Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 13, 2017 1:46:46 GMT -5
<< "Trust me," he said, finally letting go of Edna, "I'd leave them to rot, but you know that's not how this works."
They were always capable of reading each other's mind a bit. That was pretty common place between siblings.
Rather, there were legitimate reasons why he couldn't leave. He was the man of the house. As if that antiquated term still had any value in the 21st century. But nonetheless, he was in charge of his family affairs right now. There were so many papers to sign. So many bills to pay. Electricity, water, property, association, there was no end to them. The worst part was that he had to fill in forms for his old man. Not that his signature was difficult to forge. He and Edna had practiced that long ago to cut school.
Souichi turned away, sighing deeply. A decade ago, things were so much simpler. But...
Whatever.
Adulting, as the kids say. It wasn't easy. It hadn't been easy since Edna left. A helping hand would have been nice to have. Heh, but that option was taken away from him. Taken from him by said option. The universe really had a funny sense of humor.
"Come home," he continued, barely audible, "I need you sis."
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Female and I've made 12 posts
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Post by Edna on Nov 13, 2017 3:53:36 GMT -5
Nice, he knew what she was thinking. She always loved that about them.
The embrace she had been given was finally taken away and honestly, she wanted to selfishly pull him back. However, she restrained herself.
"Come home."
Oh man, did her brother just say that? Did those words really leave his lips like that? She only planned a visit, but those words desired more than just a visit.
He needed her. She needed him.
She shouldn't, but why wouldn't she? She had a stable stay-at-home job, a job that she could easily do while traveling or even living in a new location. Most of her works were done online, running an online shop and such.
Easy stuff, but why was it so hard for her to accept this. Why? She knew once she moved back in, there would be no escape from that feeling of constant comfort.
"You mean, move back in? I... I don't know if I should." Oh no. She hesitated.
How weak of her.
"Is it that hard without me?" Yes, she needed to know. A final confirmation to enter this inescapable poison.
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 13, 2017 4:26:59 GMT -5
<<
She was looking for confirmation. She was looking for something to hold on to. He had already bore his heart. He had already asked. Souichi had given her a chance.
And just like that, she squandered it. For what? Some petty assurance that she was loved? Hah, petty siblings indeed. But it wasn't about that. It wasn't about love or help. Simply put, Edna belonged to Souichi. She was his sister, and if she was going to put herself out there for the world to consume her, then that wasn't good. That was no good at all.
"All these fucking questions, I swear;" he scoffed, turning around to face her with narrow blood red eyes. Like a shark who smelled blood in the water. There was nothing else important right now. She needed to hear this.
"Then don't come home. Yeah, it's hard. Life's always hard. But guess what, nee-chan? I'll fucking survive. I have for half a decade, haven't I? I fucking have without you.
"Shit. See that's the problem with you sis. You like creating things, you like building things. You've always been that way about your art, about your writing--about fucking everything. But you don't follow through do you? You're so exceptional at doing things half-way. In fact, you're an absolute master of it. You want to be alone?"
He grinned and cocked his head to the side violently.
"Then go be alone," he continued, "push out the only person who ever cared about you."
There it was... poison incarnate. Scientific fact: snakeskin is smooth and dry. Venom from some snakes cause a warm rush to fill one's body. Hallucinations were common place, and numbness was a well-documented side-effect.
Heroin.
So much venom in his voice. His hate and anger were now freely dripping out of his teeth. And for some reason, it felt so good. Despite the cruelty, despite the pain of his words, Souichi knew one thing for certain.
Edna wasn't going anywhere now.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 13, 2017 4:58:05 GMT -5
Clapping can suddenly be heard in the distance after the stunned silence that befalls the socially taboo couple that stands there among all of the fragmented memories [The World] still retains. A deadened looking individual descends a throne made up of what appears to be left over data of corpses - a throne that neither of them paid much attention to or noticed during their squabble. Had it been there all along, watching over them? Disheveled hair casts a curtain of pink over the hollow yellow eyes that would otherwise pierce through the couple right where they stand. "I do not mean to interrupt such a spectacular performance - but bravo!" The voice is familiar to Souichi and perhaps the beacon of cotton candy floss is enough for him to recognize the individual that is encroaching upon his position in a dauntless way.
Upon her head, Lopper wears a particular crown and on her person a once-white gown covered in filth and stains from an ink-esque substance. Her outfit coupled with her own appearance gives her the likeness to the famous living dead, in a sense that is not ironic of course. "But your other half did well, bringing you back to me." A monstrous toothy grin begins to form on her countenance, her feet slowly coming to a dragging stop as she stands but an arm length and a half away from the two. "What kind of hero would I be, if I stood by and allowed for her to continue and play the role of the patsy?" It is a rhetorical question, of course.
