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{se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 03-26-2021
Hunting day has come again.
Hotaru has more than enough to barter with if she cared to buy from within the walls of the city, but her primordial desires scoff in the face of such easy acquisition of meat and furs. She is more than adept as a huntress, why rely on others when she can do it herself?
Atlas has grown enough to carry her through most all environments, and she needs nothing more than the saddlebags behind her as they head out into the tundra. Hotaru isn't seeking particularly large game today and as such had left the sled and hitch for Atlas back at her house. Arctic birds, perhaps a smaller herbivore if she can justify spending hours quartering and skinning it in the field to pack it out.
Already she has a string of birds tied to the saddlebags, and perhaps it's the scent of blood that damns her despite her preparations. It looms out of the snow, barely distinguishable at first were it not for the way Atlas tenses between her thighs and alarm spikes along their bond. Sharp eyes drawn to where his ears point, Hotaru swears colorfully as she sees the Ursur lumbering towards them. [say]"Fuck me,"[/say] she hisses as she swings her leg gracefully over Atlast. They could try to outrun it and might succeed, but Hotaru isn't willing to take that chance. They have a few minutes perhaps to prepare, and she doesn't waste a moment of it, sliding her bow off her shoulder in preparation for a showdown.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 03-30-2021
But the duo aren't the only ones hunting.
Though the alchemist doesn't like being in Halo—doesn't like the cold, doesn't like the mission he'd been tasked with, doesn't like being away from Ronin or Mateo—it does offer a new challenge: new hunting grounds. The last time he was here, his mind was ravaged because of whatever sickness came from the Climb. Now with clear senses and a body much more capable of lasting in the cold, the manticore lumbers through the spare brush that dots the tundra. Waiting.
Crouched though he is, Remi's tawny body is an eyesore in the stark whiteness. He doesn't think the various predators around will mind though. Ursurs are at the top of the food chain here, save for dragons, and though the alchemist is always up for a chase, baiting them into thinking he will be an easy meal provides a certain amount of satisfaction as well. So when the lumbering creature which had been stalking his way suddenly turns and lurches towards another, it's with hostility and a sense of entitlement that the manticore lunges after it.
Jaws agape and claws digging into the snow beneath, the manticore roars loudly toward the ursur that targets Ru and Atlas. He means to tackle it from the side; should one of Hotaru's arrows find him during the chaos, what of it? It wouldn't be the first time, and likely won't be the last.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 03-30-2021
There is no time to hesitate. As she nocks an arrow and draws it smoothly to her cheek, she lays her fingertip against the metal head and summons her lightning to dance magnetically along its wicked edges. The crackle of electricity so close to her ear is swallowed in the roar of another creature, intrinsic might drowning out magic as it swells like cannon fire in the open expanse of the tundra.
Tawny-gold and massive, fast, and far too surreal a creation to her widening eyes as it leaps for the ursur. Still, Hotaru is not a woman to hesitate before a kill. Even less so the type to let surprise divert her practiced aim. Letting her electrified arrow fly, she aims for the ursur - the initial threat, not...whatever this new creature is. Whether it strikes true into the thick neck or not she stalks closer, notching another arrow and drawing it taut in threatening preparation.
Adrenaline burns hot, matching the familiar strain of muscle as she holds the arrow in limbo, awaiting its prey. Circling slightly for a better shot she watches with bated breath - perhaps even avid excitement - to see what this new predator will do as the loud meaty connection of their bodies swells in her ears. The ursur is tossed onto its side, paws scrabbling at ice and opponent alike as it instinctively tries to conceal its belly and throat. An aborted noise rises in her throat as her fingertips tense around the fletching of her arrow as one mighty paw swipes for the manticore's face.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 04-04-2021
If the manticore is aware that he has stolen a kill from the woman and her unicorn, he doesn't seem terribly worried about it. Too overcome by the smell of blood that is suddenly bright on the breeze from the wound opened by Hotaru's arrow, the manticore doesn't shy away from the paw that lashes out toward his face. With a roar that communicates his bloodlust and the knowledge that he's the clear alpha predator here, Remi allows for the attack to his face if only so that he might gain easier access to the Ursur's throat. It is a small price to pay, and though once upon a time the same could not be said, the man within the manticore's body hasn't shied away from pain in years.
