Imagination

[characterdesigninspiration]

Quite a few people requested some form of trait/personality generator, and here’s the result!  I wanted to keep it vague enough that the options could work for any universe, be it modern, fantasy, scifi, or anything else, so these are really just the basics. Remember that a character is much more than a list of traits, and this should only be used as a starting point– I tried to include a variety of things, but further development is definitely a must.

Could pair well with the gender and sexuality generator.

To Play: Click and drag each gif, or if that isn’t working/you’re on mobile, just take a screenshot of the whole thing (multiple screenshots may be required if you want more than one trait from each category).

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Santiago

Santiago was raised by a single mother.  After her disappearance he was forced to live with this estranged father, whom Gabrielle had gone to request he raise their son.  It was eventually from him he learned of the nature of his mother's attackers, whom he assumed had murdered her.  He seeked out a vampire to turn him as well in order to obtain the strength and power necessary to avenge his mother's death.  

Eventually, the fledglings of Anya took it to her.  Interested, she seeked him out and saw something worthwhile in Santiago.  She made him into a vampire, psychologically scarring him in the process and causing him to resent her, and in turn, himself.  When he regained his new strength, he seeked out his mother's supposed killer.  When he found him, it was revealed to him that she wasn't dead after all, but a vampire, and, in a way, still alive and somewhere out there.  Shocked, Santiago murdered Gabrielle's sire.  

His vampire gang soon heard of the crime and tracked him, beating him nearly to death and leaving him to burn up in the sunlight.  Santiago managed to drag himself to the shadows of an alleyway where he recovered and thought deeply on what he was and his purpose in the world.  With his mother's death avenged, he didn't long to continue on as a monster, and ultimately decided to kill himself by driving his motorcycle off the mountain.  ON the journey there, he found Soliloquy and immediately connected to her, blood and soul, turning his decision around as he tried to rescue her.

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Valary

Valary Quinton died as a young child and became an angel in Heaven.  Time passed quickly and she grew to be a rebellious and self-serving seraph who was cast out of Heaven.  She was too righteous, however, to go to Hell, and too sinful to remain in Heaven--and thus, for the first time in centuries, became human (to a degree) and stuck on Earth.

She awoke with broken bones and severe amnesia, having no recollection of Heaven or her name.  She took on the identity Veronika Rayne until finally, a young boy told her her real name.

Strugging to accept her past that was shrouded in mystery and feelings as if she belonged to something bigger than herself, Valary turned to drugs, drinking, and partying.  She was in a happy relationship with Daniel, and though disinterested in magicks, allowed herself to be recruited as an element of the Circle as an air affiliated witch and enjoyed the sense of community she felt as she participated in the coven in spite of her strained relationship with coven Priestess Aryadne.  Through Aryadne, however, Valary met Schuyller Gregory, a shallow-seeming and mysterious warlock.  They were both "missing persons," orphans and parentless, with similar interests, and got along famously because of these similarities--but it was their differences that formed their friendship.

Schuyller became an unwilling (and unwanted) voice of reason when Valary's life spiralled into chaos after a ritual went terribly wrong, in which Daniel was killed by the coven.  Unable to cope with the crippling guilt, Valary left the coven and fell into a self-destructive lifestyle of alcoholism, drug-abuse, and suicidal tendencies, but was reluctantly looked after by the hesitant and conflicted Schuyller, who finds himself more and more involved in her life.  

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December

December came from a line of very powerful witches.  After generations of mingling with non-magick users, the magick seemed to leave their line entirely until December (nee Crystal) was born.  Crystal was the first witch born to the line in years, born to two mortal parents.  When news of her birth got out, a powerful witch from a rival witch clan arrived and cursed the infant Crystal, freezing the water magic in her to ice and freezing her heart completely.

Contrary to the typical nature of her element, December was apathetic and indifferent growing up, and was perceived as insensitive and unsympathetic towards others' feelings.  Her magick was unpredictable and uncontrollable.  She was considered a menace to society and a danger to herself and others, and when she met Aryadne, she promised Crystal (who took on the name December in an attempt to embrace her ice magick instead of shun it) that she could teach the witch to her harness her power for good.

During this time, Anastazia expressed disdain for December and ended up involved in a tragic accident which killed her.  December realized she would never control her abilities and isolated herself in a cave in the woods so that she could never be a danger to others again.

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Anastazia and Phyress

Anastazia and Phyress were orphaned after their parents, two fire witches, cast a dangerous ritual that quickly spiralled out of their control and set most all of their village ablaze.  The pyre took dozens of lives, including those of their parents and their older brother, Pyrrhus.  When the flames were finally put out, Ana and Phyress were all that remained of that fateful night, and the townsfolk made sure they never found out anything about it.  But older sister Ana could not sate her thirst for knowledge about her parents' deaths.

As she protected her younger sister from the harsh stares and feelings of outcast experienced in their rebuilt village, Ana sought out the information she craved about her parents' mysterious deaths.  She would leave in the middle of the night and travel to the next town over to obtain information on their demise, and it was there she learned about the true nature of her heritage and her true power.  She kept the truth about her parents' deaths to herself, but could not hide the truth of their abilities from Phyress, whom she could only protect so much.  When Anastazia met Aryadne, Arya introduced her to her Circle and invited her to become a member of her coven.  Phyress became her very own sister's apprentice just as Serena, a mysterious girl they liked but felt they hardly knew, tragically drowned.  Aryadne replaced Serena in the coven with December.

Anastazia instantly disliked December, expressing disgust and disdain for her inability to control her power (this dislike possibly stems from her parents' similar inability to control their power.)  She took it upon herself to protect the innocent from December's inexperience.  She labelled the witch a menace, even as Aryadne tried to guide her, and her temper often flared up around her.  When she started a fight with December, it resulted in a tragic accident in which Anastazia was killed by her unpredicatable ice magick.

Phyress was able to revive her sister with her fire magick by infusing the witch with the Spirit of the Phoenix, and her sister rose up from the ashes and returned to the moral world.  This Spirit made her nearly immortal and more powerful than every before.

Anastazia blamed December entirely for her death, convinced she was a powerful and malicious sorceress and murderer, and sought her out to exact her revenge.

Phyress, who had been shielded from the world's darkness by her sister, became the more naive and morally righteous counterpart to her sister.  She was a determined learner that dedicated herself to the studies of fire magick in order to make her sister proud; doing something in return for the woman that had done so much for her.

However, Anastazia drove a wedge between her sister and herself by keeping the truth about their parents' deaths as well as their brother's existence a secret from her and abandoning her and the Circle to hunt and kill December

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Notes

The Coven The Circle of the Silver Sisters

1.  Aryadne "Arya" -

A powerful dark witch (affiliation:  air) capable of reanimating the dead, raising demons, and bringing about destruction and chaos in the wake of her power; High Priestess of the Circle.

2.  Valary Grace Quinton - Veronika Rayne

vain, shallow, selfish, and reckless witch (affiliation:  air) that clashes with the more serious and scholarly Aryadne due to her disinterest in magicks and habits of self-destruction, drinking, partying, socializing, dating, sexual pleasure, and using seduction to fulfill her desires of intimacy and material goods; is currently in an unserious romantic/sexual relationship with trivial-seeming and mysterious warlock Schuyller, and otherwise disregards (but secretly mourns) ex-boyfriend Daniel.

4.  Caryn

former Circle member and earth witch, Caryn was an orphan that, as an infant, was kidnapped by faeries and replaced by a changeling; she was rescued in the nick of time but it wasn't until she'd experienced the fae world.  As an adult she became enamoured by fae-folk and faery magicks.  Once she met Chrysis, she appointed her to be Aryadne's apprentice to eventually replace her in the coven, before disappearing to the faery world for good to the live with the fae-folk.

5.  Anastazia "Ana" Morgan (formerly Morrigan)

vain, vengeful, and malicious witch (affiliation:  fire) that, as a child, was shunned by her people, before she became a part of the Circle and finally knew acceptance.  She was killed in a devastating accidental disaster brought upon by December, but was resurrected by her sister and infused with the powerful and immortal Spirit of the Phoenix.  She now hunts December to exact her revenge for her death.

6.  Phyress Morrigan

the younger sister and more righteous counterpart of Anastazia, that studies beneath her as a potential fire witch and apprentice to the Circle; she is passionate, spirited, and easily excitable, but regarded as weak and naive in comparison to her sister, whose shadow she seems to live in.

7.  Sirenia (Serena Lynn Douglas)

former coven witch whose power spiralled out of control until she died by drowning, but managed to resurrect herself using her own magicks, but for a price.  It left her unfortunately bound to the sea for eternity if she wished to continue on living.

8.  December (Crystal)

descendant from a line of powerful witches, December replaced Serena in the Circle after her untimely death; she is an uncontrollable ice witch that inadvertently caused Anastazia's demise before disappearing into isolation.

The Hunters

9.  Izsak Kovacs

a vampimre immortal sworn to an eternity of servitude to repay a debt to his master, Malakhi, and obeys his orders to hunt vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, and other supernatural forces of darkness; is in a mutually abusive sexual relationship with Malakhi's wife, Gwyndolen.

10.  Malakhi (Mikael) Brahms

a powerful man that became the victim of a curse that left him horribly disfigured and ultimately took everything from him; after rising to power again, he married the love of his life and employed Izsak to help aid him in his mission to bring about the end of magick and supernatural forces.

11.  Gwyndolen Maddox Brahms

the loving and supporting wife behind all of Malakhi's success; however, after her husband becomes consumed by his mission, she hardly sees him and begins a sexual and emotionally unfulfilling affair with her husband's employee, Izsak, who selfishly uses her for his own pleasure.

12.  Alexandra "Sascha" Jaeger

description pending

The Scientists

13.  Marceline (Sellie) "Selina" Louisa Grayson

a brilliant and dedicated scientist employed by Augustus Biotechnology Laboratories, devoted to carrying on her father Oliver Grayson's legacy.

14. Dillard "Dill" Jacobson

Selina's partner at ABL and unrequited love interest; he lost his wife, young daughter, and left arm and leg in a violent car accident, and after having Matt Parker craft him new prosthetic limbs, he employs his help to create an android to memorialize his late daughter, Emily.  With her artificial intelligence, however, she begins to gain sentience and develops romantic feelings for Dill.

15.  Mattison "Matt" Scott Parker

the nephew of Selina's father's close friend Isaiah Watson *who never reproduced and looked to Matt like his own son because of his dedication to his education, and because of his sympathy for the boy and his drug addicted-parents) who was close in age to Sellie, as well as a close associate of Dillard's.  He is a biomedical engineer whose greatest achievements are:  crafting Dillard Jacobson's prosthetics, creating android Emalee in memory of the dead Emily Jacobson, and winning Selina Grayson's affection.

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☛ GET INSIDE YOUR CHARACTER'S HEAD! aka The Excessively Detailed Headcanon Meme

Ask a question, any question! Because I have nothing better to do than to answer your questions. ... No, really. I don't. D:

1: What does their bedroom look like?

2: Do they have any daily rituals?

3: Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?

4: What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?

5: Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)

6: Eating habits and sample daily menu

7: Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time

8: Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging

9: Makeup?

10: Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?

11: Intellectual pursuits?

12: Favorite book genre?

13: Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?

14: Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)

15: Biggest and smallest short term goal?

16: Biggest and smallest long term goal?

17: Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress

18: Favorite beverage?

19: What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

20: Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

21: Turn-ons? Turn-offs?

22: Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?

23: How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?

24: Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?

25: How do they see themselves 5 years from today?

26: Do they have any plans for the future? Any contingency plans if things don’t workout?

27: What is their biggest regret?

28: Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?

