The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
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Post by Geata on Jul 26, 2016 16:47:52 GMT -7
Geata sighed. He hadn't thought of explaining why the empty, rundown amusement park was the place he chose. He had thought it was pretty obvious, especially for the other super, but he was apparently wrong. "I'm here," he said as though he were explaining to a child, "because if I were to actually plummet to my death, nobody is around to see it. That stuff is pretty mentally scarring. Random civilians don't need that crap, especially so soon after the dragon attack. As for me coming up here, let's call it a calculated risk. I could either have stayed down there where you could get closer and deal with those consequences, or I could come up here where it's not anywhere near all that high up and risk falling and hurting my arm. And I figured I'd make my offer."
When the girl showed up and introduced herself, Geata looked her over for a moment. Azoth had told him about how Sin Eater was one of the supers who had gotten in their way. "Hi," he said, his suspicion palpable. "I'm Geata. For what do I owe the pleasure?"
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Jul 26, 2016 19:57:30 GMT -7
Unhallow nearly jumped when Sin Eater jumped out of the carriage she was in. They were trying so hard to make sure everything was okay and that the intruder didn't go over there and find her, so they were a little disappointed when she felt the need to reveal herself. The reason why was even worse. Unhallow knew they were pretty bad about getting information like the rest of the Keepers, but if this guy really wasn't that important was he likely to have anything to begin with? Their shoulders drooped, and they sighed. The last thing they wanted to deal with right now was talking to an intruder about anything, but if it was important they'd be able to manage. They stopped directing their power towards the intruder and started directing it back into the ground so no one would get hurt more than they had to. They weren't able to redirect all of the energy their power put out, but it made a bit of difference.
"S-Sorry. What's your proposition?"
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The Keepers
Posts 90
Power Level 24
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Post by Sin Eater on Jul 28, 2016 12:49:52 GMT -7
Sin Eater grinned back at Geata. The look in his eyes said that he was well aware of Sin Eater's role in the failed operation he had been helping Azoth with. Well, so be it. She could use that to her advantage too.
"I sometimes hang out here too," she answered him, "to help protect my good friend Unhallow from all the trespassers that like to harass her."
She punctuated this by walking up alongside Unhallow and putting an arm around her shoulders. The effect of Unhallow's power got an order of magnitude worse for Sin Eater, but even at this intensity it wouldn't quite be enough to kill her. Showing no sign of discomfort, she continued.
"And when I heard your little speech on fear and overcoming it... Well, I might have to chug a gallon of bleach when I get back to the Sanctum to wash the saccharine flavor out of my mouth, but it still caught my attention."
Sin Eater put a hand over her heart, compassion and concern evident in her voice. "If you really are intent on helping Unhallow, then I couldn't simply let you die or be driven away."
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The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
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Post by Geata on Jul 28, 2016 13:50:01 GMT -7
Geata was sure of one thing- Sin Eater made his skin crawl, much the same way the faceless super did. He used a portal to get back down on the ground before responding, taking his time to think over his words. It wasn't likely that he was going to be able to get one without the other in this case, and he had been told that getting Keepers for the group was important, but he couldn't help but feel like he had made a mistake already. However, mockery aside, the girl hadn't said or done anything particularly menacing. He wasn't happy about what he was about to do, but he couldn't really give a valid reason not to do it.
"Simply put," he said flatly, "a group of supers have decided that it would be best to make an alliance of sorts to try and make everyone as prepared for draconic attacks. I've been given the task of recruiting Keepers so that it's a legitimate alliance."
He looked Sin Eater in the eyes before continuing. "I imagine it wouldn't be too out of character for a Keeper to be willing to work with us. After all, isn't the general mission statement all about getting information, especially on dragons? This way, any info a group gets is liable to be shared. Peaceful cooperation and all that."
