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Post by Tulip Waterfield on Feb 23, 2017 3:24:54 GMT
Tulips spirit slammed into the ground, her vision swimming from the shift in lighting and surroundings. Blinking her eyes a number of times, the woman finally got a bearing on her surroundings. The woman found herself in a normal-looking city. The denizens ranged from spirits like herself, ordinary people, and ogres that strolled down the bustling streets. This… Is Hell? The woman slowly floated down the street, looking at the citizens of this surprisingly normal city. As she made her way through the bustling metropolis of the dead, she felt a ki signature she recognized. Floating above the others, she ignored the ogres orders to return to the sidewalk like the other pedestrians and flew in the direction of the ki signature. Flying across a field of strange grass, Tulip paused in the center and looked up. The ki signature was directly over the woman, beyond the clouds overhead. Tekuma mentioned the kiddo died… who would've thought he'd make it to heaven? She tried to increase her ki, to try to get his attention, but found herself unable due to her spirit-shell being too weak. “Well… This sucks. Guess we're not meeting in ‘this’ lifetime.” Tomoyo
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Post by Tomoyo on Feb 23, 2017 9:42:53 GMT
PL: 6,418
Tomoyo did not know what to do... how could he? This was the first time in his life that he had been put into such a situation that nowhere in a person's life were they prepared for, let alone a child. Death.
" ..." At the moment, Tomo was sitting along behind the cover a tree planted along one of the many meadows in heaven. A steady breeze constantly blew every few moments, causing the sprawling fields of flowers and small wildlife to surge and wave in rhythm to each blowing wind. Staring down at his palms, barely transparent and breaking the illusion of possessing life, Tomoyo simply stared. " ...why." The child murmured, his mouth quivering as if he was on the brink of tears... but none would come; none had come for the longest of times. Even Tomoyo couldn't remember for how long he had been sitting there: A day, a week, a month, a year? There was no way to tell... or maybe he just didn't care enough to keep track; after all, death was forever... " Dead... I'm dead." Tomo repeated to himself over and over, the term feeling bitter in his mouth; almost like soap placed onto his tongue, yet couldn't be shaken off no matter the effort. He was dead... but what did that even mean?! He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, Tekuma had abandoned him, and the person that killed him... " Noxa. Why?" His words had become disjointed, repeating the question that had plagued him ever since he had first gotten here. Of course at first, Tomoyo hadn't even wanted to think of it. He'd told himself things like "It was just an accident, she didn't mean it." or "How can I be dead? I'm still here right?!" and yet as the time between each assurance waned, so did his will. He had to accept things as they were... he was dead. ...but what did that even mean?! He was just supposed to sit here and do nothing forever!? He had no family up here that he knew... not anymore, and the child didn't even want to think about approaching anybody. Every time the rare occurrence of another wandering spirit approaching the boy happened, they were always met with the same blank stare and the same silence; after all, it was talking to new people and making new friends that had gotten him like this before. He thought he knew Noxa... but she hurt him bad! She hurt Tekuma! And then the thought occurred to Tomoyo " What if everyone else are bad people... what good people do I really know?" Given the amount of time that he had, Tomo went over every friend that he had made so far in his life... but that devastated new outlook simply perverted the memories. In each one there was fault that he had been blind too... or maybe he had ignored trying to see the best in them. Maybe it was good that he had died... maybe it would have just happened sooner rather than late- Tomoyo's depressing tangent was interrupted quite hastily as his ki sense began picking up on something... it was weak, faint even, but a ki energy resonating below him seemed like it was so familiar. It had been months since he had felt it, but after a few minutes of feeling it through there was no doubt about the energy's origin. " ...Tulip." The hybrid child murmured to himself, trying to figure out why he could suddenly feel his old friend's ki under him. The grass ground beneath the boy's feet was the very bottom of heaven... which meant that she was in hell. Eyes widened in fear for her safety, Tomo willed his whispy body foreward as it slowly began gliding across the dew-covered ground. It didn't take very long until he was situated at the edge of Heaven, a place with surprisingly no guardrails to be found and only a sea of yellow clouds. Slowing himself down considerably, Tomoyo attempted to stop at the edge of the Heaven's borders in order to maybe catch a peek over the edge; unfortunately for him, he hadn't exactly gotten maneuvering around with such a floaty body down to an exact science yet. He intended to stop- Instead Tomo went careening off the edge. " Wai-No! Stop! Stop!" He shouted at his floating tail, hoping to some way convey an action his own body wouldn't command; and yet those efforts failed as well. With nothing left to do but plummet to his doom, Tomo simply lifted his head to the sky and watched as literal paradise floated farther and farther from his grasp, before finally the solid sea of yellow clouds blocked it in its entirety. It was a strange feeling, falling to Hell; but as the red and maroon hues of the city of tortured souls became visible underneath the hopeless child, something else became clear to him as well. That energy from before resonated from a single soul which stood out to him from all the others. Raising his arm up to wave at the ground, his tail fluttering in the drafts as the child daintily floated down to Hell, Tomoyo waved with a faint, yet melancholic smile at his old friend. " Hi Tulip." He said faintly, but probably loud enough for the girl to hear while he drifted closer and closer to her form, the details on Tulip's spirit body becoming clearer and clearer with the shortening distance between them. " ...did you die too?"
