|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2025 8:59 pm
Quote: Cut Cold (16) : The latest snowfall looks normal from a distance, but the moment it touches your skin you realize something is off--each flake feels sharp, abrasive, and strangely gritty. Brushing against it leaves your skin itching, stinging, or marked with tiny scratches that sparkle faintly as though dusted with crushed glass. Even bundled up, the snow manages to sneak into sleeves and collars, leaving patches of irritation wherever it melts. It’s not enough to cause serious harm, but it's annoying, uncomfortable, and unpredictable. Sometimes a long, warm shower is enough to dispel the agitation, or sometimes it goes away on its own after a day or two. It's not a common feature this winter, but no one can quite explain why the snow has taken on such a biting edge this season. They weren't supposed to fight, was the thing. They'd sensed the big bad energy source from a distance. Blarney had wanted to give it plenty of space - he'd actually wanted to go home the second he sensed it, but Madeline-- Edam--had wanted to investigate. Was this what he'd been like? God, no wonder Aruna had kept saying he'd give her gray hair. Was this some sort of karmic turnabout-is-fair-play thing? He'd stressed everyone else out, so now he had a stress-out source of his own? But Edam was going to go whether he went with her or not, so he had to with her. He'd made her swear that they'd stay a safe distance away, and Edam had made him promise he would stop being a little baby about it, and off they went. They were following from what Blarney could only hope was a safe distance. He had no idea what the soldier's powers were, or what his temperament might be, but Blarney was fairly confident that he didn't want to find out. At worst, they'd do nothing more than get eyes on what could be a powerful enemy. At best (different-worst?) if that powerful enemy tried to do powerful evil, Blarney could call for backup. Or...rather, call someone to deal with it entirely while he ferried his sister as far away from battle as humanly possible, whether she liked it or not. He couldn't believe she still hadn't found her ring; she needed to be able to communicate with people if something went wrong! And something had a high probability of going wrong, when they started chasing down people much more powerful than they were. "I still think this is a bad idea," Blarney muttered to Edam, but she didn't slow down. She was clearly still getting used - and enjoying - the whole jumping from roof to roof thing. He remembered when that had felt close to flying - when that had been as close to magic as he could get. Maybe that was the difference: now that he had real magic, he just didn't see the appeal as much as he had before. ...Well, okay, it wasn't not fun. And doing it with his sister was extra enjoyable - when they didn't have the threat/promise of a battle ahead of them, in any case. Why, oh why, was she so insistent that they go after this guy? With every leap, they got closer and closer to...whatever bad guy was radiating that energy signal, Blarney got colder and colder, and more and more sure a fight was coming their way, whether or not they were supposed to be fighting or not. ---- "You wouldn't be saying that if it had been your idea," Edam sing-songed softly back to him, ignoring Blarney's little huff of irritation. Edam didn't actually want to fight this villain. She didn't! She wanted to observe and report back. Report back to whom? Edam didn't quite know, but that didn't really matter. Blarney had told her that there was this whole database about known threats. She didn't have her ring yet to read or enter any information on her own, yet, but in the meantime, she would just make Blarney enter any information they gathered, and maybe it would help someone in the future. Or maybe it would even help someone in the present! She didn't quite know how it all worked yet, but - she was sure that getting more information gathered would help someone. But still, Edam was starting to get a little annoyed with Blarney and all his fussing - she was supposed to be the overly-cautious, overly-anxious one. What was his damage? He'd been out here patrolling by himself for ages, and yet now when she was with him, he was fretting like--like-- Well, like she had fretted over him! Honestly. It couldn't only be okay to do risky stupid things when he was the one doing them; that was a double standard. They were twins, for crying out loud! Anything he did, she could do. Maybe not magically speaking - yet - but all the rest of it. And if that included ruining some bad guy's day, all the better! Maybe they'd get lucky. Honestly, the only point in Blarney's 'let's go home and call it a night' idea was the fact it was so freaking cold. The snow seemed like it chasing them, determined to flurry its way up their pants and, in Edam's case, down her shirt. Who'd thought that what was functionally a tank top was good all-season gear? Even with her coat over it, the snow was getting everywhere, and it was so cold it almost burned. The wind whipped her braided hair around her head, making her look something like a flying spaghetti monster she was sure, and no matter how down she kept her head against it, it still blew against her face, up her nose, and down her throat. She could almost feel the tiny veins and ventricles of her lungs freezing up with every breath she took. But Edam hadn't complained, and she'd ignored Blarney when he'd whined about it. There was someone ferocious and almost definitely very dangerous prowling their streets, the streets of their town, and she didn't care what the weather had to say about it. They were freaking magic superheroes, and magic superheroes didn't take snowdays - at least not unless Evil took the day off first. She'd make sure no harm came to anyone - not if she could help it. (Whether or not she could, in fact, help it, remained to be seen.)
