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Post by Banshee on Jun 28, 2018 15:36:39 GMT -6
VANISHING SHIPMENTS! A GHOSTLY SIEGE?
| Banshee's PL: 57,000 |
The ghost caught the scythe as it was tossed back to her, dropping it down to her side in a loose fighting stance. Her attention flicked between the android and the hero, as if half-expecting one to rush at her and launch an attack. But while the android seemed to be eager to continue, the hero offered an olive branch. Her eyes narrowed towards Koban at length, and her grip tightened around her scythe. It was clear some part of her wanted to continue the fight, but despite her vengeful antics, she wasn't entirely lacking in common sense. She couldn't win this fight, and it wouldn't do her any good to get herself embarrassed by the city's resident defender.
"You're not the one that mocked him," she finally responded to the hero, dipping her head in a nod towards the android. "It was your friend who I accused of doing that. But it's all the same."
She snapped her scythe up and planted its end down into the dirt, taking a pace to the side to leave it propped up, just out of her grasp. She inclined her head towards it to indicate it. "There. I've disarmed myself..." she paused. "Symbolically, at least. But you have to tell me, now -- you say I won't fix my problems by 'acting like this'. How exactly could I change my approach and garner results? Talking rarely solves problems when those problems can level cities with a flick of the hand."
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Post by Saizomaru on Jun 29, 2018 7:00:01 GMT -6
Saizo PL: 27,000
Saizomaru turned to look at Koban, giving a little shrug. "Well if you put it like that, then I suppose a sucker punch is in order." he sighed and briefly shook his head. He brought a hand up to sweep one of the bangs out from in front of his face. "You must be a real riot at parties…"
The android watched as the spectral lady gave him a brisk nod in gesture of him being the token of discussion. He simply responded with a wry smile and a casual wave. But as he stood there he began to listen to both hers and Koban's words. He made a point to try and be as attentive as he could, but again the heran's words were like a monotonous lullaby threatening to put him to sleep.
Banshee, on the other hand, made the gears in Saizomaru's head spin. How exactly could she change?
"The answer is quite simple," responded Saizomaru. "Training. Lots of it." For the moment it seemed as though parlay had been called, eschewing the need of violence and instead resulting in diplomacy. As the ghost had done before, Saizomaru spun his sword into a reverse grip before embedding the blade into the dirt. He took a step forward from outside of grabbing distance of the handle.
"I won't bother to try and convince you to give up on your little hunting spree," he admitted, "but right now you're a pup trying to fight with the big dogs. If you've got time to waste pestering random delivery drivers, then you can better spend that time training. Get stronger. Take whatever revenge you're looking for, and depart back to the afterlife.
"Having said that… In my honest opinion? Give up on your quest for retribution. People who carry around that sort of burden will never be satisfied. If you care so much about innocence lost, then use your strength to protect those who still live instead of trying to avenge those who do not." He gave a small smile and held up a hand. "That's just my two zenni, anyway." He turned to the superhero next to him and gestured to him with an arm. "And now I shall let Captain Monologue say his piece."
Captain Koban |
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Post by Captain Koban on Jun 30, 2018 8:04:54 GMT -6
“I wouldn't be so sure about how ineffective talking can be, it might not always work but I like to think it’s working now at least. Sure sometimes you have to do a bit of fighting to get the chance to be heard but you seem more than capable of doing that” Koban said, while he had managed to overwhelm the Spirit’s power handily she was still an exceptionally powerful warrior, the average opponent would not have been so lucky to land such a blow against her.
Koban was very pleased to see the Spirit was willing enough to at least hear him out for a little while. Even if reasoning with someone did not work Koban was of a firm belief to at least give people the option to be better, the side of good could always use more people willing to lend a hand.
“As for what I think you could do? I actually have to agree to an extent him” Koban said tilting his head in the Android’s direction, for as rude as the man seemed to be his second suggestion held the general sentiment that Koban felt as well “Retribution won’t solve the actual issues you seem to have with Heroes, it may even just make things worse, what I think would be a better path for you would be to be better than the type of ‘hero’ that you take issue with, show the world what you think a real hero needs to be, and what they CAN be.”
“That’s what I try to do at least, my team and I just try to set a good example.”
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Post by Banshee on Jun 30, 2018 12:23:42 GMT -6
VANISHING SHIPMENTS! A GHOSTLY SIEGE?
| Banshee's PL: 57,000 (Base: 19,000 - x3 Modifier) |
The ghost lowered her gaze, allowing her straw hat to fall over her eyes to conceal her expression from the pair across from her. Their comments gave her something to think about, without a doubt -- but it wasn't so easy for her to reconsider her position. There was something there, in the back of her mind, keeping her on the track she had begun down. She might not even be able to explain it: it was like an itch, teasing at her thoughts and driving her towards a singular purpose. Even the android's simpler strand of advice proved a challenge.
