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Post by Iris on May 7, 2016 0:26:24 GMT
"You can't just up and leave, Eri, that's not how this works!"In a high-rise apartment in Japan, Eri's manager rose his voice while she walked back and forth from her obnoxiously large closet to her monogrammed luggage cases, carrying with her way too many articles of clothing that dragged and fell onto the floor all the way. "What do you mean? We finished our tour, we don't have another set of shows planned for a few more months, everyone will get sick of me if I keep showing up." She held up a few blouses for comparison as her exasperated manager grunted angrily. He paced back and forth along her spotless carpets before sitting in the leather chair situated far off in the corner; usually this was also covered with clothing. "There's still a lot that goes on this time, you know this by now, don't play dumb. There's exposure, events, charities...plenty of stuff to keep your rep up." Eri was folding through her clothing, stopping only to note the small shift in a pile of clothes at her feet; it seemed like whatever had moved beneath came to a sudden halt at being spotted. "I have plenty of exposure already, Aragi, I want a break." Aragi, her manager, rubbed at the bridge of his nose while holding his designer glasses in his free hand. He opened his mouth to debate with her further, but she was already up again, shoveling her way through the mounds of clothes she had in both her dressers and closet. "I'm taking a break, it won't be for long, just a week or so. You can start scheduling after that time frame, it's easy right?" Grunting in exasperation, a sound he was becoming familiar with making, Aragi just stood up and sighed in defeat; there was no changing her mind when it came down to it. Eri was horrible about constantly bending his arm behind his back with her subtle knowledge of her position in his business; at the end of the day, he gave her what she wanted because he'd never had an idol like her before. Losing her as business was just out of the question. "Fine! Fine...two weeks, but that's it!"
Aragi had left her apartment and with it, left her in peace. Eri leaned against the bedroom door frame with a relieved sigh leaving her lips, only to move towards the pile of clothes that had moved earlier. Picking up a shirt, Eri found her companion, Hebi, curled through the legs of a pair of her underwear, making her let out a sigh much similar to Aragi's before. "Hebi that's gross!" If snakes could smile, that'd be how she'd explain the expression on Hebi's face. The soft, wings that lined Hebi's back fluttered in amusement and his voice rung out to her as he slithered out from her unmentionables. "I couldn't very well move now, could I! Wouldn't want that human seeing me." Eri just grumbled and picked up her clothes before tossing them in a messy heap in her bag. He knew very well Aragi couldn't see him anyways! "Why such the sudden fuss to take a break anyways? You haven't mentioned anything about that." Eri was sitting on her stuffed bag, hopping once and twice to force it shut enough for the clasps to reach with a satisfying, but worryingly strained snap. "Well I was looking through my succulents the other day and they just...they looked so lonely!" Hebi's unblinking eyes looked up at the beautiful girl who at perched on the edge of her bed in distress, nibbling on her manicured nails before recognizing her bad habit and stopping immediately. "The...plants? You're leaving because of your plants?" She looked visibly aghast at the disbelieving way he spoke of her plants, her hand set on her chest and she just huffed slightly. "Succulents, Hebi, they have names! Since I don't get to be home too often, I need ones that can water themselves when I can't." Standing up in a flourish of frilly white fabric wafting off the tops of her thighs, the white-haired girl skipped through the threshold of her bedroom and into her living room that flourished with plant-life. Small bonsai, the succulents she was so fond of, and an array of hydroponic herbs lay around on windowsill and tabletop, even stretching to the edges of the small staircase she stood on looking oh-so-proud of her handiwork. Hebi slithered after her, not quite understanding her fixation. "They need some new friends to keep them company when I can't and I remembered this really beautiful forest I heard about a couple centuries ago...it seemed like it is still there from what the web searches I looked up, so I booked a private flight there and I'll spend a few weeks gathering some lovely friends for them!" Hebi visibly shuddered, his sleek body shifting from side to side briefly as he thought of the great outdoors outside of Japan. "If that's the case, count me out, I have no desire to encounter any other beasts out there. I'll just stay here and take care of these...supplements." Eri's playful glare hit the serpent spirit as she paraded her way back to her room, leaving him off with a few clipped words. "Succulents, Hebi! Succulents!"
Her private flight landed on the outskirts of the dense forest in a clearing just barely big enough to accommodate the small plane. In it, Eri spoke to her pilot, informing him to come back just before sundown, and then she departed with the large backpack on her back with the sound of the air being sliced by blades as he departed. Breathing in the fresh air and the quiet that followed, Eri relished in the peace the beautiful forest could provide. The sun hit much of her bare skin that practically glowed white with how little of it she actually got to see; she'd chose a simple tank top and some comfortable shorts, a long pair of boots that reached her mid-calve and she held her hair up in one massive ponytail. Today would be a good day for sun! "So then...where to go." The world was her metaphorical oyster here and she had plenty of opportunity to go where she pleased, so she simply picked the eastern-most direction and headed that way.
