Passing Whispers

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy slowed down to a walk. Her face stung and her feet ached; her muscles throbbed and her heart pounded. She had run from the campsite to this place... wherever she was. She could still hear the voices, and they sounded just as close as when she had first started running. She wanted to find them, but she couldn't.

She heard a whisper pass her right ear. Whipping her head to the right, she found nothing but a pain in her neck. Another voice whispered past her on the left. Hypocrisy turned again, but nothing was there. She whimpered softly. Fear was a new feeling for her. She didn't know exactly how to react.

Hypocrisy had been surprised, startled and shocked before. She had been curious, apprehensive and anxious. But never to the extent of her memory could she recall feeling truly scared.

She was alone. For the first time since waking up in this place, she didn't have her beloved ostrich, Seghen, with her. She was unsure of herself. Voices, disembodied, didn't sit well with her. She was cold, and the chill of the deep night was beginning to set in. Her thin clothing didn't provide much protection from the chill night air, and she no longer had her blanket to keep her warm.

Hypocrisy settled down on the bare earthen floor. She was surrounded by ominous, concealing trees and rustling bushes. Her eyes darted from tree to bush, from bush to tree. She could still hear voices. They were all around her.

She shuddered, trying to get more comfortable on the lumpy ground. After one last check of her surroundings, she fell into a light, troubled sleep.

[greywalker13]

In the trees, Corruption observed the scene unfolding below with great interest. The girl fled from a nameless fear. Or perhaps it had a name, one could never tell. It was amusing to watch someone break, although he was slightly disappointed in not knowing the cause. If he didn't know better, he'd think the girl had been Tagged, but none of his signature energy radiated from her.

Intruiging. A small walk outside the city had been a good choice after all. The world seemed to provide him with amusement wherever he went. The girl seemed able to sleep, so Corruption decided to toy with her a bit. Withdrawing a sling and steel ball from his vest, he began to twirl it, generating a massive amount of force. With a slight woosh, the steel shot flew towards the girl, and with a sharp *CRACK*, embedded itself in the tree above the girl's head. Corruption swiftly moved back into the tree, concealing him from view.

He could play as much as he wanted. If the girl saw him, well, it's not like anyone else was around. Little girls shouldn't be out this far alone, anyways.

[crxunch* ;]

ooc:\\ your font is hard to reaaad Dx
I'll cope. :]

Hypocrisy woke with a start at the resounding *CRACK* that echoed through the woods. All the voices immediately ceased. The noise rung in her ears.

"Who's there?" Hypocrisy demanded, her upper lip curling back in an animalistic snarl. "Show yourself. And don't. come. any. closer." Hypocrisy's hand snaked down to where her garrotte hung, and she held onto it, ready to strike. "I'm no little girl you can toy with. Show yourself. NOW!" The last word rang out loud and clear in the forest, a mere echo of the sound that had rocked the trees moments before. Hypocrisy's eyes darted from tree to tree. A shadow here, a darting movement there. Nothing that could be definitively identified as human.

Hesitantly, Hypocrisy backed down. She relaxed her expression and attempted with some success to regain composure. She was strong, and not to be toyed with. She took a deep breath and summoned her grace and calmness. "I can be reasonable. Look," she said as she released her garrotte, "I'm armed, but I won't hurt you unless you threaten me again. You want to come out and show yourself, see if we can't come to some conclusion about what's going on? I'm sure you have questions for me, about me, about anything. Sure as hell I've got questions for you. So come on out. Just... don't touch me. I'll even build a fire, if you like."

Now, she would wait.

[greywalker13]

Corruption’s eyes widened in surprise, and nearly fell off his branch as the force of the little girl’s voice shook the trees. He suppressed a chuckle. The little girl had a bit of spunk in her, after all. And she was armed. With a wire. A wire. Of all the things to threaten an unknown assailant with, a wire was hardly appropriate. And then she had the gall to put on a brave face and attempt negotiations. This one would be more fun than he expected.

No need to kill her, though. Not yet. He’d play her little game, for now. But it would be on his terms. He shifted his position in the trees so he’d be more stable in case she yelled again, and prepped another shot. He was within easy shouting distance, so he decided to respond. A sweet, playful voice would be appropriate.

