Tasha Walker
Minor
She's got legs, she knows how to use them. She never begs, she knows how to choose them.
Posts: 430
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Post by Tasha Walker on Feb 10, 2012 18:32:08 GMT -5
Month 6, Week 4, Day 1, semi-private
The red-haired woman lounging on a rocky outcropping just above the water appears to be taking a break from hiking. Her hair is pulled back in a tousled ponytail, and she is constantly reaching up to brush shorter strands away from her face. She is dressed in the appropriate garb for hiking, but while everything fits well, the clothes still seem to not suit her, somehow, like someone else picked them out. As it is, her boots still look a bit impractical for long walks, and her vest is hanging open, her shirt unbuttoned almost one button too far.
She takes a drink from her canteen, takes up her walking stick, and then stands, turning to look back down the river. Sunlight glints off her pendant. The pendant is a silver spider with a ruby hourglass inset.
Tasha touches the pendant and thinks again how she hates the thing.
Nightshade laughs.
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Post by Assault/Arthur Aldrin on Feb 10, 2012 19:08:36 GMT -5
If he were not under Blackarachnia's thrall, he would curse her for picking such a remote and inaccessible location. Arthur is not made for trekking through a wilderness, he is not in the same superhuman condition as Octavian is. This form is weak and frail flesh and it tires far too easily.
If he was not under her thrall, Octavian would squeeze her head until her eyes popped out.
But he is. So all he can do is curse himself, though not out loud. He had taken a bath at the bed and breakfast only a few hours ago, but now he is stained with sweat, his clothes drenched. It is unpleasant, but it is not as humiliating as the walking stick he is using just to keep himself upright.
Mercifully, his torment is at an end. He looks at the red haired woman on the rock. Is this her? What's that in her hand? The glint of the sun and the distance hides the shape. He squints his eyes, but it is still difficult to make out. But these are the coordinates..."Excuse me. Do you happen to know where to find a woman who enjoys spider motifs?"
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Frenzy
Minor
Emperor of Profaningshire
Fscking Bigjobs
Posts: 339
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Post by Frenzy on Feb 10, 2012 20:06:38 GMT -5
Arthur would be much more miserable if it weren't for the statuesque black woman following him. Cipher has a better grasp of human limits than her boss. Something that was driven home when she didn't let him leave the b&b without applying sunscreen.
Next time, she's making him wear a hat.
She looks up at the redhead, hand shielding her eyes, but says nothing.
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Tasha Walker
Minor
She's got legs, she knows how to use them. She never begs, she knows how to choose them.
Posts: 430
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Post by Tasha Walker on Feb 10, 2012 20:29:31 GMT -5
It isn't Blackarachnia that Arthur should be cursing for picking the location. In this, Tasha bowed to the superior tactical mind.
Tasha turns toward the man who is addressing her, a slight smile on her face. The smile freezes slightly and her eyes narrow as she spies the dark-skinned woman behind Arthur. The beauty and appeal of the woman is quickly measured against Tasha's own and categorized as a possible threat. Enough of a threat for Nightshade to press further forward in their shared mind, even if Tasha still holds control.
She shifts her weight and posture in such a way as to subtly show off her body to best advantage.
"Maybe. Do you know where I can find a man who adores me?" she asks, smirking slightly.
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Post by Assault/Arthur Aldrin on Feb 10, 2012 20:37:57 GMT -5
Without Cipher, he probably would have risked the wrath of park rangers by going back to his car halfway through the trek and then just driving here.
Arthur approaches the rock that the woman is laying on, and now that he is closer, he can make out the details of the pendant. A spider. Either god is real and is playing him for a fool, or this has to be her. But from this distance he can also make out how rather attractive she is, and he can't help but let his eyes linger briefly. Curiously this is the second time that Onslaught is not utterly revolted at the thoughts that come to his mind.
He smiles at her words. A faint chuckle escapes him as a smile splits his face in two. "Adore? No. Worship? Yes." With that, he drops his stick, spreads his arms and takes a bow, a warm chuckle escaping his lips. "Right here. It is good to see you again, milady."
