May 1st
( Prelude to Emissio )
Fox had been released to follow at her side because seriously? She was likely going to squish the hell out of the poor creature. Hugging her waist she made her way briskly through the streets, blazing a nice lil trail through the market.
After leaving the inn Mach's pace had quickened, catching up to the pink haired woman as she moved. Luckily he had longer legs and she was probably slowed just a touch by the vulpes trotting at her side and so it wasn't like he had to run to catch up. And once he had? Well, then he'd stride along next to the woman in silence, blues ticking about just taking in the sights as they walked. Oooh, pretty marketplace.
"Go away." she hissed at Mach. Quite literally hissed.
Wow... he was literally hissed at by the woman! That was impressive if it wasn't actually very bad. A drag of his cigarette taken as he didn't seem to be making with compliance. "I'm not too keen on that notion yeah? Not really buying the peaches and cream bit."
She jerked to a stop and turned to glare at him. There was something simply cold about the way she was glaring too. "I said go away! Take a hint! Go back to the inn and do the whole kissy face thing and just leave me alone!"
Mach almost kept walking when the woman suddenly stooped, a sort of jerking motion halting him to turn towards her. At that cold, sharp glare the man... didn't even bat an eye. The man was used to staring down a lot of hatred it seemed though that couldn't have been a healthy thing. His expression was calm with a dash of worry as those blues studied her features, her words noted. "I'm bad at hints." Spoken frankly. "And I'm not going to leave you alone. Your hurting and like hell I'm going to turn away from you like that." His tone was even, gentle yet firm though there was a blink at the kissy face remark. The man had to hold in that sigh at the trouble the chaos woman sewed with such a simple gesture, good play Eris, good play... though he was sure lady fortune had to have had a hand in that as well. Maybe even the Norns. "That was.... okay, that was weird even to me. But I'm still not leaving you alone."
There was a howl that followed her sudden motions. As he talked she jerked forward and he barely got his last word out as her fist was thrust his way quicker, and with more force, than any normal human should have. The contact point was targeted for his face. The howl was accompanied by wisps of chaos floating behind her, around her, following her. Fox, for his part scurried off to the side to watch.
Mach... wasn't expecting that... not in the least! She would catch the man off guard though trained and practiced martial technique did at least have him moving to dodge so the brunt of that impact was less so than it would have been if he was completely cold clocked. Of course she still made contact, his world flashing bright white as her fist found his jaw and cheek twisting his head in a snap. There was a splatter of blood from his nose that caught the tail end of that attack, a stumble back before the man reacted autonomously, hand snagging that wrist as he pivoted around his hip to throw the woman off balance and to try and start putting her in a suppression hold... or at least in a position where she could ring his bell again! "What the hell was that!!" He growled as those blues watched the woman. She most certainly had his full attention now as that right eye began to process information it usually didn't as that fight or flight response kicked in. Wait.. did she howl?
That had been a sight to see. He wasn't used to Serah being violent and it of course caught his attention from is flight overhead. The sound of loose stones on the street crunched under foot when he landed, folding his wings behind him and his arms over his chest, "What in the Hells is going on?"
No it was just the wind that howled and Mach would find that when his hip went out she moved a leg, sliding it to balance firm against his own foot so that he couldn't move her without unbalancing himself. She jerked, opposite arm jerking to elbow the man right in the ribs where it would smart. If she got a hold on his shirt and balanced her footing? She was going to throw his ass! Goth for his part was ignored. Poor Goth!
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure how this all looked: pretty woman just cold clocks him and now he's getting rough with her in kind... and a gentlemanly demon just happens along. Okay, lady fortune was most certainly cashing in on some of that good luck it had visited upon him in the past! "That's what... shit!" The man felt that foot against his blocking his arm control before there was an elbow to the ribs, the feeling of impact a little softer and squishier than it should have been. Right as rain his ass but that was neither here nor there as he winced in pain. And was she going for his shirt? Oh hell no, he knew where this was going. He may have been a doof but he was a highly trained and dangerous doof! That arm he still had hold of was wrenched around and back to apply pressure to the elbow as he blocked grab for his shirt with free hand. A bevy of counter attacks flashed through the mans mind, of ways to incapacitate the woman... but he had no interest in the end result of any of those. And so he would pivot back on his hip before pushing the woman trying to get her out of contact range as he'd let go of her arm. And right after? Right after he was on guard because he didn't want to get clocked again! And Gothy? He heard that snort but noted no aggressive movement towards them yet so not a problem... yet. "What the hell Serah!"
He gave a snort and would have grinned and mocked Mach, he didn't seem like a bad guy...but the look on Serah's face and the force she had put behind the hit certainly made him think twice about this being a friendly wrestling game. He didn't mind being ignored, he could wait and so he did and watched the tussle.
Pushed out of range and she was fine with that. What Mach should thank lady fate for? Mog wasn't with her. He'd have real trouble then. Her teeth clenched to the point the flesh of her jaw went white but would of been alarming was the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. Not so much normal tears but it seemed like blood. "Big enough hint for you, Eli. Go away or I won't take it easy on you." She was losing grip and the howl of the chaos was filling her ears. She didn't seem to notice that the wisps were forming along the ground near her. "Just go away! Go away! GO AWAY!" Now she howled and in that moment she turned her fists down, bursting out the chaos from her person like a strong gust of unseen force. Once it ended her shoulders slumped. Fox was likely the only one safe from the outburst considering he was closest to her.
That was something else new and unexpected. The bloody red tears were something he recognized and caused some alarm to rise in the demon rather than just confusion. The swirling chaotic force was enough to get him to unfold his arms and put a shoulder to it so it broke over that rather than his face or chest. The gust rushing past made a whistling in his ears for a moment until it ended. "You should probably listen to the lady." He grunted, rubbing at his shoulder that still tingled.