“Little girl, I am perfectly aware of the situation. What you seem to misunderstand is your current position. You know not who I am, my purpose, or if I am even human. Regardless, you press negotiations. Brave, if not outright foolish. As for questions, I may have one. Why, exactly, are you out here alone, and at this hour? Good children should be in bed by this hour.”

He wound up his shot, and released it, whistling by her ear. His voice changed to a harsher tone as he continued, loading another steel ball.

“And fix your attitude. I find your tone insulting.”

[crxunch* ;]

Hyprocrisy's sharp vision focused in on a tree branch. She had found him at last. Now that she knew where he was, he would be much easier to deal with.

Putting on a sweet, girlish voice, she responded to his insolent remarks. "Oh, I'm so sorry, O brave, tree-riding sir. I only meant to make friendly conversation. I know you are a Sin. I can feel it in my brain, in my heart, in every fiber of my body. You're a Sin, and this much I know for sure. Your purpose, that can be easily guessed. You're here to have a little fun with me, see if you can drive me crazy," she said, and here she paused. Switching her tone of voice to a rougher one closer to her natural speech, she continued, "But you won't succeed. You see, I am made of a tougher mettle. Not easily broken or thrown off-guard. But you... you I'm not so sure of.

"And if you'll think back a few minutes, you'll realize that, like the good little girl I am, I was in bed. Until you so rudely woke me, that is. I have no home, no bed, no comfort. And I'm not 'good children'.

"Now, let's see if we can't get you out of that tree, shall we?"

With this remark, she sprinted to the base of the tree next to the one he was positioned in. Without so much as a hesitation, she bolted up the tree to a branch close to his. "Why, hello there. Don't mean to startle you." With these words, she let out an earsplitting scream, unleashing her power to knock this insolent Sin off his perch and onto more, shall we say, level ground.

[greywalker13]

Corruption’s eyes widened as the girl’s voice shifted from sickeningly sweet to overtly defiant. She was surprisingly perceptive. And she knew that he was a Sin. That she knew what to call him would have to mean-

His thoughts were interrupted by her sudden presence on the tree branch in front of him. The look on his face would have been priceless, and he likely would have laughed aloud had she not opened her mouth.

A sudden explosion, a rush of heat, followed by a screaming pain...

The resulting impact from the shockwave sent him flying from the tree, and he skidded across the ground before managing to regain his footing.
A little bruised and scraped, but nothing broken. His ears were ringing like mad, though. Not a good sign. He raised his head at his new assailant, his ever present grin now gone.

“You shouldn’t have done that, little girl. Or is little Virtue more appropriate? Regardless, you’d better have more than a little shriek up your sleeve, or you won’t get out of here in one piece.”

He quickly pulled out his second sling, loaded them, and began to swing, assuming a defensive stance. He’s wait for a moment, see what else she could do. Best not try to move until his hearing returned, anyway. No telling what it would do to his balance.

[crxunch* ;]

"Ah, see? Now we're on a whole new plane, a 'level playing field', if you will," Hypocrisy said in a mocking tone. "I tried to tell you. I'm not some little girl you can play head games with.

"And I'm no Virtue. I'm more Sin than you've ever seen, more Sin than I think you can handle." With this, she had jumped lightly to the ground and landed without a sound. She put a swing in her step, and walked toward the other Sin. Careful not to touch him, she walked around him in a circle. "You see, little Sin, I may be shorter than you by far. I may have the appearance of a little girl, lost in the woods. But I'm not. I can jump higher," she said, leaping high in the air, "run faster," bolting to the edge of the clearing and back in the blink of an eye, "and scream louder, as you already heard, than anyone you've ever known. So don't. underestimate. me."

As she said the last words, she moved in close to his face, then backed up as he pulled out what looked like a sling. Another snarl escaped her lips. "Put that away, little boy. It could be dangerous, and you don't want to get hurt."

She reached deep into her mind and called her summon. Seghen, come find me. Stay out of sight, though. I'm not sure what I'm dealing with with this boy, but I'm sure I can handle it.