"Training is what got me here," she started, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "But it doesn't seem to have the same effect on me anymore. I gambled everything on this being enough to claim success, but instead I've been out-powered at every turn. Trapped in a state between life and death that seems to hold back any advances I could have made. So -- while I appreciate the sentiment," she shook her head. "It isn't quite that easy. I wish it were."
The gears were turning in her head now, but she was nothing if not conflicted. "Giving up the hunt may sound all well and good, but that isn't so simple either. I'm -- calm now, perhaps. Calm enough to speak reasonably. But the only reason I forced myself out of the Otherworld was to claim revenge. Devoting yourself to something so wholeheartedly has its effects, particularly where --" she waved a hand vaguely. "-- soul-altering rituals are concerned."
She folded her arms across her chest at that, finally lifting her gaze back to the two men. "I can walk away from this particular... misadventure. And part of me would like to heed your advice. But I can give no promises that in a week or two, a switch will have flipped in the back of my head and I'll end up in this same position, somewhere else in the world. My -- natural form is a little more violent than the one I've appeared in to you today."
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Post by Saizomaru on Jul 1, 2018 15:29:48 GMT -6
Saizo PL: 27,000
Saizomaru quirked a brow. A small smile spread across his lips. "Ay, something we can agree on," he spoke in a cheery manner. He held out his arm to the side, fist clenched ready for a bump from the heran. After a brief pause without feedback, he glanced over to where Koban was standing, not realizing that the hero was a good distance away from him. He put his arm back down and cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment.
The spectre, however, was of a more serious tone. She spoke and continued, seemingly from whatever heart was still left in this incorporeal soul of hers, while the android listened attentively. Her voice was much calmer than before, this was true, as was the words that she spoke.
Perhaps the beginning of a change of that paranormal heart of hers.
Saizomaru reached out with his hand to grasp the handle of his sword. "Well, nothing in this world is ever easy," he replied as he unsheathed the blade from the earth. A press of the button on the handle retracted the blade back into the handle. As the compartment of his leg opened up for him to replace the handle, he continued, "Training can get you somewhere, but it never ends. Some people have to train twice as hard—others only half as much. What matters most is your dedication to keep going."
He sighed as he swept back one of the bangs that framed his face. He could still feel how cold the metal was. He looked down at his palm and slowly curled his fingers into his palm, then relaxing them once more. "Before I became… this… I had a lot of power. Maybe more than most. But it was taken from me along with my body. For a time I thought I had lost everything that was… y'know… me. But over the years I realized that it wasn't my body that defined me—it was my soul. Man or machine, I am still the same person who all those years ago fought for what was right. Does that make me a hero? Maybe."
He looked up at Banshee. A warm, sincere smile sprawled across those half-flesh, half-synthetic lips of his. "But it does make me the man who I always was and always will be. Maybe you just need to look back on who you were before your departure—become the woman you once were. We have both been blessed with a second chance… so we need to make the best of it."
Captain Koban |
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Post by Captain Koban on Jul 3, 2018 16:39:56 GMT -6
Koban chuckled at the attempt at a long distance fist bump and as the Android slowly brought down his arm Koban mirrored the action and gave him a grin to show there was no need for embarrassment, then the Spirit spoke up once more giving her response to his and the Android man’s suggestions, it was just a bit worrying that she at all addressed the Android man’s first suggestion as it was one that essentially boiled down to ‘get stronger so you can actually successfully murder heroes’
Apparently though training was not quite as effective for a Spirit as it was for the living, Koban supposed that made a bit of sense, while ones power was not entirely derived from physicality as far as Koban understood it it DID still play a sizable role in it, the fact that the Spirit HAD no proper physical form logically meant she could not gain as readily from that, instead perhaps only being able to increase her internal power, the sort of power that fueled energy attacks such as Koban’s Justice Flash.
The real problem however was that while the Spirit seemed interested in the idea of giving up her vengeful quest it was not necessarily something she was capable of, her nature and whatever had made her this way compelling her to act in a certain manner.
The idea of having such a choice stripped away was horrifying to Koban, however the fact she DID posses agency over her actions meant that all was not lost, perhaps it would take time but one day she might just be able to overcome it. “I’m sorry to hear that, I can’t imagine what it must be like, but if you can, right now at least, make a choice, then perhaps down the road you could gain enough edge over your other form to make that choice then as well.”
