a potent flood through her own mind and over Angel's as well. The excitement was so strong it was colored; a bright, festive orange, like the ripest of ripe jack o' lanterns on Halloween, burning with an over-sized candle's intensity from within.

But there was something else that had been said...

"Jikan no saiken!"

Why, exactly, this phrase added to her excitement was a question that, at this point, Marion could not answer. There was something especially familiar about it - not the words themselves, but the language that had been spoken. There was a notion of 'historical magic' in the words; something that helped focus her, though she didn't (and couldn't) understand why. Still, they brought on a stange set of pictures:

A Shinto shrine, prayer bell, caught in mid swing, though its rope appeared to have been pulled by no one at all. A traditional set of Japanese swords - the tri-set; katana, wakazashi, tanto - largest on top, smallest on the bottom, sitting idly in a gazebo that stood, serenely, in a Zen garden. A darkened hallway; thick trails of fresh blood streaking the floor, leading towards a sinister staircase that was directed down into the darkness.

Pixels, as it were, of her own past life in the 'real' world. They were specifically non-specific. Details were always the first thing lost to 'freedom.'

Regardless, her excitement did not relent from this picture book onslaught. The pictures were simply a side effect of her 'being connected'; instinctual responses to Angel's words. She paid them little heed. There were other, more pressing matters to attend to and her response came with a moment of clarity.

"As you wish, Master."

For such excitement, her 'internal' voice to Angel was deathly calm. All of that excited energy did not manifest in her words; instead, they exploded from her physical blade form; glaring, bursting waves of purple distortion that covered and coated both the sword and Angel himself.

"The sword is the soul of the warrior. I am your sword. I am your soul. Together we shall burn; as one we shall crush our enemies."

It sounded as if she had been reading from a memorized script.

And the aforementioned enemies? The Claw was still struggling with the spider-virus. Honestly, in such a state, both were wide open to devastation in the form of a flanking attack. Focused on each other, the Claw and the spider-virus were, quite plainly, defenseless. But the lady with the machine gun? It took her a moment - she was gawking at Angel and his new sword, obviously having trouble processing what had just taken place - but she recovered in time to straighten herself out, pointed her gun right at Angel's head and pull the trigger.

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] Angel winced, as he fell to a knee for a moment, collecting his thoughts. His data stream slowly faded from a light-heroic- Blue, to a Dark crimson red. His eyes slowly turn voided as he put on a toothy smile. "Bwahaha!" Angel smiled as he spread the distortion waves slightly, holding the sword with one hand now. He felt hungry, with murderous intent. It bothered him heavily, yet it seemed right. Angel shrugged it off, It seemed as if he were a virus clone, maybe a hidden virus disguised as a siren. This had never happened, was the sword changing him? or maybe the transfer of energy was too much... Angel cracked his neck as he swung the sword towards the virus, Nah, it didn't seem fun to play with... Angel couldn't control himself, he wanted to kill the claw. In a spur of the moment, all that was spotted was a trail of distortion waves, and a dark aura of what was once a data stream, as Angel popped up behind the Claw, stabbing the ground, so the Area around the Claw and Angel wouldn't be entered. He wanted to toy with his play mate. "Hello...miss." Angel smiled as he kicked her [Hard! XD] in the shin, as he forced her to the ground, and soon jabbing the sword to her shoulder. "You like fucking with viruses?" Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

"Gah!"

A sword in the shoulder - never mind the kick in the shin - was, in no way, shape, or form, a pleasant experience. Had it been a normal, standard sword, one formed and wielded by any of the other races in the digital world, it would have been as simple as that - pain, with Angel in a dominant position to inflict more damage while, potentially, searching for the machine gun lady's chip. But Marion was no normal sword, and the effects of such concentrated Distortion were almost immediately present on the woman Angel had stuck. The clothing covering the woman's shoulder practically exploded off of her form, and the skin around the sword wound began to bubble, blister, and blacken. The most prominent demonstration of the Distortion effects occurred across the woman's face, as the arteries and veins below the surface of her skin and those within her eyes became fully visible, fluctuating between a vibrant, neon pink and Marion's signature purple.

"You sonofabitch!" she hissed at Angel. "We don't like fucking with viruses! We like killing THEM BEFORE they kill US! How the hell can you NOT understand that?!"

But before Angel could respond to the woman, a terrible, gurgling cry rang out, abruptly cut short right in the middle of the crescendo. The spider-virus had found its advantage on the firebomb Claw, crushing his throat with its mandibles.

