Falling down [open]

[Serras-Kai]

Millica bit her lip and lowered her weapon a little, but refused to put it away. Who knew what this..... thing was capable of? Sure, he seemed friendly enough, but somehow she doubted that he wasn't hostile on some level. But then, who wasn't hostile in some way or another? She knew that if she was in his position, she'd... well actually she'd be dead, but if she had somehow survived the fall as he himself had then she wouldn't be expecting anything less than caution from her new acquaintance.

Keeping her hand in front of Angel as a sign that she should stay back, Millica lowered her eyes at the jester, and growled out her next words. "Who are you, and how did you survive a fall like that?"

[Princess Angel]

Entrancing was the word to describe the goings on. A sparkle of life had surely been dropped from the sky, Angel decided then and their as she looked upon the new person with hope. Another spark of energy from the soul of another being had given from this night air. She was in love with the world again, it was giving her company. As he completely floated up she was even more impressed with the figure, entranced by the spell of his appearance.

Angel noticed details very well in those gleaming eyes of hers. Her hands started fidgeting softly as she watched this person speak. The words from his mouth were again altered to her ears, but this time in a more dramatic sense. "No no, not good at all, you disappointed me. Why yes, I fell from from the sky rather high up. It didn't hurt, but you didn't react right. No, no, not right at all.".. he started cleaning the dirt a bit and straightened himself rather well, and she was able to get a good look at him. Red. White. Yellow. Colors were such a wonderful thing weren't they? He wore them so well too.. She was focusing on his appearance now, lost in her zone and while he continued to talk a bit she was too heavily in her own world to pay attention.

Her eyes were on the hat. The hat. Hat. It was so cute.. the way it fell down as if was hair itself. It made long hair not even needed and it was so cute. So cute. Her mind was running quickly, her hands starting to twirl a bit more rapidly and with more strength.. her hands flapping a bit giving her the impression to where like one would think she was an autistic child or something similar. She wanted one, that had to be so fun. The hat. Suddenly, a small amount of sparkles seem to come from her hand and presto, her bow and barrettes in her hair instantly changed into a jesters hat. Her's was purple though. Purple, she liked that color. Pink was her favorite but she wanted purple. It was such a pretty color.. and he wouldn't want her stealing the red color. Angel had to make her's special or the sparkle of life in front of her might get mad, and that would be awful. So instead of bells, she went with simple balls of fluff. That was much more fun, wasn't it? So soft and pretty and cute. Pretty and cute was the most important thing for surely sure when it came to something like clothes, even if it didn't make the adorable noise that bells made.

In fact, she didn't remember hearing the bells from his hat after a bit more pondering. But maybe she just forgot, since she surely forgot a lot.

But.. NOW a sudden tummy pain. The purple hat looked so out of place. She looked at him and started to concentrate how he accessorized his hat. Well.. she didn't want to copy him one bit, but maybe if she did something that was very different from him it would look okay too? First of all, he was very pale and white.. and it was so pretty but she didn't want to steal his whiteness. Stealing things was bad, he would be angry. Surely he would be angry. So she made her skin tanned and brown, starting to look strange to anyone looking at her, still in a sweet lolita outfit and big blue eyes but having darker skin and a purple jester's hat. How silly, she had to hurry! She didn't wanna look silly, she didn't want her new friends to laugh. That would be awful!

She started to rush on trying to find something for the clothing and the rest. Starting to panic a bit, her hands started wiggling with all the force she could muster in her weak body. An image, possibly from the kingdom of fantasy that she had just came from popped into her mind. Images of beautiful girls dancing in her mind and one in particular that was even wearing one of these hats! That was how she could look, yes, yes indeedie. Berry happy feelings were filling up in her, even though she didn't still know where the memory had come from. Memories were tricky things for Angel, they wanted to fly away as soon as she thought them up.. but sometimes the memories would come back and pay her a visit if she really needed them. The dancers were so pretty, and it would look so cute with the jesters hat. So modeling her new clothes and body after a berry beautiful dancer, adding more fluff from the hat and making a super cute skirt, she decided she was going to be very pretty. And not like the sparkle at all, no no. She had the hat, but it was different right? It had fluff right? He wouldn't be mad right?