Those blues ticked back and forth between Gothy and Serah, both equally as dangerous in this situation given his circumstances though he was really only concerned with one. Then again he was lacking most of his heavy hitting spells and potions so if the demon did really get involved Mach was rather skeptical whether he'd actually succeed at beating the man or even at keeping his life. But then when he saw those crimson tear? Well, that settled it. "Nope! Not in the least! To gods damned stupid for even that yeah? So go ahead and do your worst... if I can't stand that I sure as hell don't deserve to stand with you at your best..." Cool words but then the woman did sort of start doing her worst as that wave of chaos energy washed over him, a poison to what life he had left! Taking a stance the man would weather that chaos, grit his teeth as the raw magical energy ripped around and through him, tearing at his soul that had to hold out just a little longer. And when it came to pass? When the woman's shoulders slumped? Well, Mach really was an idiot as he stepped right back into contact range, arms wrapping around the woman in a hug. Well, Gothy had his answer. Mach was too stupid to listen to the lady... probably would kill him but he'll deal with that on the back end. "No..."
There was an audible crack. Loud like thunder. A shape up the street was quite suddenly in the thick of things. Shae's form manifests next to Fox and thus now in the corona of those wisps. Pale gold eyes dart from body to body, one hand extending towards the furred creature, the other extending into the air between her and Serah. "Mach. What the **** is going on here?" Her voice lacked any and all of her usual warmth.
Mach sort of... wobbled as more magical energy, different, came literally flashing on the scene. He... he really wasn't in any capacity to deal with all of this and things were looking like a mob more and more by the second with the demon and the witch now present. Hey... that reminded him of a joke. The demon, the witch, and the hunter walk into a b... there was a shake of head to try and clear those swimming thoughts as he focused, his arms still around Serah as blues ticked wearily to Shae. "Negotiations." Stated simply, tiredly. Blood still sort of ran down his nose from the first time Serah clocked him, a sniffle to try and staunch it though it didn't seem to want to stop. "At an impasse."
"It looks more like you are making a nuisance of yourself." He grunted, his arms folding over his broad chest once again, a deep set frown pulling at his lips. He would hate to have to break Mach's limbs off but it was pretty clear to him Serah was done talking with the other man today.
For a moment she just seemed to stand there in the embrace, not moving, not reacting. Not reacting to him. To Shae. To Goth. When Mach began to speak her hand flattened against the man's chest and for the moment probably looked like she was simply trying to push him off. For Mach? It was a total different story. A swell of energy as the chaos formed in her palm and burst, point-blank, dead center of his chest was released with force.
Eyes narrow to the man. Her head tilts, turning slightly towards Fox. That creature's preternaturally intelligent eyes wavered from the man embracing Serah to Shae's face. An invisible thread between the woman and the canid. Thick with the hints of communication in the body language of both. That is, until Shae's eyes focused with hawklike intent on Serah. "Ma--" Too late for the discharge.
Mach felt that palm against his chest, that gentle push as he held the woman. But then he felt that energy, that string of chaos as it built. He could have let go, could have pushed away but he had made a decision. He wasn't going to let go and he told her to do her worst, and her worst was exactly what she did. That energy tore into the man, blues ticking wide as a burst of blood coughed from his lips. The hunter could hear his saturation level cry uncle, feel his tolerance blow as that energy tore into his very being. He held on for all his worth, grit his teeth against the dead vitae that tried to escape, that oozed from his nose and ears. He resisted that swell of arcane fury valiantly but suddenly, like a rubber band snapping something within the man just gave. Those blues ticked wider as they took on a distant gaze, a smirk starting to cross him though it would freeze as the man's hands lost strength, his entire body loosing strength as he slumped away, landing with a heavy thud upon the ground.
The man was a damned idiot. What he thought was a gesture was pushing Serah past a point of breaking. Shae swore in a demonic tongue as she watched his body go limp. Fantastic. If you're dead. I'm going to kill you. Snarled in Abyssal, but this was not over. There was time to check on Mach later. Serah was still a wild card. The witch looked 'round to where the other stood, summoning his name from the depths of her memory. A day with his daughter. "Gothrak. Do you know what this is?" Gesturing to Serah with a nod of her head.
There was no attempt to catch him. No attempt to even move. Her chin remained leveled but her eyes followed the sway of the body and the fall. She just glared at the body on the ground with a sense of indifference and emptiness. Was she waiting for something? It was possible she was expecting the body to twitch.
Well...they had tried to warn him. Hearing the woman snarling in a tongue he recognized caused him to glance her way but brought his attention back to Serah after making note of the woman. He gave a grunt, "I am in the dark at present...but I would want to know." With a sigh, he figured he could be next on the chopping block and took a step forward, "Serah...?" He wondered if this was what had happened when she said she couldn't remember her accident?
Fox stepped from Shae's side, slow and careful. Positioning his furred form in a stance over the collapsed male. Eyes seeking the empty, bloody stare in the face of the pink haired woman with a soft whine. Shae kept an eye on Gothrak as he approached, watching now for another charge of energy. She was behind Serah's left shoulder.
Oh there should never be any contest that the man was an damned idiot, it was a descriptor that resonated on so many levels. But then he always pushed forward with what limited knowledge he had, did what he thought was best based off his experiences, and gambled on the results every time. Life... it really was an endless poker game to the man. If Serah was looking for a twitch or response there was none save for the slow ebb of blood from him, that half smirk frozen upon a face with eyes beyond a thousand yard gaze. This was the gaze of an empty vessel.