Geata then turned his attention to Unhallow, and, although he couldn't actually see their eyes, he knew the general area that they would normally be and decided to look there. "Now, I'm more than willing to admit this might be a stupid idea, but theoretically, a group of supers has a much higher chance of surviving your powers than, say, a group of normal people." He looked back at Sin Eater before continuing, but it was clear he wasn't addressing her. "Besides, it might help you get in contact with some people that aren't... the Keepers, to put it nicely."
He waited for a response. Could he have worded it better? Probably. Did he want to? Not really. He had no issues with the Keepers, per se, especially given his newfound contact in Azoth, but even he knew they weren't the best of influences. They were a strange bunch that wasn't known for getting emotionally attached. That wasn't the point, however. He had played his hand first, so now it was time to see how the other players reacted.
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Jul 29, 2016 6:23:25 GMT -7
Unhallow's shoulders immediately snapped upright when Sin Eater touched her. This happened often, but they'd never be able to get used to it, their vision simply wouldn't let them. In an instant, thousands of Sin Eater's cells in various areas died. Worse than that, because of their height differences, her head was right near their chest, which was always where their power was at its most powerful. Unhallow was always surprised she was even able to think straight like this given what their power did to her brain. They swallowed hard, but as always, found her impossible to push away despite how uncomfortable it was. Sin Eater was one of the few people that could stand up to their power, and they were so starved for human affection that even something as uncomfortable as this felt nice. Unhallow always justified not trying to push her away by telling themselves that she'd just come back and force herself into an even worse position, so it was better to just accept it. They still clearly looked stiff and uncomfortable despite that.
Geata stating his offer didn't make them any less tense. In fact, even if it might not be immediately obvious to anyone not touching them, the muscles in their shoulders and upper arms stiffened considerably. Unhallow doubted this person had any interest in 'helping' them just like everyone else that came here. He was clearly just another intruder that wanted to harass them. It was at this point that Unhallow got the impression Sin Eater was being sarcastic before, they always had trouble telling. The entire proposition was insulting, but while Unhallow could take insults about themselves just fine, insulting the Keepers as a whole was unacceptable. While there were clear signs of frustration and exasperation before, this time there was little more than pure anger.
"So you need a token so that people don't think you're mean and exclusionary?" Unhallow huffed. "If you really want to fight dragons, you should be joining the Keepers, not avoiding them! Why would you make your own stupid group when you could have access to all our knowledge, all our resources, and more people to work with too! There is absolutely no reason to make a separate group when a group like that already exists, what you're doing is just stupid! Are all of you afraid to be called a super villain just because of what other people think of us? Are you pretending like you have some kind of moral high ground? None of this makes any sense, what do you really want?"
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The Keepers
Posts 90
Power Level 24
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Post by Sin Eater on Jul 29, 2016 10:33:36 GMT -7
"Unhallow makes a good point," Sin Eater said with a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder, "but assuming that your group won't be willing to join the Keepers... I suppose it falls on us to make the necessary compromise for the sake of the city, doesn't it?"
Sin Eater smiled brightly. Yes, this was turning out to be quite interesting after all.
"Of course, I realize that you only intended to make your offer to Unhallow, but I should still come along to protect the rest of you from her power. I think you'll find my abilities quite useful. For example..."
This time, she used her power on Geata. She was thorough, taking every physical flaw she sensed (both those caused by Unhallow's power and those not) and absorbing it. The pain and weakness weighing on Geata would suddenly fade, likely leaving him feeling better than ever before.
Correspondingly, the burden on Sin Eater's body was doubled. She wasn't sure just how many people she could maintain at once like this, but she expected that her ability would soon be tested. The most vital parts of her anatomy, her neurons, heart, and lungs, regenerated even faster to keep up with the new damage, but the rest of her body was beginning to fall behind. There were a few small spots of red visible on her clothes as her wounds opened back up and her bandages soaked through.
Even so, her expression remained purely cheerful.
"There you go! I've absorbed the effects of Unhallow's power, the lingering remains of the wounds from your fight with the dragon, the minor physical exhaustion from your journey here, your susceptibility to seasonal allergies, and your genetic predisposition for heart disease. Let me know in the next 48 hours or so if you want any of those back, I'll probably still have them for you."