“If it helps if you have enough agency over yourself to choose where to strike the Headquarters of my team, the Pride Troopers is here in North City. If you need to strike, feel free to come to us for a fight.” It was a potentially risky option as it was quite literally inviting attacks upon the base, but the possibility of drawing the Spirit’s attacks away from those potentially less capable of defending themselves was well worth it.
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Post by Banshee on Jul 6, 2018 18:14:56 GMT -6
VANISHING SHIPMENTS! A GHOSTLY SIEGE?
| Banshee's PL: 57,000 (Base: 19,000 - x3 Modifier) |
The ghost glanced down to her feet, her eyes lidded in thought. She really could see the wisdom in what they were saying. And maybe, just maybe, there was enough of who she once was left to change the person... or thing she became. But reason and emotion don't always go hand in hand, and while she could look back and remember who she was in her youth, and even remember some shadow of emotion from those days, it wasn't enough to ease the anger that had consumed her for so many years now. Even in this form, however reasonable she could force herself to be, that anger persisted. Quiet and subdued, but still lingering at the edges of her thoughts.
She let out a quiet sigh and her shoulders slumped in defeat. The android understood her situation, perhaps more than she could have ever given him credit for. The hero even seemed to offer a solution of a sort that flew in the face of her image of self-absorbed heroism. "You're both being awfully helpful considering the circumstances," she mumbled, before looking back up to them in turn. "You know that if I was the stronger one here, we may never have gotten this far? That this would have been considerably more violent."
"... I'm glad it isn't now. And I don't want to see either of you hurt here. But I don't think I have enough willpower to claim that second chance you mentioned," she frowned towards the android first, before focusing on the hero. "...and your offer is generous, putting yourself and your friends at risk. But I can't promise that I could even hold myself to that, when things... um. Return to normal."
"I'll try," she finally stated, her arms folding over her chest as she once again bowed her head forward. "But do not put any faith in me. You may well have to destroy what remains of me, one of these days. It would be better if you didn't feel guilty over it."
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Post by Saizomaru on Jul 7, 2018 17:32:26 GMT -6
Saizo PL: 36,000
The android couldn't help raise an eyebrow at the heran nearby. "Dude, c'mon," he exclaimed as he threw his arm up, then letting them fall down to his sides again, "you accost me of being too eager to fight and then practically invite the girl to attack your base? I hope your other buddies get a pay rise when you get back." He sighed and shook his head.
The android continued to listen attentively to the spectre's words. As eager for violence as she was before, her newfound calmed disposition was a breath of fresh air for him. "Yeah, being helpful is kinda my thing," responded Saizomaru. "But let's not dwell on the ands and buts and the what-ifs—what matters is what happened. I think we all came out of this in the best of scenarios—especially that truck driver you scared the crap out of." He couldn't help but smirk as he spoke the last several words.
"And I'm glad to see that you agree," he continued as he swept a few locks of hair from his face. "You never know how well a second chance will go unless you try to do your best to seize it. And if things go south…" He shrugged. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just don't break it too quickly like you did that one—" he gestured to it with a finger.
He stood in silence as the ghost verbally confronted Koban, pondering on her words as she spoke them. He reflected on them and the meanings behind each one. He resigned himself with a sigh.
"Well… I think we're done here," spoke Saizomaru when there was silence between the three of them. "T'was good speaking with the two of you, but I've no doubt I'm being called elsewhere. Probably gonna go rescue a cat from a tree or something." He turned to leave the pair of them, making his way towards the game trail for a road.
He stopped before he reached the tree line. He looked up and through the tops of the canopies. A flock of small birds soared on the breeze above. "You asked what my drive was, right?" questioned Saizomaru. He lowered his head back down. "Well… it's a pretty simple one, really." He turned his head ever so slightly, glancing at Banshee from over his shoulder, peering out through the gaps in the locks of his bangs.
"No more innocence lost."
He gave a humoured huff before he carried on walking. He waved a hand back at the two of them as a gesture of his departure. "Name's Saizomaru, by the way. Maybe we'll meet again." A swirl of dust and cloud spiralled around his body and shrunk in on itself. When it had cleared, the android was gone.
Captain Koban And with this, Sai makes his EXIT. Good fun! |
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Post by Captain Koban on Jul 11, 2018 20:07:12 GMT -6
Koban rolled his eyes at the android’s response to his offer to the spirit but remained silent, there was ultimately no need to try rebuffing his comment, expecially as there was a good chance it was just a joke. Koban was not making the offer because he WANTED the spirit to siege the base, it was simply better than having her rage be directed at those who could deal with her rather than potentially being unleashed upon the unsuspecting masses.