There is something off to the tone of his voice. A bit too willing to please. Not in a genuine way either, or even the tone a suck up would use.
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Frenzy
Minor
Emperor of Profaningshire
Fscking Bigjobs
Posts: 339
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Post by Frenzy on Feb 10, 2012 21:21:24 GMT -5
This is why Cipher gets paid a great deal of money.
She finds the redhead aesthetically pleasing, but her gaze quickly shifts to the area around them. Is this a trap? Is someone else waiting in the wings? Where will she need to drag Octavian if things go south?
Arthur's tone jerks her attention back to the two people in front of her. Something about it makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her hands itch for a harpoon.
"Mademoiselle," she murmurs, nodding in acknowledgment.
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Tasha Walker
Minor
She's got legs, she knows how to use them. She never begs, she knows how to choose them.
Posts: 430
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Post by Tasha Walker on Feb 10, 2012 21:41:46 GMT -5
Cipher's greeting gets a rather cool nod in return, and Tasha's attention returns to Arthur. She has not dismissed the other woman, oh no. Don't make that mistake.
The oddness in Arthur's voice actually makes Tasha's smirk widen a bit. She hasn't been sure he would still really be her's, and she is not yet fully convinced. But this is a good indication that he is.
She tries to slip her hand under his chin and tilt it up a bit. "It's good to see you too," she purrs. Again her eyes cut over to Cipher, "Who's your lady friend, and should I worry?"
Lots of meanings in that question, oh yes.
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Post by Assault/Arthur Aldrin on Feb 10, 2012 21:52:16 GMT -5
Arthur is oblivious to Cipher now, all of his attention focused on the red haired woman in front of him. He allows her to touch him. Even stranger is that he allows her to direct him.
At Tasha's question, he glances back at his assistant. He speaks almost instantly. "This is my personal assistant, Cipher. She is highly competent, a professional, and quite skilled in many different fields. She has been a valuable asset to me in many ways. She might be the only living human I respect. So no. You need not worry."
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Frenzy
Minor
Emperor of Profaningshire
Fscking Bigjobs
Posts: 339
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Post by Frenzy on Feb 10, 2012 22:02:26 GMT -5
Yes, Tasha, don't worry. It makes Cipher's job easier that way.
Her expression is, perhaps, a bit too well-schooled to expressionless as the redhead directs Arthur. Someone good at reading people might find it forced. Arthur's behavior is... unsettling.
Cipher does not like to be unsettled.
The phrase "only living human I respect" is curious. It suggests either he doesn't respect Tasha, she isn't human, or she isn't alive.
None of those contribute to settling Cipher.
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Tasha Walker
Minor
She's got legs, she knows how to use them. She never begs, she knows how to choose them.
Posts: 430
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Post by Tasha Walker on Feb 10, 2012 22:34:31 GMT -5
Cipher is not the only one mulling over the "only living human I respect" comment. Tasha's expression grows thoughtful as she watches the dark woman.
"That is very high praise. Yet, I think that I shall continue to worry." She tries to pat Arthur lightly on the cheek, though her eyes don't leave Cipher and continues, "She is handsome enough to perhaps turn your head, and obviously competent and skilled enough to have already done so, else you would not have brought her here."
There's a very subtle shift in Tasha's body language, her smile grows more sultry and Arthur might notice that her nails on his skin seem a bit... sharper. Nightshade brings her other hand up toward her face and rests the tip of one nail on her bottom lip.
"But I do have to wonder if you trust her enough to let her know that you're really an alien robot trapped in a human body," she says with a soft laugh, still watching Cipher.
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Post by Assault/Arthur Aldrin on Feb 10, 2012 22:51:43 GMT -5
Arthur would feel insulted if he was capable of it. He almost does. Instead, he just gets a headache that is intense enough for him to bring a hand to his temple. "No. I care not for looks and I have experience with those who were competent in all fields, including subterfuge. My praise did not come lightly. In fact, I trust her as much as I can allow myself to do so." Very high praise.