The interloper brings a slightly shaking hand up through her hair to rake it up and out of her visage exposing to the two without with no shadow of a doubt who it is that stands before them then. Lopper allows for her head to hang limp, as if it requires too much effort for her to keep it upright underneath her own strength, as the monstrous grin remains all the while.
"We need to talk, Souichi."
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Female and I've made 12 posts
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Post by Edna on Nov 13, 2017 5:21:18 GMT -5
Oh, she done it now. She really pushed the wrong button and fucked up badly.
You would think with every word filled with venom flung towards Edna would cause her to back away, but she hardly budged in inch. She accepted those words, filled her thoughts to repeat them as she felt dread fill the pit of her stomach. He wasn't wrong when he stated she loved creating situations both in stories and real life, no that was a fact. Could he really blame her, though? She loved the thrill of being in the moment, but of course her weak ass self couldn't handle it if she was in the middle of it.
Or could she?
After all, she could beg and plead for forgiveness from her brother. Asked to be taken back, so she can promise to never leave him again. She would be hooked! Just the thought of it was enough to open her mouth in attempt to utter those very words buried in her head!
However, they weren't alone.
What? Who? Who dared to interrupt this?
Edna's head swung to face the newcomer, located within the air on some throne made from 'corpses'. She squinted, her hands clenched into fists as she could feel the blood in her skin start to boil. Of course, until she recognized the player's tag; Lopper. Their encounters were always short or odd enough to never really care about each other's personal lives, but enough to give each other a sense of comfort. She was a rather perplexed player, hard to really get any sort of reading.
In short, they were still strangers.
"Lopper?" Her tone hardly held any excitement in it, uncertain if she should be joyful for meeting an 'old friend' or be guarded by the announcement Lopper had made of herself as a 'hero' of the matter at hand.
There was one thing for certain, she backed away from the two.
Distance was being restored.
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 13, 2017 6:10:43 GMT -5
<<
"Lopper." he spat out, eyes still fixated on Edna.
Unlike his sister, he was well acquainted with the intruder. His feelings about her were far more complex than Edna's feelings about her. He had known her for more than a decade. The fact that she was here, and back in his life... well--he had no idea how to feel about that. She was important to him. Souichi considered Edna as somebody that belonged to him, but he knew that he used to belong to Lopper.
He was hers to use according to her whims.
But why now? Not right now, not when he had Edna in his grasp. Not when he was about to posses her spirit again. Not when he finally had a chance to bring her back to his rapture. Of all the gin joints in the world...
Souichi was shaking. Anger? No. It was deeper than that. This wasn't going according to plan at all. Why did Lopper have to ruin everything? She ruined everything all the time. She ruined his joyful reunion with his sister. She ruined moments. She ruined him.
She ruined him.
This was the feeling of inescapable terror. Terror that he was a victim of serendipity--no. He was a victim of providence. He licked his lips in frustration.
He turned his head to Lopper then to Edna, as if he was making a choice. She was backing off? SHE WAS BACKING OFF? His shocked eyes betrayed his words. That was it. Hah, so much for that. He was so close. So fucking close. He had her... now she was gone again. He could tell that much already. Common sense was returning to her, and it would for Souichi too if not for Lopper.
A quiet laugh escaped Souichi. He covered his face with a claw for a hand. He had to make a decision right now then? He cursed every God he had ever known. He cursed CC Corp. But most of all, he cursed himself. For all his intelligence, why was he so prone to making stupid decisions?
His raised his other hand slowly, pointing it towards Edna's direction.
"Sorry." he managed to say beneath the claw like hand on his face.
His hand glowed an off-cyan hue. Binary coding as well as different kinds of code started to swirl around his wrist. Different patches of code from the ground gravitated towards his hand as well. Souichi closed his eyes and sighed deeply. And all of a sudden, Edna disappeared in a flash of white, as if a television screen had just switched off.
PLAYER EDNA HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY BANNED FROM [THE WORLD]
"Fuck you," he said, turning to finally face Lopper as he slumped to the floor, defeated, "what do you want?"
Too much emotions for a day. It made so much sense to him right now why they had all quit playing [The World]. Nostalgia brought them back, and nostalgia would make them stay. It would make them stay until [The World] was done with them. But would it ever be done with them?
