Introducing: Maya as the Siren

Day two on Pandora. Nobody here's used to seeing a siren. Half the people I've met wanna worship me -- the other half wanna turn me over to Hyperion. Still, it's a nice change of pace from the abbey -- at least here the bad guys stab you from the front. I haven't found a shred of info about Sirens. The closest I've got to a lead on Siren history are legends of an alien vault. Maybe if I find this vault, I find out where the hell Sirens come from. Or maybe I'll prove Brother Harker right and take a bullet to the head five minutes from now. We'll see how my week goes. (Independent Borderlands roleplay blog.)

[hackingpandora]

His hands are raised. The shock of not being horribly maimed or shot leave Rhys momentarily speechless. He exhales. “I’m… I’m okay? I think?”

Frantically, he checks himself for blood or other injuries. He’s lucky that the bandits had such terrible aim. The only pain he has in his feet where his shoes pinch. It’s not the first time Rhys finds himself wishing for something more practical. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”

Knowing he isn’t immediately going to die allows him to process exactly what he’d just seen. Normal people aren’t able to explode bandits with a flick of their wrist. Normal people don’t have magical tattoos, either. That only leaves one explanation.

“Holy crap—are you…?” Rhys grins widely. “Are you a Siren?”

[mayaasthesiren]

Maya gives him a moment to gather his wits as well as his strength, looking over him herself. No visible wounds. Given the voracity of the local bandit clans, the man is fortunate.

One glimpse of the logo emblazoned near the lapels of his suit, and she understands how one person might have angered the patrols.

What Maya doesn't understand is something else. "You work for Hyperion, and you're... happy to meet a siren?"

If she considers leveling the gun his way, the thought is quickly set aside. From all appearances, he's unarmed and grateful for his life, out of his element. To lord the advantage of fear, intimidation, over the man would feel too close to what she's been attempting to distance herself from all these long years.

[allupinamask]

Oil and fluid spurted from the bots as his axe found its mark between mechanical joints and splitting red orbs of light. It seemed no amount of bullets or raking shoves could stop his rampage. All the while struggling to stay focused enough to give Maya an opening she would need to get out of the facility.

More than once her power flashed in the corner of his eye, holding a robot before crumpling it to the ground. Always impressive to see the show of raw talent such as hers sending chills through him. That day on the platform of the train station, it could have easily been him in her power's grasp. And that was a thought that rarely left his mind. How she had spared him. Accepted him.

Heads up! The voice ringing in his head as a larger badass came stomping towards them. Maya had yet to see it, guns aimed and charging with a bright hotness. Growling out he rushed to her, large arms scooping her off the ground as the first volley of shots were fired. With her cradled awkwardly in his arms he drug them to the floor.

The warmth of her there against him was short lived however, up on his feet in a flash and charging headlong into the bot as it charged its guns again. Jumping at the last moment his body collided with it causing the badass to stumble backwards before teetering over.

"yOu bElOng to mE baDAsS!" Growling out as his axe slammed down over and over again into the struggling robot. Krieg didn't stop swinging until the mechanical voice was silent leaving them both alone in the chaos of destruction around them.

[mayaasthesiren]

It isn't the same as being blindsided. There's no pain or force, but there is motion, something solid against her as she's bodily hauled from the volley. A quick glance tells her all she needs to know, that Krieg already sees what she only recently does: the larger robot lumbering their way.

Regaining her bearings and bringing her weapon at the ready again, Maya finds it isn't necessary. Piece by piece, the machinery is almost skillfully dismantled, and she won't risk a shot for the sake of it, not with the situation well in hand and an ally in direct line of fire. Her eyes drift to their surroundings, on guard for reinforcements, but when the wreckage is left to smolder, the facility's exit is quiet save for the two of them. The supplies are still intact, strapped in place.

Light steps bring Maya to Krieg's side. "Nice catch. Thank you." She remembers the station, the rats, how Krieg had assisted then, too. Their friendship had been unspoken since, her trust never once misplaced.

The sharp tilt of Maya's head gestures back to the door, a silent signal that they should leave while they could. It's as she turns, taking the stairs from the facility, that she scowls at the distance.

The only fragments left of their outrunner resemble the many robots that had stood against them.

"I suppose that means we're walking." The nearest travel station is a short trip by foot.

[allupinamask]

It was a whirlwind of brutality for the siren and psycho, with both man and machine falling by their hands. For Krieg it had been a beautiful day, like a calm walk in a park. Wether Maya thought so or not he couldn't be sure.