Though stabbing the creature with his tail and flooding its system with poison would be the most efficient means of death, it would surely spoil the meat. So the manticore lunges to try and lock his jaws around the throat of the giant bear—though compared to Remi, it doesn't look as big as it otherwise might.
Would Remi have acted differently had he recognized Hotaru as the woman who had come to the Kraai? If he remembered the mention of her from both Sunjata and Nate? Might he have conducted himself in a manner more amenable to camaraderie here? Too bad we'll never know.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 04-04-2021
Slowly, the bow is lowered. At her back, Atlas approaches and the huff of his keyed-up breath against her cheek is merely background sensation. This is far more interesting. A formidable struggle of primordial might, a clashing of veritable titans. Hotaru had not set out to take arms against an Ursur this afternoon. It is not a kill to be stolen, or even a protection of her person any longer; this is a show.
The Ursur’s snarls are not so intimidating when they have a desperation clinging to its deep register, and even the spray of bright fresh blood across the snow is beautiful in some arcane, archaic way. Hotaru cringes all the same if only out of sympathy for how that pain must feel, gouging open flesh and fur. It doesn’t impede the widening of jaws at least, and the snow seems to quake instead of soften the noise of impact as the Ursur collapses heavily backwards, fangs buried through thick fur to pierce its thick neck. Massive paws flail in death throes, kicking up snow and smearing blood even as more flows down pale fur in rivulets. It is clinging to life only for as long as the predator deems it, blood pumping free as it fights for freedom it will never gain. Hotaru knows that, can smell death on the air as surely as the scent of iron. It will take merely a shake of that mighty crown and it will be over.
It is dark poetry in motion, and for all the ruination brought by her own hand, Hotaru is not ashamed to find herself respectfully awed by the easy domination on display.
Only then does her hand flex around her bow. Lightning prickles under her skin, anticipatory. Has her new foe been chosen then? Or is the ursur’s flesh all that is needed to sate this new beast?
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 04-14-2021
For all the poetry in motion that Hotaru allows herself to see, for the Lullaby, there is only death. Remi does not allow the creature to linger in life any longer than it needs to; no part of his primitive nature enjoys the death throes of another, despite what some might whisper behind his back. So while he won't deny that the pump of blood that still is full of living static is one his tongue yearns for, his mighty jaws do powerfully close, and with a shake of his head, the beast's neck snaps.
Perhaps it will be surprising to Hotaru, or perhaps not, that the beast before her suddenly shrinks down to a man properly dwarfed by the enormity of the ursur as well as what he'd just been. His wings are all that remain of the manticore-shift, save for the flecks of primal hunger in Remi's sea-glass stare as he turns.
Drenched in blood that soaks into the leather jacket he wears, it takes a moment for the bloodlust that sings from within his bones to release its siren-grip of his mind enough for him to recognize the woman before him. [say]"Oh, it is you."[/say] He mumbles, his boyish confusion at incongruous odds with the show of force and violence just moments ago displayed.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 04-14-2021
For all the easy transition, it's still mildly unnerving to see a creature turn into a man before her eyes. Such gifts are beyond her still. Though once it is revealed that he is not some new creation of Caido for her to slay, Hotaru slings her bow over her shoulder and crosses the distance between them, the crunch of snow beneath her boots more than enough announcement of her presence if the man is as sharp a predator as he has already proven himself to be.