SPOILER: Click to show

Click for new appearance.

These thoughts succeeded in pulling out of her zone, she felt very different.. and surely she was different from the girl that that had been standing there just a moment ago. Suddenly things were a bit colder now, she realized that the outfit she chose was maybe a bit silly for such a place.. but her body was okay with it. Just a bit chilly. What might shock people as that even with all these thoughts, she had only wasted but a few moments because right then and there the older woman's hand came down.. blocking Angel from the sparkle with the cute hat.

Had he said something? Was he angry? She was such a fearful girl and didn't want to do something wrong she had just found the hat so beautiful... it was a berry nice compliment. She promised. The feelings started to explode from within her like a million butterflies zooming out of her tummy and zipping out her mouth. And out came the words with them, "Are you mad!?!"

These words however, were more of a squeal and a squeak than normal words or yelling. Such was the curse of speaking with butterflies one might guess. Or maybe she just should have been paying attention to what they were saying instead of zoning out in dress-up play.. but dress up was the most important thing in the world besides being around other people. It was just who she always was.. and asking her to change was probably a fools game.

[Kismet]

Sword pointing away. Sort of. Good enough. With an exaggerated flourish of his hands, Lazus bowed low, smiling warmly with his lips and coyly with his eyes. “You may call me Lazus.” He said. “And you know how it is with falling. Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. And…oh.” Rising slightly off the ground, Lazus straightened and backed away slightly, frowning at the small child behind the women. Who was…twitching. Or flailing. Or something. And then, suddenly, she changed.

Where a blank, trembling child had been, now stood his opposite. While Lazus was pale, masculine, and emblazoned in the harsh colors of fire, she was dark, feminine, cool, and soft. Her eyes shone with excitement, barely contained energy and emotion swirling within her and bursting at the seams, ready to explode and take in the world. Lazus was empty, and he was the world.

He suspected that a pattern existed somewhere in all this.

And then she spoke. Or, more exactly, she squeeked. “Are you mad?”

For a moment, Lazus was unsure of what to do. He had sort of ignored the girl before, and hadn’t counted on her responding. The older women seemed to be in charge, after all. But it would seem that the child (Or girl rather, now. Lazus couldn’t determine her age, but she looked to be at least fifteen now.) hadn’t taken his sarcasm well. (As that was surely what she meant.) Not that it really mattered. She certainly had a better sense about hats than the old hag.

“Well, well, well.” He said, his smile returning. “What do we have here?” He eased into a relaxed sitting position, about a meter off the ground. “Whatever would I be mad for? It’s always a pleasure to see such good taste in…fashion.” He glanced at the older, sword toting woman. “Which some people, I’m afraid to say, lack.” He grinned, only mostly nicely. “But you have me at a disadvantage. What might the lovely and not-so-lovely ladies’ names be?”

[Serras-Kai]

Millica had always considered herself to have a pretty alright grip on reality. Yes there were things she couldn't explain and would never be able to explain but those were questions for someone more wise (or possibly just more world-weary) than herself. But even things she couldn't explain could scare the everloving crap out of her (a task that can simply be described as not easy.) This was one of those moments.

When the child began to change, Millica tried to keep her cool, lest this newcomer become aggressive in a moment of apparent weakness. The watcher didn't look at her (she didn't even know what was actually happening- she could hear it but it left far too much to the imagination) until she spoke, her soft voice now betraying a different age, even if only slightly.

Millica turned her body slightly, and her head only slightly more, so she was looking at the girl now from almost the corner of her eye, catching her new appearance and looking her over. A complete change in clothing, a whole new look entirely...

Blakes blood, who the hell is this girl?

More importantly, who was the guy? He'd fallen quite a ways, but he was alive. Explain that with science. Go on, I dare you.

Back on topic, please.

