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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
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Oct 17, 2008 14:01:52 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 17, 2008 14:01:52 GMT -5
It was close to two weeks, but Aunna had seen nothing of the Dark Jedi that had started acting like some strange and twisted guardian angel. That wasn't to say that she didn't hear OF him, however. They were subtle things: a kolto smuggler or Sith agent babbling and drooling on themselves, their minds reverted to an infants. The strange events didn't limit themselves to just them, however. A courier with high-level secret data arrived at his destination in the Republic offices, only to find his package mysteriously gone without any idea what happened. Of course he'd been detained and charged with treason, but he continued to proclaim his innocence. Charges were still being leveled against him, despite the fact that truth serum results and lie detector tests could not detect a falsehood.
Only someone with intimate knowledge of the capabilities of a certain Force Wielder would be able to connect the dots. If there was one thing consistent about him...it was that he didn't choose sides. There had even been another Dark Jedi slain by the docking bays.
Despite it all, she had been given direct orders to investigate these strange occurances and determine their source. The problem was...how do you find someone that doesn't want to be found?
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 17, 2008 14:39:08 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 17, 2008 14:39:08 GMT -5
Reports had come flooding in, and her already short temper and frayed nerves were growing thinner.
---Bloody Vex. What have you done NOW?!---
That was her thought every time she received a new report of something happening. The powers that be were breathing down her neck for answers and she had none to give....not willingly anyway...and they couldn't tell the difference. So, after one particularly upsetting argument with three of her superiors at once, Aunna decided to go out looking for the bloody idiot. The major wasn't supposed to leave the base at this time of night, but she was also not without her wiles. True, she was no force user who could sneak in and out of one's hospital room without anyone realizing, but she COULD sneak in and out of various places without being seen....especially when she knew the building as well as she did this one.
Slinking through the shadows of the building, she deftly avoided meeting anyone on her way out, her spear once again in her pocket. Upon reaching the outside, Aunna decided it would be prudent to get as far away from the base as possible. It was unlikely he would try to get even close to it...but where WOULD he be? Letting her feet guide her, the major found herself in the much darker area of the swoop bars near the outskirts of the Sith zone. Backing into the nearby shadow of a building, she kept her back against the wall as she waited, willing him to find her....if such a thing were even possible.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 17, 2008 15:03:52 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 17, 2008 15:03:52 GMT -5
"Bit far from your side of the city, aren't you, darlin'?"
She saw several men coming closer. From their body language, there were like the classic pack, drawing from each other for support. Jackals in Sith clothing, they had left one of the rowdier swoop bars in the area and had happened to notice her just as she dipped into the shadow. It was rotten luck on her part...another heartbeat would have found her ensconced in the relative safety and anonymity of that shadow.
There were six total...and they fanned out slowly to cut off her avenues of escape. By their bearing they were soldiers. The petty arrogance they exuded made it fairly clear that they were Sith.
"This is a dangerous part of town, lovely...all manner of unspeakable things can happen to a pretty little woman that's all alone. Lucky you...you're no longer alone..."
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the change of her status wasn't necessarily cause for rejoicing.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 17, 2008 15:13:26 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 17, 2008 15:13:26 GMT -5
Aunna cursed silently as she heard the first voice. Turning, she narrowed her eyes, her hands in her pockets before they could see they had been otherwise. There were six of them by her count, and judging by the arrogance, sith. The pack surrounded her easily, their lupine features showing sadistic grins as they cut off all avenues of escape except up. Unfortunately, the only thing up was a sign, who's poles looked far from smooth due to the ocean air. Sighing, she wondered how she would escape this one alive.
Really? I hadn't noticed. All I see is a pack of wild dogs looking for a good piece of meat to gnaw on.
She replied, glancing around as if looking for some other person to appear. Aunna was swiftly trying to formulate a plan of escape since there was no way she would fight and live through it. Not seeing much of an option, her best choice was up. Oh well, kota could certainly heal injured hands, and it was better than getting raped or murdered...or both if they had their way.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 17, 2008 15:30:59 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 17, 2008 15:30:59 GMT -5
"Seems we managed to find a fine little piece of meat just waiting for a nibble." They would start to close in from every direction.
There was a rustle of cloth, just as she was about try her impromptu gymnastics routine. The world seemed to grow dark for a moment...and then she would be able to realize, as the view cleared, that something had simply dropped in front of her.
Vex's robes had draped around him like a cape, pooling out like some dark, living shadow. His hood was up, fully covering his features as he crouched there. His unexpected vertical arrival brought the men to a pause...confusion and consternation rippling from them. Sever drew out vibroblades.
"You don't want to get involved, man."
Slowly pushing himself up to his full height, those black eyes could be felt more than they could be seen in the gloom.