Along the way, she'd already noted a few lovely budding flowers she'd love to add to her collection, but none really seemed something she'd be able to keep alive too well on her own. It wasn't until she encountered a small secluded stream that she saw something that caught her eye; a large, green bushel with small, scattered purple flowers. The leaves reminded her a bit of a fern...and the flowers were small enough to make her think of the ones certain cacti had; could this possibly be a strange breed of succulent? Humming quietly to herself, she hunched down and brushed her finger across the small purple bud with a smile, maybe she'd pick this one after all...Taking the large backpack off, she unzipped and pulled out a small assortment of tools. Truthfully, most of the space was taken up by the container she'd intended to fill with species of plants, but seeing as how this one was probably going to be big, she'd have just enough room for it!
Carefully digging the small spade around the soil to loosen it, Eri gently grabbed a hold of the end roots and slowly began to coerce it outwards until, with a quick crumble of the earth around it, it gave and tugged out. Suppressing her excitement, Eri admired the plant until a look of confusion sprouted over her face. "What is this...root?" Just as she spoke, the plant physically moved in her hand, the ending roots moved like emaciated limbs and the plant started screaming.
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Post by Vapovile on May 11, 2016 19:46:21 GMT
Looking directly overhead, a strange green-haired girl that appeared to be in her late teens watched as a helicopter slowly descended into a nearby grassy field, it's propeller causing all nearby trees to sway back and forth with the force given off. Looking blankly in the direction of its landing, Cadence then turns back to the small bundle of brightly colored green flowers with tiny red spots dotted across their petals. She appeared to be both admiring and studying the strange plant...taking the occasional note in a small green notebook that she kept in one of her dress pockets. Cadence was one of many creations called Dolls, creatures brought to life through soul string created by Marika Arachne, and weaved through the body parts of dead humans...usually killed by Marika herself or the dolls she commands. Truthfully, Cadence absolutely despised Marika...taking any opportunity to leave the Kaspa where they live and explore the world's forests, finding rare and interesting plants to catalog and study, so later she can create these plants in her own greenhouse in the Kaspa. Normally these little expeditions were a nice way to get away from humans who constantly try to annoy her...but today doesn't seem to be one of those days. The plant doll wore her normal elegant white and green dress, with the long white sleeves going all the way down to her wrists and hanging down below them. She wasn't wearing any shoes, but the lack of thorns and dirt on her feet were an indicator that Cadence's biology could easily repel most problematic parts of nature. And as always, her small metal pipe was being held in her right hand, the faint trail of smoke wisping away in the gentle forest breeze. Normally Cadence would ignore anyone who would come into the forest that she was in...but a faint scream soon made her turn toward the source. Did that person...actually pull up a mandrake? In their first minute being here? Before she could think about it any more, a thunderous roar could be heard echoing to everything in the near vicinity, causing all the nearby birds to fly away in fear. The beast the began charging through the trees, knocking the massive trunks away like they were absolutely nothing to it. After a few seconds, the beast charges right through the area Cadence was in...and smashed the flowers that the doll was looking at in its charge toward Eri. After staring at the destroyed flowers for a few seconds...Cadence sits on top of a nearby vine, and begins to make it grow in the direction of the beast. Finally, the monster stops its charge only a few meters in front of Eri, letting out another massive roar that shakes the very ground itself in the area. The beast was nothing like most Earth animals, standing about 1.5 stories tall, with massive ram-like horns, a body with two large back hooves similar to an elephant, and a large tail that fanned out into a ball-like shape at the end, providing a perfect wrecking ball for the monster's destruction. It eyed Eri with it's hungry eyes, having been summoned by the mandrake's scream. As it prepared to attack...a voice could be heard coming from the right of the idol. "...you may want to move." The doll said blankly.
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Post by Iris on May 14, 2016 18:20:17 GMT
The scream which should have pierced the ears of any human just made Eri mildly uncomfortable at first until she turned the hollering root around. Her once look of confusion was replaced with sudden adoration as she looked at the creepy...but kind of cute, in its own way, face. "Ahhh...shhh, stop screaming so much!" Despite her pleading, the plant continued to wail like a stubborn child and she simply sighed while waiting it out; the crying eventually dwindled, but the damage was already done. With the quietly groaning and writhing root in her hand, its human-like limbs waddling in the air that she held it in, Eri had been prepared to move it into a soiled up container when she heard the first set of rumbling steps.
Paying no heed at first, dismissing it as maybe the earth settling beneath her feet, Eri had cozied up the pulled and wriggling mandrake in her own pot while taking extra care in its transplant. It was when she'd finished giving the topsoil small pats that she heard the first tree fall, felt its rumble through the ground. Now, she was a small bit concerned. Patting off her hands, Eri stood and tried to gather the whereabouts from the sound before it became apparently clear that whatever was causing the ruckus in the forest was approaching her and approaching fast.