With the question asked of her, Millica let out a soft sigh as she returned her gaze to the jester- the first one, the red one, the one who had fallen- and thought about giving a fake name. Instead she said nothing, but removed her tiny friend, the Ageless watcher, and held it beside her, allowing it to begin the process of scanning him so she could learn more.

"Millica Loise Kerensky." She said formally, as though she was giving her name and rank to a man of great importance. An undertone of contempt ran together with her words, something she hadn't originally intended. "The watcher of Karna."

[Princess Angel]

Angel felt a bit better. Surely she did, he wasn't really mad or anything which made her feel good. Even even seemed to be happy about her. She was really glad to hear that. Nothing was better, she decided than making someone else smile. While her older friend, Angel twirled about in her new appearance and giggled a small giggle. She was really embarrassed about showing this much skin in front of people, now that she thought about it.. but it was so much fun.. and no one was giving her icky looks.

Suddenly, she grew wide eyed. What did he ask again? Something about.. something about.. Oh no! She couldn't remember! How much of a tragedy.. she started sweating a bit and had to think really, really hard. A few half words came out of her mouth as she was thinking, like "Che-- Fu--" and other things, physical signs of the mental struggle she was going through.

Finally, trying not to look strange.. she answered in a rush. "Angel doesn't know." She didn't really realized that answering it in the third person like she did naturally would answer the question and simply make her look foolish.. she was just trying to say she didn't know which she hoped as a understandable answer the question. Oh well.

[Kismet]

Lazus took note of the suspicion and contempt in Millica’s voice, his hollow body filling with glee. Here we have something , he thought, an old and travel worn hag, a blunt practitioner of pragmatic principles and a worshiper of stoic cynicism, and a healthy dose of pride. Lazus was guilty until proven innocent to her, a cloud hovering menacingly over her bright rainbow plastered parade of sunshine and giggles, radiating like a tangible wave of blind naivety from her young companion. That cloud of doubt and suspicion had managed to blot out the warm, comforting rays of the girl’s presence, returning that cold, impartial razor’s edge that separated the egotistical whims of a deranged jester draped in red from those of a lunatic clown robed in purple. Lazus had fallen from the Heavens, and Millica had the wisdom to realize that the F might be capitalized.

Slowly, undetectably, Angel’s scent arrived at Lazus’ nose. The gentle breaths and sighs of the wind nudged it gently against his nostrils, filling them with the sweet aroma of the girl’s presence, and the idealized, concentrated expression of love that she embodied. One can only wonder what would have happened had Lazus possessed a sense of smell. As he did not, however, the girl slipped from his notice as quickly as she had entered.

Millica’s nose, however, worked perfectly, and the puppet in red was a whiff of ammonia; unpleasant and prone to wake you up in a hurry. And despite not falling for his prank, or allowing him to bite her ankles and pretend to be a zombie, or observe decent fashion trends or still yet observe common courtesies, Lazus could help but feel a slimmer of warmth towards the cantankerous old fart.

Honestly, the women looked to be at least thirty. Lazus suspected that trees were at least fifteen, and dirt was maybe twenty-five. Lazus had heard that people roamed the world whose ages stretched absurdly past their projected lifetimes, yet retained their youth and their looks. Millica then must be truly ancient, he reasoned, to not still be locked into her prime years. Maybe even a little older than thirty. The concept was mind boggling for a seven year old puppet raised on children’s books.

But child like mischief had been brewing in that young mind, boiling ever so heatedly as the day’s events progressed, and if Lazus could have his way, a plummet from the clouds would prove to be only the appetizer. So, as Millica brandished her strange contraption, the unformed idea of a prank began to tenderize in the soup of Lazus’ mind, ripening as he stared at the woman’s odd device. Her gizmo, her doodad, her device, machine, gadget, doohickey, toy. Her toy.

Lazus wanted it.

So, when he deemed the opportunity best, with his attention seemingly centered on the well dressed but absent minded youngling, his arm lashed out, uninhibited by the meager restraints of flesh and bone, and grasped for the object.