As he turns, blood a striking contrast to his fair skin and leathers, she is admittedly surprised to see that his face is recognizable. Remi, if she recalls correctly (and she always does). His boyish befuddlement inspires a grin of her own, and she turns to reach into Atlas' saddlebag to pull a cloth free and hand it to Remi with a playful flair of her wrist. [say]"Me indeed. Quite the takedown there, if a bit messy."[/say] Here her heterochromatic eyes dip to the cloth, waiting to see if he will take it. Only then does she step up to the ursur's body, planting her foot on its neck to rip her arrow free and flick the blood off the head, twirling it idly between her fingers as she turns her attention back to Remi. [say]"What form is that? It's magnificent."[/say] Eyes tracing the wings still draping onto the snow with an appreciative look.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 04-15-2021
Accepting the offered cloth with a nod of appreciation, Remi wipes at his forehead and eyes to rid himself of the majority of the blood. Inadvertently he's licked his lips clear of what has settled there, but as if to hide this, he runs the rag over his lips a few times just the same. This body won't process or enjoy the blood as it would have moments ago, but his instincts are what they are.
[say]"Sorry, I did not notice you until it was too late."[/say] He says steadily, his voice thickly accented (all the more so now, for the cold and the blood still rushing in his ears), as she skillfully removes her arrow. [say]"Oh, ahh.."[/say] With an almost bashful grin, Remi ruffles a blood-soaked hand through his curls (not smart). [say]"A manticore."[/say] He answers, wings tucking in against his back and then disappearing altogether as he realizes he won't simply be grabbing the ursur and flying it away.
[say]"I am sorry, though. If I took your kill."[/say] He adds, nodding his head over his shoulder. [say]"We could split it, if you like?"[/say]
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 04-18-2021
Hotaru scarcely notices the flicker of a pink tongue against crimson, freshly spilt blood. If she made note of it, it wasn’t spoken aloud; Hotaru is not without her own, entirely human bloodlust. Though the way it streaks across his handsome face inspires an entirely different kind of hunger; a shame then that he is tied to his own similarly beautiful beau.
[say]“No apologies needed, though I’ll ignore how you called me easy to overlook,”[/say] she teases, incisors bared with her playful grin as she slips her arrow back into her quiver. The conversation already far too diverting to bother spending the time necessary to clean the blood; rust will not set in so quickly anyway. Hotaru watches him smear blood into his curls with an amused curl of her lips, but does absolutely nothing to warn him of his fate.
A long-fingered hand waves away his offer with an easy grace. [say] “Oh, certainly not. It was an unintentional encounter, but if the offer is on the table, I could do with some fur lingerie. I’d even throw in a set for you.”[/say] Spoken entirely seriously if not for the amusement in her heterochromatic eyes.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 04-22-2021
Chuckling darkly, the alchemist raises a brow as he shakes his head. [say]"As a one-tonne monster of death that wants only blood, had you not been easy to overlook, you might not be standing here now."[/say] Remi points out with an easy smile and shrug of his shoulders.
Her offer has him snorting, and though she wears a cloak, he recalls how lithe she was when he'd first met her in the Kraai. [say]"Well, given how small I recall you being, I think I could likely make an entire outfit for you and still have enough left over for me. But if you're offering..."[/say] Grinning again, he moves to grab for the Ursur's paws. He's more than strong enough to carry it back, and from his brief stint being bonded to Isla as a unicorn, he'd not risk Atlas sweating in this cold.
[say]"I do not believe I got your name, before?"[/say]
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 04-23-2021
Hotaru shamelessly lets her tongue trace the blunt edges of her own teeth at the insinuation. [say]"Quite the way to go at least, wouldn't you say?"[/say] Death is an inevitability; death at the hands of a handsome man in the form of a similarly magnificent manticore? At least she would have a tale to tell Mort.
A laugh escapes her unbidden at the comment on her stature. Easy pickings there. [say]"The offer certainly stands. You may be a taken man as far as I know, but stripping you down for your measurements will be the highlight of my season."[/say] Hotaru winks at him even as she shamelessly watches him haul at the Ursur's body, content to stand there and look pretty - and watch him be pretty - instead of helping in any way. [say]"No, you didn't,"[/say] she says simply, perhaps teasingly as she withholds her name a moment longer. [say]"It's Hotaru. You can call me Ru - or hot, but that's a given."[/say]
Okay, perhaps enough teasing for now. Tying her bow to Atlas' saddle, she mentally gauges the distance between here and town. [say]"Care to field dress it or do you intend to carry it over your shoulder the entire way just to give me a show?"[/say]
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 04-26-2021
Remi can't help but laugh at that. It's so rare nowadays to find someone who was both well-acquainted with death and who still had a sense of humour. [say]'I would be sure that all the bards were told of your death so that the story could live on forever.'[/say] The Caido version of beauty and the beast, perhaps.