29: Reaction to sudden extrapersonal disaster (eg The house is on fire! What do they do?)

30: Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)

31: Most prized possession?

32: Thoughts on material possessions in general?

33: Concept of home and family?

34: Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)

35: What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?

36: What makes them feel guilty?

37: Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?

38: What recharges them when they’re feeling drained?

39: Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?

40: How misanthropic are they?

41: Hobbies?

42: How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?

43: Religion?

44: Superstitions or views on the occult?

45: Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?

46: If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

47: How do they express love?

48: If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?

49: Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

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Mixed Blessing Glossary

A helpful guide to the terminology used in Mixed Blessing (work in progress)

Word - definition

Word - definition

Word - definition

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Purebloods Example:  The Original vampire, Soliloquy

Simply, purebloods are vampires that are born instead of made.  They are the rarest and most powerful vampires.  It is unknown why or how they are born.

Ancients

Ancient vampires are the oldest vampires known, made over a thousand years ago.  They are immortal and alive today, but most sleep and have slept for centuries, and have yet to be seen or awakened.

Elites Example:  Victoria Van Allen

These vampire elites are the strongest vampires active in modern day society, and govern the vampires by use of threats.  It is an archaic and primitive system that they believe in and force on others. 

Nobles Example:  Anya Carver

Noble vampires are often made directly by elite vampires specifically to carry on their governance past the borders of their city.  They usually have many fledglings.

Commoners Example:  Phoenix Santiago

Common vampires are every day vampires, made typically by either nobles or other common vampires.

Dhampirs Example:  Dana Gray

The scum of vampire society, dhampirs are half-vampire, half-human.  It is rare that they are even conceived, much less born under the strict conditions necessary for survival of both the dhampir child.  They are few and far between.  If born into vampire society, they are often outcast or forced into indentured servitude.  

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Shooting Stars #5

Post #5 of Shooting Stars

By Mickey

ANGEL STARK WAS NOT AN UNREALISTIC WOMAN; she'd never before been in love with any of the many men that offered to buy her dinner and happened to ask her out on a second date. Some guys were even too uncertain to ask her out all-intimidated by her conviction or what Cassy politely described as "her full faith in herself", intimidated by her rank, and intimidated by her accomplishments of being a self-made soldier. But more often than not Angel's many boyfriends, on the surface, could be mistaken as her flightiness, when in reality Angel was just broken up withﾅ a lot. She was bold, bright, and boundless, and in the end, really just too hard to handle.

But in the instant that Leo Rex smiled, she found it was true that even angels fallﾅ and Angel fell hard, harder than she'd ever let herself before: heart-throbbing, knee-wobbling, palm-sweating infatuation and profound fascination took her deep beneath the surface, if only for a brief moment before all common sense came back to her. She flashed Leo her signature smile again, tucking a stray lock of platinum hair behind her ear. "Oh, of course," she replied, amazed at his confidence and enticed by his very presence.

Angel had never before spoken with a Homosapien Rex. She, like most others, had only heard about them in stories and on the news, and had been under the impression everyone else had been under that Rexes and humans could not interact with each other and didn't belong together, were too different from one another to make cooperation between them possible. As she watched the brothers though, she realized then how wrong she'd been all along; they weren't so different after all, and she was startled into grinning at them. For someone intended to be all but, they were surprisinglyﾅ human. She laughed in a way that suggested no one had made her laugh like that in quite a while and for a moment all her thoughts melted away from her.

And then that moment ended, and Angel was left watching in horror alongside Leo and his brother as Thames Astrid kissed Cassiopeia.

Angel was shocked. Cassy had never even mentioned Thames to her and had never before been seen with him in anything other than a professional setting, and suddenly they were together? She was unexpectedly overcome with anger. How dare she? Cassy had been given everything. Her education, her career, her entire future had all been laid out for her. Anything she wanted, she got: her family, her friends, both of the Rex brothers, Thames... because her father was an admiral, because she happened to have a bit of Rex blood running through her. Cassy must have thought that she was better than everybody else, better than Angel, who'd had to work for everything she had. And then realization came upon Angel and she began to understand. That's why Cassy never wanted to talk to her about the boy she'd had a crush on who'd become the man she'd fallen in love with; that's why Cassy wouldn't tell her who she'd kissed that morning: Cassy knew Thames was Angel's ex-boyfriend and wanted to hide it from her. But from the look on her face, she hadn't expected him to show up here, like this.

Angelina swallowed hard, pausing long enough in her thoughts to hear Leo speak. She turned to him once again and happened to catch a glimpse of Scorpio. His expression looked to be as crushed as she felt inside, as if they'd both been betrayed by their best friend... and as she thought that exact thing, she realized she'd been mistaken. She had been wrong all along. It wasn't Leo. It was Scorpio that Cassy had really loved, and it all started to make sense to her.

Angel looked up at Leo and found so much in his eyes alone, which spoke to her even more than he did, and she found herself nodding at him before he'd so much as opened his mouth. As he reached for her though her expression became guarded and her bearing instantly adjusted... it had been only a tiny, imperceptible amendment to her posture, completely unnoticeable if you weren't looking, but it was still there. "But I think your brother should go talk to her-" she began to suggest to him, running out of time to linger at his side. Immediately her gaze softened again and she laid a resolute hand on Leo's shoulder. "I will." Angel promised him. "See you later." She managed a small smile and a short nod as he fell into position before she turned away to find her friend.

***

CASSY FOLLOWED AN UNPAVED PATH back towards the barracks where she stayed, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her pants as her sneakers kicked up clumps of sand that lingered in fine dust clouds around her ankles. You're just a mindless killing machine. I know what a Rex is. She said to herself as she sighed somewhere from deep within herself.

"Cassy, stop."

Cassy did not so much as turn around to look at Thames as he managed to catch up with her. She kept her head down, her orange hair softly sweeping along her cheekbones and jaw line. Her lips were pressed tightly together.

"Cassy, just stop."

"No." she said.

"Okay, don't stop then." Thames replied with a strangled, exasperated sigh. "Just listen to me, then. Just listen to what I have to say to you."

"No!" Cassy snapped, whirling around to face him. He paused mid-step and his eyes widened. "You listen to me! For once, how about you listen to me?! Stop just hearing me talk, Thames, and finally just listen to what I have to say!"

Thames, stunned into silence, gave a small nod. "Okay." He said. "Okay, Cassy. I'm listening."

Cassy glared at Thames, every breath like hauling an enormous weight from her chest. Her jaw was clenched as if she were a wild beast capable of snapping his neck and ripping out his throat with her teeth alone; sadly enough, it wasn't far from the truth. She contemplated her words carefully, preparing herself for speaking the truth, when he interrupted her thoughts:

"Say what you have to say, Cass." Thames prompted as his gaze narrowed. "I don't have all night."

Words escaped her. Her mouth fell open in shock. Everything that Cassy had been thinking and ready to say to him, everything she'd intended to tell him about what it really meant for her to be a Rex, her purpose, and herself, all disappeared. She was appalled. "Excuse me?" she suddenly asked in a harsh whisper. Finally, she shook her head. "Okay, listen to this, then. You think I have the capacity to be remarkable. Well, guess what? Scorpio thinks I am remarkable."

Thames's eyebrows rose in surprise. This was not what he'd expected at all; he knew Cassy had a crush on Scorpio, but he'd assumed she'd forgotten about it. Suddenly defensive, he asked, "What are you saying?"

"And," she began again. "Scorpio has more responsibilities than you can even imagine having. But if I had something to say to him, he'd make time to listen to me. Even if it took all night, even if he had to be somewhere else." She explained. "You want to know what I'm saying? This is it: fuck you, Astrid."

She turned around, shaking her head in disbelief. And this time, Thames did not pursue her.

The night was black. In high school she'd spent many nights with Leo and Scorpio stalking the shadows of the nighttime dark as they sneaked out to cause trouble and make magic. Enough people were scared of the dark but Cassy knew and had seen things more frightening than a moonless night. It wasn't the shadows she was afraid of; it was what lurked among them she knew to be fearful of.

Angel slunk like a thief through the nighttime, a pale phantom in the darkness, as her footsteps traced over the ones Cassy had left behind. It was a night so black that if there'd been even a breath of wind it would have howled an aching song and chilled even the bravest of beasts to the very bone. But Angel was fearless-a lion in the jungle-and listened only to the fallen leaves crunch beneath her feet as she made her way back to the dormitories in which Cassy stayed, when suddenly a voice erupted from the shadows.

"Angel? Is that you?"

Angel's brow furrowed. That voice was familiar to her, from somewhere not so long ago. Leaves and branches of shrubs rustled as a figure attempted to cross from one path to the other. She arched an eyebrow. "Thames?"

"Hey," he grunted, brushing debris from his hair. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"None of your business." Angel responded and barely glimpsed Thames rolling his eyes in the darkness. "Better question: What are you doing out here?"

"You haven't changed any," Thames commented.

"Neither have you, from what I can tell." She folded her arms over her chest.

He sighed. "I was just saying goodbye to Cassy." He replied, holding up his open palms defensively.

"Great, I'm on my way to see her." She said.

"Well, you just missed her. She probably doesn't want to talk to you."

Angel frowned and shook her head at him. "No, Thames. It's not me she doesn't want to talk to; it's you." She jabbed him hard in the chest. "Just what the hell were you doing over in the Rex wing today? You didn't need to be there. And you didn't need to embarrass her in front of everyone."

"I wasn't trying to!" Thames argued.

"Yes you were!" she insisted. "You wanted to make everyone think she belonged to you. She isn't an item. And if she were she wouldn't be yours. We both know that."

Thames groaned in frustration. "I know I messed up. Okay? Cassy already chewed me out." He explained. "If you're going to see her, will you please tell her I'm sorry? I don't know what got into me. I don't even know why I did it."

Angel smirked. "Well, you just can't catch a break today, can you?" she sneered. "I know why you did it. You're scared. You're intimidated because she's in love with Scorpio Rex and that drives you crazy. You're so jealous you can't stand it."

"Shut up!" he growled. "That's not true at all. Scorpio and I were buds in high school."

"Doesn't matter. That doesn't change anything." Angel said. "You just want her to yourself. But you can't hold onto someone that doesn't want to be held on to. And you know what? You don't even know her. But you were so determined that you had to try to ruin it between them."

"Don't you think that if they really wanted to be together they would be by now?" Thames asked and Angel scowled. "You know what," he began suddenly. "You're just attacking me because you're mad and jealous that I'm with Cassy now and not you."

"Excuse me?" Angel laughed.

"Yeah," Thames continued. "You're upset because Cassy is a better woman and I broke up with you because you're pushy and self-centered." He shook his head and then added, "And by the way, you're never going to find anyone like me, Ange."

Angel suddenly raised a closed fist and punched him hard in the face. He stumbled backwards and fell flat on his ass cradling his injured cheek in his palm. "That's the point, asshole." She spat and turned, her ponytail swinging behind her.

"Cassy, open up!" Angel demanded as she pounded a fist on the door of her friend's dormitory. "We need to talk!" She paused and impatiently waited a moment for a response. "Open the door now or I will fucking kick it down!"

After a second or two, the door slowly opened. Cassy arched an eyebrow. "What do you want?" she asked.

Angel suddenly shoved Cassy hard. Cassy staggered backward in surprise and for a moment was too stunned to react. "What the hell was that for?!" she finally challenged and found herself shoving Angel back with twice the force.

"For kissing my ex-boyfriend!" Angel shouted and all in a moment the two women were in a no holds barred, knock-down, drag-out fight, throwing punches at each other without even a second thought. They brawled on the floor, their fingers pulling desperately at each others' clothes as they wrestled in some struggle for victory over the other. "What, you think you're better than me?" Angel asked breathlessly as her knees pinned Cassy to the ground and cuffed her hard across the face.