She kind of washed up on the scene like waves washed up on the shore. Instead of approaching the scene, and those there, she lingered on the edges, and watched as Mach was stupid, magic swirled, and thunder boomed. She lingered, and lingered, and lingered, until she watched Mach slump to the ground. Another wave, this time of concern washed over her, and she let her presence be known. Gothrak, was given a brief glance, and as was Shae, and finally Serah. The first two could deal with the latter, as she didn't know the woman. She was also intent on avoiding any type of conflict as well, mainly because she liked the outfit she was wearing. Silent, she moved to kneel besides, him, and reached out to touch his shoulder. "Mach?" His name was called softly.
"Sarai. Move him back if you can." Shae's voice was low, but carried to the ears of the new arrival with surprising clarity.
Her eyes slowly closed and when they opened her eyes had rolled open and focused on Goth. She was aware of Fox as well. Her teeth were clenched, jaw set firm, she just stared at Goth with an empty sort of glare. However when she heard of someone speaking to Mach, or maybe it was Shae announcing to move him? Her eyes snapped wildly over to Sarai. They had met a handful of times but that didn't save the woman from a staring.
He would have looked over to greet Sarai but he was more concerned with keeping his eyes on Serah. The power she'd unleashed certainly seemed intense...but he was a demon, a creature of blood, rage, and chaos. His shoulder tingled in reminder to the energy Serah had harnessed earlier as he got closer to his pink haired friend. "Mach is going to go away now. So, try and relax, alright Serah." He murmured.
Oh look, Sarai! But even at her presence there was nothing from the man. That voice fell on deaf ears, that touch stirred no response. Other than a bruised face, a likely broken rib, and that persistently slow bleed there was nothing that should have caused that vegetative state from the man.
"Let him bleed." she hissed as an answer to Goth. Swirls of chaos began to pattern around her once again but it seemed almost erratic in its movement.
Shae was a lunge away and ready to move, her eyes a paler shade of gold than they normally were. In the streetlamps, the whorls of markings in her skin slowly crawled. Arcane energies swirled half-formed to those with the senses for them. Spells prepared. Her voice was calm. "He will. But away where he cannot bother you and the life will seep away in squalor. Exhale, Serah." Sorry Sarai, some stage business was needed here. Fox whined again, nostrils flaring.
"Sure. I can't heal him anyway." He never did have that talent but he hoped Sarai did. As aggravating as Mach could be, he didn't wish death on him or whatever Serah had done to him, "...Fill me in on what's going on, Serah." He hoped that using her name repeatedly would somehow bring her back to a more stable, less chaotic place.
Even vegetable Mach was granting Serah's wishes because there was no signs that he as stopping! If anything his shallow breathing started to gurgle and crackle as the blood that leaked from his esophagus was getting dangerously close to overfilling and spilling down his airway unless someone got around to tipping him over and pouring him out like a vampire tea kettle.
Her eyes Caught Serah's when she stared, and her eyes narrowed, and seemed to darken. She bit back the growl that had tried bubbling up, so that it was nothing but a rumble, deep in the back of her throat. Then her attention sifted back towards Mach when he started to gurgle and make noises that weren't exactly healthy to make. "No bleeding to death." The words were mumbled, before she hooked her arms up underneath his armpits, and dragged him fie feet. Then she dropped to her knees, and her hands found back and shoulder, coming up and pushing so that she could roll him onto his side. Luckily for Mach, she'd had wandered for a majority of her time, learning what caught her interest, and healing had been one of those things. It was always useful when you could keep someone from dying just a little while longer. In silence, she made note of which injuries were visible, before her fingers dragged up his back, coming to rest against his skin, right where the solar plexus lay. For several moments, her hands glowed, the color faint, and residing somewhere on the spectrum between red and purple. Warmth that normally came from sitting all day besides a fire, would settle over him. Then, moment by moment, and bit by bit, the broken thins within him should start healing. Unless he reacted badly to it. Which would be fun to deal with.
Her eyes remained hard fixed on Sarai almost as if she was daring her to so much as touch Mach. The tears of blood had not stopped and had started to leave red stains on her skin. When the woman growl she didn't flinch but when she moved for Mach the chaos around her began to burst wildly around her and she leaned forward like she was about to unleash on the woman. She snarled something but it was likely lost in the howl of the chaos that swirled around her and becoming much more focused, tightening. Preparing.
The demon winced and closed the distance to put himself between Mach, Sarai and Serah, baring his teeth in a brief warning. It felt weird to make that face at Serah...but Sarai was one of his kin and not doing any harm. "Serah." A warning tone, heedless of the exact magnitude of Serah's new powers were.
A spill of blood flowed from the unresponsive idiots mouth as Sarai finally tipped him draining his esophagus and saving him from drowning at the moment. Well, of course, until she had started to pump more magic in the man that was beyond saturation already. Fun to deal with? Well, then Mach was granting Sarai's wishes too! The man was so much better at granting peoples wishes vegetative than alive it seemed! At that touch of magic the man's body would convulse... violently. Without a mind at helm there was no willing down that reaction that tried to take him every time he was hit with a bolt of magic and so his body simply reacted naturally and unhindered. The blood that flowed split forth in a gush, draining from slack and probably very thankfully silent jaw in a small waterfall of crimson as the magic started to fix his rib and face... don't mind it may well just bleed him to death for some reason.
Few things disturbed her precious sleep these days... crying kids were at the top of the list. Shortly thereafter followed by the sort of soul wrenching agony that was enough to wake the dead. Where it had come from, she didn't know but there was one face in her mind. Serah. Where there was Serah, there was Chaos & with Chaos came her duty. With a wild burst of light, there she stood in the midst. Righteous fury, unholy indignation, pajama pants with anime cats on them. "WHAT. Have. You. Done?!"