TOMOYO HAS FALLEN TO HELL
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Post by Tulip Waterfield on Feb 23, 2017 14:13:53 GMT
When Tomoyo's ki signature shifted, Tulips gaze shot to the literal heavens. He's not going to… There was a short pause in his movement, before his signature became extremely pronounced. Her emerald eyes widened in shock as the tiny spirit came floating down from Heaven, descending into the Hell it didn't deserve. When she finally saw the face and bittersweet expression, she felt a knot forming in her throat. I'm so sorry for writing you off so quickly, Tomoyo. You are one of my friends. The small kiddo landed in the grass only a few meters from the woman and looked over at her. Despite being a spirit, the woman could still recognize the hair and eyes of the kid she first made friends with on Earth. He floated closer and spoke softly, with a small smile. “Hi, Tulip.” When he spoke, Tulip could feel the emotions she'd been piling up since the battle in Jingle threatening to overwhelm her. He continued speaking, voice slightly hesitant as he muttered the second part. “... Did you die too?”
Ignoring the boy’s question, the young woman rushed forward, wrapping him in her ethereal arms. She could feel his warmth, recognized the smell of the youth she'd trained with all those months ago, and just closed her eyes. If he tried to say something, she would only shake her head and struggle not to sob into his hair.
Kami… It's okay if I enjoy just this little bit of peace? I know I'm an evil person at heart, living only for my own selfish desires… But, is it fine for me to just savor this little show of love and care?
Tulips embrace lasted another half minute, before the woman finally released the smaller spirit from her grasp. She wiped her tear-filled eyes with her arm and muttered. “Nah, kiddo...I just came down here to see you again, but they sent me to the wrong city. How've you been?”
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Post by Tomoyo on Feb 23, 2017 15:33:37 GMT
Watching the woman warily through his paled eyes, Tomo was surprised to say the least when Tulip rushed at him. "So she's gonna kill me too?" He pessimistically assumed until feeling Tulip's arms wrap around him and her face bury into his hair. This wasn't an attack... this was an honest hug?
"...But, isn't she in hell with all the bad people?" The hybrid child questioned the situation in his thoughts. For months he had been debating the true morality of the people he had come to call friends, his own innocence and gaity slipping away with each depressing thought until he simply stopped altogether.
Nah, kiddo...I just came down here to see you again, but they sent me to the wrong city.
...Tomoyo's hands didn't come up to return the hug though; the child's arms instead hanging taut at his sides, wavering next to the tail that had replaced his legs. "...I died. Noxa killed me." He uttered, not knowing where he was going... but knowing that Tulip was lying to him. He had a lot of time to himself these past few months, and he wasn't stupid.
"who killed you?" The hybrid spoke up, finally bringing up a hand to pat Tulip's shoulder before breaking from the embrace. He wasn't smiling, he wasn't happy, but he wasn't unhappy either... maybe just reactive.
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Post by Tulip Waterfield on Feb 26, 2017 5:29:22 GMT
The young woman noticed how the younger boy hung limp in her arms, even as she pulled him in tight to her spiritual bosom. He only showed a slight show of appreciation, placing a palm on her shoulder. As they separated, Tulip glared at the small kid. Bet he would've enjoyed it if I was a gumball or Noxa… wait, no, that's not a topic of discussion.