"No!" Cassy answered and grabbed both of Angel's arms in a tight grip. "I never said I was better than you! I didn't know he was your ex! And I definitely didn't want him to kiss me!" Angel finally wriggled her wrists out of Cassy's grasp and hit her again. Cassy grabbed Angel and rolled over her, kneeing her in the side with enough strength to wind her. "You want to know the truth, Angel?" she said. "I love Scorpio! I don't even want to have anything to do with Thames!"

Angel threw Cassy off of her. For a moment she looked as if she was going to stand again and Cassy quickly got to her feet. But instead she just sat up on her hands and knees catching her breath, and Cassy sank to the floor. She didn't want to hurt Angel. She put a hand on her and rubbed her back. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah," Angel replied quietly. She swallowed. The feelings she'd felt no longer mattered. It wasn't necessary anymore for her to prove she was better than Cassiopeia; she was beginning to learn it wasn't true.

"I'm sorry, Ange. If it means anything, I just told him to go fuck himself."

Angel laughed, sitting back on her heels. She pushed her hair back out of her face. "He didn't mention that."

"You saw him?" Cassy asked. "And talked to him?"

"On the way over here, yeah." Angel explained. "He told me I was pushy and self-centered so I punched him and called him an asshole."

Cassy snorted. "Wow, it must suck to be him. And that was it?"

"Yeah," she lied. "That was it. And Leo told me to check up on you too. He's worried about you. How are you doing?"

"You mean how was I doing before my friend attacked me?" Cassy teased playfully.

"Whatever, that's basically what I said."

Cassy shrugged, her smile slipping as she began to recall all of the ugly things Thames had said to her not an hour ago. Then she remembered the expression on Scorpio's face when he'd kissed her and she dropped her face into her hands. "I think I really screwed things up for myself this time." She mumbled through her fingers.

Angel shook her head. "Nah," she said. "You'll be fine. Trust me."

Cassy looked over at her friend, clasping her hands together. "Are you okay?" she raised an eyebrow. "I guess it must have been bad, what happened with you two."

Angel shrugged, but didn't open her mouth to answer, which let her friend know immediately that it was not something up for discussion. So she didn't push.

"Hey," Cassy began suddenly as a thought came into her head. "Are you still seeing that guy from the MP company?"

Angel's eyebrows knit together. "Sweetie, he stopped returning my phone calls a week ago. I'm pretty sure it's over."

"Oh, good." Cassy said.

"Wait, why?" Angel asked.

"Just wondering."

"No," she said. "Not, 'why are you asking?' I meant, why is that good?"

"Oh," Cassy began as she glanced away. "He just wasn't any good for you, that's all." She sighed softly before speaking again. "Who was asking for me today?"

Angel, still red in the cheeks, finally looked over at Cassy. "No one." She answered. "Someone had heard your name from Scorpio or maybe Leo and started asking about you, but that was weeks ago. Maybe a month ago?" she shrugged and averted her glance. "When it finally got around to me I didn't think it was important at the time. So I didn't mention anything to you because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Why you were so great. Now I think I know."

[catandmouserp]

Shooting Stars #4

Post #4 of Shooting Stars

By Kat

In the circle of soldiers that had formed around the fight, Scorpio was trying his damndest to get out.  Several of the men stopped his progress on several accounts just to clap him on the shoulder in congratulations on surviving Selphi, others to jab at his loss to the Super, and others just because they were as trapped as he was.  Leo was watching his hapless brother when the feather of a touch tickled his elbow, and he slowly dragged his eyes away from the painful sight to glance at a hand that was pulling away.  As his forest green eyes glided up to meet those of Angel, he smoothly twisted his body to face her and gave her a smile that was full and bright and Leo, giving the slightest of bows.  It was something he did that Scorpio would often make fun of him for, but it hadn't stopped Leo from continuing the habit.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Angel." Leo said with a smile of his own, then laughed nervously when he realized he should probably elaborate on the "finally".

"Scorpio and I would sometimes see you and Cassie passing a far away window, and we were wondering who you were."

When Leo spoke to people he looked them in the eye, confident in himself in a way that even his brother couldn't stand up to.  Scorpio's eyes roamed to whatever happened to catch them, fitting his constantly moving attention span so well that he had gotten in trouble with officers on several occasions.  Sure, the older Rex could easily break just about anyone in half over his knee if he wanted, but there was something insecure about him that made him nervous to look people in the eye for extended periods of time.  Leo had no such insecurities, even in the face of a woman who demanded respect like Angel did.  So when she did him the same courtesy, Leo couldn't help but admire her self confidence.

At the mention of Scorpio and him teaming up Leo grinned, but it wasn't a cocky kind of grin that might suggest he thought there was no other way he and his twin could be.  It was fond, as if going through missions with his brother at his back was the highlight of his day.

"We do work pretty good together." Leo agreed, not bothering to insult Angel with trying to be humble when he wasn't even bragging; it was truth.  "Of course, Scorpio's in the most danger being in the front lines, and does most of the work too."

An arm suddenly fell across Leo's shoulders like a sack of stones, causing the poised Rex to stumble a little.  Leo glowered up at Scorpio as he straightened back up, about to threaten him with an ass-whooping when the older Rex cut him off expertly.

"Don't listen to Leo, he's full of shit.  We would've failed a lot of missions if he wasn't back where he was, telling us enemy movement patterns and all that other nit-picky stuff I'd never be able to make out without an idiots guide." Scorpio said almost as if he was bragging, wrapping his arm around Leo's neck quickly to try and catch him in a headlock.  But Leo moved like oiled lighting, slippery and uncatchable as he grabbed Scorpio's wrist and elbow from behind, catching his older brother in a painful elbow lock before tripping him and taking him to the ground.  Scorpio struggled until Leo began raising his locked arm, at which point he started tapping the ground like drum.

"Uncle, uncle!" Scorpio cried out, and was immediately let go of by a triumphant Leo, who crossed his arms over his narrow chest.

"As much fun as it is to whoop your ass again, weren't you looking for Cass?" He asked Scorpio as the Rex jumped back up from the ground, rubbing his sore elbow as he looked around over the heads of most everyone.  He was back to being serious it seemed, and Leo had to wonder at how fast his brother could switch between the two.

"Yeah, have you seen her?"

Another smile lit Leo's face up as he turned toward the last place he had seen Cassie, moving his hand to jab in the general direction once he caught site of Cassie's fiery hair.  But what he saw made him freeze, hand in the air as his smile slowly sunk into a straight line of disbelief.  Thames, kissing Cassie as if it was an everyday occurrence.

"Shit."

The word was hushed and reflexive, but Leo didn't take it back or regret it.  He glanced at Scorpio cautiously and instantly felt a heavy weight in his chest, expressive eyes growing sad at the look of pure shock on Scorpio's face.  So, he had seen it too, and by the look on Cassie's face it wasn't something he was supposed to.  The only expression Leo had for Cassie was sadness, and Selphi had this look in her eye that promised that there would  be a talk later.  But Scorpio, Scorpio was a blank slate, and there was no telling what was going on behind the wide eyed stare he was giving her.  He only managed a small, questioning "Cass?" before Captain Ursa called the unit to attention, wrenching his gaze away from his friend.  Leo could only close his eyes at the hurt that had laced into Scorpio's voice unheaded, turning briefly back to Angel before he was forced into formation.

"I don't...I'm not sure what just happened, but Cassie didn't look to sure herself." He said, glancing back to see Thames forcibly drag Cassie away, and to see the flash of anger in Scorpio's eyes.  Leo reached up toward Angel but stopped himself midway, unsure of how this particular soldier would react to physical contact.  So instead he looked her in the eye so she could see all the worry that swam there.  "Could you make sure she's okay?"

Since we can't was the unspoken words that followed, but they were understood.  Leo looked as if he was about to say something else to Angel, but the Captain's voice rang out again for them to form up, sounding doubly as vicious as it had the first time.  So instead he gave Angel a small smile and a wave before leading his brother to the formation, leaving the welfare of Cassie in Angel's capable hands.

Back near the bays entrance Selphi and Cyrus stood like two ancient sentries, both of their expressions as stony as the others after what had just occurred.  Without words Selphi gave her friend a look that had Cyrus sighing, but he nodded nonetheless and waved her off.

"Go on, We'll hold the mission until tomorrow."

And like a shadow Selphi was gone.

[catandmouserp]

Shooting Stars #3

Post #3 of Shooting Stars

By Mickey

ANGEL STARK IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTOOD why Cassy had dreaded visiting the Rex platoon.  In the short time that she’d known Cassy, the two young women had formed a profound understanding of each other, shared only by people who have witnessed the true cruelty of humankind and still vowed to protect it and even lay their lives down for it.  Angel, a slightly older and even somewhat wiser woman at the fresh age of 24 years old, had become a sort of mentor to Cassy, guiding her through the confusion of childhood, the complexity of adulthood, and all the gray area in between.  And in the very moment that Selphi called out her name and Scorpio Rex turned to look at her, Angel saw a side of her friend she never knew existed:  a soft, compassionate side that had nothing but love for the special people in her life.  But Angel saw more than that.  She saw the very real fear in Cassy’s tired face that now, that she’d finally faced the Rex Brothers again, nothing would ever be the same.  Angel watched as Cassy’s heart broke.

Cassy had been all but wrenched from her old life, the simple life of an almost-average teenage girl, had been uprooted from everything she’d ever known, and then forced to remodel her lifestyle.  It was not a change she could have anticipated or prepared for, it was not a decision she’d even had time to consider or at least gradually adjust to.  And Cassy often wondered if, at the end of the day, she’d even have any remnants of that life to go back to.

It wasn’t difficult to tell that, though she was away from her family and classmates, it was missing Scorpio and Leo that was all but eating her alive.  Upon her arrival, she’d asked anyone and everyone she encountered about them:  if they’d seen the brothers, if they were safe, and where they were.  But she had been refused answers and rushed along to continue processing.  And yet, even as she wanted deep in her heart just to see them again, they were too familiar to her.  And if she were to see them, she knew, she would never be able to fully adjust to or even fully accept the new life she had taken on.  There would always be that one small part of her that held on to their old friendship and the simplicity of just being sixteen years old and in high school.  If she could only let go of them, she could finally let go of everything else as well and move forward knowing she had nothing left to lose.

Angel realized how much easier it would have been for Cassy to run from it.  But unfortunately, a soldier runs from nothing—and Cassy was a soldier through and through.  Something in her couldn’t stay away, kept bringing her back, no matter how much she resisted.  It came with being a Rex.

Cassy, though, was not a Rex—not a real Rex, all the way through, engineered to kill.  Cassy had been conceived naturally in an act of love between a man and a woman, and became the first offspring of a Rex and a human.  In some ways this made her more lethal than anyone, as she inherited all of the strengths of a Rex and none of the weaknesses or flaws in the Rex design.  If anyone was more than qualified to kill a Rex, Cassy knew, it would be her.  The Rex was a human tank to the war-waging world, and Cassy’s impure blood made her a more perfect model of the well-rounded soldier the government had aimed for:  a Renaissance-man excelling in all aspects.  If she weren’t a minor the military would have had their claws in her long ago.  But her time to shine was quickly approaching and she was still coming to terms with it.

But she couldn’t help but feel she had no true place in the world.  She was stronger, faster, smarter, and even prettier than humans were supposed to be, and yet, those exceptional qualities paled in comparison to those of a full-bred Homosapien Rex soldier.  Growing up, Cassy had spent a lot of time trying to live up to the title of a “Rex,” but they were big shoes to fill, and she had been walking in the shadow of her father until it came time for her to step up to the plate and see how she measured up to her bloodline.