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The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
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Post by Geata on Jul 29, 2016 12:15:49 GMT -7
Geata let Unhallow finish before he passed judgment. Sure, they had a point, but it wasn't like it was his decision to make. He was just a recruit who was told to go grab some Keepers for the party. Didn't the other super ever hear of "don't shoot the messenger"? Blaming them also applies.
"Listen," he said, "not my group, not my call. You don't like it, you don't have to join. Or you can take it up with the leadership. As for morality, yeah, I'm gonna say that probably plays a part. And, by the way, if I was just looking for a token Keeper to fill my quota or whatever, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I've already managed to recruit one of your cohorts, Double Dealer. Strange pair. Pretty interesting."
Whatever Sin Eater did, it left him feeling rejuvenated. The spreading red on her outfit left Geata very uncomfortable still. If that was the price for her using her powers, he was left wondering what had prompted her to use them on him. And, if she was to be trusted, she had been very thorough, which only served to make him all the more suspicious. Still, she had done him a favor, and he couldn't exactly let that pass.
"So what'll I owe you for the assist, Sin?" he asked calmly. "Both in trying to help me out with the group and with the healing, I imagine I'm quite in your debt. Ask and you shall receive."
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Jul 30, 2016 23:18:42 GMT -7
"Don't give me that! You--" Unhallow stopped themselves once Sin Eater started to speak.
If they weren't always looking everywhere, Unhallow would have stared at her for a moment. Everything about this sounded suspicious. This guy didn't even seem to believe what he was saying given how much he was hiding behind other people to avoid answering perfectly reasonable questions or respond to perfectly reasonable fears. Even Sin Eater agreed, even if that squeeze of the shoulder did make Unhallow visibly twitch. At best, it sounded like a bunch of little kids playing a dangerous game and sticking their tongues out at the bad guys. Despite that, they couldn't argue with Sin Eater's analysis. They didn't like it, they still didn't really want to go along with it, but if she thought it was important...well, maybe it just needed to be done. Lots of their missions had been like that, this would just be another one.
"Fine," Unhallow huffed. "I can look past all your obviously detrimental behavior and lies for something like this, but I won't go alone. Double Dealer doesn't count, they'd probably find it funny if they pushed me into someone based on past behavior."
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The Keepers
Posts 90
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Post by Sin Eater on Aug 2, 2016 9:21:51 GMT -7
Sin Eater grinned and waved her hand dismissively at Geata.
"Oh, don't worry about that. It costs me considerably less to take on these wounds than it costs you to keep them. I regenerate from everything eventually, and I don't need to be in peak physical condition to fight.
"Not to mention that I have no way of compelling you to repay me. So why bother with fictional ideas like who 'owes' what to whom? We're partners of a sort now, after all. The healthier you are, the better you'll be able to keep Unhallow here safe."
She gave Unhallow another pat on the shoulder. Sin Eater had been a Keeper long enough to adopt a kind of realpolitik attitude toward this sort of thing. Some Keepers would exchange favors on a one-for-one basis, only initiating such an exchange if it were in their immediate benefit to do so. Others were bound more by a sense of fairness. If Sin Eater were getting involved with a group of supers who threw themselves head-first into dragon attacks, then she suspected they'd fall mostly in the latter, far more exploitable category.
"For the time being, I'll be content to accompany Unhallow in meeting the others in this group of yours. I look forward to seeing what sort of talent you've assembled."
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The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
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Post by Geata on Aug 2, 2016 12:25:52 GMT -7
Geata sighed. He was doing his best, but he wasn't going to offer more than what he had. If Unhallow didn't want to believe him, that was fine. They would be able to see just how true his words really were before long. And Sin Eater couldn't strike him as more suspicious. Still, if she said not to worry about it, he wouldn't. If the time came where she needed his help, he'd be obliged to provide, but until then he had no qualms about saying it was fine. He also took note of her calling them "partners of a sort" and saying she was fine "for the time being". It was enough to make him wonder exactly what he had gotten himself into. Nothing good, he imagined.