Fox stepped as needed while the body moved, slipping deft paws to a new stance between Serah and where Sarai examined the fallen Mach. Positioning with strategic care. Shae had hoped that Sarai would take him further. Out of sight, even. There was nothing to be done at the moment, save wait on that hair trigger. There was her warning. That focusing of power. Shae's hand reached out and then stalled as the spell came to her lips. Claire had arrived. Good. She'd rather not have to cast offensively even if it would save lives. However. If Claire didn't stop that attack, Shae was prepared to take steps.
She looked past Goth and when she saw Mach's body thrash she seemed to simply lose it. Lose it more than she already lost it? "Don't @#$)(*# touch him!" Her voice shrilled at Sarai and she was about ready to bowl in on Goth if she had to. In fact she was on the move, even after hearing her sister's voice.
And more blood at yet another magic filled entrance by Claire. Everyone was getting a kick in on the man tonight!
The surge of energy in the air was almost something she could feel physically. It made her blood hum, and her hands didn't stop glowing. It was Serah's movement that drew her eyes back towards the woman. Who, despite all the threats and chaos that came from her, was met with Sarai's stare. That was until Mach's body started convulsing underneath her fingers. Panic surged across her face, and she jerked back, breaking the contact, and it turn, the magic she had been pouring into him. By the time she glanced up again, Serah was making her way towards them. It took two seconds for her to put herself between Mach's limp form, and Serah's raging chaos. With a snarl that revealed teeth, her glamour faded away, leaving crimson flesh, wings, and molten lava eyes.
Sorry Mach. "Don't you dare!" She snarled the words and slashed a hand through the air so hard it made her shoulder hurt. Chaos split away and coalesced in a darkened wall before Serah, bending to Claire's will in hopes that she would have enough time to dart through the fray and get between Serah and her destination. Come at her bro. Er... Sis.
He was certainly in the dark but he wasn't about to let Serah reach Sarai and moved to intercept so he filled her view. He was a rather large mass after all. "Serah, stop it." He growled, not wanting to use force. Though then there was a black wall in front of him and that caused a step to falter and look about for the cause. Claire? Neat trick...
She hissed at the wall but her head would slowly turn towards Claire, a deep throat laugh echoing from her. "Mind your own business, Savior."
"In case you're forgetting, this is my business." She spat the words, hands up to keep the barrier intact. The briefest of glances went over her shoulder, chin jerking an upnod to Gothrak. "Gothrak, good to see you. Sorry it's under such poor circumstances." Casual as her tone was, she was wholly intent on keeping Serah confined. "Now that's enough Serah. I don't want to hurt you."
"She got Mach point blank with..." A hand gestures to the energy swirling about Serah. "He kept getting in her space after she punched him." Shae reeled back the one spell that lingered on her tongue, coating her words with icy threat, exchanging it for another. Fox shifts to her side, his eyes taking on the same pale shade as her own when he entered the sphere of the witch's influence.
Her chin rose a touch, lips parted as she regarded Claire with the same indifference she did Mach's body. She slowly started to pace the wall much like a caged tiger, a hand raised as she ticked a finger playfully at Claire. Tsk-tsk mocking. "Poor choice of words."
He returned the upnod, "One of you is going to explain this to me later..." He muttered, staying where he was in case Claire needed more muscle. In the mean time though, he would cast a look to Sarai, "Get him somewhere else before you do that again."
Don't mind Mach, he'll just convulse and bleed on the ground over here. At very least he had fallen on his side in what was an approximate of a recovery position so he shouldn't drown quiet yet though the gray was probably getting a little concerning.
"Dumbass never did know when to back down." She muttered under her breath, unable to afford a glance Mach's way. Her hands shifted and twisted, circling the Chaos around Serah. "If you wish to act like an animal, Guardian, I will cage you like one."
Shae was equally in the dark. However. She knew a rage soul when she saw one. A switch had been flipped. Her analytical mind was putting clues together. The conclusion that she came to was...this wasn't the first time.
For a brief moment her eyes softened but it was only when she was close to her sister. She muttered something softly but the shaken words barely left her lips before she was laughing. "Cage me? As if you ever could." A hand went up and she tapped at the center of her chest, a unlike Serah smirk presented.
Her eyes narrowed, ears perked by a murmured plea. Still she held her ground, unable to give an inch lest Serah take a mile. "You wanna bet? I gave you your borrowed time. I can take it away. I can lock it...and you...away in the darkest reaches of Valhalla until you learn to play nice." Though she looked upon her sister, she wore a stoic mask of indifference. This wasn't her sister she was dealing with. "Gothrak," since he seemed closest, "phone in my left pocket, take it out, locate Sven and call him. Tell him there is a situation requiring medical assistance. Mundane, bring Sabbatini. Mind my hip, it's ticklish."
The look that Gothrak received at his words, was one that spoke of being so very lost. "If I do that again it's probably gonna just kill him faster." There was a brief hitch in her voice, before her attention rolled back down to Mach. Keeping him here was dangerous. But she wasn't sure how easy it would be to actually move him, considering how tiny she was compared to him. But she was going to try, because there wasn't any other options yet. So she hooks her arms back under his, and moves him, just about a foot or so, then gauges what happens in response.
Instruction was grunted at as he moved the shuffle of a step to reach into Claire's pocket to find the device. Figures, the technophobe being the one to use the cell phone. "Nice pants." He murmured, realizing that it was not the time for jokes but Mach was out so someone had to. He navigated the contact list for 'Sven' and waited.