The sharpening nails, the sultry laugh do not escape him. He enjoys it. Perhaps leans in a bit further. But any unclean thoughts are wiped from his mind when miss Walker drops a bomb. The head ache becomes so intense that spots appear in his vision and it feels like daggers are being jammed into his brain through his eyes, with further pressure flowing from his temple, rippling over his brain. His fingers briefly twitch with the need to strangle this woman, only to shift so he can properly clutch his head and let his fingers flow through his hair.
"Cipher, I am an alien robot trapped in an organic, human body, as is Blackarachnia here. We are Decepticons." His voice is strained as he says this.
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Frenzy
Minor
Emperor of Profaningshire
Fscking Bigjobs
Posts: 339
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Post by Frenzy on Feb 10, 2012 22:58:29 GMT -5
Ohhhhh. That explains everything.
Octavian has finally gone around the bend.
"I see." Her tone is mild and entirely neutral.
At least it seems to be mostly harmless. She'll have to feel out how willing he is to accept therapy and medication once they get back to civilization, then make the necessary arrangements.
The thought niggles in the back of her mind that, even if Octavian isn't one, the alien robots being... transformed would explain this new project he's put her on.
"That explains a few things."
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Tasha Walker
Minor
She's got legs, she knows how to use them. She never begs, she knows how to choose them.
Posts: 430
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Post by Tasha Walker on Feb 10, 2012 23:23:05 GMT -5
Nightshade chuckles lowly at the reaction her words pull from Arthur, at the way his hands twitch and shake. She wonders idly how upset Sable is going to be with her over this, if at all, and a part of her fears her lover's anger.
Part of her welcomes it.
"Shhh shhh," she murmurs soothingly, as she tries to runs the tips of her nails along his scalp, "Poor baby, I'm giving you such the headache, aren't I? But it really is better to get these things out in the open. Keeping secrets from people you care about never goes well." Her hand fists in his hair, pulling hard. "But don't call me that. Not in this body."
She can't handle what that name brings to the fore.
Nightshade drops her hand from Arthur, steps away from him, and steps closer to Cipher, "He isn't lying, and he isn't crazy, my dear. Several of us were changed, somehow, fit into your fleshy, disgusting little world."
"He trusts you enough- but do you trust him enough to believe him?"
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Post by Assault/Arthur Aldrin on Feb 11, 2012 21:48:32 GMT -5
Arthur offers no resistance to the nails trailing over his ace. He is far too occupied with the headache that has swollen to the point where pins are stabbing through his skull into his brain that has swollen to three times the size it should be. The pain she inflicts on him when she pulls on his dark locks can not ever hope to match the intensity of it, but it does distract him from that horrible pain.
"Forgive me." He whispers, but there is a small, faint of a smile on his face, one he doesn't even know is there. A small smile for a small victory.
Then she lets him go and he is free to collapse onto the rock she occupied moments prior, resting against it, tilting his head back. The headache is starting to fade, now. But it will take a while before it's gone. "Of course she doesn't. She is intelligent, reasonable, and not a damn fool. She will not accept such a preposterous claim until she is given sufficient evidence to support it. She is likely already thinking of psychiatrists who can treat my 'delusion'."
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Frenzy
Minor
Emperor of Profaningshire
Fscking Bigjobs
Posts: 339
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Post by Frenzy on Feb 11, 2012 22:18:35 GMT -5
Blackarachnia is toying with Arthur.
Loathing crawls under Cipher's skin, loathing and a low, icy anger. This woman might need to be killed. No, scratch that. This woman does need to be killed; the only question is when.
She watches warily as Blackarachnia approaches, her weight shifting in readiness for a fight. She doesn't like this woman, and it's obvious Blackarachnia returns the favor. Then Arthur says his piece, and her gaze slips to him then quickly back to the redhead. Cipher smirks. "Quite. And I wouldn't trust him with a dull butter knife."
Seriously, the man was going to go hiking all day without sunscreen, insect repellant, or water.
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