"Now little boy, let's put the weapons down. I have a garrotte, as I'm sure you've already seen. But I have some other tricks up my sleeve too." Stepping back a few more paces, she assessed the other Sin. "Nice defensive posture... seemingly excellent knowledge of chosen weaponry... good facial/cranial structure... I do believe you're an excellent Sin specimen. All games and unfounded hatred aside, I think we could make good partners, if you're willing to let your guard down for a while and talk. I'm Hypocrisy and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Please, grace me with your beautiful tone of speech once more."

[greywalker13]

Corruption’s eyes narrowed as the girl appraised him. He was used to people looking at him, but not like this. Not like a piece of meat, to be judged for quality. She claimed to be a Sin, but who knew if that was true.

I suppose it’s possible there are Sins who didn’t go with Deception or
Vengeance. Hell, she may even be more recent, like myself. Still... I don’t like this. She’s avoided contact so far. Does she know about Tag? Can’t be. She’s walked over a patch of tagged ground a few times now. Hell, she’s right on top of it! I could... no. Not yet. She’s too fast as it is, and without a Tag on her I couldn’t guarantee anything. And Virtue or Sin, she’ll have a Summon somewhere. As long as she thinks she has the advantage, this can still work in my favour.

Corruption evaluated the distance between them and stepped back a few feet, never taking his gaze off the girl. At this distance, he’s have enough time to react to any attack, and hopefully reduce the effect of her scream. He let his slings cease spinning, and they hung loose at his sides. He’d play her game. For now. A grin slowly crept back onto his face.

“Very well, then, little girl Sin. We can talk. To answer your questions, my name is Corruption, I work as a showman, my favourite colour is red, I like to spend my nights on rooftops or in bars, I hate fools who spout ideals like nobility and justice, and I don’t intend to underestimate you again.”

He paused, then continued.

“And I can assure you my hatred is no more unfounded then your little breakdown, Miss More-Sin-Than-I-Can-Handle.”

[crxunch* ;]

"Corruption, hm? What an... interesting moniker. Well, rather than waste my time telling you things you don't want to know, I'll merely say that if you've anything to ask, go ahead. As for my "little breakdown", what can I say? I get rather... defensive when attacked at any level," Hypocrisy said, a teasing tone entering her voice.

A smile played around her lips. She was really starting to enjoy this Corruption kid, even if he was a little bit of a pretentious bastard. "So, Corruption, where's your Summon? I'm sure it's as intriguing as its master. Mine should be arriving any moment. Be warned though, Seghen doesn't talk much, if at all.

"So now that we're acquainted, it's beginning to show signs of first light. I don't know where we are, to be honest, but I'm sure we can find out." She stressed the word we. She wanted Corruption to know that she meant him no harm and was only teasing... for the most part. "Just don't touch me," Hypocrisy added with a wink.

[greywalker13]

Attacked at any level? That was an interesting way to put it, creating a thinly veiled threat within an explanation. She’s keep him on his toes, at least. She’d be better company than the average human, at least. Her aversion to touching seemed to be more habitual than directly related to him. It wouldn’t make much difference if they were within the city limits. She didn’t appear to be an energy detector, and likely wouldn’t notice the whole city was Tagged.

Satisfied, Corruption returned the slings to his vest, and went about collecting the steel balls he’d fired earlier. He spoke as he did this.

“Et’Zel’s around somewhere, probably laughing at us. Getting him to talk isn’t much trouble, if you’re ever inclined. We’re within an hour’s walk north of Infadell, and if we’re done here, that’s where I’m headed. If you intend to follow, I hope your summon can keep a low profile. The populace tends to get uneasy around Sins, and I have a rather nice deal going as a normal human. I’d like to keep it that way. If you must use my name, call me Core. It’s what the locals know me as.”

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy watched Corruption gather the steel balls. She didn't know whether or not she should follow. "Seghen's... a bit of an attention-attracter. I can ask him to stay outside city limits. However, I'm not sure I want to go to a populated town. Are there many more Sins there?

"If we do go, you can call me Hyp. I guess real Sin names attract attention, huh? That's okay, I'm good at not being seen." Hypocrisy hunted through the trees in a futile search for Corruption's summon. "What shape does your summon take?"

