(no subject)
Characters: Bastet (felinemystique)
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 3, late afternoon/early evening
Location: Crystala
Rating: PG-13 for mention of violence/gore
Summary: It is in the middle of misery that so much becomes clear--
It had been a while since Bastet had trained on Crystala, but despite her slight hangover, she'd decided it was once again time.
About an hour and half in, a giant turtle lumbered through the crystal forest to the small clearing she'd chosen for her exercise. It was like no turtle in her experience, though--it was aggressive and surprisingly quick. Not the mention the fire breath.
Normally she just would have left--so far, her speed had been unmatched by anything she'd encountered here on Crystala, and she wasn't the type to fight for no reason. But today, her patience worn thin, she'd decided to stand her ground.
She hadn't spoken about Range at all, to anyone. And she hadn't told anyone else of his return, figuring people would discover it on their own. Her journal communications showed little sign of her emotional turmoil, and while she was a little more remote than normal in person, it could easily be attributed to any number of things--her busy schedule, the chicken pox outbreak, fatigue. She went to work every day, making sure the clothing stall was stocked, resolving minor issues among the Guard, working her shifts as they came up.
There were several people who would be more than happy to listen to her, if she had decided she'd wanted to talk. Kazahana, Truth, Raise, Smoke...Justice and Crow would willingly serve as undemanding, silent company if she so chose.
But for some reason, she wasn't able to bring herself to do so. She was barely on speaking terms with someone who had once been one of her best friends. Her most reliable source of support, through all the craziness of this place.
Talking about it might have helped...but it was as though a part of her had shut down, preventing her from doing so. When faced with something that affected her this deeply, her instinct was to keep it to herself.
She'd invited Kazahana out last night to commemorate her Edensphere birthday. She'd hatched a year ago yesterday, just a few days before Bastet herself. And while she didn't begrudge her friend her happiness, it still badly stung to hear her excitedly talking about her date with Truth when Bastet was limited to stilted conversations with Range over the journals.
She'd changed the subject as quickly as she could manage.
Coming as it did right after her memory of fighting with Soifon...it almost felt like punishment. She'd always known she was capable of leaving behind those she loved--she'd considered doing that very thing here, on countless occasions. With Range losing his memory, it was very much like being left behind.
It didn't take long before the turtle lay dead before her. The edges of the large hole in its shell were blackened, faint wisps of smoke still rising from it. Her final blow had sent massive amounts of energy into its body as well as the ground; the area where they'd battled was covered in shattered crystals and scorch marks.
Her use of shunkou to crack its shell had blasted off her outer shirt, leaving only the backless top beneath. Three or four inches of her ponytail had been singed off, and her front was misted with blood; with her grim expression, she likely looked more frightening than the creature she'd just killed. And she still didn't feel much better than before.
Bastet let her head drop back, eyes fixed on the cloudless sky above her. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" she murmured. The sound of wind playing over crystal shards was the only response.
But even if there had been anyone else there, she doubted they could give her the right answer. If such an answer even existed.
She knew she couldn't keep avoiding him. The fact that she was even trying seemed...wrong.
If he disappeared again...
She closed her eyes a moment, feeling the itch of drying blood on her skin. If he disappeared again...she would have wasted all this time. When it came right down to it, it made no sense for her to spend so much effort avoiding someone she'd been wanting to see for more than four months. No sense at all.
For the first time since she'd walked into her home to find Range standing in her living room, her conflicting emotions began to calm, just a little. Finally, she opened her eyes, blowing out a long sigh.
He was back. He was alive. They'd work through the details. It still hurt, but...she had to accept things as they were. And it was better than not having him around at all.
She looked down at her hand, flexing her fist and frowning as bits of dried blood flaked off. She needed a shower; with any luck, Raise would be out, and she'd be able to clean up before he saw all the blood.
Turning away from the corpse, she headed back towards the bridge. She'd get through this.
There was no other option--she refused to give this fucking place the satisfaction.
(ooc: Since she won't write about it (no journal entries) and she won't talk about it (no logs), I figured I'd post this as a peek into her current mindset/progression through this current difficult time. For something that affects her this much, I just thought it would be nice to have a record of her state of mind, both for myself and for any players whose characters might be concerned.)