A touch bashfully, the alchemist shakes his head. [say]"Taken, yes. But I think you would find that is the least of my barriers."[/say] If his time with Maeve had shown him anything, it was that he remained quite gay, but for his strange infatuation with Isla. [say]"Besides, it is all just scars under here, now."[/say] He admits with an easy shrug.
Whatever quip he might have made about calling her Hot going forward falls away from his lips as he realizes who she is. [say]"Hotaru."[/say] He repeats as the colour of his face drains and shifts, leaving only bright splotches of red on his cheeks. He'd not disrespect her by calling her Sunjata's Hotaru, but even so it takes him a moment to parse how he wants to segue into...some sort of apology, perhaps. [say]"I...heard about what happened."[/say] He mumbles, the words vague.
[say]"My husband has a child with Safrin, as well."[/say] The way his pale eyes seem to grow slightly darker beneath the fluttering of his lashes suggests that her conception might not have been all too different from Kamaria's.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Hotaru - 04-29-2021
His laughter is accent-tinted and surprised, as if he is only relearning how to do so. It's charming, and only lends itself to deepening Hotaru's smile. [say]"A song as well? Now I'm almost disappointed you didn't kill me."[/say] Trading quips over bloodstained snow and a dead bear? He's practically her new best friend already.
[say]"At least we share our love for the masculine form,"[/say] she rolls easily, winking his way. Hotaru may not be on his proverbial banquet table, but she can still read the menu from over his shoulder. Her eyes are bigger than her stomach anyway - she's already fucked two demigods. [say]"Scars are merely pathways to touch in the dark."[/say] The artistic phrase overturned by the way she wiggles her fingers childishly at him, content in her overt flirtations even when he has turned her down.
The amusement dies as he breathes her name, her sharp senses coming to attention as awareness creeps beneath his tone. As his own face drains, hers goes blank, arms falling limply to her sides. What happened. Two words to describe the destruction of her life. How quaint, she thinks, feeling slightly ill. A feeling that only deepens and twists with understanding as Remi continues. Fucking Safrin. [say]"And where has that led him?"[/say] Her own vagueness counters his, unwilling to put much more to words; had he entangled himself in the equivalent of garrotte wire? Would that be Sunjata's fate? [say]"And...you?"[/say] Remi, who unlike Hotaru had stayed.
RE: {se} coming in for the kill - Remi - 04-30-2021
[say]'Ah,'[/say] The alchemist closes one eye in a near-wink that makes him look roguish and boyish all at once. [say]'There is still time.'[/say]
Raising a brow at her flowery prose, Remi dips his head in a nod, submitting to her wit. [say]"A pretty face and tongue."[/say] He notes, resisting the urge to absently rub at the scarring over his chest. [say]"Well, I think you would find I am more pathway than anything else these days."[/say] Remi says with a suggestive shrug. [say]"I can't imagine it would be an interesting place for you to find yourself..."[/say] It's rather easy to flirt with Hotaru, Remi is finding. Though perhaps this will cease to be the case in the moments which follow, when he learns just whose pathways her slender fingers have walked.
[say]'To places I never thought I would see him go.'[/say] The alchemist replies in a tone gone quite grave, his jaw feathering as he tries to keep from grating his teeth around the words. [say]"I hate her."[/say] The reply comes easily and swiftly; Remi's sea-glass stare doesn't waver at all as his chin rises slightly. [say]"And I love him."[/say] Filled with conviction and the knowledge that his love for the Star was likely to kill him one day (literally perhaps, given the constraints of Remi's immortality), the alchemist merely shakes his head a singular time.
[say]"Ronin was not given a choice. Not really."[/say] He swallows, tasting the ursur's blood still on his tongue, and wonders what grief and rage looked like on Hotaru's beautiful face. [say]"But that does not make it any easier."[/say]