Angel went to her friend and quickly pulled her aside.  Her assertion could often be mistaken for high-handedness (and could often be high-handedness), but Cassy had grown accustomed to her friend’s forward behavior and could now readily accept Angel’s despotism more graciously than most of her cadet counterparts.  She had the sort of domineering personality one didn’t (and shouldn’t dare to) question and Cassy had learned not to.

“What’s wrong?” Angel demanded straight out.  She was never one to sugarcoat, sidestep, or beat around the bush.

“I don’t know what to say,” Cassy admitted with hesitance, but got right to the point.

Angel rolled her eyes.  “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” she snapped.  “Get a grip, Cassy!  Have you never looked into a mirror before?  You’re stunning; you don’t have to say anything!”

Cassy’s delicate brow furrowed.  “Then what am I supposed to do?”

Angel sighed deeply, impatiently pinching the bridge of her nose.  “Just be yourself, Cass, that’s all.  Look,” she stared at her friend.  “You are crazy about that Rex boy, Cassy, I know it.  I see it.”  Angel arched an eyebrow and Cassy flushed.  “And he is probably just as crazy about you.  Did you see the way he looked at you when he heard your name?  If a boy ever looked at me like that, I’d never get out of bed.  So go talk to him right this moment, kid, and that’s an order.  Or there will be hell to pay.”

Cassy slowly shook her head.  “I can’t, Ange.” She said finally.  “I just can’t.”  Everything she had worked for, everything she had accomplished thus far, would be lost if she did this to herself now.

Angel gave her a hard look.  “You know, Cassy, sometimes, as a soldier, you are going to find yourself in a situation where you are going to have to make a decision and sacrifice something for something else.” She explained.  “It is your job to make the right decision for the greater good.”

It was the most insightful word of advice Angel had ever offered Cassy, and Cassy knew she was right.  But she simply couldn’t make herself give up her hard work and effort when it was easier at this point to give up the one person she had ever loved with all of her heart.

“Fine.” Angel agreed curtly in response to Cassy’s silence.  “I’ll go talk to him, then.”

Before Cassy could even manage to stammer out some surprised protest Angel had disappeared with a flick of her blonde ponytail.  The last thing Cassy wanted was the stunning Angelina talking to the incredible Scorpio Rex.  There was little she could do at this point, though, and so she watched in horror and fascination as her friend maneuvered between troops and she approached, confidently and without hesitation, the man that been in Cassy’s life since before he could remember:  the handsome and intelligent Leo Rex.

“Hey,” Angel greeted, touching his elbow  gently with her fingertips to get his attention.  She knew firsthand to be careful when approaching or handling other soldiers—even she herself jumped if someone grabbed her suddenly.  “I don’t think we’ve met,” she said.  “I’m Angel Stark, I’m Echo company commander.”  She spoke with the ease and poise of a diplomat and flashed a small, shy smile.  Angel, humbled?  A sight to see, Cassy decided.  “Of course, I already know exactly who YOU are,” she laughed.  “But I thought I’d go ahead and introduce myself.  I’m friends with Cassy.”  She turned to watch Selphi and Scorpio, who captured the attention of almost every troop in the room with their fight, which turned out to be more of an educational demonstration as every soldier analyzed every movement on some subconscious level.

Angel, though, with one eye on the spar, had her other on Leo Rex.  “You and your brother probably make a really good team, don’t you?” she said suddenly, and looked back at Leo.  Every time she turned her head her long ponytail would sway from one side to the other.  He really was small for a Rex, Angel thought; they were very nearly the same height.  But Angel, for a woman, was tall, with a tiny waist and long legs.  The Rex Brothers were a deadly juxtaposition that, between the two of them, had all of their bases covered.  They were a lethal match and Angel suspected that that was no coincidence.

Cassy had to have been incredibly lucky to grow up with them both.  Unfortunately Angel had never encountered a Rex before in her life before she’d been transferred to the Interstellar Base, and initially all she knew of the “Kings” was what she’d read or heard from coworkers, which was very little and very incorrect.  Consequently, though, her thoughts on the Homosapien Rex breed were still shallow:  the Rexes were developed, designed killing machines and were manufactured only to destroy, and the Brothers were the military’s very own all-inclusive package (what Angel considered a second attempt at a successful pair), but the only thing they needed was…

Cassy’s lips twitched up into a smile as she watched her friend talk to Leo.  If she wasn’t mistaken, there was even a certain flirtatious twinkly in her eye as she spoke, even though Cassy was almost sure Angel was still seeing a man from the MP company that she actually seemed to like well enough.  And just as all the dread was drained from Cassy’s body in one long sigh of relief…

“Cassy!”

Her stomach clenched again and her heart sank completely.  Shit, she swore inwardly.  She’d forgotten all about going to see Thames.  In fact, as soon as she showed up to the Rex wing, she’s forgotten most of everything she knew.  Cassy turned to spot Thames Astrid approach her in a short jog, out of breath.

“Hey,” he gasped, running his fingers through his trimmed hair.  He must have gotten a hair cut while Cassy was showering.  “I’ve been looking for you.  Ready for our date?” And then, all at once, Thames suddenly leaned down and kissed Cassy’s lips.

Cassy became instantly aware that everyone’s eyes were suddenly on her and the wing had gone quiet.  It was so quiet in fact, that Cassy could even recognize the silenced Angel whose attention, for once, was not on herself.  Her friend’s mouth hung open in shock.  Was this unprofessional?  Was she allowed to date Thames Astrid, in spite of the fact that she was, in a way, under his command and supervision?  She’d paled visibly and felt nauseous.  She didn’t understand.  No one would have been at all surprised if she’d kissed…

Cassy quickly looked at Scorpio, frowning.  A sudden guiltiness gripped her.  What had she done?  And was she supposed to apologize to him?  Explain?  She hadn’t done something wrong, had she?  Oh, but she had.  Her eyes darted between Scorpio and her own Aunt Selphi, before she glanced at Leo, then back to Angel, who now appeared furious.  What was she supposed to say?  What had they expected of her?

She didn’t have the time to figure it out.  “FORM UP!”  Cassy jumped as an enormous, brawny woman came into the wing, with broad shoulders, a square chin, and coarse nut-brown hair greased back into a tight bun.  Cassy had never before met her but immediately recognized her from stories she’d overheard between her parents growing up.  Ursa Boötes had what appeared to be quite a past with Spica and Nathan, but Cassy wasn’t certain of the details.  Regardless, she felt the sting of their experiences with each other with a hard glare from the woman that had only one clear message:  “You don’t belong here.” Cassy shrank from her gaze, hurt.  The captain then shifted her glance to Selphi, and the glower turned venomous.

“I said, form up!  That’s an order!” barked again, and this time the order was followed without hesitance.  Thames took Cassy’s hand and tugged.

“It’s time to go, they’re about to start training.” He explained.  “Boötes isn’t exactly flexible.”

Cassy hesitated, pulling her hand back from Thames.  He yanked again in return and she resisted.  “Stop it, let go,” she snapped as he attempted to take her away from the wing with him.  “Thames, let go.” She said louder, and pushed his arm away.

“It’s time to go.” He insisted, more impatiently.

“Scorpio!” she called, and Thames’s gazed narrowed.  “Scorpio, come find me tonight!  I need to talk to you!”

“Let’s go,” Thames hissed.  This time, Cassy followed obediently.

 ***

“YOU’RE KIND OF QUIET,” THAMES OBSERVED.  “What’s wrong?  What’s on your mind?” he asked.

Thames and Cassiopeia sat together hip-to-hip at the top of Jacob’s Ladder, overlooking the rest of the empty obstacle course and the base barracks beyond it that housed trainees.  The sun was beginning to settle beneath the horizon and splashes of pink and orange streaked across the skyline as the blue of night crept across.

Cassy was reluctant to answer him.  He laid a gentle hand over hers and she considered pulling away from him, but instead let him nestle comfortably there, their fingers intertwining.  Finally she asked him, “Do you know why I’m here?”

He chuckled.  “Because you insisted we race to the top even though I knew you’d beat me?” he answered.

“No.” she said.  “I mean, here.  Instead of in school, where I belong.”

“Why do you think you belong there?” Thames inquired and gave her a sidelong glance.  She didn’t answer.  “You belong here, Cassy.” She shook her head.  “It’s not safe.”

“No,” she said again.  “It’s because of me, Thames.  All of this is because of me.”

“Your parents just want to protect you.” He insisted.

“No!” she shouted, and Thames flinched away in surprise.  “Why am I here?  I’ve wasted every single day I’ve spent here when I could be doing something.  I could be helping people.  I can fight!  I’m a Rex, that’s what I was a made for, isn’t it?”

Thames sighed sadly, slowly taking her hand in his again.  “Oh, Cassy.” He murmured.  “You were made for so much more than that.”

“No, I wasn’t!” she argued again.  “You don’t know anything, do you?  You don’t know anything about what it means to be a Rex.”

Thames suddenly narrowed his gaze.  “I think you overestimate yourself, Cassy,” he responded evenly.  “While you do have the capacity to be remarkable, you require the necessary training to perfect your abilities.” he explained.  “Otherwise, you’re just a mindless killing machine.  I know what a Rex is.”

Cassy looked suddenly startled—half by the tone of his voice and half by his words—and scowled, disguising her hurt.  “Exactly.  That’s what I’m made to do, Thames.  I’m supposed to kill.  And you know what?”

Thames sighed deeply though his nose and waited patiently.  “What?” he finally ventured forth quietly.

“When we find Taurus,” Cassy began bravely, and Thames’s eyebrows shot up in shock.  “I want to be the one that kills him.”

He sat silently.  He now made no motion to touch her.  This wasn’t the Cassy he loved so much.  He assumed Cassy would continue, but she didn’t.  “Why?” he asked.

“You wouldn’t understand.” She snapped.  She leapt down from the top of the ladder and made her way back to the dormitories by herself, though she wasn’t typically authorized to go anywhere unaccompanied, even so close to central headquarters.  Usually she was with Angel, escorted by Thames, or at least chaperoned by one of his OTS cadets, but this time she was allowed to go alone.  The sun had set and the dark was upon her.  She desperately needed to get some sleep and then get down and dirty with the weight room tomorrow if she was ever expected to shuck off the considerable amount of stress left over from the day.

[catandmouserp]

Shooting Stars #2

Post #2 of Shooting Stars

By Kat

IF ANYONE TOLD LEO that he was small for a Rex, he would have to agree.  Scorpio was what everyone expected from the brand of soldier he was, perfect in every physical aspect of the Homosapien Rex gene.  He was tall, broad shoulders swooping down to a narrow waist, what rippled in between a copy of some alabaster god, carved to the precise measurements he was designed for.  He was handsome, he was polite, and he was smart.  He excelled at everything he did and what he lacked he tried at until he was the best.  Scorpio had drive, felt the rush of combat and became the bullet that tore through the enemy his superiors pointed him at.

Leo was most of these things, just in a more compact form.  In combat training he worked with his smaller stature and made it his strength, combining fluid grace with his opponents own momentum to win almost every time.  In marksmanship there was no equal, not even Scorpio, but Leo had learned a thing or two from the best sniper he’d ever known, Fang.  Where Scorpio rushed into the fray Leo hung back, watching and taking note of even the smallest detail, weighing his options with quick decisiveness.  Courses of action were formulated and, when combined with the ruthless pure soldiering of Scorpio, carried out with brutal efficiency.  What people didn’t see in Leo was his drive, the same that made Scorpio seem so full of fire.