This didn't leave Eri much time to move her things out of the way by the time the strange, ram-like creature burst through the many trees that led to her and stopped while trampling everything under foot. Even in the heat of the forest day, it's massive snout expelled clouds of heated moisture and it looked everything BUT friendly at the moment, especially towards her. "H-Hey there big guy..." Eri placed her hands up in a sign of non-aggression while gently taking one step back, letting out a nervous chuckle as she began to try and coerce it away with a gentle and honeyed voice. "Now now, aren't you big and strong, that's really admirable; your strength, I mean." She'd never tried coercing creatures outside of the human-influence before, namely because most creatures just didn't get effected by it the same and easy way humankind did, but it was definitely worth a shot. She didn't want to hurt it by any means, but the feeling obviously wasn't mutual and if this didn't work, maybe she'd have to scream...what a sad thing she'd have to do. Currently inhaling and preparing for just the highest, but shortest pitched cry, Eri had been prepared to do just so before she heard the voice devoid of emotion beside her, causing her to choke on her breath while she looked to her right with wide eyes. "Ahhh...close your ears, close your ears!" This was bad, this monster was probably faster than she could breathe!
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Post by Vapovile on May 19, 2016 9:36:24 GMT
Cadence watched with curiosity as Eri tried to reason with the creature that couldn't speak English by...complimenting it? The creature's expression remained unchanged as it stomped it's right hoof down into the ground, creating a large crater where it struck. Hearing the strange girl's request to close her ears, Cadence puts her fingers up to her head, and shoves her two pointer fingers into the ear canals. If this girl was asking her to close her ears...did she have some kind of powers that were noise based? Perhaps that earlier attempt to reason with the beast wasn't as futile as she once thought. "...ready." The plant doll states, not bothering to take her fingers out to hear Eri's response if she had any.
Wasting no time, the beast roars once more as it began to raise it's head up, it's hardened ram-like horns creating a menacing shadow over the idol as it readied itself to smash into her. The sheer size of the beast would undoubtedly cause horrible damage to anyone unfortunate enough to be in it's path. Cadence was already preparing a vine near Eri's feet that would tie itself around her ankle and whisk her away if she didn't do something in the next few seconds about this monster. "...you should do something now." She states plainly, curious to see what voice powers this girl had. Would it be like her...brother? Sister...sibling, Haven, who used musical notes and vibration to create their attacks? She was about to find out.
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Post by Iris on May 23, 2016 7:17:13 GMT
The idea of causing anything pain purposely made Eri's gentle heart ache. She couldn't blame this creature for behaving on its instincts, it wasn't like it had much of a choice in how it behaved; animals weren't like humans in the aspect that, unfortunately, they didn't act out of spite or hatred. With a heavy feeling in her chest, she cast her gaze quickly to the side, hoping that the plugging of this odd girl's ears would be enough to shield her from her voice, but just in case, she decided to dial it down as best as she could. Inhaling sharply with a look of regret already furrowing into her expression, she gathered her breath in the center of her chest just as her mother had showed her and let loose a scream.
Unlike a normal scream that would have been annoyingly piercing, this cry was something...unearthly; shrill and woeful, but full of a hidden malice intent on causing pain with every frequency it increased, it was a sound that was maddeningly loud. Like listening to the sounds of every awful sounds put together, the tone was meant to cause intense unease, but at this octave it was meant to destroy ears and if she had learned to increase it more, it could completely drive a living creature insane. For mortal men it made them shake from fear they didn't understand before their eardrums burst at this level, but she'd never quite tested it out on the living before. Eri wasn't as good as her mother who could completely control her cry, but she'd done exactly what she'd been taught in order to make it fatal, backing off just a little to the best of her abilities for the safety of stranger to her side and the animal in front of her.
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Post by Vapovile on May 28, 2016 18:00:17 GMT
The animal stopped its attack mere feet before it reached the top of Eri's head, reeling backwards in pain and letting out another mighty roar...but this one not out of aggression, but pain. The scream was absolutely dreadful to the creature's ears, unlike anything that it had heard before; like every harsh sound in the world was entering its ear at once. Even with Cadence's vines in her ears, she couldn't help but feel a slight sense of unease as Eri screamed...making her visibly frown in response. While Cadence normally had a poker face that wouldn't give people much to read in her expression, something this vile managed to break through that facade. The only thing that Cadence could compare it to would be Marika's shrill scream whenever that brat didn't get her way, then proceeded to punish whomever was the closest to that psychotic spider girl.
Stepping backwards in pain, the creature began to swing its wrecking ball-like tail around, crashing it into nearby trees and causing them to splinter into thousands of pieces of wood. Unfortunately, one of the trees that was attacked was dozens of feet tall, and began to fall directly into the spot where Eri was, a dark shadow appearing as it began coming down. Cadence quickly noticed this, and wrapped two of her vines around Eri's ankles to pull her out of the way. The pull would likely knock the idol over, but it would certainly be better than being crushed by a giant tree.
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Post by Iris on May 30, 2016 2:33:38 GMT
Eri felt her heart nearly stop as the monster got as close as it did to her. She could see the glint of saliva on its teeth and the dark pit of its mouth was even more massive and terrifying up close, she'd wondered why it wasn't trying to kill her with that instead! Thankfully, seemed Banshee's Cry had worked for the time being and thank goodness it had, she hadn't taken a full enough breath and could feel the end of it about to appear, but maybe this would make the beast edge off and leave her alone...However, the large creaking of trees that followed the beast's uneasy retreat backwards left her realizing her new predicament as a teetering fir gave a final groan and began descending faster than she could ever move from her frozen in place position.