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2025 12:11 pm
The painful snowfall was inconvenient. Borax had assumed it was the biting cold, as was not necessarily pattern this time of year, but could be expected. Afterward, he had done the math. It was the holiday season, and for some Metallia-forsaken reason, Destiny City insisted on making every holiday experience the worst possible one. That was alright. His lips lifted as he glanced over to a page. "Oh calm down, it'll be over soon." "The ******** is wrong with you?"Borax didn't usually spend time engaging his cliente, but it wasn't like the page he had strapped against the wall was necessarily going anywhere. He shrugged, pulling more energy out of the person he had trapped. The struggle, of course, persisted; he didn't expect anything else. "Nothing personal, little page. It's just work." At the edges of his senses, he felt the auras of another page and a squire. Them coming in pairs was as inconvenient as it was helpful. On one hand, he wouldn't want to be interrupted. On the other hand, three starseeds was certainly better than one. Those and the energy he gathered meant that he would be far beyond his quota for the rest of the month. Perhaps Borax could take a break after this as he would in his civilian job -- bankers didn't exist in December. Of course, the lack of existence in that fake skin meant he had more time in this one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 10:00 am
Blarney figured out what was going on before Edam did, but only by a moment or two. For a second, he'd thought they were engaged in some kind of lover's embrace, but then the words of the Page caught his ear. Why hadn't he sensed the Page's-- Oh. There was the Page's aura, but it was weak and thready, not like any aura he'd ever felt before. He was just about to turn to Madeline to explain, in a hushed whisper, and tell her what they needed to do, but then something whizzed past his ear and thunked into the wall above the Page and the Bad Guy's heads. "You missed?!" Blarney hissed to his sister. "We had one shot and you missed?!" - Edam winced, but she--they--didn't have time for her to be scolded for not being a perfect Knight on like her third venture ever! Instead of responding or getting lost in self-flagellation (there would be plenty of time for that later), Edam just picked up another rock and hoisted it into her slingshot. "Stay away from them!" Edam shouted, using her best, bossiest, most do-what-I-say-or-else voice. "Let them go right this instant!" - Blarney groaned and stood, raising his shillelagh high. "Drop the Page and go away and we won't have to hurt you," he said, flat and as seriously as he could, as if he didn't know that this guy could wipe them off the face of the Earth as easily as a windshield wiper could wash away a stray bug that collided with it. Priority one is getting the Page out, Blarney thought to his sister, and she gave an imperceptible nod as she re-aimed and let the rock fly from her slingshot, aimed right at the big ugly guy's head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 5:31 pm
Borax glanced upward and to the side as a rock went flying by his head. Ah. The page had some saviours. Unsurprising, really, that the knights would swing above their weight class in an attempt to be the heroes. Borax had become stunningly used to it. He glanced over his shoulder as the page he was busy with cheered before quickly shutting her mouth. Borax glanced back toward her with a quirked brow before more fully turning to the two knights who were..., "Children?" He snorted a laugh. Did they qualify as the youngest knights he had ever seen? No, nowhere near, but to a thirty-five-year old man they may have just been teenagers. They were teenagers that had made unfortunately bad decisions, but those were not his responsibility. What was his responsibility was tracking the rock with his eyes and swatting it away from his head without a second thought. "Cute. Once I finish over here, I can certainly address you." "Get the b*****d!" Borax rolled his eyes, glancing back toward the page. "Do you want me to shut you up faster? I was going to call one of my underlings down, but perhaps I shouldn't." His gaze slid over to the duo that were trying to defend his particular task today. Borax wasn't the type to monologue. Perhaps he should make a point. Without a second thought behind it, his jabbed his trident forward, and the page screamed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2026 7:50 pm