Leo’s drive was keeping his soldiers alive, to complete the mission with as few casualties as possible.  He was offered a chance to go to Officer Training School because of his obvious aptitude for leadership, but he had been born and bred for the military life.  Leo knew where the real leadership came from.  Leo strived to be a sergeant.  His smaller than usual frame didn’t stop him from obtaining his goal, not by any means, but it didn’t instill a sense of confidence in him.  It was such a silly thing but Leo just didn’t look like a Rex, and his young age did nothing to help his case.  He was different, and at first it had bothered him.  Leo had felt jealousy at an early age when Scorpio was beginning his training and small little brother was being left in the dust.  But someone had been put into his and his brother’s lives, someone who nipped the problem in the bud so hard that it never bothered trying to blossom again.

At first Leo didn’t understand her, was so confused as to why his jealousy terrified her so, but then he’d met Taurus, saw what he truly was, and it all became clear.  She didn’t want him to repeat that mistake, but she had been so passionate about the two youngest Rexes’ upbringing that they would see it as nothing but all-encompassing love for them.  That woman had become their mentor and their guide, but most importantly she had become their mother.  She taught Scorpio the value of the small things in life, Leo how to dream big, and how to fight for the ones they loved.  It was she, in Leo’s teenager years, that taught him to find the advantage in everything, but know when to use it.

And she was showing him the perfect example of such a time right now.

In all the legal senses of the term, Selphi had stopped her military life.  But the way she was handing Scorpio his own ass in a playful spar showed that she would probably never truly retire.  Though the punches and kicks were all in good fun, none were pulled or softened to spare the other nasty bruises.  Scorpio and Selphi circled each other in a deadly dance of whirling limbs and perspiration, blows being traded in favor of Selphi’s odds of winning.  Several of the idle soldiers had gathered around the two to form a sort of ring, mostly because Selphi was a favorite visitor of theirs, but also because it wasn’t often anyone saw a Super and a Rex fight on such even footing.  Well, it had been even, but Scorpio had landed a hit that sent Selphi flipping backwards.  Selphi had landed on her feet unsurprisingly, winging a little from the blow but grinning from ear to ear.  Scorpio had landed no hits on his elusive target after that, and Selphi knew where to hit a Rex that would bruise for weeks.

As of this moment Scorpio’s bare back and torso were polka dotted with angry red marks, the product of Selphi’s limitless energy, and the Rex was beginning to tire.  He moved much more than his opponent did, who seemed to just flow with his movements and strike where he wasn’t protected.  Swear ran rivulets down every bare patch of skin on him, and though Selphi sweated too, she was still grinning.  Leo noted this with a smile, crossing his arms over his chest when he realized Scorpio didn’t understand.

“She’s toying with him.”

Leo tore his eyes away from the educational fight to smile appreciatively at the much older man beside him, glad he had noticed it too.  But of course he had.  “I know.  It’s giving me some good ideas on how to approach my next spar.”

Cyrus nodded in agreement at that, but the sigh that followed soon after was good enough indication that they needed to end it soon.  “Well, she needs to hurry and finish him off.  We have somewhere we need to be.”

Despite being almost forty, Cyrus didn’t look a day over twenty-five.  It was a trick both he and Selphi shared the knowledge of:  become a Super soldier and you will never worry about wrinkles.  There were, however, a few grey streaks in his neatly cropped hair, most likely caused by stress, but they just added refinement to his already roguish gentleman look.  A thin scar ran along the length of his sharp cheekbone on the left side of his face, a reminder of some battle long past that he could never hope to forget anyway.  Cyrus was handsome and militant in his tidy appearance, but like Selphi no longer serving in the army.  Legal document speaking wise.

With an innocent smile but limitless respect in his eyes, Leo had to ask.

“Another secret mission?”

Cyrus glanced down at his young companion with a level stare, trying to read into the question in search of more that might be asked or reasons behind it.  But all he could find was the want of a simple yes or no.  Leo was not the kind to poke around in the personal lives of people who did not want it known.

“That’s the thing about secret things, Leo:  you don’t know.”

Leo took the hint gracefully, but it was a yes all the same.  Selphi had not been too protective of her being in a secret branch of the military service, not to the Rex boys.  They were practically her sons.  The branch was nothing more than a squad of the five Supers that had survived their second trip to La Nina, a Special Tasks Force with only one mission:  TOP SECRET.  Leo didn’t know that much and doubted he ever would, but he knew it was dangerous.  Important enough to have top priority on all the lists of the last Super soldiers in existence.

Cyrus was no fool, he knew Leo knew.  Leo was clever.  Given enough information the Rex boy could probably sit down and figure out who their target was, maybe even where she was.  Despite all his secrecy though, Cyrus felt that it might not be a bad idea to tell the Rex brothers.  They were her targets after all, a hint wouldn’t hurt.  Shifting his crossed arms to his sides, Cyrus watched Selphi carefully, watching as his long time friend finally noticed Cassy.

“The mother wants her children back.” The man whispered for Leo’s sharp ears only, and before the boy could utter a single “huh?” of confusion, Selphi was yelling over him.

“Hey Cassy!”

Boisterous as ever, Selphi’s cheery voice carried easily over any other din, but she waved her arms around like a moron just in case.  But she didn’t care about what image she set, she wasn’t officially in the military anymore, and that was one of the things that made Selphi so loveable.  There were times where one just needed to act a fool, and times when one had to crack down and do some serious business.  And when it came to serious business, Selphi was boss.  Her rambunctious greetings caught the attention of both Leo and Scorpio, but it was the latter that paid for it.  Just as Scorpio turned his back to Selphi to search for Cassy, a viciously delighted smile struck her face like a thunderbolt and she was suddenly in the air.  Scorpio was grinning at Cassy when Selphi’s calves were suddenly scissored over his neck, the expression unchanging as the Super twirled around him above the ground and whipped him off his sturdy feet.  It was only when he slammed into the cement did surprise register, for too late.

“What’re you doin’, soldier?!”

Selphi, who had somehow detached herself from the whirling throw and landed on her feet, was now standing over Scorpio and yelling in his face.

“What shit-for-brains motherfucker told you it was okay to turn your back to the enemy?!”

Winded and thoroughly whooped, Scorpio lay sprawled and confused across the floor.  He stared up at Selphi with wide eyes in his mouth opened and closed wordlessly, floundering to come up with an answer.  Leo couldn’t help but laugh at his brother, who truly was starting to look as cowed as a private being chewed out by a drill sergeant.  He couldn’t blame Scorpio though, Selphi never yelled at them.

“Until your enemy is incapacitated or stone cold dead, always keep your eye on them,” Selphi continued, seeing now that Scorpio wasn’t going to provide her with an answer, not that she was expecting him to.  Her unusually unmerciful expression changed in the blink of an eye back into the smiling, happy one they all knew, with a little extra mischief dashed in.  “And not the prize.”

It was a hushed phrase that didn’t carry past the circle of onlookers, but their hoots of laughter were enough to set Scorpio spluttering again.  Selphi laughed her full laugh with them as she offered a hand to the downed Rex, her practically son whom she felt obliged to embarrass every now and then.  Even as his ears burned hotly in a blush he’d later claim was caused by the fight, a grin matching Selphi’s lay easily on Scorpio’s face as he took her hand and was hauled to his feet.

“What’s the score now?  0-50?” Selphi asked jokingly, clapping him heartily on back before taking her hand away.

[catandmouserp]

Shooting Stars #1

Post #1 of Shooting Stars

By Mickey

“HEY, MUTT,”

Cassy glanced up, adjusting the straps of her helmet with one hand, where the plastic buckle had been digging into her chin.  It was the most insulting and disrespectful nickname anyone could have addressed her by but she reacted to it by instinct now.  It had followed her from elementary school teasing to high school jeers in her direction, and it had stuck.  Despite her success and excellence in combat, however, full-blooded human beings still managed to put her down and step on her with that word alone.  Hadn’t she been engineered to be a better soldier than them?  Why did they still treat her like she was lower than they were?

“What?” she asked.  Cassy had been looking at a small photograph in her hand that she’d found inside of an envelope addressed to her best friend in her own handwriting.  She’d been fifteen at the time the picture was taken, with her arm around Scorpio’s shoulders and his black GCU cover on her head, her nest of finger hair poking out from beneath it.  She’d meant to send it to Scorpio during his training but she’d forgotten and had left it with her things by mistake, until she’d found it again before her deployment and taken it with her.  They’d both been so young and happy.

Cassiopeia’s regiment commander knelt before her where she was sitting on the floor flanked by two troops in her company on either side of her.  They were two, hulking men with strong jaws and broad shoulders:  one with a young, chiseled face and the other older with shadows beneath his eyes and black stubble growing along his square chin.  Cassy recognized him and realized he’d had to leave his wife and children at home to work on this mission.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” her commander asked her slowly, as if her duties had been elaborate and difficult to comprehend in spite of her high entrance exam score.

“Yes, sir.” She answered evenly.  Cassy was not here to humor him.

“Do you understand what I want you to do?”

Cassy wanted to glance away.  She held her commander’s gaze though and lifted her weapon into her arms.  She nodded.  “Kill everything.”

“Good girl.  And?”

“Leave no man behind.  Protect my comrades.” She added.

“What else?”

She sighed through her nose.  “Don’t die.”

“Exactly.” Cassy’s commander patted her shoulder.  “You’ll be fine.”

The aerospace helicopter hummed beneath her and her commander stood carefully to speak with another soldier.  The older man beside Cassy shifted all of his bulk and freed a hand to lie on Cassy’s shoulder.

“You’re the same age as my daughter.” He said.

Cassy looked at him.  “What’s her name?”

“Stella,” he replied.  “She just began her studies in nursing.” His hand fell as well as his eyes.  “I would die if I saw her doing what you’re doing.  I can only imagine how your father must feel.”

Cassy pursed her lips.  “I don’t have a choice.  It’s my duty.”

He glanced at her photograph.  “Is that your husband?” he asked.

She looked at the photograph too.  “No,” she answered.  “He’s my best friend.  He’s part of a different battalion.”

The man leaned back, going quiet.  “I’m sure he is praying for you.”

Finally, a ladder was let down and the commander began barking orders at the company on board.  The troops were up and ready to begin filing out when he shouted over the whirling helicopter blades, “The Rex goes first!” He pushed Cassy ahead of the others.  Hot wind stung her face and eyes and she quickly covered her head.  If unprotected, the heat meant certain death.  The commander held Cassy’s arm.  She turned to him.  “It’s been a privilege commanding you.” He said.  “You can take it from here.”

Cassy nodded.  “Yes, sir!” she responded, and threw the strap attached to her weapon over her shoulder.  She tried to shove her photograph into her pocket but the wind around her seized it and took it up and away.  She quickly scaled down the length of the ladder and spotted over a dozen other helicopters around her with troops dropping out.  She jumped and rolled over her shoulder on the dirt and sand and then almost immediately went back to her feet.

Gunfire erupted all around her.  The dirt streets of the little village had almost been emptied of civilians and now filled with unprepared military forces.  They’d launched a surprise attack on the hostile environment, which was laden with weapons of mass destruction.  It was rumored that there was as much as a pound of illegal explosives for every gram of body weight of the villagers hidden away in homes and elaborate underground tunnels and it had become their job to get it out in the only way they could.

Cassy’s finger found her trigger and pulled, and with impeccable aim, she didn’t miss.  People fell like flies around her as she popped off every bullet in her magazine.  Cassy knew she’d been sent to die before everyone else but was now convinced she’d survive yet again, until she took a shot of her own.