Like being charged by a linebacker, Eri hit the ground the moment her ankles came out from under her and her prematurely ended painful serenade but out on a shrill note and a following squeal as she hit the ground face-first and then dragged not so elegantly after, but elegance was the last thing she concerned herself with as she just narrowly avoided death itself. Oh the woes of biological immortality, turns out being immortal doesn't mean anything when a ton of wood tries to come down on you. Fingertips out, Eri could have practically touched the broken tree that sank hard into the ground and the idol was well condensing her internal screaming while shaking slightly, letting out the most quiet and broken type of laugh as she looked slowly to her side where the girl from earlier was, only assuming that she was responsible for the vines that had saved her life. "T-t-thanks!"
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Post by Vapovile on May 31, 2016 9:54:38 GMT
Looking down at the idol on the ground, Cadence nods her head at Eri's thanks for saving her. "...you pulled a mandrake out of the ground. They're bad..." Truthfully, Cadence didn't really care that Eri was almost smashed by the large creature that was beginning to recover after the intense scream attack. No...Cadence only came to this spot to observe what this creature was, only deciding to save this woman afterwards because she didn't seem to have any malicious intent being here. The creature that the mandrake summoned did puzzle Cadence though...why was this creature unlike anything she'd ever seen? The ram horns, camel humps, plated tail...it was as if someone was combining animal DNA to create new creatures. It wasn't until Cadence saw a small white tag clipped onto the creature's right ear that she figured out that something was wrong here.
As the monstrous creature slowly began to back away from the perceived threat of Eri and her voice, letting out a low growl as it stomped through the clearing caused by its tail swinging. Instead of rage, its eyes showed a more cautious expression, no longer in a blind rage from the mandrake's call. Cadence watched as it backed away, then turned her attention back to Eri. She pulls the vines attached to the idol's legs upward, pulling her legs up until Eri was hanging upside down at the height Cadence's chair was at. Her expression remained blank as she reached out her hand for a handshake. "...Cadence. Who are you...and why are you here...?" Cadence's tone didn't give any indication of being angry, just idle curiosity.
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Post by Iris on May 31, 2016 11:41:52 GMT
"Ahhh...yes, I realized that only after I'd pulled it. They're popular back in Europe. I guess the cry had attracted the monster...it was awful loud!" Eri moved her gaze across the large tree blocking her view and sat up on her hands and knees slightly to look over towards where she had been forced to abandon her things and the mandrake she'd decided to keep. With a sigh of relief, Eri was happy to see that the tree had landed perfectly between the two; the haphazardly covered mandrake was still in the container and her bag had narrowly escaped being crushed.
Her relief only continued as the creature seemed to be pulling back from its idea of attack, the swinging tail still giving her some anxiety, but it seemed it had calmed down. Maybe now it'd be easier for her charm to work on it now that it had a cooler head; animals were touchier than humans in that aspect surprisingly. For some reason, Eri found the human reaction and preference more malleable than that of an animal that didn't quite know any better, perhaps because it was easier for humans to be attracted to her regardless of their current mental state. The ambient white noise of her thoughts on this matter suddenly ended as she felt her ankles tugged and watched as the world became upside down, leaving her to look eye-to-eye with the strange girl who had been her savior today. Eri replied to Cadence enthusiastically with a calm and clear voice filled with friendliness, "My name is Eri!" Truthfully, she was kind of relieved that the green-haired woman didn't know who she was, it was nice to be around someone who didn't seem to know about her fame for once. "I came here on vacation...kind of. I was looking for new plants to take home with me, my selection has been a little stale and I feel like my plants could use better company." She steepled her fingers together in front of the small smile along her lips, trying to bow her head in greeting, but finding it hard considering the weight of being upside down. "It's lovely to meet you, Cadence, I'd also like to ask why you were here, it is very far out in the middle of nowhere, but..." Eri turned her crystal blue gaze to the side, twisting slightly to just barely look at the animal that had tried to attack her; suddenly her voice took on a more harmonious tone, one that she'd used to garner both admiration and infatuation from her mass of followers back from home. "I think that's a question more for you, big guy, you're not like anything I've ever seen before, now are you? Where did you come from, hm?"
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Post by Vapovile on May 31, 2016 21:49:15 GMT
As Eri look to her bag, Cadence also glanced down at the mandrake that caught inside of the container this woman put it in. Why would anyone want to keep a mandrake...? Moving on from the mandrake, Cadence listens as Eri explained why she was there. "New plants...huh? I...could help." While the idea of growing plants for someone else didn't exactly thrill the plant doll, Cadence figured it would be better than this woman pulling up more potentially dangerous plants and attracting even larger creatures. She cocked her head slightly as she listened to Eri talk in a more harmonious tone, now figuring that there was something more to this girl's power than simply screaming loudly. Did she has auditory powers like her...brother? Sister...sibling, Haven?