He rested his hands on the top of his head as he stared disappointingly at the ground.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 13, 2017 7:12:59 GMT -5
Lopper gives a pouting expression as Souichi forces Edna's departure from the scene. How is Lopper suppose to leverage what the other female and her had so long ago to antagonize Souichi now!? Talk about lame, huh? Dropping her shaking head towards the ground, her hands meet her sides as she clicks her tongue against her teeth. "Even after all of this time, you are still just a child." Raising one of her hands up, she snaps her fingers; the area around the duo glitches as data sparks from her striking fingertips initiating an overturn of Edna's ban by counteracting Souichi's overwrite with her own. "There is plenty that I want from you - but we will get to that when the time is right." Finally picking her head up to look at the male before her on the ground with a condescending look upon her face, Lopper lingers there for a moment as if considering her options in that current moment. "I should kill you right now for how casually you threw aside my cries for help," Lopper hisses as yellow eyes narrow upon the pathetic boy before her. "How dare you just turn a cold shoulder upon me, after everything I have ever done for you!? After everything that I have given you!?" Was she being too harsh? This isn't how their meeting is suppose to go at all, is it? Why did she feel so overwhelmed with such anger and contempt? Something is eating at her, changing her even, and it is something that she cannot put into words or ask [The World] about. Not since...
Rubbing the back of her head, a heated breath escapes her lips as she turns her eyes to the side. Remain calm, Lopper tells herself. Now is not the time to let emotions take over, not when so many precious lives are at stake. "I need you to not treat me as if I am the enemy here, before it is too late for both of us." The words part through gritted teeth, Lopper forcing herself to say that which she shares with the male. But what if he is the enemy? What if he is in liege with the same organization that is currently threatening herself, everything, and everyone she has ever cared for? There is no way that Souichi's appearance in [The World] can truly be a coincidence with the individuals whom she has already faced off with! Now is not the time for assumptions, a clear head is necessary in order to allow for the truth to be exposed in this very moment. Not to mention, of course, being distracted will only lengthen the amount of time it will take for her to bring back the piece in which she may require, further down the line.
"As I said earlier," she clears her throat to recompose herself, "we need to talk."
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 13, 2017 7:53:24 GMT -5
<<
Unbanned? System administrator? Fellow hacker? A virus? No, this was Net Slum. Anyone can do anything in Net Slum. After all this time, with everyone seemingly gone, it'd make sense if she was the slum's only resident now. Being the princess of some forgotten dredge of coding was supposed to make her special? Get bent.
Still just a child? Well, she was still a bitch. Kill him? What? In a virtual game? Put him into a coma like all those kids back then? Good luck getting through his firewall. Guess [The World] never changes.
He picked himself off the ground lethargically. Every word she said stung. Everything she was clawed at his psyche. He couldn't decide if he was relieved she was still alive or if he was upset that he had to deal with username 10|>|>3|2 again.
A sigh that reached the Earth's core escaped from Souichi. He placed his hands on his waist. His right foot lazily kicked a piece of junk off the ground.
"Then talk." he said, eyes still fixated somewhere else. Anywhere else away from Lopper.
This day possibly couldn't get any worse, could it?
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 13, 2017 8:09:57 GMT -5
Lopper stands there, completely unenthusiastic about Souichi's rebellious attitude. Now is not the time for such grievances to have weight, Lopper could not understand why the boy always has been difficult to deal with. Or had it not always been always? When did the two of them go awry, she wonders. Again, not the place nor the time for such intrusive thoughts. "Thank you," she speaks finally as arms bring themselves up to cross underneath her chest. At least they could stall violence, if even for a little bit longer. Not that, of course, Lopper would mind if the two of them did get into a physical altercation with one another. Knowing Souichi, he must think he is all tough and bad for being able to use the powers in which he has! But what he needs to break into to access Lopper lives in, giving her a home advantage he could never hope to have! Or, of course, he could if he so wished for it. If he begged and he pleaded, perhaps she would give it to him! Focus, damnit.
"I am glad we can finally be adults, for once." Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she narrows her eyes at him. Could he really not look at her in the face anymore? "If there is anything that you would like to come clean about with me, now would be the time to do so. I am afraid that holding back anything from me will only be a disaster to your health. You know I would hate to bring you any harm, Souichi." A pause, waiting to see the reaction he would give her for such a remark. "Well?"
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 13, 2017 8:30:11 GMT -5
<<
Harm Souichi? Whatever did she mean? Did she mean about the numerous times she had PK'd him out of fun? Maybe it was that one time she played with his emotions and made him feel like her special little snowflake? Or perhaps it was the other time that she called him his "Ta-kun"...?
Harm Souichi? How could she possibly do that? Was Lopper about to involve Souichi in drama that he had no place being in? Was she about to "teach him something" new? Harm Souichi, she said. What else was left for there to break?