[Serras-Kai]

...probably should have seen that one coming.

Millica withdrew her arms from the jester, but as her eyes were locked on the ageless watcher already, she didn't notice his sudden movements until it was already too late and he grabbed the device. As such, when her had withdrew from him, it was empty.

Oh joy.

The watcher said nothing (not surprising, all things considered) but Millica let out a low, angry growl from deep in her throat. It wasn't her trying to be intimidating- it was half a scream and half a cry of anger, mixing in a way that made them undefinable.

But she pulled back to far and the weight of her weapon caught her by complete surprise, as it was in her hand despite the fact that she could have sworn with a bold face that it was already back in its place. Due to this unbalance, Millica fell- right down into the dirt.

Okay. The jester had to die.

Rolling over, Millica rose to a crouched position, holding her weapon like a spear. Lowering her eyes, she stared daggers into the jester- her intent was clear, despite her lack of words. She wanted her toy back.

[Princess Angel]

Oh good golly gosh!

Everything was moving pretty fast again and Angel was as confused as ever. She felt a little tiny something, a prickle across her chest and back. It made her feel a tad icky, then she felt a few more afterward. Despite the fact that she wasn't one to feel these herself.. she felt sorts of prickly feelings as she started watching the goings on. She didn't really know how to express the prickles she was getting.. but she knew that something was wrong with the scene she was just watching. She wasn't aware that the symbol on her exposed back, the pattern of wings etched on it like tattoo was glowing.

The woman, her first friend had pulled something out and the second friend had snatched it.. and the her first friend had fallen down. Did she mean to give it to the second friend? She still was kinda working on the assumption that they knew each other.. and him asking her for her name wasn't really on her mind anymore. The thing, she didn't even know what it could be or why he would want it in the first place or why she would give it to him..

You know what. Just too confusing. Way too confusing to think about.. but now without knowing or having the information to act on anything.. she was left just wondering what she could do or what she was supposed to do. Were they exchanging things? Was she expected to give something too? She didn't really have anything to give, which made things a bit awkward. Or maybe they were...

Her head really hurt.

"Angel.. Angel is very sorry. Very sorry for interrupting and all, but I was kinda wondering if.. well.. do I have to give something too?" she asked out in air unaware of the tension that was radiating in the air a bit now, and to neither of them in particular. She was feeling horribly left out of something and it was hurting her head to think about it any longer. She liked other people to just tell what to do.

[Kismet]

Lazus burst into delighted laughter as he cartwheeled away from the two females, landing lightly on his tip toes some twenty feet away. Not only had he gotten the toy, Millica had fallen down. Two down, one to go. A gargantuan ear to ear grin spread across Lazus’ face as Millica began to personify the expression “If looks could kill.” Had Lazus’ skin possessed the ability to feel, he suspected that he might actually be able to detect heat waves being generated by the ferocity of the woman’s glare. Smaller animals probably would have been set alight, and weaker minds melted under such a gaze. Eskimos would have crowded around her for warmth and entrepreneurs would have set up solar panels for her to power. Chauvinist husbands everywhere would abandon their comfortable couch seats and made their own damn sandwiches. Impressive peepers indeed.

But looks could not kill, and words could. Lazus’ words. Millica could glare angrily all she wanted, but it wouldn’t actually accomplish anything. Lazus began to bounce excitedly up and down, eyeing the strange device he’d so successfully pilfered. No words had actually described it any sort of detail, so he had no idea what it was that he was holding. He didn’t even know what it looked like, and at this point, might never know. Just as words carried the power of death, so too did they bear the power to create. In a way, Lazus held a blank canvas in his hand. A canvas he himself could not paint, yet was capable of destroying. Not that that’d be any fun.

“So.” Lazus said, nonchalantly, as if nothing interesting had happened. “What is this thing?” He held Millica’s device up quizzically, deliberately raising it into view. He shook it slightly, like a wrapped Christmas gift. “Does it do anything?” He nibbled lightly on the end, assuming there was one.