"And what if I do?"
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 17, 2008 15:48:24 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 17, 2008 15:48:24 GMT -5
Aunna had just crouched, prepared to spring upward, when suddenly something...someone...landed before her. Holding back a smirk, she knew exactly who it was even before he said anything. She decided, however, that she shouldn't say anything. As they exchanged words, Aunna took half a step toward Vex.
I obviously can't get out of here easily, so I hope you can either fight around me, or avoid one completely. Unless you want me to scale the building?
Her voice was just loud enough for him to hear, but no one else. It wouldn't be an easy task, that last one, but she'd do her best anyway. Honestly, she was just thrilled to have him here at the most opportune of times.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 17, 2008 16:22:13 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 17, 2008 16:22:13 GMT -5
One of his lightsabers was drawn from his belt...the crimson blade filling the immediate gloom with bloody shadows. In that light, his face seemed more gaunt, more viciously feral than normal and those black pits of his eyes seemed molten. Without looking back to her, he spoke.
"I want you to forgive me."
His words were cryptic...but only for a few moments...then a wave of mental anguish radiated out, hitting everyone, including her. It was as though a hydropanner slammed into the back of one's head and lit their flesh on fire at the same time and concentrated it within their skull. The men collapsed underneath the agony and Vex began to dispatch them, one by one, before easing up that mental manipulation.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 17, 2008 16:57:17 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 17, 2008 16:57:17 GMT -5
For a moment, she didn't understand what he was talking about...before suddenly, and unfortunately, she did. Cringing in pain, Aunna dropped to her knees holding her head. Something in the back of her mind told her to let go, to just allow the pain to consume her, but she never had been one to listen to such things. Her jaw held tight as she bit back a cry of pain. Her skin felt like it was being licked by thousands of flames, like she'd been hit by a speeder in the back of the head, and like her very skull would explode. Aunna was vaguely aware that Vex was moving around her, killing the others, but she couldn't be bothered with that information. Again some part of her mind willed her to give in to the pain, and this time...she did.
The stubborn major had never been one to give in to pain easily. She had found ways of getting through it, past it, around it....and they all had worked to varying degrees until recently. It had taken a great amount of concentration not to succumb to the pain of the lightsaber wound, but this proved to be too much for the already stressed body and mind of the woman. By the time Vex would finally stop the pain, she'd fainted.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 17, 2008 17:12:04 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 17, 2008 17:12:04 GMT -5
Once all the men had been dispatched...it would be quite a scene when it was found...possibly even making news on the Holonet itself, Vex turned toward her. He'd half expected her to lay into him about what he'd done and the blood he'd just shed. However, he found her unconscious there on that grungy ground. Perhaps, in retrospect, it was a small mercy.
Moving to her, he disengaged the lightsaber and stored it once more. Crouching down, he scooped her up into his arms. He lifted her, curling her slighter form into his body, letting her head rest on his shoulder. One arm curled around her shoulders while te other went under her knees for support. He was quiet as he carried her away, drawing into the shadows and making them both disappear within.
It wasn't long before they'd arrived at the place he'd taken for his own. It was off the map...a building error within Ahto City. He'd made it livable...t inclue a narrow bed. He draped her upon it gently. He moved, taking a blanket and drawing it over her before he stepped away and moed to sit in a chair. Most likely she would be woken by a rumble in the city and everything shaking slightly.
The bomb had been detonated.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 17, 2008 17:26:42 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 17, 2008 17:26:42 GMT -5
As the bomb went off and shook the city around them, Aunna started, sitting up suddenly, prepared to swing at anything that came too close. Blinking, she wasn't sure where she was, or how she'd gotten there. Taking swift stock of her situation, she recalled the happenings just before she'd blacked out. Gazing about the dark surroundings, her eyes lighted on a familiar form. Vex...so he'd been the one to bring her here? Blinking slowly, she rubbed the back of her head as it still seemed to hurt.
Vex...what happened? Where are we, and what was that sound?
Her blue eyes held a mixture of worry and something akin to fear, though the latter was far less noticeable. Aunna's heart beat wildly in her chest, and she could almost feel death in the city. Oh yes, she knew what death felt like...she'd been close to it more than once, and she'd also been part of numerous campaigns where there was so much death she could almost feel it in her very bones...as if the world was crying out in pain and it had echoed through her. She never knew what this was, nor had she ever asked anyone else if they felt it also, simply dismissing it as her imagination...as limited as that was most of the time.
Now, she sat looking at Vex, hoping for answers since she obviously had none.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 18, 2008 5:24:48 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 18, 2008 5:24:48 GMT -5
"You passed out. It seems we've finally managed to reach the limit of your mental fortitude...even with your infuriating stubbornness and pride. As for where we are...this is the place I have chose to rest while I am here. I felt it best to bring you someplace you could rest and recover from the mental shock to your body."