Immediately vetoing the idea of mentioning the curvy competition, the young hybrid attempted to search for a different topic. Then she noticed his empty eyes, that barely reflected life. That's…… Not good. Not one bit. He's lost all hope at this point, hasn't he? He spoke in a soft but firm tone, further cementing her opinion.
“I died...Noxa killed me.” His gaze met hers, and she could see her own eyes mirrored in that lifeless gaze. “... Who killed you?”
I could answer honestly. But that might hurt him. He can sense lies and hesitation, though. Gah, what do I do? This is so confusing…
A mixture of emotions crossed Tulips face, ranging from confusion to anger, before finally ending with a smug grin. Leaning forward so she was in the young boy’s face, the woman spoke happily with a ring in her tone. Bringing one spiritual hand forward, she knocked the kiddo on the top of his head firmly but gently.
“Don't worry about the whys and hows of death, kiddo. An old man told me that death is only a stepping stone; we're never truly dead as long as there are those alive who remember us. And trust me, kiddo: there are plenty of people who still lovingly recall you. So, go ahead and cry… Now that we're here, I'm not going to let you get hurt under my watch. Never again, Tomoyo… So… Trust me, okay?”
Her grin turned into a warm smile, as the spirit looked at Tomoyo and waited for the boy's response.
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Post by Tomoyo on Feb 26, 2017 22:27:23 GMT
Don't worry about the whys and hows of death, kiddo. An old man told me that death is only a stepping stone; we're never truly dead as long as there are those alive who remember us.
Tomo could do nothing but blankly stare at Tulip. He... He was just completely at a loss. How could she talk like this still? Had she not seen this world for what it was?! Nobody was good, nobody was even his friend, maybe even Tulip... maybe that's why she was so disillusion right now. "He's wrong." Tomo finally uttered, his brows furrowing in irritation as his high voice spoke out against Tulip's unknowing. "I'm dead. This is forever, nothing matters anymore... I don't matter any more. I've been here forever, and you're gonna too..."
So, go ahead and cry… Now that we're here, I'm not going to let you get hurt under my watch. Never again, Tomoyo… So… Trust me, okay?
Trust me, okay?
Trust me-
The hybrid Human child's fists curled up at his sides, balled to contain his anger at this simple statement. She wanted him to trust her, after all that he had been through, Tulip of all people wanted him to trust her! She'd already betrayed him once before, and the people whom he had trusted with all of his heart above all else one by one had betrayed him! "..." At this statement, the kid could only offer up more silence, shaking in fury... but also wishing above all else he could cry and cry and cry all of these troubles and worries away; cry his death away, cry the pain and suffering away...
..but he couldn't.
The first month that he had been here, there wasn't a day that had passed where Tomoyo hadn't sat himself behind a patch of bushes or in a tree and cried until his ethereal eyes were puffy and red... but now when he wished them the most they just wouldn't come. He felt nothing, no tears, yet the crippling sadness and depression remained. He wasn't going to cry... heck, maybe he would never cry again; but there was something that Tomoyo wanted more than anything else that its possible Tulip could grant him. She was strong right? A million times stronger than he could ever be; there's no doubt she could have the power to do this right?
"Tulip..." He uttered, his form quivering in distress, the Saiyan half breed's arms folded over his chest as they gripped each other, trying to halt his shivering form. "I just want it all to end. Make it all end... please."
"Make it all end..."
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Post by Tulip Waterfield on Feb 27, 2017 15:09:32 GMT
“He's wrong.” When Tomoyo's first whisper met Tulips ear, she felt a shiver run through her. The utter despair and hopelessness in his voice carried a weight not even the woman could wave aside simply with a smile and a warm comment. “I'm dead. This is forever, nothing matters anymore...I don't matter anymore. I've been here forever and now you're gonna too…”
His speech broke off, as the young boy's gaze fell. He gripped his trembling arm firmly with his fist, as Tulip tried to process any way to defuse this situation. He looked up at her, with the first glint of hope she'd seen in the depths of his soul. He was trembling like a leaf in a tempest, as a different request filled the air.