"Conversion..."

Marion's warning seemed... lackadaisical, at best.

"Jacob, no! S-see?! You've done it now!"

The fight that had been in the machine gun lady's eyes had turned to pure fear and, as Marion had so simply predicted, a conversion had begun on the far side of the rooftop battlefield. The spider-virus had claimed its energy source and, right before their eyes, the firebomb wielding Claw was transforming. His body was collapsing upon itself, skin turning to thick, opaque carapace; his tail expanding in size and being covered by more of the same.

"Hahahahaha..." Marion's laughter was melodious and whimsical, like that of a child running through the sprinkler during summer.

"Y-you bastard!" cried the now final non-viral enemy to Angel, the fear in her eyes now mingling with hate. "You've killed us all!"

"Anything you can do..." The childlike quality to Marion's internal voice remained. She was sing-song and playful. "...I can do better!"

'Finality' was Marion's 'better' in this case. The Distortion Blade flared bright purple, eliciting a short yelp from the machine gun lady... and that would be the end of it. A humanoid form had been at the end of the blade, but in that moment, its exterior seemed to explode - pure energy extending outward about 6 inches - and then to implode. It collapsed upon itself again and again, finally crushing down on to the pinpoint tip of the Distortion Blade itself. And then it was gone. The energy surge coursed through the Distortion Blade and into Angel, with sword and 'master' absorbing half of the total energy each.

"Hehehee... minus one! Minus one! Only two more!"

She was so very merry.

But on the other side of the roof, enemies remained - both viral; one in the form of a spider and the newly formed one, that of a scorpion. In unison, they charged.

[Zero (Angel Hayate)]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][tr][atrb=width,400px][atrb=valign,center] Angel test Test~ [atrb=style,background:url(http://i54.tinypic.com/21971i9.jpg); opacity: 0.9; width: 400px; height: 500px; border:5px #000000 solid; border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px 50px 50px 50px; padding: 10px;] People slowly tried to reach them, as they noticed the fight, they watched from afar, some in the clocktower, none in the distance of sword-hero, and the two villains. This made Angel look more like a hero now, as of course, he was 'defending the town.' Angel sighed as he smirked, the distortion rising between the two, Angel's eyes turning a faint purple. " Just give up..." Angel nodded as he dashed towards the two, as one of them striked him, with a quick block, he went for a parry on the stronger one, the spider. His blade going for the mandible, but as it moved it struck it's [closest form of a shoulder XD], as he knocked it to the ground, as the scorpion came at him, he waited for it to leap, soon tearing through the shoulder and upper slashed at the scorpion virus, as it struck the arm, soon dodge-rolling away as he glanced at the sword. "You alright?" Words:- 316 Tags:- Anyone Lyrics:- Celldweller – I believe you

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[MARION(ETTE)]

"I am... perfect.," Marion practically purred, for she was, now, truly in her element. "As long as it is like this... I can't be anything else..."

And, of course, she very much meant it. By her rationale, this - as a sword, being carried, proudly, into battle - was the her sole purpose; her reason for being. It would take a much longer period of partnership and development before her mind could even fathom there being any other possibility. She was glowing - from the distortion and energy absorption, yes, but internally she was glowing... because she was, slowly but surely, being "pieced back together."

And, speaking of energy, the sword-and-hero pair received a second jolt as Angel's assault on the scorpion virus was more than its newly born form could handle. Striking up, straight, and true, the damage done by the Distortion Blade did more than simply leave a gaping gash in the frontal thorax of the scorpion. The attack also, coincidentally, severe one of the virus' claws... but, in the end, that mattered little. The overall damage was severe enough to be fatal and, just like the lady with the gun before, the Distortion Blade worked it's deathly magic. The explosion of energy, outward, occurred and then, as if it were caught in a black hole, the scorpion virus' body collapsed in, pinpointing its focus on the tip of the Distortion Blade. Again and again it folded upon itself until, finally, there was nothing left except the wondrous surge of absorbed energy.

Still, the spider virus remained. It may have been wounded, but it, with its infantile mind, could not consider the idea of retreat. It righted itself, splaying its legs out and-

"Incoming!"

-belched forth a hateful globule of acidic poison in Angel's direction.

Meanwhile, those who were spectating continued to marvel at the sight - a rooftop battle, one man against hated viral enemies. The word had gotten out, too, and even as the spider's attack came forth, the sounds of people coming up the stairs could definitively be heard.