Standing up, he placed his hands at the small of his back, walking slowly to the other end of the room, where he'd installed a small Holonet receiver and spliced it into the main system. Reaching out, he tapped a sequence of keys and brought the display up to light. His body blocked it...all she could see was the nimbus of artifical light around him. He was pointedly ignoring her last question, watching that display for a few more moments before shutting it down again.
He turned, dark eyes not leaving hers as he drifted back closer, every inch of him like the Reaper of the old, pre-hyperspace tales. He was still quiet, attempting to figure out a way to break it to her gently...but there really was none. Finally he spoke plainly.
"As for what awoke you, Aunna.... that was the Republic base being blown up."
No sense to sugarcoat things.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 18, 2008 9:56:08 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 18, 2008 9:56:08 GMT -5
(couldn't resist though i have to go to band!)
Aunna snorted in derision as he answered her first question. Yes, she was stubborn and prideful, and she knew it to be a problem at times, but it had also been her sole saving grace for a great many years. If she hadn't had all that pride, she might have very well detonated a bomb somewhere in HQ long before now. His second answer was simple enough and she nodded without questioning him. Her third question, however, was studiously ignored. The woman lifted her chin slightly and wondered just what he was up to. He had, by this time, patched into the holonet, though she could see nothing of which was going on, and her eyes narrowed.
Approaching her once more, Vex seemed to be thinking of something. What ever it was, she wasn't certain that she wanted to know, as he had never actually taken this long to answer a question before. When he did answer, and he did finally answer her, the major's jaw dropped and she practically leaped out of the bed...his bed...where she had been sitting. She was so stunned by the information that at first Aunna couldn't even think of anything to say.
It was WHAT?!
Not sure if this had been his doing or not, the major blinked for a moment at him, realizing all the implications of this new information. She could have died, luckily she didn't, but others...many others...had. Now she knew what she had been feeling...the deaths of her own people.
I must help them Vex.
She stated simply, starting toward the door.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 18, 2008 10:05:39 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 18, 2008 10:05:39 GMT -5
That preternatural speed that the Force could give propelled him forward and he swept his leg under her's knocking her feet out from under her as she tried to move toward the door. As she tipped back, he straightened and pushed her towards the bed, trusting that his unexpected actions would catch her off guard. If so, he would be there as she flopped back onto the bed, his hands closing over her wrists to pin her there as his body weight leaned upon her. It was then that she would be able to feel the harder, unyielding forms of the cybernetics on his lower abdomen through his robes...where the real damage to him had been done.
"You cannot, Aunna...at least not yet. You would only get in the way and make things worse. Why do you think I lured you out of the base, little one?"
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 18, 2008 14:38:22 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 18, 2008 14:38:22 GMT -5
Despite him having caught her off guard, tripping her so she fell backward onto the bed, and pinning her there, the major managed to glare at Vex. Lifting her chin defiantly at his words, she only half admitted to herself that he was right. She would get in the way by the time she got there...if she had been there when it had first happened....
That was when her thoughts stopped. He had planned this?! Furious now, she managed to get on hand free and knock him hard against the side of his head with her fist. Struggling to get out from under him, she hardly took note of the machinery that had been attached to him.
Get off me.
She snarled, looking almost feral in the dim light, her hair coming down from it's bun slightly as she continued to struggle against him.
I swear, if I trace that bomb back to you I'll kill you myself, even if it kills me in the process.
Aunna hissed dangerously quiet.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 18, 2008 14:48:47 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 18, 2008 14:48:47 GMT -5
He took the blow an staggered back, bringing his palm up, holding his temple where she'd managed to strike him solidly. He hissed through the pain, his vision tunneling red. It would give her the chance to get up and off the bed, if only to be ready for his next assault. When he struck, it was not physically...he could still only see dimly, her strike having pulled out an Idiot's Array for accuracy. He slammed his will into her mind to stun and shock her with pain again...keep her from rushing out headlong until he could recover. When he did, he lunged forward, reaching to close his fingers around her throat and slam her against the wall in return. His voice was a gravelly hiss through that rebreather.
"Bombing your base serves no useful purpose for me. Have I ever done something so blatant? Fool woman... I simply learned about it and did what I could to ensure your safety."
He pushed away from her.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have bothered."
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 18, 2008 15:02:00 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 18, 2008 15:02:00 GMT -5
She stood, but had not even planned to leave...not yet....when she was bombarded with mental pain. Squinting against the pain, she refused to buckle....not this time. The pain was minimal compared to the pain she'd felt when she'd first woken up, and though this sickened her, made her gasp slightly, she knew it could be worse. Suddenly he was at her throat, and she had been slammed against the wall. He was choking her of course, whether he had intended to or not, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was. Now she had less mental pain and more physical pain, she could cope. It wasn't like she hadn't been strangled before by an enemy with no more options but his bare hands. Chuckling slightly through the pain, she noticed the edges of her vision starting to blur.