“Tulip...I just want it all to end. Make it all end…please. Make it all end.”
Her eyes narrowed, as she threw one arm back in preparation to slap the young kid in the face. But, as she saw her own trembling hand, the woman let her hand fall to her side. Stepping forward, she pulled the young boy back into her chest, ensuring he could hear the words she was about to say.
“Tomoyo… Your death changed the state of affairs in the world of the living. Powers shifted, heroes rose up, and villains perished. One hero fell from her place, though...A girl you once cherished as a sister. Tekuma… She killed me after losing her sanity in a battle in the North. I think… That my sacrifice brought her back to normalcy, as normal as one can be after killing a friend.”
Pulling him tighter to her, ensuring her warmth spread to the boy, Tulip whispered firmly. “Make me a promise, kiddo: you'll search for the key to escaping this hell alongside me. Help me search for the solution to becoming ourselves once again. After we've gone through all those trials alongside one another and reached the end of our adventures here… If you still want it all to end, to stop existing in this life… I'll do everything within my power to ensure your final death is as painless as possible.”
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Post by Tomoyo on Feb 28, 2017 1:37:39 GMT
Tomoyo waited with bated breaths as silence followed his insanity driven request. He expected many things: The cold release of non-existence, the warmth of a ki blast incinerating him, maybe even Tulip breaking his body herself... but the one thing he didn't expect was to be pulled into an embrace by her. Though it was meant to be reassuring, for a few moments Tomoyo found a feeling akin to his heart racing emanate from his chest; it beat with a furious fear like he had never felt before as a painful memory resurfaced. In the back of his mind, Tomoyo recognized a similar feeling he had felt just before he had died... and when Noxa had done this exact action to absorb him.
"HHHHH..." Tomoyo hyperventilated, what felt like his heart racing a mile a minute as the horrible sensation sent him into a fervid panic... only for the feeling to slowly begin to subside as he heard Tulip speak. With every syllable, the hybrid child focused his attention closer and closer to the warmth he felt being pressed into Tulips chest, not just hearing but feeling her voice reverberate through his small and ethereal form as the boy began calming down slowly but surely.
At first, Tomo was having a heard time believing Tulips words. His death was important enough to cause such changes in the world? How could that be possible?! As far as the troubled and depressed child could even recall in the time he was living, he had never accomplished anything great; only a series of failures and deceptions that followed in his footsteps like a plague... but maybe there was something he did that he couldn't see? The literal ghost of a child could just feel the honesty and conviction behind the older hybrid as she comforted him; however it seemed like that comforting feeling wouldn't last as Tomo was once more flung into the realms of confusion.
A girl you once cherished as a sister. Tekuma… She killed me after losing her sanity in a battle in the North.
"...Tekuma... killed you?" Tomoyo's eyes widened in shock... but for not the reasons that Tulip might have expected him to. That simply couldn't have been possible could it?! Tomoyo knew for a fact that almost as soon as he had first gotten here he had seen and talked to his older sister, there was no doubt in his mind as for the longest time that interaction had haunted him! "Tulip... Oh my goodness... Tulip." Tomoyo's eyes were widening at the impossibility of the fact... but there was only one solution that there could be. A glimmer of hope began blossoming in the youth's eye where desolation and despair had previously preoccupied for so long; it wasn't back to its former glory, but that spark of life and will to move foreward existed.
Pulling back his head so that he faced Tulip, Tomoyo nearly screamed in her face. "T-Teku killed you, that means she's alive!" The excitedly confused hybrid practically yelled in his hysterics at his elder, almost unsure if he was getting his hopes too up. "She killed you. She killed you but she was dead with me forever ago! T-That means... T-that means..."
Dare he even say it. If he uttered such absurd words would their meaning cease, the hope diminish once more and a cruel reality set back in to replace the rekindled ember that was ripe for extinguishing? "T-This isn't forever... I-I think I can go home..?" Tomoyo whispered into Tulips's ear, more asking her for confirmation on this somehow and that it wasn't just his crazy delusions returning with a vengeance.