Tsk.
How cryptic her words were.
He finally turned to face her. Witness the past.
His avatar was different. Sure, it still sort of looked like him. The same soft facial features. The same heart tattoo on his cheek, but there was no doubt this version of Souichi radiated darkness. His tastes were different. No longer was there any room for colorful clothing. He was dressed in all black, his hair more black than brown. His skin was pale like the moon. The only thing of any semblance of color were his blood-red eyes. Eyes that would pierce even Lopper's own golden ones.
"No," he lied monotonously, "not really."
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 13, 2017 9:11:26 GMT -5
It is exactly the response that Lopper had been expecting him to give her. "Of course not," she says in a sultry voice as she moves forward to close the distance between them. "Then, perhaps, I should get right to the point with the matter at hand, hm? Time is a precious commodity of the living, after all." Lopper gestures with a lazy hand of an arm she did not uncross, conjuring up data before her person to display to Souichi. To a normal player, the data looks like nothing but strings of coding that could not be deciphered. Perhaps to Souichi, however, he could read that which is before him. He is the product of her devices, of course. "An organization, and I use that term loosely, has been systematically shutting down sectors of [The World] and cornering me in a position that I do not wish to be in. But this is bigger than just my own safety, considering it is not necessarily myself that they are after." Lopper narrows her eyes at Souichi then, attempting to read his vitals and discern if he is lying to her or not through the data that his character provides. "They are looking to get their hands on the Pariah Folder, looking to be able to utilize Soul Digitalize for matters that I am sure are nothing but illicit. I know that you traverse the net which they call 'dark', I figure if anyone would know who these individuals are then it must be you." Lopper scoffs, a thought crossing her head which she finds to be funny. "Or are you as useless as I remember you to be?"
Bold move, Lopper.
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 13, 2017 10:27:31 GMT -5
<<
Click.
So there it was. It wasn't just due to inactivity after all. There was indeed a deeper, and more important reason CC Corp deleted his character data. Prior to ALTIMIT MINE's inception, the original ALTIMIT OS was easier to alter. Hence, Pluto Again. And while people have moved on to a more "secure" operating system, Souichi still stuck with the old ALTIMIT operating system, albeit--a heavily (HEAVILY) modified version.
But his character file was corrupted, it always had been. Several firewalls were in place to keep his data from being replicated or even deleted. But his lack of interest in [The World] led him to neglect protecting his character data. Which, in retrospect, he should have been more careful with. Besides the several infractions and bans that his character data had on it (which he wore like a badge of honor, -999,999,999 karma?), it contained several files pertaining to Soul Digitize. But during his time, it was known as something else.
Data Drain.
"When you phrase it like that," he said, clearly exasperated, "you make me not want to help you."
The dark net. Half of the sites there weren't malicious. Video-on-demand codecs, cryptocurrency, amateur hacking services, those were all part of the dark net. Half the users there were simply tryhard programmers. Simple "life hacks" like reprogramming your RFID datachips, hacking wireless adapters to give you access to a neighbors internet...
But the other half? That was no good. Pedophiles, terrorists, drug trafficers, you name it, they were there. The scum of the earth inhabited parts of the dark net. It wasn't too long ago that he was offering his services for corporate counter-espionage. You could say capitalism had its perks. Job opportunities were abundant, and rival corporations would pay a hefty sum for their competitor's secrets. Of course, the same companies hired the same guys to protect their data. Guys like Souichi.
"I traverse, and I use that term very loosely," he said almost mockingly, "the dark net, sure. So what about the people you're looking for? I got a vague idea of who you're referring to, they're the only group that makes my job fun, anyway.
"But what does this have to do with me, huh? And was it so important that you just had to interrupt my reunion with my sister?"
Despite the calm voice, there was definite venom when he spoke. He could feel the anger radiating of both his in game character and his real body. In real life, his cheeks were red and he could feel the heat in his ears.
"I haven't seen her in five fucking years, and you just had to drop by, didn't you? You just really fucking had to. You made me choose, damn it."
And Souichi chose Lopper.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 15, 2017 7:21:34 GMT -5
Lopper wears a condescending expression in her eyes and the slight curvature of her lips as Souichi pouts over the interruption of his reunion with his precious sister. "Please," Lopper laughs genuinely in an awful way, "you and I both know that it was not much of a choice." Continuing to be entertained at the words that had left his lips for a little while longer, Lopper eventually able to set aside the pettiness in which she had been displaying. "It has everything to do with you and this is more important than the likes of you could ever understand. So much is at stake, so many of those whom you would like to say that you would not care for - to include your sister."