The girl, the young one, that is to say, had mostly slipped from his mind. So, he was somewhat surprised to hear her asking what to do. For a moment, he was left with Millica’s trinket stuck absentmindedly in his mouth as he actually considered the question.

“Bwhell,” he said, thinking. Then he removed the toy. “Well,” he said again, “You could steal something of hers as well. Maybe her hat?”

[Serras-Kai]

Millica payed no attention to Angel.

"Shush honey, mommy and daddy are talking."

She was more harsh sounding than she meant to be, but the little CPU ball that was the Ageless watcher's hull was rather delicate when compared to someone that just fell from the Keffing sky.

"It's the Ageless watcher. A holy relic belonging to my people. And I would very much like that back now, dag." She'd lapsed. She was using the words that people in Karna used regularly to show the intense meaning behind a sentence. She doubted he understood it, but one never knew, in the end.

[Princess Angel]

The first thing she felt was confusion.. Lazus definitely seemed to be very happy.. but the prickles on Angel's back were telling her that things were going wrong. She still felt a pain and she didn't know where it came from.. which bothered her. Listening to Lazus, suddenly he spoke in a very.. interesting way. It was almost a command, but it wasn't quite. Could. Maybe. Steal? Why would she steal something for her friend.. it was kinda a command in a small sense so she felt her hands start to twitch.. but her own misgivings about the idea were able to keep her from doing so.

However that proved to be just the beginning, the next words spoken to her was a command. She was told to be quiet and that mommy and daddy were talking. So instantly all her words were taken from her, and even if she really wanted to.. she wouldn't be able to talk. But she didn't have that want even, she wanted to be quiet because the older lady who was.. her mommy, well.. she told her that. The mark on her back glowed softly for a few moments.. not even a second before turning back to a normal tattoo/mark.

Taking a few steps backwards because of the feelings of prickles she was getting again and tripping on her own feet, she literally fell back on her tushie on the ground. The pain hurt and stung but now that she was on the ground.. she didn't really want to get up. She was feeling even more left out in a sense then before.. but mommy and daddy were talking and she had to be quiet. She watched her mommy friend say something about wanting it back. So then why did daddy friend have it? Why would he take something and then she would want it back? Did he steal it? But why would he steal it? She wondered this but didn't want to ask it.. because she wasn't capable of that want. In fact, and her mommy friend probably wasn't aware of this.. but her command was vague enough to where unless she was told it was okay to talk again by someone she wouldn't ever want to talk again.

[Kismet]

“This? This thing?" Lazus asked, pointing to the Watcher and smiling. “This thing right here? You want this back?” Lazus dangled it delicately between his eyes and Millica, allowing its short pendulum swings to bring her in and out of his vision.

Then he opened his mouth wide and ate it.

“Come and get it, Grandma.”

[Serras-Kai]

Millica was at a loss for words.

He'd eaten it. Whole. As impressive of a feat that was, consuming a metal ball in a single bite, it was just as frustrating as it was fascinating. And Millica was a woman of action, not science, meaning that the first impulse was based on the frustrating part of this whole thing.

Gritting her teeth, Millica lowered her stance and readied her weapon, poking it at her new found enemy as she stepped forward, nearing him. There was little he had to worry about from a weapon like this from such a small gesture, but she was angry, and all her intentions went for was telling him that in a plain way.

"Open up your mouth and spit it out or so help me I will gut you to get it back." She wasn't lying. The Ageless Watcher had been her only companion for the majority of her life, and she wasn't going to lose him to some Jester. He'd introduced himself, Millica thought, but at this point in time she honestly didn't care what his name was. Or what it wasn't.

Even still, she couldn't attack him over something so petty. Not to kill anyway, and she felt he wouldn't respond to anything less. Thieves lost a finger in Karna, but that was all- if she truly gutted him, then she would be in the wrong, creating a whole new dilemma.

The more she thought about it, the more Millica wanted to kill this Jester.