Charging along with her, using his back as a shield for the bullets that were still coming their way, he wanted to stay and fight. However, he wouldn't leave her unprotected. Ducked behind cover he was breathing hard but with a manic grin hidden behind the mask. Dark eye peering at the exit guarded by a few bots.

"LEt thE bLacKnEsS cOvEr mE." It would be by sheer force that got them out. From his crouched position he sprinted, axe ready for the slaughter as the mechanic voices of the bots alerted to his attack.

[mayaasthesiren]

Maya can only describe Krieg as a powerhouse of motion, snapping up the attention of every bot in their vicinity. It's a risky decision, but she has learned to trust her instincts as well as her companions.

"The blackness is all yours." There are times when the outbursts seem like that -- outbursts -- but others, when there's a rhyme and reason.

In the chaos Krieg makes, she finds her feet, covering his back by focusing on the enemies bringing up the rear, measuring the burst of bullets to conserve ammo.

Another flare of her tattoos and the power they ignite holds some of the enemies stationary, allowing her to dispatch them quickly.

[mayaasthesiren]

allupinamask

With the briefcase of supplies strapped safely over her back, Maya breaks into a sprint, a retinue of Hyperion's finest already at the heels of her partner and herself. When cover allows, her hurried steps only falter long enough to suppress the soldiers' progress with a whorl of phase energy, but it isn't enough to end the rain of bullets in their direction.

"Let's keep moving, big guy. We're almost out of here." The exit is in reach. Or it would be, if they can hold off Hyperion's forces.

[mayaasthesiren]

ninjadaftpunk

The old, empty cans fall in quick succession under an onslaught of submachine gun rounds. Maya lowers the gun to survey the shots with both eyes.

"It's faster than the other models. Not bad." When she turns to Zer0, she gestures to the gun. "What do you think?"

[hackingpandora]

mayaasthesiren

“I should be dead.”

Rhys’ chest heaves from exertion. A spray of bullets from the bandits chasing him are his answer. They’ll be on him soon enough; he doesn’t even have the time to catch his breath. He inhales raggedly, and takes off.

“I should be so dead,” he mutters to himself. Another bullet whizzes past his ear, and Rhys ducks his head for the next one. “Oh, god.”

Behind him, one of the bandits screams something about ripping his flesh. His friend lets out a menacing cackle in response. Rhys fails to see how it’s funny, but his sense of humor tends to be saner. He finds a jutting piece of concrete where a structure once stood. It’s there that he realizes there’s nowhere else for him to hide. Nothing but wasteland stretches ahead of him.

“That’s it. I’m dead.”

[mayaasthesiren]

As the outrunner rolls to a stop, Maya slips from the seat, boots crunching on sand and rock. Frantic footfalls and gunshots litter the village already. Someone or something has the bandits riled -- a man, she soon sees, and that man is leading them her way.

No hesitation, no thought. Maya does the only thing she can. A snap of her arm and flex of her fingers ignite the tattoos, snaring the stranger's pursuers in pulsating energy. The pressure alone crushes the first, and the second is picked off, while disoriented, with a few rounds from her gun.

As suddenly as the fighting begins, it's over.

In the eerie calm, Maya swivels to the stranger, brow furrowing in concern. "Are you injured?"

[mayaasthesiren]

(I'm shaking the dust off the blog and regaining my bearings after a hiatus. Thanks for the follows already! I can toss some starters at anyone if they'd like. Short things to start simple. That's up to you all out there.)

[ninjadaftpunk]

Zer0’s turns his head to her, a smile projecting onto his helmet. “Of course.”

With that, he begins the climb down. It’s easier than climbing up, his feet almost silent on the rooftops of Sanctuary. Which was just as well, it wouldn’t do to have an angry citizen dash out to yell at him to get down when he was already in the process of doing so. When his feet hit solid ground, he turns back to watch Maya’s descent.

[mayaasthesiren]

Maya snorts to herself. Anyone else might actually challenge her for it. Then again, Zer0 usually does has a reason for how he picks his battles.

She takes a moment to gather her weapons and shield. In a few jumps to the misshapen ledges and boxes around the buildings, Maya is back at the city center, striding for the entrance.

[ninjadaftpunk]

“We should check it out / Could be a worthy challenge / Or nothing at all,” Zer0 said. The face plate on his helmet flashed a smiling emoticon, indicating that he liked his idea. Whether or not Maya wanted to venture out into the night was beyond his knowledge. It could be risky. Or, it could be fun.

[mayaasthesiren]

The impulse to agree is already on her lips, but she stops herself. From the rooftop, she peers down over Sanctuary, sleepy, cool, and quiet in the dark. No one is beating down the Crimson Raiders' headquarters. For the moment, there's only that unknown source of smoke winding into the sky.