“I like to think that’s what a hero does” Koban said giving the spirit a grin at her comment on how helpful they were being “and while that might be true he is right, there isn’t much point in dealing in what COULD have happened. Especially when the end result was something good” there was perhaps good reason to look back more critically when things went wrong, to learn from it, but agonizing over how things might have gone wrong would do no good to anyone.
“Trying is all I can ask for, I hope you can find the strength to bring yourself to us if you start to lose control. If you can’t though then I will do what I can to be there to hopefully bring you back to your senses, and perhaps if you get a chance to see some more good examples of heroes you can reclaim a bit more control” Koban said, he clearly had only a vague sort of understanding of these sorts of things and was mainly working off of hope.
Koban gave the Android, Saizomaru a nod as he explained his drive to the spirit, while they might not have gotten along particularly well so far he could certainly respect that as a driving force.
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Post by Banshee on Jul 14, 2018 19:33:50 GMT -6
VANISHING SHIPMENTS! A GHOSTLY SIEGE?
| Banshee's PL: 57,000 (Base: 19,000 - x3 Modifier) |
The ghost blinked as the android vanished in a wisp of smoke, reaching up to tug her hat down and lean forward into a respectful bow for the departing man. Despite her initial dislike, he had turned out to have... quite a lot to say. Innocence lost was a good way to sum up her own predicament, so in some sense -- maybe he was fighting for people like her. Dispelling her initial surprise at the nature of his exit, she glanced over towards Koban again. She managed another weak smile, but she couldn't quite hide her uncertainty even now.
"I'll try," she promised, reaching over to heft her discarded scythe out of the ground. She hoisted it up to rest it atop her shoulder, returning to a more natural pose -- though she didn't seem to have any intention of bearing the weapon against the hero. "But it's like I said. I don't know how much I can really do. This little... moment of clarity has been something of an aberration, and I can't promise there will be many more to come."
A frown formed across her features. "If anything, it would be more likely if this part of me is destroyed by the part of me that, erm -- allowed me to come back to begin with. I was just a farmer in life. The power I wield now was gained with a singular purpose in mind, and straying from it now might be an impossibility."
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Post by Captain Koban on Aug 3, 2018 14:55:56 GMT -6
Saizomaru quickly became less and less clear in the sky, his android nature making vision Koban’s only real way of viewing his departure, once he was truly gone Koban returned his attention to the spirit woman, she seemed distraught and confused about her situation, a situation Koban could only barely comprehend. While Heran’s were known to be a rowdy sort it was not something so hard coded into the genetics of the species that Koban had a genuine struggle to make a choice in how to act.
But the spirit while collected for now could at any time theoretically be overtaken by her darker impulses, or worse yet as she explained further potentially consumed entirely. A truly horrifying thought as while her actions were most certainly ‘wrong’ it was born of her seeking to do something, even if horribly twisted, good.
“I don’t think you should sell yourself so short Miss Spirit, while you may not have been exceptionally powerful in life and what you have become might possess more raw power, you very clearly have a strong spirit to you, from what you described it was that very spirit that allowed you to return. Perhaps it can still yet allow you to retain yourself at times, and maybe one day with work get more control” Koban said giving her a friendly and hopefully encouraging smile.
“If you do your best to keep your sense of self I can try to get a friend of mine to work up something to perhaps help you, I can’t make any promises but he’s quite good with magic and has a much better understanding of this whole afterlife stuff than I do or likely ever will”
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Post by Banshee on Aug 4, 2018 5:55:06 GMT -6
VANISHING SHIPMENTS! A GHOSTLY SIEGE?
| Banshee's PL: 57,000 |
The ghost lingered there for another long moment, bringing her scythe across to test its sharpness with the tip of her index finger. Although the conversation had gone on quite some time by now, she still couldn't banish her uncertainty, nor even the confusion that lingered at the edges of her otherwise stoic expression. At this point, she had to admit to herself that she liked the Heran, while at the same time her very being seemed to command her to take arms against him. He was a visual embodiment of the very think she was supposed to be killing.
She let out another soft sigh and turned around, beginning to step down the road before lifting herself into the air, prepared to leave the scene of the siege and the very short battle that followed. "I sell myself short because... I think I know myself well enough at this point. It's like I said: I can't promise there will be much more of this to come from me. I can't even promise that I won't do something else like this, or even -- worse. But since you dealt with me fairly and in a manner that I didn't expect from--" she strained out the last word, like it burned in the mouth. "--heroes."
"For that. I promise to you that I will try. More than that, I can't do."
She remained there with her back turn for another brief pause before adding, "Go on, now. Go back to your friends. I'm going to leave and I won't trouble this place further so long as I can remember."
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