Lopper uses a hand to gesture in front of her, displaying data between her person and his that looks unreadable to the untrained eye. Within the bits of code that display before Souichi in screens are traces and trojans attempting to force their way into [The World]'s computers at that very moment. "How much longer do you think I can continue to hold them off? You think proxies will work forever for you? And do not begin to tell me how you are so invincible - because you are not; they have technology and assets on their side that makes them much more difficult to deal with than some random child in their mother's basement." Slowly does Lopper raise a finger towards Souichi to point at him, those yellow piercing eyes cannot be more serious. "They will find you, they will find your sister. Being in contact with me has already damned you. But perhaps this is exactly the motivation that you need? You never were much of a hero, you only ever fought for yourself if you felt cornered or afraid."
Lopper drops her hand down by her side, her eyes drifting to the right as if finding it difficult to look at Souichi then. What could it be? Difficulty in forming words she knew needed to be said? Or was it saying that which she wished to share but could not bring herself to say such so casually? "You are a threat to their plan, and they will do unmentionable things to Edna to deter you from doing that which needs to be done. Otherwise..." Her eyes befall his person once more, studying him for a brief moment. "They will get that which they seek, from everyone."
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Level 1
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud Male and I've made 20 posts
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Post by Souichi on Nov 15, 2017 13:01:08 GMT -5
<<
You and I both know it was not much of a choice.
Maybe. After everything they had been through, it wasn't much of a secret that Lopper was one of the only people Souichi gave a damn about. Keyword: gave. Regardless, he owed her that courtesy. Perhaps she should have given him the same courtesy of choice? The illusion of it kept people sane, at the very least. Well, it would have kept Souichi a lot more sane.
He stayed quiet, listening carefully to her words. He sighed and looked away, right about the same time she did. She still thought of him as the same kid all those years ago. A decade changes people. He didn't understand why SHE didn't understand that. For someone who's claims seem to be far-sighted, she was pretty closed of to him herself. He savored his loathing. He wondered how she would react to scorn.
"You... have such a terrible way of encouraging people;" he finally began, slowly at first, "you also seem to still think of me as the same kid I was back then."
Maybe if she had actually asked nicely.
"If they find me, and that's a big if--proxies aren't the only thing that keep my network safe--then I'll deal with it then. I'm not invincible, I know that. But we all have our time in the sun, and if it's time for me to lay down and die?"
Maybe if she didn't drop in at precisely the wrong moment.
"Then, I guess that's that!" he continued with a chuckle.
Maybe if she stopped making him feel like a worthless human being.
"I fail to see the consistency in your thoughts. If I am as useless and as unskilled as you thought I was, then I'm no threat to them. And honestly, you're right. I'm no hero. I'm neither cornered or afraid. I'm not interested in your fight. Not anymore."
Maybe if she just wasn't Lopper.
He took a few steps back. Perhaps even he found his words a little harsher than what was necessary. No matter. Every word was true, and he meant it. She would feel the harsh reality of it all. Souichi despised her.
A short pause. He caught his breath.
"Look, I've always l--"
He shook his head. No, he wasn't about to do that.
"Nevermind. It was nice seeing you, I suppose."
He smiled a kind, yet very sad smile. His eyes betrayed his emotions once again. For as much as he hated who and what she was, he loved that part dearly. His blood red eyes showed her the other part of Souichi that thought of her. It was more than nostalgia for him. In those eyes read a confession that bore himself naked.
With that, his data dematerialized into oblivion.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 21, 2017 10:43:27 GMT -5
Lopper blows hot air through her lips, the conjured data fading in sudden blitz of information before dissipating into the atmosphere. Dropping her head down towards the ground, those yellow eyes focus on nothing in particular as she does her best to maintain her cool. Souichi knew how to push her buttons, no pun intended of course, and he knew that he did as well. But who was he to leave on such a cliff hanger? Not that it left Lopper curious but more so disappointed that he did not come to speak the words she longed to hear into existence. There is just something so satisfying, hearing how badly you are wanted. Lopper is beside herself, smiling like a wicked fool in place for a few moments until she realizes that her slight insanity is catching up with her at the time. There is still so much to do and a very real threat to handle and now is not the time to be lost in the past when action must be taken!
Turning on her heels, she walks a few steps forward as if she is intending to leave the field behind her. Lopper, however, comes to a stop just a few feet from her original position with her standoff with one of many from her past. Turning her head over her shoulder, looking at where Edna had once stood, Lopper waits there. Could she really be truly lucky? Would the female return and, perhaps, leave Lopper capable of twisting this situation into a scenario she wishes to see come to fruition? Only some time would tell, it seems.
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