". . ." That blue gaze took on something other than vacant, a flicker of something, at words that reached him from... wherever the hell he had gone. ". . ." That frozen smirk eased away from his features as he mouthed something. Those blues ticked around wildly, as if trying to grasp what the hell was going on but they would finally settle on Claire. ". . . no." His expression was serious yet pleading. Was he asking for her not to cage up in the darkest hole the woman that did this to him!?! The man, well and truly, was a dumbass. ". . .no. . ." The words barely a whisper before what tentative hold his soul had was lost in that maelstrom of conflicting energies. Those blues frosted over once more as the man resumed his regularly scheduled bleeding.
"All the rage at Fashion Week, you know?" For half a second, she quirked a smile but her gaze and the majority of her attention remained upon keeping Serah contained.
Shae watched, and waited. Should the bulwark fail, she still remained just a few steps back from Serah. "Claire. Is this why she was in the hospital?"
Her lips curled into a sneer when it seemed Claire was calling yet more people. Shae. Goth. Sarai. And now Claire. Her chin tilted slowly as she stared at Claire. Suddenly her head straightened and she launched herself at Claire since she was, to a point, distracted with Goth. A fist was aimed not for her sister's chest or face but rather the center of her throat.
( Prelude to Emissio )
Fox had been released to follow at her side because seriously? She was likely going to squish the hell out of the poor creature. Hugging her waist she made her way briskly through the streets, blazing a nice lil trail through the market.
After leaving the inn Mach's pace had quickened, catching up to the pink haired woman as she moved. Luckily he had longer legs and she was probably slowed just a touch by the vulpes trotting at her side and so it wasn't like he had to run to catch up. And once he had? Well, then he'd stride along next to the woman in silence, blues ticking about just taking in the sights as they walked. Oooh, pretty marketplace.
"Go away." she hissed at Mach. Quite literally hissed.
Wow... he was literally hissed at by the woman! That was impressive if it wasn't actually very bad. A drag of his cigarette taken as he didn't seem to be making with compliance. "I'm not too keen on that notion yeah? Not really buying the peaches and cream bit."
She jerked to a stop and turned to glare at him. There was something simply cold about the way she was glaring too. "I said go away! Take a hint! Go back to the inn and do the whole kissy face thing and just leave me alone!"
Mach almost kept walking when the woman suddenly stooped, a sort of jerking motion halting him to turn towards her. At that cold, sharp glare the man... didn't even bat an eye. The man was used to staring down a lot of hatred it seemed though that couldn't have been a healthy thing. His expression was calm with a dash of worry as those blues studied her features, her words noted. "I'm bad at hints." Spoken frankly. "And I'm not going to leave you alone. Your hurting and like hell I'm going to turn away from you like that." His tone was even, gentle yet firm though there was a blink at the kissy face remark. The man had to hold in that sigh at the trouble the chaos woman sewed with such a simple gesture, good play Eris, good play... though he was sure lady fortune had to have had a hand in that as well. Maybe even the Norns. "That was.... okay, that was weird even to me. But I'm still not leaving you alone."
There was a howl that followed her sudden motions. As he talked she jerked forward and he barely got his last word out as her fist was thrust his way quicker, and with more force, than any normal human should have. The contact point was targeted for his face. The howl was accompanied by wisps of chaos floating behind her, around her, following her. Fox, for his part scurried off to the side to watch.
Mach... wasn't expecting that... not in the least! She would catch the man off guard though trained and practiced martial technique did at least have him moving to dodge so the brunt of that impact was less so than it would have been if he was completely cold clocked. Of course she still made contact, his world flashing bright white as her fist found his jaw and cheek twisting his head in a snap. There was a splatter of blood from his nose that caught the tail end of that attack, a stumble back before the man reacted autonomously, hand snagging that wrist as he pivoted around his hip to throw the woman off balance and to try and start putting her in a suppression hold... or at least in a position where she could ring his bell again! "What the hell was that!!" He growled as those blues watched the woman. She most certainly had his full attention now as that right eye began to process information it usually didn't as that fight or flight response kicked in. Wait.. did she howl?
That had been a sight to see. He wasn't used to Serah being violent and it of course caught his attention from is flight overhead. The sound of loose stones on the street crunched under foot when he landed, folding his wings behind him and his arms over his chest, "What in the Hells is going on?"
No it was just the wind that howled and Mach would find that when his hip went out she moved a leg, sliding it to balance firm against his own foot so that he couldn't move her without unbalancing himself. She jerked, opposite arm jerking to elbow the man right in the ribs where it would smart. If she got a hold on his shirt and balanced her footing? She was going to throw his ass! Goth for his part was ignored. Poor Goth!
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure how this all looked: pretty woman just cold clocks him and now he's getting rough with her in kind... and a gentlemanly demon just happens along. Okay, lady fortune was most certainly cashing in on some of that good luck it had visited upon him in the past! "That's what... shit!" The man felt that foot against his blocking his arm control before there was an elbow to the ribs, the feeling of impact a little softer and squishier than it should have been. Right as rain his ass but that was neither here nor there as he winced in pain. And was she going for his shirt? Oh hell no, he knew where this was going. He may have been a doof but he was a highly trained and dangerous doof! That arm he still had hold of was wrenched around and back to apply pressure to the elbow as he blocked grab for his shirt with free hand. A bevy of counter attacks flashed through the mans mind, of ways to incapacitate the woman... but he had no interest in the end result of any of those. And so he would pivot back on his hip before pushing the woman trying to get her out of contact range as he'd let go of her arm. And right after? Right after he was on guard because he didn't want to get clocked again! And Gothy? He heard that snort but noted no aggressive movement towards them yet so not a problem... yet. "What the hell Serah!"