Help me search for the solution to becoming ourselves once again. After we've gone through all those trials alongside one another and reached the end of our adventures here…
Nodding his head furiously, Tomoyo looked onward towards his returned comrade with a glimmer of determination; it was a small and hollow shell by comparison to the child's once innocent and forever hopeful light... but it was a start. Even the smallest of fires when kindled with enough care can grow into a roaring flame. "Y-Yes. Yes! Please help me! ...Please."
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Post by Tulip Waterfield on Feb 28, 2017 4:46:46 GMT
Tulip could sense the shift in Tomoyo’s mood, as he listened to her speech. Listening to his response, the woman pulled away as the kid began nodding. She looked down at him, her emerald eyes gazing into his. There wasn’t the same pure, kindness-filled eyes she had seen when they first met all those months ago...but there was a burning deep within that the woman acknowledged with a small smirk.
“Y-yes. Yes! Please help me! Please…”
Thrusting one hand forward, the woman ruffled the boy’s wispy hair and grinned brightly. Turning her gaze to the wasteland around them, the woman thrust her arms wide as if to embrace the entirety of the world.
“The sky’s the limit, kiddo! Together we’ll take hell by a storm, before wrenching open the doors to make our grand escape!” Stepping to the side to face the smaller spirit, the woman grinned devilishly and spoke with a lilt. “You ready for an adventure, Tomoyo? Because we’re going to find the secret to this expanse together. Hell isn’t the end, and neither is Heaven. This is just the crossroads for something greater! In fact...I think Blade might be here somewhere. Let’s go, kiddo.”
Waving for Tomoyo to follow, the woman began drifting back towards the city she had left. Starting in a metropolis for their search seemed far more fitting, considering the circumstances.
Requesting Shoki
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Post by Tomoyo on Feb 28, 2017 5:40:26 GMT
Waiting with bated breath for Tulip's answer, for a split second Tomoyo had thought that the girl was going to refuse his plead for help by the way that her answer was taking so long. Shutting his eyes as tight as he could when Tulip finally broke away from him, thrusting a hand towards him, Tomoyo finally let out a deep sigh when he felt the hybrid girl's wisps of hands ruffling through his hair in a familiar and comfortably friendly gesture. It wasn't until his nostrils were flaring from the pressure did the child even realize he had been holding his breathe for so long; his lungs showing great appreciation for the gasp's conclusion as air once more flooded into what felt like his lungs!
The sky’s the limit, kiddo!
For the first time in a long time, Tomo found himself doing something he hadn't thought he'd do in a while: feeling relieved. Maybe it was the addition of a friend to his months upon months of solitude, but Tulip's entrance into the hybrid child's otherwise bleak life in the Other World provided a light in the darkness that had consumed Tomoyo for so long. The weight of death still hung across his shoulders... but for now, maybe the spirit half breed wouldn't have to bear it alone. Still though... the fact of the matter was that they were dead; where to even start on correcting this horrible mistake was beyond Tomo's line of thinking entirely, and thus he would at least attempt to follow Tulip's insight in these matters to come.
Hell isn’t the end, and neither is Heaven. This is just the crossroads for something greater!; Let’s go, kiddo.
Nodding in agreement, the Tomoyo's spirit form glided along in tow behind Tulip, his ethereal leg-tail waving along as the child floated towards the direction Tulip was headed. Nodding in agreement, Tomoyo felt at ease for the first time in a long time... and it was a sensation he wouldn't be keen on giving up any time soon. "...Alright!" The child hybrid's voice rang out, loud and clear. While neither of them really had so much as an inkling towards what was to come or how to even attain their goal... well...
At least now he had a friend.
Tomoyo will be taking Shoki
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Entirely Ed
Moderator
The Egg Has Risen
PL: Several Raging Hornet's Nests
Zeni: Some Honey Nut Cheerios
Shoki: Cicada Shells & Dreams
Tag: @ed
OOC Name: Ed
Posts: 310
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Post by Entirely Ed on Mar 4, 2017 12:28:51 GMT
Tomoyo your Shoki gains are 3116OLD SHOKI: 2,741 NEW SHOKI: 5,857 You also gain a bonus 1558 PLOLD PL: 27,424 NEW PL: 28,982 Tulip Waterfield your Shoki gains are 1531OLD SHOKI: 0 NEW SHOKI: 1,531 You also gain a bonus 765 PLOLD PL: 104,947 NEW PL: 105,712
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