[Princess Angel]

And yeah, Angel was pretty much left forgotten at this point. In fact, she was just sitting there and doing basically nothing but thinking about depressing and otherwise angsty thoughts and just watching the events transpire.

AND THEN..

Yep, this girl wasn't just going to simply sit around or she would be useless in the thread, though she wouldn't have a concept of what that was. Suddenly she felt a prickle again, but this time coming from her mind. This prickle wasn't a ordinary one.. it was like someone was knocking on her brain and polietly asking to come in. It was a strange feeling, but she totally felt safe about letting whoever in. I mean, she really loved people and that meant she really trusted them and wanted to be in their company.

Suddenly, she felt someone completely new.. almost like.. merge with her. Suddenly it was almost was if she was two people at once or as if someone was sharing her brain. Suddenly, her memories filled her mind as he touched it with all of his. Her name was Angel and she was here on the planet of the Smash Universe in order to help promote peace.. and what was going on in front of her wasn't peace at all! She realized this person was Kaimu.. and she wondered instantly what he wanted.

Of course, that wonder was instantly in his mind as well and she got her answer. He had felt a large spike of trauma from her and was checking in. Now that he had so much access to her mind, he could see what she was seeing and know what had just happened. Instantly, he commanded that she speak once again.. and her tongue was freed. Everything was starting to feel so much better.. she loved Kaimu and wanted him to stay with her until she was safe. He didn't seem to be doing anything himself.. so he mind-link promised he would stay for the time being to help her out.

Suddenly, Angel stood up and walked over, her mind clear for the first time since their engagement had started. "Guys, no, why?! You both are my friends.. what's the point of fighting like this? Why would you choose to hurt someone else when you can shine their lives with life? Why would you choose to make someone sad when the feeling of making someone happy is so much better. I don't understand!" sure, what she was saying now was pretty much all cutesy idealism, but it came from the heart. She felt a surge from Kaimu.. and it was a happy one. It was one of.. acceptance, near pride. She wasn't sure Kaimu was capable of full pride in her.. but she knew this was close.

It was definitely good to feel.. whole. Even for just a bit.

[Kismet]

Lazus tilted his head back and laughed. This girl was just so weird. “Cute, kid.” He said, a sudden sharpness creeping into his voice. “Very uplifting, I’m moved.” As he spoke, he lifted off the ground slightly and smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. “Tell me, Angel. What is the worth of a thought? What is the value of something so transcendental that it ceases to exist the moment its conception is complete?” His smile reached his eyes, finally, though it was not kindly. He doubted the girl would be able to follow the sudden vocabulary jump, let alone the concepts. Lazus had accepted that he was alone in his special knowledge in the running of the world. “What is the measure of something that can only be experienced by its creator? Tell me, little girl, did you feel the glee of spiraling through the air? Of watching our friend Millica’s face with each progression of my antics?”

Lazus settled back on the ground. In some distant corner of his brain, he noted Millica’s Watcher settling into the ball of his left foot. “What is the worth of the written word? An idea imprinted upon reality, ready for the whole world to read? A thousand different multitudes of interpretations and expressions, that’s what.” Anger began to slither into Lazus’ voice, a low hiss adding fuel to a flame. “What is the worth of an idea corrupted by the thousand petty voices, each trying to greedily swallow up that idea, something that was yours. Legions of degenerate cannibals, feeding, EATING something that was born inside you? Nothing.”

“And yet we are bound by our gorging, chained by the words we so covetously consume.” Lazus pointed to their right, towards a lone tree in the distance. “Now, I have imprisoned you to the landscape of my own design. One tree dots the horizon, solely because I said such was so, though you do not realize it. And I too, am captive bound. But painting landscapes for each other does nothing. The land is a thing, static, dead. But taking your toy…” Lazus grin changed again, to something smug and reptilian, as he nodded to Millica. “That did something, now didn’t it? Something dynamic happened there, binding us all together. That idea did something. Was worth something.”

And suddenly, Lazus smiled earnestly. “The toy is mine now. But don’t be sad, we’re all just a little bit more special because of it.”