Maya nods. "Under one condition," she says. "If I can drive." Admittedly, out of most of them, she isn't the best at it, but a little practice couldn't hurt. They get to their destinations in a single piece. That's what matters.

[ninjadaftpunk]

Zer0 climbs after her. When he brings himself up to full height, he follows her look out towards the wilds of Pandora. Smoke could mean any number of things, most of them unpleasant.

“Maybe,” he responds.

[mayaasthesiren]

At that, Maya shifts her focus back to Zer0. "Maybe you have a point?" An eyebrow quirks, as do her lips, in amusement.

[ninjadaftpunk]

"A blow worth noting / Injury comes to those unprepared / It doesn’t hurt to check," he says, the emoticon gradually fading from his helmet. Zer0 watches her, his blank helmet following her movements the only indication that he does so. He wonders if she wishes for him to follow. On the battlefield, everything is certain. When it comes to downtime, he doesn’t know much about how to behave. 

[mayaasthesiren]

"I guess you have a point." She doesn't prompt him to follow or otherwise; that's up to him.

From where Maya comes to stand, her hand raises to shield her eyes as she gazes into the distance. There's a plume of smoke rising higher and higher into the sky. "I wonder what that's about." In this chill, it could be someone keeping warm.

[ninjadaftpunk]

Ten Lessons

Characters: Maya, brief mentions of the other Vault Hunters Warnings: Blood, violence Summary: Maya’s path is both difficult and uncertain. A/N: Written as a gift for the lovely mayaasthesiren. She’s my biggest source of inspiration and one of the best rp partners I could ever ask for. My headcanons do not reflect her own.

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[ninjadaftpunk]

Upon seeing that they will not be continuing, Zer0 too drops into a more relaxed stance. Absently, he tests the spot where her blow connected, rolling his arm in the process. It wouldn’t do to sustain real damage while practicing, but it could still very well happen. Their bout had been relatively quick and without the strength behind it of some opponents he’d faced before.

“Thank you,” he says, returning the bow while a smiling emoticon projects itself onto his helmet.

[mayaasthesiren]

He's rolling his shoulder? Really?

Maya snorts a short laugh. "Oh, c'mon. I didn't hit you that hard." At least, she doesn't think she did.

Nudging his arm with her elbow, she walks past him, scaling the uneven slope of rooftop.

[ninjadaftpunk]

This time the blow connects. Zero observes that she is both quick and powerful, a combination that he uses as his own advantage. Even though she’s stumbled, he knows that if she really meant harm it would come easily to her. She wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Something they shared, at least.

“Impressive,” Zero says, remaining in an angled position to better protect himself. He waits to see what her next move will be.

[mayaasthesiren]

There's a roll of her shoulders, a shrug, and a thin smile.

The next blow never comes. The battle stance drops. Satisfied, Maya bows.

It's never about winning -- for her, anyway. Staying sharp on a planet where a mistake is as good as a shallow grave has more substance. Which, when she thinks about it, usually does require some sort of clear outcome, her standing when someone else isn't. After all this time, she catches herself thinking in circles, discipline and honor at odds with practicality and necessity.

Still, she doesn't think Zer0 is here to eviscerate her any more than she's here to do the same.

[hyperionides]

Wow, you must really be jealous. Tell ya what, you turn yourself in and I’ll even give you your own voice modulator. Right before I kill ya.

[mayaasthesiren]

Allow me to borrow a piece of wisdom from a friend: ew.

[hyperionides]

You gotta admit it, babe, I have a really nice voice. I can see how you’d be jealous though, yours is pretty nasally. You might want to get that looked at.

Protest all you like. It still doesn’t change the fact that your little ‘resistance’ is scrambling for its life. Just give up already. It’s pathetic.

[mayaasthesiren]

You're confusing nice with vomit-worthy. I can see how that's an easy mistake to make.

I think I'll take my chances with Sanctuary.

[hyperionides]

Hey, kids!

Handsome Jack here, reminding you all that even though those tools in Sanctuary have a flying city they’re still going to lose. I know you’re thinking—hey, they’ve managed to escape before, they’ll do it again. Well, you’d be dead wrong. See, you can only run and hide so long before I catch up to ya.

But you know, you could always save me the trouble and turn yourselves over. Might even be merciful if you do.

[mayaasthesiren]

If I had any doubts that you really liked hearing yourself talk, they just went out the window. Like it or not, we're doing a whole lot more than hiding. And if we weren't, I don't think you'd bother with these messages.

I can't speak for anyone else, but you can consider this my answer.