She jerked, holding her ribs with a gasp, but didn’t go to her knees.  It’d been a sniper and she knew she needed to move out of the area before he had another chance at her.  Don’t die:  that was the mission.  Her breathing was shallow and she wasn’t certain whether or not it was the adrenaline or the bullet wound.  Another soldier spotted her injury and moved a group of troops to seek out the sniper while a medic tried to rush to her aid.  Cassy waved him away, quickly ducking for cover inside one of the emptied desert homes.  Halfway to the open door hanging off its hinges, though, she spotted a child with a gun as tall as he was, coming for her.  He was waving wildly, screaming obscenities in a foreign language, and she quickly knelt and aimed.  He stopped dead in his tracks and then Cassy realized the boy was staring at something beyond her.

She turned around and found an enemy tank rolling over the sand, picking off her comrades like pepperonis.  Cassy quickly glanced back and found the man from her company aiming for the boy.  He wasn’t far off from herself, only about ten meters away from her position, but he was out in the open.  Before he could react, Cassy put a bullet through the kid’s head and picked up her gun to grab her comrade.  She was the only one qualified to take care of her job quickly and efficiently, and she intended to do just that.  Suddenly though, a clicking metal can fell between them.

“Grenade!” Cassy shouted, but couldn’t step back in time before it detonated.  The explosion sent her sprawling backward, landing flat on her back on the hard packed dirt.  She heaved, getting to her knees to vomit.  A couple of her ribs were broken and her lung nearly crushed by the force.  Her face was burnt but she managed to stand again on her feet.  Don’t die.  That was the mission.  She rushed to the man who was face-down nearby and whimpering.

Cassy rolled him onto his back.  His helmet had been blown to pieces and his face was so badly burnt there was as little as no skin at all in some places and she could see the yellow bone beneath all the blood and gore.  She tore open the jacket of his Galactic Battle Uniform.  His heart was beating but he was struggling to catch his breath.  “Stay with me,” she said firmly.  The sand blew around her, biting her uncovered hands and leaving red, hot cuts on her skin where blood bubbled out over her white knuckles.  It stung her exposed burns and whipped her freed red hair around her cheeks.  “Don’t die on me.” She said.  “Don’t die on Stella.”

The boy she’d shot laid on his side a couple of meters from them in the sand with blood on him.  A scrap of paper was carried from him in the sandstorm and Cassy grabbed it as it tumbled end over end along the flat ground.  She looked at it and a much younger Cassiopeia and Scorpio looked back at her.  How had she come to this?

Cassy clenched her teeth.  She wanted to wail and scream and cry but crushed the photo in her hand.

“Cassy,” the man rasped.

“Yes, sir?”

Cassy?

“Yes?”

Cassy.

***

CASSY JERKED AWAKE, sweat along her hairline and the back of neck.  Scorpio?

Thames Astrid knelt beside her, peering into her face with concerned brown eyes.  His black GBU cover had been removed and was clutched between his hands, his sun-streaked chocolate hair tousled endearingly.  “Cassy?  Are you okay?” he asked.  “Do you have a fever?”

She blushed deeply.  Of course it wasn’t Scorpio.  “You didn’t wake me up,” she mumbled, her face pressed into the cotton pillow that smelled of cool, clean linen.

“I’m sorry.  I had to get to a briefing at 0600 this morning.” He explained.  “I forgot to have a cadet come get you.”

“What time is it?” Cassy asked, pushing orange hair from her face and pulling strands out of her mouth.

“Almost 1100.” He answered.  “Quarter ‘til, ma’am.”

She scowled, sitting upright.  Since the station had been locked down, her home had been evacuated to be inspected for evidence of Librus’s breaching of base security.  Her brothers, Castor and Pollux, had both been transported to an esteemed military boarding school for their next four years of high school, her two best friends had had to answer the call of duty, both of her parents had been working hard with headquarters officers and military personnel to eliminate the threat of Librus, and her education had been otherwise delayed until further notice after she’d been moved into a base dormitory and put into the care of 1st Lieutenant Thames Astrid until the station’s S.T.A.R. teams finished their detailed investigations and declared the area safe again.

Cassy hadn’t seen a familiar face in months; the first week consisted of processing and legal paperwork and adjusting herself to a relatively new environment and lifestyle.  She had, however, come to enjoy Thames’s company and, in spite of his constant coming and going while he was on duty, they had found the time to become close friends.  She spent most of her time though with Astrid’s OTS cadets that escorted her from one location to the other.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, twisting his cap between his big palms.

“What am I doing today?” Cassy answered, rubbing her bleary eyes and raking her hands through her much-shorter hair so that it looked less like her head had just been assaulted by a tornado.  She still wasn’t used to the new crop and picked at her uncombed locks, trying to arrange them into a neater fashion.

“Stop, it looks fine.” Thames said, pushing her bangs out of her face.  “Your hair looks great.”

“Well, you need a haircut.” She mentioned. “ You’re out of regs.  I don’t know how you’ve gotten away with your hair touching your ears like that.”

He laughed, self-consciously pushing his fingers through it.  “Yeah, well,” he began.  “I’ve been really busy lately and I haven’t had the time to go get it cut.”

“Busy with what?”

“Busy with you, Miss High Maintenance.” He joked and she hit him playfully, though it was a bit harder than he’d expected and he briefly wondered if he’d actually offended her.  “I’m just kidding.” He added.  He stood, stretching out his legs, and perched on the edge of her bed instead.  “As far as I know, today is a down day.  I thought maybe you could come to the exchange with me today and run a couple errands and then go to the park or something and relax?”

“That sounds nice.” She said.

“Okay, good.”

They sat together for a moment in silence, looking at each other as if looking into an open book.  Thames glanced away.  He’d always admired Cassy, even in high school (she’d been a freshman when he was a senior) and she’d come out to play soccer and rugby with the guys in the mornings before school started.  Thames had been friends with Scorpio though—they worked together now; they were in the same company, and if they deployed, they’d deploy together—and Scorpio “talked” about her.  He knew Cassy was Scorpio’s girl (anyone who knew Scorpio knew Cassy was Scorpio’s girl) even if they weren’t actually a couple.  But Thames still admired her, admired her larger-than-life attitude, her fiery personality, her sense of humor. She wasn’t the perfect woman—maybe she never would be—but she knew that and took all of her flaws and held them close to her.  And Thames who spent so much of his time trying to be perfect (because he had never been good enough, so even being enough would be enough for him), loved that about her.

Cassy suddenly propped her chin in her palms, her elbows on her knees, so close to Thames that she could smell the sweat beneath the collar of his heather-grey skivvies shirt.  “Why did you join the military?” she asked straightforwardly, and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

He chuckled nervously, but humorlessly, clearing his throat as he scratched his chin.  He was clean-shaven, his cheek bare and exposed, yet he still picked at some ghost of stubble upon his face.  He was hesitating to answer, he realized, and quickly began his explanation before Cassy noticed as well.  “I’m a dumbass,” he finally said, the words tumbling recklessly from his mouth without any thought.  Cassy arched a curious eyebrow that told him that his response had been unsatisfactory.  He continued.  “I wasn’t good for anything else.  I wasn’t good at anything else.” His voice dropped to a murmur as he shrugged uncomfortably.  “I was already here anyway.”

“That’s not why.”

He looked up at her and frowned.

Cassy laid a hand on his, ceasing his nervous wringing of his hat, and she took the cap and pulled it back onto his head, tucking stray wisps of hair underneath it.  She stopped then and they looked each other in the eye.  “Tell me the real reason.” She said and finally let go of his hands.  All of the warmth from her touch disappeared from his palms, so he clasped his fingers together.  For someone still so young, she already knew so much—about the world and how it worked and the twisted insides of people, and how they’d become such dark and gnarled human beings living behind two faces after seeing war, injustice, death, and murder.

Finally, he said:  “Nothing was important to me.  I never loved anything.”

Cassy frowned, her pink lips turning downward.  Thames, who was still so young, so bright, so kind, couldn’t love?  Anything?

Thames was an orphan.  His mother, an astrophysicist, and his father, an aerospace engineer, had worked together on engineering a neighboring space station attachment to hold back up supplies during wartime.  During their work on the station, however, an engine that kept the base suspended in space and tethered to one orbital path caught fire.  It could have been repaired if it’d been noticed sooner, but the fire spread to the stored gasoline, gunpowder, and explosives and the entire station had been lost in the explosion.  There had been no survivors.

Thames hadn’t known his parents.  He could not dwell, brood, or even reminisce.  He’d never seen pictures of them.  There’d been no remains and no graves for him to visit.  The only thing he had was a tiny memorial in a park garden with their names on it, Phoebus and Europa Astrid, tucked into a list of engraved names of everyone else who had died in the catastrophe.  He had been only a baby and all of his living relatives lived on Terra, impossibly far away, and so he was sent to live with a foster family on base that had a son of their own in the military.  Soon after his deployment he was killed in combat and his parents mourned his death thereafter, nearly forgetting Thames’s existence entirely.  He had been neglected and deprived of the love of a family, which he sought instead in school sports, many high school girlfriends, and lots of weekend partying.

“I felt like the world had stabbed me in the back,” he continued.  “I thought my existence was a cruel joke.  It was meaningless.  Pointless.  I had no purpose in life.  In fact, my life was so insignificant,” his voice suddenly hardened.  “That everyone and everything would have been better off if I just dropped dead.”

Cassy flinched at his words.  This wasn’t the Thames she knew.

“But I had nothing to die for.” He explained.  “That is why I made my decision.”

“Because you wanted to die?” Cassy ventured forth quietly.

“I wanted something to die for.” Thames said.  “My step brother had died in war and everyone missed him.  I wanted to be missed when I was gone, too.  But it changed me.”

“How?” Cassy asked.

Thames glanced at her.  She was looking at him full-on, holding onto him with her blue eyes alone.  “It gave my life a purpose.” He said.  “It gave my life importance.  It changed me.  I was taught to defend myself, but first and foremost I was taught to kill.” He looked down.  “I know how to kill another human being.  I know how to take a life.  But I know how to save one, too.  And I think,” he paused, glancing at Cassy.  “That if you tried, you could learn so much more than you already know.”

Cassy looked at Thames, and he looked back at her.  They looked at each other, and for a long time neither of them spoke a word.  They were nervous to destroy the silence between them, that silence that they shared.  They shared a profound understanding of the cruelty of people and the world, a world where men shot other men on their own land without remorse, when they could be out in the field shooting the enemy.

Finally, Cassy said, “What do you mean?”

“I just mean,” Thames began, leaning closer to her.

I mean, you already know so much, Cassy.  You are wise beyond your years.  You have so much potential to do remarkable things for our world.  And you are worth so much.

“What?”

I think I am falling in love with you.

“What were you saying?”

Thames’s lips barely brushed against hers, as if to kiss her.  He touched her face, his fingertips lightly brushing hair behind her ears.  Finally, he pressed his mouth against hers, kissing her full on the lips.

 ***

COLD WATER STREAMED down Cassy’s pink cheeks, sliding off of her round shoulders and running down her back as she stood beneath the shower head, pushing wet hair back from her forehead, and rubbed sweat from her eyes with clenched fists.  Inside the locker room, she could hear the door swing open and slam shut again, and she quickly shut the water off.  The thump of a sports bag being thrown into a metal locker rang off of the tile floors.  Must have been Angel.

“Cassy?” she called.  “Are you in here?”

“Yeah,” Cassy responded, wringing water from her hair.  “Just got out of the shower.”

“Where have you been?” Angel snapped.

Cassy wrapped a towel around her middle and pushed the plastic curtain aside, stepping out of the shower.  “Why?”