The creature stopped in its tracks when it heard Eri's voice, staring directly at the idol with a hint of curiosity. Letting out a small grunt, it turns its body around and slammed its tail against another nearby tree, this time falling in the direction that the creature was just leaving. Cadence stared blankly at the creature's motion, then turned her attention back to the upside-down Eri. "...it wants us to follow. Want to come with me...?" Cadence would normally just follow the beast by herself, but the ability for Eri to vaguely communicate with it would likely be a valuable asset later on if they discover something...more. While Cadence talked, she kept Eri hanging upside down by her vines, not aware that most humans would have blood rushing to their heads by now, as Cadence didn't have any blood in her body. Plus...it just amused Cadence to see someone hanging like this.
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Post by Iris on May 31, 2016 23:26:03 GMT
"Aaah...you could help me with that? That'd be fantastic! Although I would love to keep the mandrake as well, it's really cute." With her hands held together, Eri pressed her cheek into the back of one with a smile; the pleasant idea of sharing gardening ideas with someone was one she hadn't had the honor of encountering in a few years! Her mother had been decent with plants, but it wasn't quite a hobby or infatuation for her, if anything her mother had kept plants solely for Eri's sake while she was trapped alone in the house. Old habits did indeed die hard and Eri was still constantly pleased with just the idea of having more and more plants in her home.
Turning her attention back to the massive creature, it seemed like her charm had worked on it. It was really impressive that it'd taken so much, most humans caved in the moment she even so much as sighed in that voice; what an impressive creature! Sighing in relief, Eri dropped her arms to let them hang above her head as her shoulders ached from holding them so long and she looked towards the woman who still sat in a chair, the appearance of the furniture only just now hitting her; Eri had been prepared to question on it before Cadence asked her if she wanted to join. Trying her best to look over her chest, Eri didn't think she had much choice in the matter considering she was tied and held upside down. "Well my ride doesn't come until near evening...so I've got time!" Being held upside down was indeed making the blood rush to her head, but instead of hot red blotches appearing on her cheeks as the rush happened, her cheeks turned a faint green. "Um...if you don't mind my asking, and let me know if I'm being too forward or offending with my questions! But...what exactly are you?" Eri spent practically all of her time between her job and the Siddhe once a year, but she'd never actually encountered the Hidden World directly; she knew there were obviously more people with abilities out there, but she'd never met another before!
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Post by Vapovile on Jun 1, 2016 0:05:06 GMT
Cadence looked at Eri with a slightly lowered right eyebrow. Well...this was certainly new; someone had actually discovered that she wasn't a full human within the first few minutes of meeting her. Reaching into her dress pocket, Cadence pulls out a small wooden pipe and strikes a tiny wooden match against her chair, lighting it on fire and placing the now lit match into the pipe. She spends a few seconds with it in her mouth, breathing in the painkilling smoke produced. Since the day the plant doll had been created, she had the shortest temper out of any of the other dolls, often lashing out if someone so much as made a noise too loud. But that all changed after one trip that Marika forced them all to go to the mall...where she met people with the device she had in her hands. If this particular plant's smoke could numb her body and clear her mind, it was worth having constantly.
"...hm...I don't know what exactly I am, either." Rolling up her right sleeve, Cadence pointed to a line of stitching that went all the way around her arm. "...I'm stitched together from parts of other people...but I'm mostly made out of plant matter..." To demonstrate, Cadence changed the pigments in her arm to become green line the vines that held Eri up, and had them sprout little pink flowers on top. Shifting her arm back to normal, Cadence extended the length of her chair to become somewhat of a bench now, and lightly set Eri down onto to the seat next to her. Strangely, Cadence smelled like a field of pleasant flowers now that Eri was up close, and the seat she was on was like a padded chair, not the hard wooden surface that it appeared to be. "...your turn. What are you?"
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Post by Iris on Jun 1, 2016 11:08:04 GMT
Eri couldn't help the look of perplexed disgust that momentarily crossed her face; made of...different people? Her affection for humanity wasn't one to be trifled with too easily and the idea that this Cadence girl was made of the very same type of people she quite possibly adored made her feel apprehensive...but, seeing as how Cadence herself didn't entirely know what she was or why she was put together, it was completely unfair to blame the girl for her making. Yet still...Eri quenched the serpentine coiling of ominous sensation in the pit of her stomach and sat down on the bench that miraculously extended, giving a soft nod of thanks as she fanned her hand in front of her face, edging away the soft, green tint that colored her cheeks; good timing, she was just starting to get dizzy!