Hypocrisy called Seghen out of the trees. "If Et'Zel's not too heavy, Seghen can take us all to Indafell in a quarter of the time it would take to walk. Up for a ride?" she asked Corruption, smiling as she tightened Seghen's saddlebags.

[greywalker13]

An ostrich, huh? Yep, that’ll turn a few heads. Corruption used as he pried the last steel ball from the tree where he’d embedded it. There was a slight, rustle above, and a pair of familiar red eyes poked out of the treetops. Corruption extended his hand to the tree and all six feet of cobra wound down, wrapping around Corruption’s arms.

You’re a complete idiot.

“Good to see you, too. Et’Zel, Hyp. Hyp, Et’Zel.”

Won’t say it’s a pleasure, but congratulations on knocking some sense into this moron.

Corruption rolled his eyes.

“Yes, quite. So, you heard the lady. Feeling up for a ride?”

Heh heh, no. I’ll meet you there, as usual.

And without further say, Et’Zel faded in a wisp of black smoke.

Corruption shrugged and adressed Hypocrisy and Seghen.

“Guess no extra baggage. Shall we be off? And if there are other Sins in Infadell, I don’t know about them. There’s enough scum to qualify, but if they’re immortal, they don’t advertise it.”

[project-daemon]

Animosity continued to grudgingly walk through the forest. Ffion had somehow convinced him that it would be a good idea to go look for Hypocrisy.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," he grumbled.

"Because it was rude that you assumed she abandoned you for no good reason," the fox retorted. "And, because it's obvious you care about her."

"What! N-no I don't... that's an absurd idea; I detest people."

"You generally dislike people, but only because most are mean to you. Hypocrisy wasn't, and you know it." Continuing to shuffle along through the forest, Animosity began to give-in to and believe what Ffion was saying.

"It's confusing," he muttered. "I've raised myself to hate and despise humans, and Sins are just evolved humans, but humans nonetheless. The fact that a human-like being was kind to me, and I didn't wish them any ill will... is simply strange for me."

"I know it must be," Ffion replied, "but look at it this way: you'll get to sort your feelings out right now." With a look of confusion on his face, Animosity looked up to find Hypocrisy on the other side of a clearing. Deciding that it would be for the better (even if he'd normally disagree), Animosity began to walk towards her, and cleared his throat.

"Hello again," he shouted out, a little nervously, just noticing the person (who he assumed was also a Sin) standing next to Hypocrisy.

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy heard a familiar voice greeting her. She looked up and was shocked to see, of all people, Animosity and Ffion standing across the clearing. "Animosity!" she greeted him. "Welcome! It's good to see you again. I trust your journey has treated you well?" She gave him a warm smile, and continued. "Ah yes, this is Corruption. Corruption, this is Animosity. He's the first Sin I met in this world.

"Animosity, Core and I were just about to ride into Indafell. He has some business there, and I plan to accompany him. You're acquainted with Seghen, and know he can't accomodate more than two passengers. In my view, you're welcome to come along, but you would have to follow on foot.

"Of course, it's really up to Core," Hypocrisy said, her gaze falling on Corruption and lingering there. With this, she slung herself onto the saddle. Making sure her jacket was secure around her hips, she patted the saddle behind her to indicate that Corruption should join her. She waited for his response to Animosity with mild interest.

[greywalker13]

Corruption waved to the newcomer at his introduction, then began to size him up.

“Morning.”

Animosity, eh? Considering what Hyp can do, best not underestimate him. Today seems to be full of surprises. He’s not being subtle with the scythe, so he’s either confident or an idiot. Fox summon could be somewhat useful in combat. Still, he could be amusing as well.

Satisfied with his analysis, Corruption swung into the saddle behind Hyp. He could Tag her now, but given that it was her summon that he was riding on, combined with a friend of hers arriving, didn’t make the idea any more inviting. Still, if he happened to Tag her jacket during the ride, it shouldn’t be noticeable. The saddle was tagged from where his legs touched, but the ostrich was unaffected. Comfortable, he addressed Animosity.

“I’ve got no problem with you tagging along, provided you stop advertising your immortality. To achieve that, I’d suggest ditch the scythe, figure something out with the fox, and your name will be Ani once we’re inside around normal people. I’m Core, she’s Hyp. Any questions?”