“I’ve been looking for you all morning.” She said, unwrapping her hands from yet another hot date with the punching bag in the weight room.

Angelina Stark was an assertive but attractive young woman with what could be politely described as a somewhat overbearing personality that typically intimidated other women, and men, and occasionally small children as well.  She’d come from a wealthy Terranian family, but her father’s business empire went to ruin, he became bankrupt, and their fortune was lost.  Though she had learned politics and the diplomatic tactics of an ambassador, her personality defects often collided with her duties.  She showed interests in military intelligence, novel artillery, and combat engineering.  Angel was stunning—a bright and shining star in a sky of dimly glowing planets—but she was also built like a soldier.  She had answered to the call of duty to serve on the General Rigel Interstellar Base with hesitance, however, after being sexually assaulted by an officer on post.  He had never been discharged or even identified, but she had been transferred to command an all-female company due to her skill and excellence in her field of work.

“Well, I slept in.” Cassy said.  “Thames said it’s a down day.  You don’t decide whether or not I sleep in, Ange.  You’re not my babysitter.”

“And just because Astrid is doesn’t—”

“Thames isn’t my babysitter either, thank you very much.” Cassy interrupted, tugging all of her clothes out of her locker.  “What is it you need, again?”

Angel crossed her arms, leaning her weight into the lockers.  “Some guy from the Rex platoon wanted me to come find you.” She said.

Cassy’s heart leapt.  “Really?” she asked.  “Who?”

“I wouldn’t know, people just asked around until it got to me.” She explained.  “But I was told that they’re training with first battalion today and some of the other guys from the Orpheus mission detachment.” She paused, frowning at Cassy’s lack of a reaction.  “They’re on post today.  Should be fun.  What do you say?”

Cassy shook her head.  “No, thanks,” she replied, pulling her tank top over her head.

Angel stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans.  “I’m sure they’d be happy to see you.” she added.  “What’re you so down about, anyway?  You seemed fine yesterday.”

“I am fine.” Cassy said as she fastened the buttons on her blue denim shorts.

Angel planted her hands on her hips.  “Tell me what is going on right now.”

Cassy cleared her throat and covered her face with her hands.  “I kissed a boy,” she admitted, her voice muffled behind her palms.  “Or, he kissed me.  Whichever one it was.”

Angel didn’t bother feigning surprise for Cassy’s sake.  It had been bound to happen sooner or later.  “Who?  Leo?” she guessed.

“No!” Cassy exclaimed.

Now, Angel was overtaken by a genuine incredulity.  Her delicate eyebrows shot up into her hairline.  “What?  Who was it?”

Cassy huffed, grabbing her shoulder bag and slamming the door of her locker shut.  “It isn’t your business!”

Angel’s gaze narrowed.  “Well, you don’t have to tell me, but you are going to get your skinny ass out there to see those Rex boys.” She said.  “Because it was too damn hard to find you, and frankly, Rex boys are fine, and it would be a downright shame not to.”

“I’m not going.” Cassy argued, shrugging her shoulders unhelpfully.  “I just showered, and I already have things to do today.  Sorry.”

Unfortunately, “no” was never an acceptable answer for Angel.

***

THERE HAD BEEN A TIME when Homosapien Rex soldiers had been very few and very far between, because there had been only a handful in existence and none were perfected models or even successful.  However, engineering of troops as weapons of mass destruction had improved significantly since those times, and now there were mainly Rex soldiers and even—imagine this—half-Rex offspring, serving right there on the base.

When not on a mission, Rexes trained together in a platoon of some of the most physically capable and skilled men available.  They were the troops that excelled in all areas of their work at an accelerated rate, and performed above and beyond the rest of their comrades so that their commanders have no choice but to transfer them to a separate platoon to work with the best of the best.  Though the percentage of human soldiers was greater than that of Rex soldiers, and there was only about enough Rexes to make up a squad of about ten or twelve men, it was typically referred to as the “Rex platoon” due to their fame in the corps.

Usually, a platoon was commanded by a first lieutenant, but the Rex platoon was a special exception and the platoon leader was a captain, and the battalion commander.  In spite of being an all-male platoon, the platoon leader was female, and a Rex herself—one of the first successful Homosapien Rexes other than Admiral Sirius Rex.

Captain Ursa Boötes was a hulking, brute of a woman that took no mercy upon her platoon.  She intended to lead the Rexes and their comrades to excellence and had succeeded thus far in doing so.  As a Rex, she understood the importance of defining enhanced ability in other soldiers, and though she was not sympathetic, compassionate, or benevolent (Cassy had heard her mother refer to this as a “design flaw”), she was, in fact, rational, systematic, and competent, which made her the ideal soldier for the job.

If Cassiopeia Libra-Rex and Angelina Stark hadn’t already been known by most of the platoon, they would have looked awkward and ridiculous coming around to watch the Rexes train, two prima donnas showing up to a fight club:  one in designer jeans and manicured fingernails and the other in short-shorts and flower-print sandals.  But it was widely know that, aside from beating you not being enough for Angel, she had to be able to assault you with her words as well, she could also do anything you could, do it better, and do it in heels.  As for Cassy, everyone knew who her father was, knew she was of Rex blood, and most of the men were counting down the days until she graduated and joined their platoon with the other Rexes.  Unfortunately, Cassy would put you down and make you like it, and loved to make the boys cry.

When the ladies showed up the platoon hadn’t fallen in yet and were standing in groups warming up, socializing, or competing against each other in basic physical training, churning out push ups, sit ups, and pull ups.  A group of men were playing smear the queer with a worn out football, tackling each other and throwing the ball into the air.  Some were already tearing their shirts off and tossing them down, others in only wife-beaters, and Cassy recognized a lot of the familiar faces flanking over in her direction.  Their commander hadn’t arrived yet and a few guys called out greetings, inviting her to join them, but Cassy couldn’t make out one voice from another.

Angel, though, didn’t take a moment of hesitance, tying her hair up into one long platinum ponytail down her back and going to play with the boys.  Cassy felt bad for them.  They’d try to take it easy on her, but Angel had a mean tackle and didn’t hold anything back.

As much as Cassy wanted to join the fun, she stood back and searched through the abundance of unknown faces, strong jaws, ripping muscles, exposed pecs, and washboard abs for the two familiar men she hadn’t seen yet.

[catandmouserp]

Pariah #5

Post #5 of Pariah

By Kat

Soliloquy flinched when Santiago took her arm, though not because she was afraid of being touched; a jolt of…something had run up her arm like electricity, but it wasn't unpleasant.  Soliloquy blushed ever so slightly as she thought for a moment she might be attracted to this stranger, but after a moment’s thought she realized she was.  But it was like a moth was attracted to a light, a cold child to a warm flame; she felt safe, protected.  Her breath hitched when she realized what it was, what this feeling could possibly be.

This boy had given her his blood, had shared it with her and let her drink from his veins.  Soliloquy hadn't thought anything of the act at the time because she was dying, the sanguine smell of crimson driving her all but mad at the thought of going another second without it.  It meant something to do this, some sort of pact, but Soliloquy wasn't sure exactly what it entailed.  Her mother had explained it in one of her brief moments of lucidity, but it had been garbled and almost unintelligible.  Soliloquy glanced after Santiago’s retreating figure and thought of mentioning it to him, but decided against it when she thought he would want her to explain. 

It wasn't like it was a bad thing anyway; Soliloquy had once shared a similar bond with her brother.

Soliloquy could only nod in understanding as Santiago explained the bath and his pajamas, awkward as only a boy could get in front of a pretty girl.  His thoughtfulness toward her, a stranger, surprised Soliloquy; she could only guess he was feeling the same as her.  But a faint smile was startled out of her at his words, along with a timid nod because yes, he was rather handsome.  It was boyish now, still soft and unrefined, but Soliloquy could see that time would forge his features into that of a man who would break many hearts.  It was with quiet confidence in some inner feeling that she knew, without a doubt, that hers would never be one of them.  And she was okay with that.

When Santiago closed the door behind him, Soliloquy slipped her small frame out of her clothes and let them fall in a dirty pile in the middle of the floor.  But instead of immediately submerging herself into the baths warm waters, Soliloquy instead chose to look into the mirror herself.  The edges of the glass were beginning to fog up, but like a frame it showed the picture of a girl, and in this picture she was tired.  Tired of running, tired of hiding, and tired of being tired.  She was just a small thing growing into the curves of a shapely woman, long chestnut hair draped over her shoulders like a cloak.  Her eyes were big and bright and full of sadness, but in the middle was a tiny prick of light that spoke volumes about her strength.  She was beautiful, but she was flawed.

As her image was covered by the fog Soliloquy turned away and stepped into the water, lowering herself until the tip of her chin rested atop the water’s surface.  She rubbed her arms with the soapy bubbles that swam around her, washing dirt and blood from her porcelain skin until only purity remained.  Her legs came next, free now of the grass stains that had accumulated after several days of sleeping in the wilds.  It was when she started on her torso that Soliloquy slowed down, moving sluggishly now as if it was a task that she never wanted done.  But grime had accumulated there too, and needed to be rid of .  So Soliloquy set her lips in a grim line and started wiping down her skin, trying not to think too much about it.

Her chest and neck were cleaned without much problem, but Soliloquy was going to need another washcloth soon, this one was already turning brown.  It was all delaying the inevitable though, the slow reach for another rag, and the debate about whether she should use fresh water.  But with the fresh clothe in hand and the suds popping faintly in her ears, the girl set the washcloth on her chest and dragged down.  Her hand shook slightly the farther she got, and it was when the rag was just beneath her breasts that she was stopped completely.  Soliloquy grit her teeth as a sharpness shot through her chest, trying to stop the tears that were building up in her eyes.  It wasn't real pain that caused the girl to falter, but rather the memory of an agony that haunted her even many years after.

Soliloquy placed a finger on a puckered piece of flesh at the bottom of her sternum, the washcloth lost in the water, and shakily traced down a line of jagged, bumpy skin until she reached her belly button.  Slowly she brought her hand back up to a high left rib and began tracing again sideways, ending an equal distance on the right side of her rib cage.  It was a twisted ritual Soliloquy put herself through every time she saw the cross, etched so wickedly into her skin like some devout had thought her a monster.  Soliloquy remembered the suffering quite vividly, for the process to leave a lasting mark on a vampire was slow and grueling.  What made it so terrible for Soliloquy though, in her mind, was that it was the last gift her mother had ever given to her.

Just as a sob slipped past her throat, Santiago began to speak.  His voice worked through the haze of pain until only a soft, forgettable throbbing remained, leaving Soliloquy to stare blankly at the door.  She listened to him, listened to the fluctuation and dips in his tone and the way he said things.  She listened to his feelings, and put together a picture with them that told her all she needed to know about this boy that saved her.  Santiago was lost, lost in this new world of darkness and death that Soliloquy had been made in to, and now trudged the low roads of misery and fear to end up here, at a crossroads.  Soliloquy only hoped that she could help him pick the right way, but said nothing; there was nothing to say.

Solemnly Soliloquy fished around for her washcloth, finding it almost immediately, and resumed cleaning herself without any more thoughts about her scar.  Outside Santiago had begun to play on his guitar a melody that wrenched at poor Soliloquy’s heart, painting for her a picture akin to the one his feeling had made.  Everything was blue, deep and dark and lonely, underneath which slashed a thin sliver of ice, a splinter of pain that stabbed deep into the boy’s heart.  Water cascaded down Soliloquy’s skin as she stood up from her now lukewarm bath, soap suds crawling away from her back to reveal a lattice work of scars along her lower back, like some shaky child had tried to draw on her back with a dull knife.  Quietly the girl reached for her towel and dried herself off, slipping into her temporary pajama’s before roughly scrubbing her hair free of water.