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 3, late afternoon/early evening
Location: Crystala
Rating: PG-13 for mention of violence/gore
Summary: It is in the middle of misery that so much becomes clear--
It had been a while since Bastet had trained on Crystala, but despite her slight hangover, she'd decided it was once again time.
About an hour and half in, a giant turtle lumbered through the crystal forest to the small clearing she'd chosen for her exercise. It was like no turtle in her experience, though--it was aggressive and surprisingly quick. Not the mention the fire breath.
Normally she just would have left--so far, her speed had been unmatched by anything she'd encountered here on Crystala, and she wasn't the type to fight for no reason. But today, her patience worn thin, she'd decided to stand her ground.
She hadn't spoken about Range at all, to anyone. And she hadn't told anyone else of his return, figuring people would discover it on their own. Her journal communications showed little sign of her emotional turmoil, and while she was a little more remote than normal in person, it could easily be attributed to any number of things--her busy schedule, the chicken pox outbreak, fatigue. She went to work every day, making sure the clothing stall was stocked, resolving minor issues among the Guard, working her shifts as they came up.
There were several people who would be more than happy to listen to her, if she had decided she'd wanted to talk. Kazahana, Truth, Raise, Smoke...Justice and Crow would willingly serve as undemanding, silent company if she so chose.
But for some reason, she wasn't able to bring herself to do so. She was barely on speaking terms with someone who had once been one of her best friends. Her most reliable source of support, through all the craziness of this place.
Talking about it might have helped...but it was as though a part of her had shut down, preventing her from doing so. When faced with something that affected her this deeply, her instinct was to keep it to herself.
She'd invited Kazahana out last night to commemorate her Edensphere birthday. She'd hatched a year ago yesterday, just a few days before Bastet herself. And while she didn't begrudge her friend her happiness, it still badly stung to hear her excitedly talking about her date with Truth when Bastet was limited to stilted conversations with Range over the journals.
She'd changed the subject as quickly as she could manage.
Coming as it did right after her memory of fighting with Soifon...it almost felt like punishment. She'd always known she was capable of leaving behind those she loved--she'd considered doing that very thing here, on countless occasions. With Range losing his memory, it was very much like being left behind.
It didn't take long before the turtle lay dead before her. The edges of the large hole in its shell were blackened, faint wisps of smoke still rising from it. Her final blow had sent massive amounts of energy into its body as well as the ground; the area where they'd battled was covered in shattered crystals and scorch marks.
Her use of shunkou to crack its shell had blasted off her outer shirt, leaving only the backless top beneath. Three or four inches of her ponytail had been singed off, and her front was misted with blood; with her grim expression, she likely looked more frightening than the creature she'd just killed. And she still didn't feel much better than before.
Bastet let her head drop back, eyes fixed on the cloudless sky above her. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" she murmured. The sound of wind playing over crystal shards was the only response.
But even if there had been anyone else there, she doubted they could give her the right answer. If such an answer even existed.
She knew she couldn't keep avoiding him. The fact that she was even trying seemed...wrong.
If he disappeared again...
She closed her eyes a moment, feeling the itch of drying blood on her skin. If he disappeared again...she would have wasted all this time. When it came right down to it, it made no sense for her to spend so much effort avoiding someone she'd been wanting to see for more than four months. No sense at all.
For the first time since she'd walked into her home to find Range standing in her living room, her conflicting emotions began to calm, just a little. Finally, she opened her eyes, blowing out a long sigh.
He was back. He was alive. They'd work through the details. It still hurt, but...she had to accept things as they were. And it was better than not having him around at all.
She looked down at her hand, flexing her fist and frowning as bits of dried blood flaked off. She needed a shower; with any luck, Raise would be out, and she'd be able to clean up before he saw all the blood.
Turning away from the corpse, she headed back towards the bridge. She'd get through this.
There was no other option--she refused to give this fucking place the satisfaction.
(ooc: Since she won't write about it (no journal entries) and she won't talk about it (no logs), I figured I'd post this as a peek into her current mindset/progression through this current difficult time. For something that affects her this much, I just thought it would be nice to have a record of her state of mind, both for myself and for any players whose characters might be concerned.)