I don't know what...would serve your purposes. All I know is you want me alive...for some reason or other...that doesn't automatically...rule out...bombing anyone....or anything...close to me. For all I know...you're trying to make it...seem like I'm...dead.
She managed to gasp through his hold on her.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 18, 2008 15:08:59 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 18, 2008 15:08:59 GMT -5
"Having you dead, Aunna, serves no purpose for me, real or faked. You can't help me then. Apparently...it does serve someone's purposes, however. I believe the bomb was intended for you. I'm sure you were made aware of the Sith and smugglers that wound up with their minds picked clean? I was trying to find an answer, a source, but could find nothing."
He refrained from mentioning the fact that he'd also used the interrogations to gain valuable information he could use for other reasons.
"I only learned of the time today...hence the Republic courier. I knew that, once you were aware of it, you'd have to come out and try to find me yourself."
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 18, 2008 15:18:38 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 18, 2008 15:18:38 GMT -5
Aunna wanted to snarl at him again, but instead she simply listened. Yes, she knew of them, yes, she'd thought it was him, and yes, the courier was the reason she'd left in the first place, but hellfire....why?! Her chest moved in a futile attempt to move air into her lungs once more, but she couldn't get more. Her vision started to blacken around the edges where it had only blurred before, and she didn't have the air supply to tell him to let go. Closing her eyes, she wondered if perhaps she should allow him to choke her to death. At least then she'd be of no more use to him. Pushing that thought aside, she opened her eyes once more and rested a hand on his forearm.
She wouldn't struggle, she wouldn't fight, she didn't want to. She just wanted to breathe again.
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Vex
A Self-styled computer geek that moonlights as a G.I. Joe.
1,014 posts
2 likes
Proud bearer of the "Polish Stalker Badge".
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last online May 21, 2018 17:30:54 GMT -5
Master
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Oct 18, 2008 19:35:51 GMT -5
Post by Vex on Oct 18, 2008 19:35:51 GMT -5
When those eyes fluttered open and that hand came to rest upon his arm, he realized that he'd been putting a fair bit of pressure, closing off her supply of air. He finally relented, the grip loosening as he slid the hand behind her head. He pressed in close...much as he had two weeks ago when he'd stopped by her room in the medical bay. She would feel the cool kiss of that metal rebreather as he spoke, the duralloy material moving slightly with each word he said.
"If I wanted you or your men dead, Aunna...I would have taken a more personal approach to it. It would have been elegantly complex and terribly atrocious. You have fought me...you have bled with and for me...you have seen what I can do. Never, ever accuse me of something so elementary in its viciousness."
He spoke those words so softly, so gently...anyone that could have seen that would have thought him simply speaking sweet nothings into her ear...not laying out his incensed feelings at being accused for an act so pathetic in its ruthlessness.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Oct 18, 2008 21:18:57 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 18, 2008 21:18:57 GMT -5
((hehe....nvm. I'll just keep my thoughts to myself about that post. Anyway, theme for this post --or even this thread so far-- : Apocalyptica's "Ruska"))
Finally he let go of her throat and she was able to breathe once more. As air flooded her lungs she coughed a fair few times only to find his hand behind her head once more, his face pressed in close to hers and she recoiled slightly. Not due to the equipment he wore, oh no, but because she did indeed fear him more at this moment than she ever had before. As his low voice conveyed his feelings, she closed her eyes and lowered her head ever so slightly, her forehead almost touching his face. Before she even knew it, Aunna was speaking.
Forgive me. You have saved my life more times than anyone else to date, but...what other conclusion should I have come to? I don't know what intentions you have for me, and honestly, that makes me even more...anxious...than I already am on a daily basis. If I knew what you wanted of me, I doubt I would come to such conclusions.
She explained, her eyes still closed as she spoke, though obviously 'anxious' was not her word of choice. Frightened...that was her word of choice.
Her throat hurt, and her voice was raspy because of it, but the fact that she was, honestly, sorry for her assumption showed in the soft tone it held. Yes, Aunna was stubborn, prideful, hot tempered, and willful, along with many other less than pleasant adjectives, but she also had a heart, and the good grace to admit when she was wrong. Coughing again, she sighed and moved to step away from him.
I am sorry Vex...
...and I do hope you don't end up killing me one of these days.
She thought after her statement.
I should go, so they don't think me dead.
With that, she took hold of the hand that was at the back of her head gently and moved it away before stepping to the side, still not looking at him.
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