"If you say you're fine, I won't press the subject," he said with a sigh. "For now, is there any other information you would like to know? I don't know if I know of every new recruit, but I can give you a heads up of known elements, in case there would be any possible issues. And the rules as I know them are: no killing each other, and giving away another person's identity is also not allowed."
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 2, 2016 18:32:30 GMT -7
"Then it's settled."
Unhallow straightened up and folded their arms, once again trying to look a little threatening and trying to sound at least somewhat professional. Granted, the irritation never left their voice and it was clear from it that they were likely still pouting under that helmet.
"What is expected of us? What are we supposed to do? Where do we meet?"
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The Keepers
Posts 90
Power Level 24
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Post by Sin Eater on Aug 5, 2016 23:37:37 GMT -7
"I think Unhallow has my questions covered."
Sin Eater directed a smile at her fellow Keeper as if to say that this was the way things were meant to be done. She continued using her power to constantly heal Geata of the effects of being so close.
"And with those portals of yours to help out, I can definitely look forward to making it to the site of the next dragon attack in time to fight alongside the rest of you. I'm glad that we were able to reach an agreement."
She really would plan on being there to fight the dragon, this time. Even if it ended up being another one that didn't have any new threats to show her, she still wanted to see just what would become of this little group.
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The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
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Post by Geata on Aug 6, 2016 23:04:19 GMT -7
Geata nodded at the questions. They made sense and were important, but there was a slight problem. He wasn't entirely sure of the first two. Luckily he knew the third answer, but the other two he was forced to come up with some vague answers. It wasn't something he enjoyed, and he intended on letting Jay and Titan know that. Probably.
"Alright, the group is supposed to be meeting in the basement of a boarding house," he said before giving the address. Taking a moment to consider his best response, Geata sighed. "As for expectations... you need help with something, ask. You come across something about dragons that would be beneficial for everyone to know, share it. Other than that, I think that's all going to be addressed at the group meeting. We wanted to know the group's composition before imposing a lot of anything that would keep people from wanting to work with us." He nodded slowly, as pleased with his response as he could probably hope to be.
"I'm glad to be working with you," he said warmly. Sin Eater might make his skin crawl, but he was probably just making a mountain of a molehill. He could deal with it for the time being. After all, he could deal with a little unpleasantness in order to focus on the big picture.
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The Keepers
Posts 206
Power Level 30
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Post by Unhallow on Aug 8, 2016 21:50:17 GMT -7
In other words, he wasn't completely sure. The more they heard about this group the less they liked it, but if Sin Eater thought it would be a good idea they'd go along with it. At this point there was no point in trying to argue or make more disparaging comments since they were technically allies now, so Unhallow did the best they could to bite their tongue.
"Noted, I will await news of the first meeting. I look forward to meeting everyone."
Their words were slower than usual, particularly the second sentence. It was clear that they were trying to force a degree of politeness and were having great difficulty doing so. At this point there didn't seem to be anything to talk about anymore, so there wasn't much point in that guy staying here.
"Now that this has been taken care of, will you leave?"
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The Keepers
Posts 90
Power Level 24
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Post by Sin Eater on Aug 11, 2016 5:41:29 GMT -7
It seemed that things were wrapping up here. It was probably for the best. The double dose of Unhallow's power that Sin Eater was getting from maintaining Geata was becoming tiring.
"I'll drop by now and then to make sure there aren't any pressing matters that require our help. You can still come look for us here, but it would be best if you didn't make a habit of it. Some Keepers are a bit less forgiving with intruders than we are."
Sin Eater's tone remained quite a bit more pleasant than Unhallow's. It wasn't merely a matter of better acting. As far as Sin Eater was concerned, this meeting was quite fortunate.
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