He gave a snort and would have grinned and mocked Mach, he didn't seem like a bad guy...but the look on Serah's face and the force she had put behind the hit certainly made him think twice about this being a friendly wrestling game. He didn't mind being ignored, he could wait and so he did and watched the tussle.
Pushed out of range and she was fine with that. What Mach should thank lady fate for? Mog wasn't with her. He'd have real trouble then. Her teeth clenched to the point the flesh of her jaw went white but would of been alarming was the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. Not so much normal tears but it seemed like blood. "Big enough hint for you, Eli. Go away or I won't take it easy on you." She was losing grip and the howl of the chaos was filling her ears. She didn't seem to notice that the wisps were forming along the ground near her. "Just go away! Go away! GO AWAY!" Now she howled and in that moment she turned her fists down, bursting out the chaos from her person like a strong gust of unseen force. Once it ended her shoulders slumped. Fox was likely the only one safe from the outburst considering he was closest to her.
That was something else new and unexpected. The bloody red tears were something he recognized and caused some alarm to rise in the demon rather than just confusion. The swirling chaotic force was enough to get him to unfold his arms and put a shoulder to it so it broke over that rather than his face or chest. The gust rushing past made a whistling in his ears for a moment until it ended. "You should probably listen to the lady." He grunted, rubbing at his shoulder that still tingled.
Those blues ticked back and forth between Gothy and Serah, both equally as dangerous in this situation given his circumstances though he was really only concerned with one. Then again he was lacking most of his heavy hitting spells and potions so if the demon did really get involved Mach was rather skeptical whether he'd actually succeed at beating the man or even at keeping his life. But then when he saw those crimson tear? Well, that settled it. "Nope! Not in the least! To gods damned stupid for even that yeah? So go ahead and do your worst... if I can't stand that I sure as hell don't deserve to stand with you at your best..." Cool words but then the woman did sort of start doing her worst as that wave of chaos energy washed over him, a poison to what life he had left! Taking a stance the man would weather that chaos, grit his teeth as the raw magical energy ripped around and through him, tearing at his soul that had to hold out just a little longer. And when it came to pass? When the woman's shoulders slumped? Well, Mach really was an idiot as he stepped right back into contact range, arms wrapping around the woman in a hug. Well, Gothy had his answer. Mach was too stupid to listen to the lady... probably would kill him but he'll deal with that on the back end. "No..."
There was an audible crack. Loud like thunder. A shape up the street was quite suddenly in the thick of things. Shae's form manifests next to Fox and thus now in the corona of those wisps. Pale gold eyes dart from body to body, one hand extending towards the furred creature, the other extending into the air between her and Serah. "Mach. What the **** is going on here?" Her voice lacked any and all of her usual warmth.
Mach sort of... wobbled as more magical energy, different, came literally flashing on the scene. He... he really wasn't in any capacity to deal with all of this and things were looking like a mob more and more by the second with the demon and the witch now present. Hey... that reminded him of a joke. The demon, the witch, and the hunter walk into a b... there was a shake of head to try and clear those swimming thoughts as he focused, his arms still around Serah as blues ticked wearily to Shae. "Negotiations." Stated simply, tiredly. Blood still sort of ran down his nose from the first time Serah clocked him, a sniffle to try and staunch it though it didn't seem to want to stop. "At an impasse."
"It looks more like you are making a nuisance of yourself." He grunted, his arms folding over his broad chest once again, a deep set frown pulling at his lips. He would hate to have to break Mach's limbs off but it was pretty clear to him Serah was done talking with the other man today.
For a moment she just seemed to stand there in the embrace, not moving, not reacting. Not reacting to him. To Shae. To Goth. When Mach began to speak her hand flattened against the man's chest and for the moment probably looked like she was simply trying to push him off. For Mach? It was a total different story. A swell of energy as the chaos formed in her palm and burst, point-blank, dead center of his chest was released with force.
Eyes narrow to the man. Her head tilts, turning slightly towards Fox. That creature's preternaturally intelligent eyes wavered from the man embracing Serah to Shae's face. An invisible thread between the woman and the canid. Thick with the hints of communication in the body language of both. That is, until Shae's eyes focused with hawklike intent on Serah. "Ma--" Too late for the discharge.
Mach felt that palm against his chest, that gentle push as he held the woman. But then he felt that energy, that string of chaos as it built. He could have let go, could have pushed away but he had made a decision. He wasn't going to let go and he told her to do her worst, and her worst was exactly what she did. That energy tore into the man, blues ticking wide as a burst of blood coughed from his lips. The hunter could hear his saturation level cry uncle, feel his tolerance blow as that energy tore into his very being. He held on for all his worth, grit his teeth against the dead vitae that tried to escape, that oozed from his nose and ears. He resisted that swell of arcane fury valiantly but suddenly, like a rubber band snapping something within the man just gave. Those blues ticked wider as they took on a distant gaze, a smirk starting to cross him though it would freeze as the man's hands lost strength, his entire body loosing strength as he slumped away, landing with a heavy thud upon the ground.
The man was a damned idiot. What he thought was a gesture was pushing Serah past a point of breaking. Shae swore in a demonic tongue as she watched his body go limp. Fantastic. If you're dead. I'm going to kill you. Snarled in Abyssal, but this was not over. There was time to check on Mach later. Serah was still a wild card. The witch looked 'round to where the other stood, summoning his name from the depths of her memory. A day with his daughter. "Gothrak. Do you know what this is?" Gesturing to Serah with a nod of her head.
There was no attempt to catch him. No attempt to even move. Her chin remained leveled but her eyes followed the sway of the body and the fall. She just glared at the body on the ground with a sense of indifference and emptiness. Was she waiting for something? It was possible she was expecting the body to twitch.