"Ahhh...that's a bit of a loaded question for me. You don't know who I am, right?" Clearly Cadence didn't...or she wouldn't have asked for introductions! Yet Eri's field was one where if information of her got out, it'd explode immediately upon public impact. "Hm...that's not very fair of me though." Strangely enough, despite Cadence's strange and worrisome origin and her odd appearance here in the middle of secluded forestry, Eri had the feeling that she could trust the plant woman. If anything, she gauged that lying to Eri for information would be too much of a hassle for Cadence anyways...or so she hoped. "Well I'm a bit of a mingled thing...kind of. I think the one people are most familiar with is Banshee. Our terminology has definitely died down in the past couple of centuries though..." She gently pulled up her feet to tuck them beneath her, smiling nervously. "My prominent half is of the Banshee that stems from Europe, they're a bit different everywhere it seems. Omen-callers, death-callers, that kind of thing, but my other half is a bit more complex." Before she knew it, she was babbling, rattling off nonsensical facts while counting them on her fingers which gleamed with perfect manicure. "I'm part Ningyo, they aren't too prominent in Japanese culture. They're like the sirens of Japan...but not really. Most myths including them paint them in a really negative light. Say they bring disasters and are horrible and ugly creatures...but that's just not true!" She bounced slightly in her seat as she continued to rant slightly, this was the first time in a year that she'd gotten to rant to anyone but her mother. "They're just misunderstood, their songs are to warn, they're just like the Banshee! But all myth and legend does is paint us all like a bunch of criminals or something!" Seeming slightly defeated only on her behalf, she pressed back into the bench and crossed her arms, drumming her fingers across her pale skin. "But um...y-yeah. I guess you could call me a banshee more than anything. I just don't like to use my abilities the way they're supposed to be used. Admittedly, I've used them pretty selfishly..." Huffing quietly in animosity more to that confession than anything, she continued on while gesturing towards the large beast. "But my powers are a little broad...I'm not as good at it as my father is, but I can 'persuade' with my voice. It depends on their openness to me though. This big guy was a lot more difficult than most things considering he wasn't too keen on being friends."
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Post by Vapovile on Jun 10, 2016 14:21:28 GMT
The momentary look of disgust didn't phase Cadence one bit; she knew that her existence was unnatural. A person made from body parts of a plant creature, held together by a long thread of string that held her soul within its fibers. Did that make her some kind of parasite, only living off of whatever this string is inserted into? Probably. But it doesn't matter at this point...the original owner of these parts was long dead, and couldn't get any use out of these parts anymore. Besides...she liked having a body.
Cadence merely shook her head when Eri asked if she knew who she was. Was this girl supposed to be famous? The plant doll didn't pay attention to pop culture at all, only seeing movies that she was forced to watch together with Jane or her other sisters, and sometimes seeing people that she figured were famous when Haven met with people before a concert. But aside from Haven, she didn't know anyone in the music industry, much less a pop idol. Continuing to listen, Cadence nodded as Eri explained how she was part banshee and ningyo...the descriptions of both interested Cadence. So this girl could 'persuade' people with her voice, and as evident by her earlier attack, manipulate the frequency of her voice. But it seemed as if Eri was defensive about her own image...which was strange to Cadence.
Taking another puff of her pipe, Cadence glances over at Eri once more. "...why are you defensive about your species? You said people think of your kind as ugly creatures and death-bringers...but you're not ugly and didn't kill that creature. Myths are just that...myths..." Truthfully, Cadence could identify with being stereotyped a little too, since in the mind of most people, she could be considered a zombie. Pale skin, cold to the touch, composed of dead body parts...but nobody has to worry about turning into a monster if she bit them. Not that Cadence would have any reason to bite someone. "...how would I have known who you were before we met...?" She asks, curious to see what this girl did as a job.
The two of the continue to follow the large creature as it stomped through the forest, the landscape around them soon becoming less dense with trees. A tall steel fence appeared to the right of the clearing, showing that they must be close to this creature's home.
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Post by Iris on Jun 13, 2016 8:07:09 GMT
"Well...myths do have some truths to them. My mother isn't ugly, she's just...well, old. And as for my father, ningyo and banshee both know when bad things will happen, because of that we get a really bad reputation despite just being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Eri twirled a strand of her long hair repeatedly along her finger, the manicured blue tip reappearing and disappearing in the swirling motion. This Cadence girl was really easy to talk to, maybe it was because she had no clue who Eri was, but she felt like she could just talk to her about these things. "Danger follows us pretty hard...or is it the other way? I'm not too sure, honestly." Casting her glance to the side to Cadence, she tilted her head slightly. "But I guess I'm defensive about it because my kind are important to me and it hurts seeing them have to suffer with this stigma they have. Sure, nowadays myths are slowly disappearing, but the ones that remember them still keep the painful image alive." Sighing slightly, Eri nestled her back into the crook of the couch's arm. "Though this might just be how humans are...they've been like this for centuries, holding up harmful stigmas when they just don't want to understand."
At Cadence's next question, Eri let out a small sound as her finger rapidly twisted her hair again and again, thinking hard on how she'd answer the question. She didn't feel like Cadence would go and talk about her...but her identity here was nice. Just someone else for once. "Ahh...well, I'm kind of a little popular in Japan." A little was being far too modest. You couldn't go into any convenience store without seeing her face somewhere amidst the magazine's faces, or out into busy streets where the cities glowed from signs with her announcements of tours. Needless to say, sometimes Eri got real sick of seeing her own face. "O-oh, look there!" Happy for a distraction, Eri pointed her finger and dropped her hair that now had one ridiculously curled piece, signaling towards the fence. "That's kind of odd...what's that doing all the way out here? When I researched the area, there was no mention of something like that."