When the bathroom door opened, it opened slowly, almost as if the girl inside knew Santiago was leaned against it.  Soliloquy slipped past quite easily but didn't go away, choosing instead to stand in front of him and stare down with expressive hazel eyes.  His t-shirt reached mid-thigh on her, his flannel pants rolled several times to keep from swimming around her feet, and her hair, weighed down by the water, nearly touched the floor.  But the silent tears that streamed down her face were sure to catch his attention first.

“I was born this way.” She mumbled, but it felt like a shout.

“I never had a name but Monster,” Soliloquy continued, her voice trembling as her throat grew tighter.  “But brother always said I was his sweet little angel.”

Brother was said so tenderly, like he was the only thing that had ever mattered. 

Her fingers curled into fists at her side as tears ran continuously down her face, but she held Santiago’s eyes steadfast with her own, even as she sank to her knees before him.  Without warning she gently rested the boy’s guitar from his grip and laid it carefully to the side, then took him into her warm arms and embraced him, making herself a shield against the rest of the world.  She laid his head against the crook of her neck, stroking her slender fingers through his hair in a soothing gesture.

This disease, this curse, had never been for Soliloquy anything but her life, so she found it strange that Santiago would see it as a second chance.  But perhaps with helping him she could find a second chance; perhaps, walking with this familiar stranger, she too could be reborn.

“Thank you for meeting me.”

[catandmouserp]

Pariah #4

Post #4 of Pariah

By Mickey

Santiago cracked a faint smile as he watched the girl trailing after him but made an effort not to do it again where she could see.  He sat still and patiently as she worked and appreciated her diligence and the dedication she put forth in even the most insignificant and mundane challenge.  Once Soliloquy stepped in front of him Santiago eagerly took the opportunity to examine her exposed body and his eyes followed the curve of her thighs, the curve of her hips, and then finally came to linger upon the delicate curve of her breasts.  At last he turned his head away from her and nervously cleared his throat.  “That’s good,” he said, taking her gently by the elbow and standing from his seat.

“I, uh,” he began.  “I ran you a bath.  Thought it’d make you feel a bit better to get cleaned up some.”  Santiago led her into the bathroom where the warm, soapy water filled the bathtub.  He paused briefly as he passed his own reflection in the mirror and stopped to examine his new trim, almost not recognizing his own face when it wasn't hidden beneath his bangs.  He ran a hand through his hair and then turned to give Soliloquy a bright, boyish grin.  “Would you look at that?” he said.  “I’m not bad looking.  Who knew?”

Santiago waved towards the folded towel on the toilet seat.  “I set a towel out for you.  I’ll leave you alone and give you some privacy.  You can wear my pajamas to bed and I’ll, uh, sleep on the floor.”  He hesitated a moment before finally shutting the door behind him.  He kicked off his boots at the front door and anxiously paced around the tiny motel room in his socks with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his blue jeans.  Eventually he settled outside of the bathroom with his head resting against the closed door and his thoughts, his feelings, his very basic senses, all overwhelmed by her.  He found himself wanting to be close to her, with her, by her side, at all times, no matter what.  He sighed deeply.  He had questions he longed to ask her and answers he wanted to know.  If he found out more about her was it possible to learn more about himself?

“I don’t know who I am anymore,” he admitted softly to her through the walls.  “But one time, my name was Santiago.  Santiago Martinez.  I didn't die,” he said.  “I was reborn.  The way a phoenix rises from the ashes… or a butterfly that comes out of its cocoon.  The woman that made me told me that.  ‘Death,’ she said, ‘is not the end, just a new beginning.’  I didn't use to believe her.”  He hung his head, running his hands through his hair.  His fingers were trembling.  How could he be speaking the words that came from his heart to a stranger, words he could not even bear to say to himself?  “But I’m starting to.”

He swallowed.  Santiago knew she was no stranger.  She was an angel, and he’d found her for a reason.  It could have been anyone that’d stopped for her:  it could have been a human, or a witch, or even another vampire.  It could have been anyone but it hadn't been; it’d been him.  She needed him and he knew he needed her more than anything.  Why had it been her?  He’d been drawn to her not because they were the same but because that was the way it was always meant to be.

Santiago knew only how to hurt others, but he didn't want to hurt her.  He wanted to help her.  He wanted to make her happy.  So he would, in the only way he knew how.  He took his guitar, held it in his arms, and played quiet music for her outside of the door.  It wasn't any song he’d ever written.  It was just a melody, soft and sad and beautiful, that he plucked away on the strings of the instrument one note at a time like a soliloquy that spoke to her in a way he couldn't.  There were no words but it spoke just the same.

When Santiago had woken up alone the night before in an empty alleyway, lying in a puddle on the cement, he had never anticipated this.   Meeting this woman—this other vampire—had completely changed the outcome of his fate.  After being beaten nearly to death by vampires and left to suffer and burn up in the sunlight in the morning, he’d crawled on his elbows into a corner and crouched in a shadow until he’d had the strength to run away.  He was finished.  He had avenged his mother’s death.  His job was done and now that he’d had nothing left to live for, he had no reason not to die.

He didn't want to be a monster.

When Santiago had started his motorcycle and fled the city, he’d had every intention of riding all day and night to the top of the mountains in the suburbs on the outskirts of the town.  He’d planned to stop for nothing until he’d reached the summit and overlooked the cliff’s edge that dropped so far down it might go straight down into Hell.  And he’d begun to think nothing could stop him from driving his bike from the precipice and taking his own immortal life… nothing at all, nothing except for a girl crying by the side of the road that he thought if he could just save her then maybe he could save himself.  And then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to be so all alone forever.

[catandmouserp]

Pariah #3

Post #3 of Pariah

By Kat

The girl's wails stopped abruptly the moment she heard the stranger’s footsteps, her head snapping down and around to pierce the boy with dilated hazel eyes.  His uncertain approach drew forth a memory of why she was walking down this road, alone, in such a vulnerable position, and she steeled herself to act.  Unsteadily, she planted her blood stained hands on the ground and pushed herself to her feet, feeling the hunger start to grasp her again, and prepared to pounce.  The green and brown in her eyes melted away from pupils, disappearing over the edge of her irises like overfill being exchanged for gold spilled from the Holy Father's mouth; yet it was anything but holy.

But at the sight of the boy’s eyes—so very, very like her own—the girl froze.  All at once she could see it, hear it, smell it, feel what he was, and feel he was like her.  It was when he spoke to her that the girl lost all resolve and she collapsed to the ground in a frail little heap, legs tucked under her as she cried.  Her tears were fat and slow and silent, gold until they dripped from her stricken face onto her lap, and so devoid of any meaning but an intense desire for acceptance.  She watched his actions like a prisoner watching her executioner sharpening the blade of his axe, waiting to see if he would finally just end her misery.  As he bit into his arm and the smell of his blood hit her, she felt the hunger take hold again and fought the overpowering instinct to jump at his throat, the urge to feed for herself rather than be fed like a child incapable of such a simple act.

By the time his wrist was pressed against her mouth the girl was shivering, her eyes such a bright luminescent gold that they easily could've been mistaken as lanterns.  Breathing steadily quickly became taxing for the girl as she let the first taste of the fresh blood hit her tongue, a wave crashing into the back of her skull that pushed her to bleed him dry.  And at first she very nearly did, drinking greedily from the wound and grabbing his arm in a bone crushing grip that left two hand prints in his skin, not willing to let this willing prey go.  But a small tingle behind her eyes that felt like tears threatening to spill fought back, overcoming the animalistic urge to kill.  Without any warning she shoved his arm away and scrambled backwards, staining her white dress green with the grass as she slid across its slick surface.  She gulped in lungfuls of air like she hadn't breathed before, scrubbing the red from her lips like it was acid.  Through it all she stared him in the eye, her own losing their luminosity to become the hazel of a sad little girl with nowhere to go.  In their depths swam a wordless gratitude toward the stranger, for being such an idiot for letting her feed, and being kind enough to give her his blood.  So it was only with a slight pause that the girl followed the boy onto his bike, climbing behind him to sit and quietly take hold of his jacket, closing her eyes to just trust.

***

To the girl's senses, the motel room smelled of mold and dead things, like the dust that floated around were fragments of memories the past-stayers had left behind.  It was unpleasant, but the last thing the girl wanted to do was complain to the boy who had just saved her life.  She was tired, but curiosity had her poking around in things the strange boy had already investigated, trailing a few feet behind him like a stray he had fed that was still trying to decide if he was safe or not.  When nothing else caught her eye the girl climbed onto the bed and rested her back against the headboard, crossing her slim legs and bringing them up the her chest to wrap her pale arms around.  She stayed like that until the boy came out of the bathroom and held the scissors out to her, breaking her intense concentration from the peeling wall before her.

Without a word she took the scissors and watched as the boy set himself up at the end of the bed, his back to her as he asked her to fix his hair.  Now, in the weak light of the motel room, the girl could see just how different it was, and understood immediately why he wanted it changed.  What she didn't understand was why he wanted her to do it; she had never cut hair before, asides from the few dolls she had had as a child.  And as she recalled, those experiments had turned out... interesting.

Realizing that she was leaving the boy to sit awkwardly in her silence the girl shook herself from her memories and crawled down to dangle her legs off the edge of the bed, settling behind the mess the boy had once probably called a hairdo.  Gingerly she took one of the longer locks near his neck and held the open scissors to them, hovering baitedly over the fine strings like a guillotine whose release had yet to be cut.  A nervous gulp rippled down her tiny throat as she made the first slice, watching the hair fall to the floor to be lost in the dark color of it.  Frowning, the girl set aside the scissors and hopped off the bed, her bare feet slapping the blue tiles of the bathroom floor as she disappeared inside.  Seconds later she came back out with a towel in hand and knelt beside the boy, laying the cloth out flat beneath his hair so it would catch it and make cleaning up all the more easier.

Satisfied the girl clambered back to behind the boy and retrieved the scissors, staring at the mop of hair and contemplating her next move.  Cutting hair couldn't be that hard, so she hunkered down and set to her task, slender eyebrows drawn together in intense concentration as she raised the scissors and prepared to strike.

Chunks of hair fell to the waiting towel below as the girl set to work, and as slow and deliberate as she was being it was going to take awhile.  She really didn't want to screw the nice boy's hair up-well, anymore than he already had.  He was depending on her to make it better, and though it such a simple, mundane task, the girl didn't want to disappoint.  It took about ten minutes for her to finish with the back of the boys hair, making it a much more tamed mess than what it had been before.  She, however, was no stylist, so the cut still left much to be desired, but anyone would agree that it was still a couple steps above what he had had before.  Satisfied and afraid of causing any further damage the girl got off the bed once more and moved around to the boy's front, and suddenly became self conscious.

Behind the boy had been safe, but here in front, where he could watch her, the girl became shy.  She didn't know this boy at all as anything but her savior and here she was, cutting his hair like she was his sister or something, and their mom would walk in through the door at any moment at start yelling at them.  The thought brought the ghost of smile to the girl's lips, but then she remembered who her mom was and the smile slipped away into an expression of quiet melancholy.  Soundlessly the girl took a bit of hair between her forefinger and thumb and poised the scissors to cut, shearing the hairs away.  It was like a line had been erased.

"...Soliloquy..."

The word was so soft it could have easily of been mistaken as a trick of the mind, but the forming of the word with her mouth told the boy it wasn't.

"M'name..." the girl said again, voice small and sweet as a chime, "it's Soliloquy."