Well...they had tried to warn him. Hearing the woman snarling in a tongue he recognized caused him to glance her way but brought his attention back to Serah after making note of the woman. He gave a grunt, "I am in the dark at present...but I would want to know." With a sigh, he figured he could be next on the chopping block and took a step forward, "Serah...?" He wondered if this was what had happened when she said she couldn't remember her accident?
Fox stepped from Shae's side, slow and careful. Positioning his furred form in a stance over the collapsed male. Eyes seeking the empty, bloody stare in the face of the pink haired woman with a soft whine. Shae kept an eye on Gothrak as he approached, watching now for another charge of energy. She was behind Serah's left shoulder.
Oh there should never be any contest that the man was an damned idiot, it was a descriptor that resonated on so many levels. But then he always pushed forward with what limited knowledge he had, did what he thought was best based off his experiences, and gambled on the results every time. Life... it really was an endless poker game to the man. If Serah was looking for a twitch or response there was none save for the slow ebb of blood from him, that half smirk frozen upon a face with eyes beyond a thousand yard gaze. This was the gaze of an empty vessel.
She kind of washed up on the scene like waves washed up on the shore. Instead of approaching the scene, and those there, she lingered on the edges, and watched as Mach was stupid, magic swirled, and thunder boomed. She lingered, and lingered, and lingered, until she watched Mach slump to the ground. Another wave, this time of concern washed over her, and she let her presence be known. Gothrak, was given a brief glance, and as was Shae, and finally Serah. The first two could deal with the latter, as she didn't know the woman. She was also intent on avoiding any type of conflict as well, mainly because she liked the outfit she was wearing. Silent, she moved to kneel besides, him, and reached out to touch his shoulder. "Mach?" His name was called softly.
"Sarai. Move him back if you can." Shae's voice was low, but carried to the ears of the new arrival with surprising clarity.
Her eyes slowly closed and when they opened her eyes had rolled open and focused on Goth. She was aware of Fox as well. Her teeth were clenched, jaw set firm, she just stared at Goth with an empty sort of glare. However when she heard of someone speaking to Mach, or maybe it was Shae announcing to move him? Her eyes snapped wildly over to Sarai. They had met a handful of times but that didn't save the woman from a staring.
He would have looked over to greet Sarai but he was more concerned with keeping his eyes on Serah. The power she'd unleashed certainly seemed intense...but he was a demon, a creature of blood, rage, and chaos. His shoulder tingled in reminder to the energy Serah had harnessed earlier as he got closer to his pink haired friend. "Mach is going to go away now. So, try and relax, alright Serah." He murmured.
Oh look, Sarai! But even at her presence there was nothing from the man. That voice fell on deaf ears, that touch stirred no response. Other than a bruised face, a likely broken rib, and that persistently slow bleed there was nothing that should have caused that vegetative state from the man.
"Let him bleed." she hissed as an answer to Goth. Swirls of chaos began to pattern around her once again but it seemed almost erratic in its movement.
Shae was a lunge away and ready to move, her eyes a paler shade of gold than they normally were. In the streetlamps, the whorls of markings in her skin slowly crawled. Arcane energies swirled half-formed to those with the senses for them. Spells prepared. Her voice was calm. "He will. But away where he cannot bother you and the life will seep away in squalor. Exhale, Serah." Sorry Sarai, some stage business was needed here. Fox whined again, nostrils flaring.
"Sure. I can't heal him anyway." He never did have that talent but he hoped Sarai did. As aggravating as Mach could be, he didn't wish death on him or whatever Serah had done to him, "...Fill me in on what's going on, Serah." He hoped that using her name repeatedly would somehow bring her back to a more stable, less chaotic place.
Even vegetable Mach was granting Serah's wishes because there was no signs that he as stopping! If anything his shallow breathing started to gurgle and crackle as the blood that leaked from his esophagus was getting dangerously close to overfilling and spilling down his airway unless someone got around to tipping him over and pouring him out like a vampire tea kettle.
Her eyes Caught Serah's when she stared, and her eyes narrowed, and seemed to darken. She bit back the growl that had tried bubbling up, so that it was nothing but a rumble, deep in the back of her throat. Then her attention sifted back towards Mach when he started to gurgle and make noises that weren't exactly healthy to make. "No bleeding to death." The words were mumbled, before she hooked her arms up underneath his armpits, and dragged him fie feet. Then she dropped to her knees, and her hands found back and shoulder, coming up and pushing so that she could roll him onto his side. Luckily for Mach, she'd had wandered for a majority of her time, learning what caught her interest, and healing had been one of those things. It was always useful when you could keep someone from dying just a little while longer. In silence, she made note of which injuries were visible, before her fingers dragged up his back, coming to rest against his skin, right where the solar plexus lay. For several moments, her hands glowed, the color faint, and residing somewhere on the spectrum between red and purple. Warmth that normally came from sitting all day besides a fire, would settle over him. Then, moment by moment, and bit by bit, the broken thins within him should start healing. Unless he reacted badly to it. Which would be fun to deal with.
Her eyes remained hard fixed on Sarai almost as if she was daring her to so much as touch Mach. The tears of blood had not stopped and had started to leave red stains on her skin. When the woman growl she didn't flinch but when she moved for Mach the chaos around her began to burst wildly around her and she leaned forward like she was about to unleash on the woman. She snarled something but it was likely lost in the howl of the chaos that swirled around her and becoming much more focused, tightening. Preparing.