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Post by Vapovile on Jun 14, 2016 11:45:01 GMT
Her kind is important to her...huh? Just how many banshees and ningyo were there out in the world? Outwardly, Cadence couldn't see anything that would indicate that this girl was anything but a human...until she began to use her voice powers. But if her powers to influence people's emotions through sound were as powerful as Cadence had seen so far with the creature...having that kind of power would be most effective when used through media such as radio, television, or just in a crowd through a microphone. However...Cadence didn't feel any sort of evil intent coming from this girl...hopefully this all wasn't some act to gain the trust of someone she just met.
Listening to Eri attempt to answer her question, then immediately move onto another topic made Cadence suspicious. 'A little popular in Japan'? If she was using her voice to sway people into liking her...what sort of medium would she be projecting her voice in? Song, perhaps? Cadence didn't know that Japan was the country that most supported idols like Eri, so she wasn't able to make any sort of connection to that specific genre of music. Turning her head to the steel fence, Cadence stared at it blankly. "...I have not seen this, either. Let's...follow the creature and see where it goes." All around them, Cadence could hear the sound of various inhuman animals grunting around behind the fence, occasionally hearing a roar that was similar to the one they heard when the creature attacked Eri. Processing this information in her head, Cadence nods at the situation.
"...someone is either imprisoning exotic animals, or genetically engineering them...let's see which one..." Cadence says as the creature led them along, approaching one of the pens that had its gate open. As they neared it, Cadence glanced over at Eri. "...I don't care if you're popular...by the way...my brother is a big dubstep star...so you don't need to act weird around me..." As she finished that last sentence, Cadence lightly grabs the curly hair Eri had been twirling, and lets it go back onto Eri's hair, showing that she noticed the nervousness.
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Post by Iris on Jun 14, 2016 13:07:03 GMT
Eri held a hand over her eyes to shield it from the sun glinting off the lines of the metal fence, attempting to spot the sources of the primal noises. Indeed, they did sound very much like the docile monster they followed; docile for the moment while it was still beneath the affects of her influence. "It sounds like there's a lot of them. I can't really tell." Her stomach did a small little roll as they got closer and closer to the animal's pen and she furrowed her brow slightly; Eri didn't like the way this was beginning to feel, this felt like the beginnings of an omen. Again, Eri began to roll the strands of hair around her finger, creating a new curl as Cadence spoke to her and Eri felt a small amount of heat rise along her cheeks that left behind a very faint, green hue. "I didn't mean to come off as weird about that...it's just that if word got out about what I was, it's..well, a little worrying is all." Eri left out the important part about how she'd hate to be hated as well. Despite having worked in the music industry for such a long time, she still had a terribly small ego when it came to being disliked, it just wasn't something she was used to.
The green hue stayed on her cheek as Cadence pointed out her nervous tic and she quickly released the other curl, holding her hands straight in her lap as she cleared her throat slightly. "W-Well...you seem like you mean well. I don't think you'd really gain anything from outing me. In Japan I'm a popular idol." She brought her hands up, making double peace signs with a nervous smile that had an even more nervous chuckle following it. "It's the industry I chose this century, it's also the closest to my dad. I'm hoping that being this popular will help me find him. Currently I do abuse my power a little bit to keep up interest...but I do also really have fun with it, I love singing, I feel like it's the easiest way for me to convey my feelings to humanity." Quickly, to avert from her constant overspilling to Cadence, Eri cleared her throat and turned to face Cadence with interest. "So your brother is popular too? What's his name! I'm not too familiar with the 'dubstep' genre, but it's becoming pretty popular back at my home too. Maybe we even know each other!"
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Post by Vapovile on Jun 16, 2016 10:54:06 GMT
"I...dol?" Cadence stared at Eri with a small amount of confusion on her face. The only idols Cadence had heard about was of in ancient times, where people would worship certain images or objects meant to represent their gods. In fact, Cadence had recently visited a museum in the United Kingdom where she had seen a few of the idols the Aztecs worshipped, where they sacrificed people to these gods in exchange for supposed help in battle, or a better harvest. In the description for one of the sculptures, Cadence distinctly remembers that one of the stories said that a god flayed himself to give humans food...so the sculpture would sometimes be adorned with flayed human skin as well. Huh...people back then were a lot more brutal, weren't they?
The expression Eri made when she told of her idol status indicated to Cadence that her status as one must be part of something much less brutal, thankfully. This industry was the closest to her father's career? It wasn't until Eri mentioned singing that Cadence finally linked the idol title with her voice powers; of course it must have been something to do with her voice! Judging by her almost embarrassed expression, Cadence imagined that this girl loved to sing...but felt guilty that she was cheating the system slightly. Nodding her head, Cadence glanced back at Eri, taking another puff of her pipe while she thought. "Hm...I believe it is Amethyst Venom...or AV as they call him...he wears a weird armored suit on stage that covers his whole body...the music is pretty loud and annoying, to be honest..." The plant doll said bluntly. Cadence wasn't one to sugarcoat her feelings to people, which may make her appear cold at times...but even though she doesn't like the music, she agrees to attend one of his concerts every so often.
Looking out in the distance for a second, Cadence leans back in her seat and looked back at Eri. "...by the way...you're not really abusing anything. People listen to you sing...it makes them happy...you make money...and they find a little bit of escapism...is that not a win for everyone involved?" Normally Cadence would have a much harsher opinion on manipulation...but this was harmless to her, even beneficial to people in most cases, as long as this girl wasn't telling them to do anything bad. "...do you have a stage name too...?"