Blarney Castle does not have to be just a physical space. It can be those you would protect. Sabia's words echoed in Blarney's mind, faint under the noise of the Page's scream - the worst sound Blarney had ever heard. Blarney Castle can be those whom you would protect.Blarney Castle is a home. Blarney Castle can repel an invader - can fight back.Later, Edam would tell him that he yelled, a most ferocious sort of noise, a battle cry. He didn't remember that part. What he remembered was the rage that flowed through him, the bone-deep sensation of needing this--this monster to get away-- Blarney raised his shillelagh and a portal opened, directly above Borax's head. A glob of--of something, of acid?--poured from absolutely nowhere, as directly onto Borax as he could manage. -- Edam yelped in surprise, between the scream of the Page and her brother's sudden holler, not to mention the--what was that, how did he do that??--the whatever it was that poured onto the bad guy from seemingly nowhere. Madeline - would have panicked. But Edam? Edam was seeing everything in bullet time, almost slow-motion. The number one priority is getting the Page out. Blarney's words jolted her back into motion, and she sprung down to the floor, aiming to grab the Page and yank her away, up, anywhere that wasn't within range of that horrifying, glinting, bloody trident. She did not entirely realize that meant putting herself in range of it, but even if she had, she wouldn't have cared - the Page was bleeding, very badly, and she had survived getting felled by regenerating skeletons on an alien planet. She could survive a swipe from that weapon - surely. Probably. Almost definitely. "Wall!" Edam shouted to Blarney - anything to cover their frantic, pathetic attempt at a rescue and escape.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2026 3:16 pm
There was something pleasing about goading the saviours into action. The one possessed more power than the other, which made sense due to his higher level. Borax glanced above himself as the portal opened up, and he dared not move, even as something acidic roared down and poured over him. One, two, three... His glance edged toward the Cybele page. Before, Faustite would have been pleased to see her dead. Now he didn't believe his former superior would actually care. She could be dealt with the same way he was dealing with the uppity page- Eight, nine, ten- The oil stopped, but the residue of the burns continued. Borax took a cursory glance over his arms to assess the damage before turning his attention to the Cybele page. It was usually best to get rid of the smaller threats before dealing with the biggest one so they didn't keep being thorns in the side. That was his thought as he withdrew the trident, leaving his first target limp, and swung it in Edam's direction.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2026 6:36 pm
Blarney had exactly two seconds of wild victory - he'd done it, he'd done it, he couldn't wait to tell Sabia, he'd actually done it!!! - and then he realized that...whatever "it" was, it was far, far less impactful than whatever he'd thought it might be. And then he went after Edam. He went after Mason's sister. The tip of his spear found purchase on Edam's back, the rip of fabric secondary under the sound of Edam--Madeline--crying out in pain as she tried to tug the Page to safety. Mason - would have jumped down immediately and just started whaling on the guy with his shillelagh, hitting at any part of him he could reach. But Mason wasn't Mason right now, he was Blarney, and Blarney-- Blarney had known from the beginning that they were not supposed to fight. If they fought, they would lose, spectacularly, maybe even lose their lives. Blarney pointed his shillelagh downward and summoned his wall, great and rocky, placing it between the man and his sister. He didn't have long. "Help," Blarney spat tersely, holding his ring to his lips, "alert to all Order members. Squire and two Pages against a General, we're badly wounded. SOS." Blarney relayed, quickly, their location, set the message to repeat and go over all Order frequencies, and then leapt down, the Wall to his back and the General in front of him. Edam was still trying to drag the Page away, and--she needed help. She needed cover. Get out of here, Blarney thought to Edam over their shared telepathy earrings. Just go."Out of curiosity," Blarney said slowly, keeping half an eye on the very very very sharp trident and half an eye on the man who held it, "how did that feel? When I dropped that stuff on you?" Every second he kept