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Post by Iris on Jun 17, 2016 8:30:31 GMT
"It's a bit of a garish term isn't it?" Eri noted the look of confusion on her face and considered how odd that must sound to someone who wasn't very familiar with the pop idol industry. "I think it's supposed to be the shortened term of "idolize", but even that's a little embarrassing to say. I don't want to believe people 'idolize' me..." Placing her fingertips together in a small pyramid formation, Eri looked to the side slightly as she rattled off again, a little too talkative as she'd been through the whole conversation. "I'm very popular and I have a lot of fans though, but that's what it is to be an idol in Japan. They're sort of different from the ones in more Western countries; we're a lot more public, a lot more...cute? Our fans adore us and it's how we make our living mostly, through their adoration."
At the mention of the name Amethyst Venom, Eri could only look apologetic and slightly embarrassed that she'd never heard the name of him before. Her music was more of a pop tune, or gentle vocals at other times. Things like dubstep and such just weren't in her genre and required very little from her in terms of ability, though it was something becoming growingly popular back at home... Eri laughed lightly at Cadence's brutal honesty and could only nod her head slightly in agreement. "From what I've heard, I'd have to agree...but to each their own. So long as it reaches who they want it to reach!" Music was Eri's life and had been for centuries. Music was an ever-changing industry and its audience was just as much so; you had to change your music sometimes to reach the hearts of those you wanted to hear your songs. With a lighthearted suggestion, Eri looked to Cadence with only the utmost benevolence, "If you ever feel like attending one of my concerts sometime, I'd be glad to invite you. I'll even give you a VIP pass! Though my music certainly isn't quiet."
Cuddling back into her seat, feeling a lot more amusement than she had in the past few months, Eri couldn't help but agree with Cadence. It was easy to feel guilty for using her powers the way she had here and there, but it was all for the purpose of reaching the hearts of the humans she'd loved. "I do love bringing them happiness. I really love humans, you see. Even though sometimes they do terrible things...they live their lives so differently to the ones my kind do. I've never seen a race so intent on living their lives as fully as they can within such a small span; I've learned that the average life of a human is surprisingly small..." Eri seemed a small bit saddened at her words, morose even as she recalled the hundreds upon thousands of humans she'd met in her lifespan. Even though she was centuries old, it still wasn't enough to get over the lives she'd watch burn brightly then dim until they faded. "They really don't live long enough...how do they enjoy themselves when they have such little time? I admire that kind of ferocity to life, the desire to experience everything, I want them to feel my admiration and appreciation for them. Kind of ironic, isn't it? I'm the idol, but I idolize them." Sighing slightly, she seemed faint and distant for just a moment before snapping out of it as she was asked for her stage name and she quickly shook her head. "Nope, I go just by Eri! I've had some stage names in the past, but those names die out very quickly. This one will too, so why not use my real name for once!"
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Post by Vapovile on Jun 20, 2016 18:36:58 GMT
Hearing Eri's offer to invite Cadence to one of her concerts made Cadence nod her head slightly, still having no idea what sort of music pop idols would sing at their concerts. To be honest...she would rather not go to another one of these loud events where people littered absolutely everywhere, and there were all sorts of stupidity like people being drunk or high on drugs. Perhaps this VIP pass this girl was talking about could allow Cadence to listen to the music at a far enough distance away that it isn't blaring in her ears, and she wouldn't have to deal with all the stupid people that are on the ground. Maybe even at an event like her concert...she would be able to get free food or drinks.
After her comments on a possible concert invite, Cadence leaned back against the bench as Eri explained how she loved humans, despite acknowledging that they do terrible things to each other. Murder, corruption, manipulation, pollution of the Earth, driving many animals to extinction, countless wars...such factors are part of the reason why she is misanthropic toward the world in general. She saw humans as inherently stupid and violent creatures, only out to further their own selfish desires at the cost of other people's welfare and the health of the planet everyone lived on. Why should she care about other human beings, when the human race is intent on destroying itself from within? "...they enjoy themselves by doing what you said; living life to the fullest...meaning they disregard the consequences that happen after they die..." Cadence looked at Eri with no malice in her face, more just disappointment. "...do you know what humans have done to the Earth in the last 100 years...? Total destruction." Taking another puff of her pipe, Cadence glances back at Eri. "...do you know what I'm seen as by a psycho...? Property. Merely something to make plants for her to gawk at...and help attack other people." Re-positioning herself against the arm rest, Cadence uses her pipe once more. "...I wish I could share in your positive attitude."
Cadence knew she couldn't share Marika's name due to the commands Marika put into her soul string, but she could still allude to the spider-seamstress a little. As the two passed by the gates, they began to see several large animals with large tags on their ears, each with a different number on them. The creatures all looked similar to the one they were following, but with slight differences; one walked had a large set of wings, but was hopelessly flapping at the ground. One was colored bright red, and had visible steam coming off its body. "...experiments." Cadence said bluntly.
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