him talking was a second further away his sister and the Page could get away from here. Blarney would not let this man kill his sister - not over his dead body. Literally, if it came down to it. -- Tears were streaming down Edam's face as she limped along, the Page weighing her down as she tried to do as Blarney said and get as much distance between them and that monster as she could. Between them and Blarney. Blarney wasn't coming with her. Blarney was--staying behind? No. No no no no. Edam paused, just for a moment-- No, you need--Blarney--Mason--A sob escaped her as she looked over her shoulder, then back down to the bloody Page in her arms. Getting the Page is the number one priority, Blarney had said. Edam bit down hard on her bottom lip and--when Blarney's voice came through again, saying even more forcefully to GO!--she, reluctantly, kept run-dragging herself and the Page away from the scene. Please, please, please, please don't die, please, please, please, Edam thought, not sure if she was speaking aloud or praying or sending over the telepathic earrings or all of those things at once. Please please please,Her own body was also bleeding, she realized, faintly. That was why it hurt to walk. It was soaking her uniform--her own blood, like something had taken a bite out of her. Please, please, please--
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:15 pm
Calling for help. Quaint. It would be worth tracking who came to the squire's aid, and Borax's attention locked onto that. He noted, too, the secondary ability. A wall. Perhaps, for now, he would let the Cybele page start to stumble off. His aura sense would allow him to figure out where she went, though he didn't suspect it would be terribly far. She was bleeding herself, and pulling a dead? weight. It would keep them both delayed until he dispatched the problem child. Borax twirled his trident around, testing the solidity of the wall with a jab forward as he listened to the Earth Squire ask him what the other ability did. It was such a jarring thing to be asked that Borax almost lost his count--what did he mean he didn't even know what it even did?--fifteen, sixteen, seventeen- "It's acid." His brow quirked. "Was that your first time using it?" He might've had some connections, but it sounded like he was still solidly a rookie. Borax kept on alert for any other nearing Order signatures. None, thus far-
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 7:03 pm
Blarney shrugged, watching him poke and prod at the wall; he kept it up, because what choice did he have? He could still sense their auras, and he needed to give them time to flee. Power down as soon as you can, Blarney thought to her, and get the Page to as well."The first time on a person, yeah," Blarney admitted, leaving out that it was also the first time he'd used it at all, ever; every practice round with Sabia had gone nowhere. If he survived this, he couldn't wait to tell her. "It's called a murder hole," Blarney said, because if nothing else, he could talk. "But you look...un-murdered. A little disappointing, honestly. Did it not even hurt, or are you just like Mister Tough Guy? You definitely look like you could be Mister Tough Guy. And I don't even mean that sarcastically! You have a whole..." Blarney gestured vaguely with his shillelagh, careful to make the gesture non-threatening. " Thing going on. It's very impressive." And terrifying, but he didn't want to say that part out loud. "So did that Page do something to you, or were you just, you know, around and you were feeling stabby? No offense." Okay, some offense. -- "Come on, come on, come on," Edam muttered. Power down, Blarney's voice came in through her telepathy earring, and Edam wanted to snarl oh because it's so easy?? with a half-dead Page hanging off her, but she didn't. Instead, she took several deep breaths. She couldn't power down unless the Page did; they both gave off auras, which meant that even if Edam powered down, that monster would still be able to track the Page. ...Assuming the Page was still alive. "Okay!" Edam said, pulling them up short. "Okay, Page of--of whatever," Edam paused, hoisting them against the nearest lightpost. She couldn't think of what each of the Page's colors meant, and the symbols - Edam's brain was swimming, in a bad way, her vision fuzzy. "I'm sorry about this," Edam said, before giving the Page a hard smack across the face. "I need you to WAKE UP," Edam said, as loud as she dared. "Wake up and power down! Immediately!!!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