The demon winced and closed the distance to put himself between Mach, Sarai and Serah, baring his teeth in a brief warning. It felt weird to make that face at Serah...but Sarai was one of his kin and not doing any harm. "Serah." A warning tone, heedless of the exact magnitude of Serah's new powers were.
A spill of blood flowed from the unresponsive idiots mouth as Sarai finally tipped him draining his esophagus and saving him from drowning at the moment. Well, of course, until she had started to pump more magic in the man that was beyond saturation already. Fun to deal with? Well, then Mach was granting Sarai's wishes too! The man was so much better at granting peoples wishes vegetative than alive it seemed! At that touch of magic the man's body would convulse... violently. Without a mind at helm there was no willing down that reaction that tried to take him every time he was hit with a bolt of magic and so his body simply reacted naturally and unhindered. The blood that flowed split forth in a gush, draining from slack and probably very thankfully silent jaw in a small waterfall of crimson as the magic started to fix his rib and face... don't mind it may well just bleed him to death for some reason.
Few things disturbed her precious sleep these days... crying kids were at the top of the list. Shortly thereafter followed by the sort of soul wrenching agony that was enough to wake the dead. Where it had come from, she didn't know but there was one face in her mind. Serah. Where there was Serah, there was Chaos & with Chaos came her duty. With a wild burst of light, there she stood in the midst. Righteous fury, unholy indignation, pajama pants with anime cats on them. "WHAT. Have. You. Done?!"
Fox stepped as needed while the body moved, slipping deft paws to a new stance between Serah and where Sarai examined the fallen Mach. Positioning with strategic care. Shae had hoped that Sarai would take him further. Out of sight, even. There was nothing to be done at the moment, save wait on that hair trigger. There was her warning. That focusing of power. Shae's hand reached out and then stalled as the spell came to her lips. Claire had arrived. Good. She'd rather not have to cast offensively even if it would save lives. However. If Claire didn't stop that attack, Shae was prepared to take steps.
She looked past Goth and when she saw Mach's body thrash she seemed to simply lose it. Lose it more than she already lost it? "Don't @#$)(*# touch him!" Her voice shrilled at Sarai and she was about ready to bowl in on Goth if she had to. In fact she was on the move, even after hearing her sister's voice.
And more blood at yet another magic filled entrance by Claire. Everyone was getting a kick in on the man tonight!
The surge of energy in the air was almost something she could feel physically. It made her blood hum, and her hands didn't stop glowing. It was Serah's movement that drew her eyes back towards the woman. Who, despite all the threats and chaos that came from her, was met with Sarai's stare. That was until Mach's body started convulsing underneath her fingers. Panic surged across her face, and she jerked back, breaking the contact, and it turn, the magic she had been pouring into him. By the time she glanced up again, Serah was making her way towards them. It took two seconds for her to put herself between Mach's limp form, and Serah's raging chaos. With a snarl that revealed teeth, her glamour faded away, leaving crimson flesh, wings, and molten lava eyes.
Sorry Mach. "Don't you dare!" She snarled the words and slashed a hand through the air so hard it made her shoulder hurt. Chaos split away and coalesced in a darkened wall before Serah, bending to Claire's will in hopes that she would have enough time to dart through the fray and get between Serah and her destination. Come at her bro. Er... Sis.
He was certainly in the dark but he wasn't about to let Serah reach Sarai and moved to intercept so he filled her view. He was a rather large mass after all. "Serah, stop it." He growled, not wanting to use force. Though then there was a black wall in front of him and that caused a step to falter and look about for the cause. Claire? Neat trick...
She hissed at the wall but her head would slowly turn towards Claire, a deep throat laugh echoing from her. "Mind your own business, Savior."
"In case you're forgetting, this is my business." She spat the words, hands up to keep the barrier intact. The briefest of glances went over her shoulder, chin jerking an upnod to Gothrak. "Gothrak, good to see you. Sorry it's under such poor circumstances." Casual as her tone was, she was wholly intent on keeping Serah confined. "Now that's enough Serah. I don't want to hurt you."
"She got Mach point blank with..." A hand gestures to the energy swirling about Serah. "He kept getting in her space after she punched him." Shae reeled back the one spell that lingered on her tongue, coating her words with icy threat, exchanging it for another. Fox shifts to her side, his eyes taking on the same pale shade as her own when he entered the sphere of the witch's influence.
Her chin rose a touch, lips parted as she regarded Claire with the same indifference she did Mach's body. She slowly started to pace the wall much like a caged tiger, a hand raised as she ticked a finger playfully at Claire. Tsk-tsk mocking. "Poor choice of words."
He returned the upnod, "One of you is going to explain this to me later..." He muttered, staying where he was in case Claire needed more muscle. In the mean time though, he would cast a look to Sarai, "Get him somewhere else before you do that again."
Don't mind Mach, he'll just convulse and bleed on the ground over here. At very least he had fallen on his side in what was an approximate of a recovery position so he shouldn't drown quiet yet though the gray was probably getting a little concerning.
"Dumbass never did know when to back down." She muttered under her breath, unable to afford a glance Mach's way. Her hands shifted and twisted, circling the Chaos around Serah. "If you wish to act like an animal, Guardian, I will cage you like one."
Shae was equally in the dark. However. She knew a rage soul when she saw one. A switch had been flipped. Her analytical mind was putting clues together. The conclusion that she came to was...this wasn't the first time.
For a brief moment her eyes softened but it was only when she was close to her sister. She muttered something softly but the shaken words barely left her lips before she was laughing. "Cage me? As if you ever could." A hand went up and she tapped at the center of her chest, a unlike Serah smirk presented.
Her eyes narrowed, ears perked by a murmured plea. Still she held her ground, unable to give an inch lest Serah take a mile. "You wanna bet? I gave you your borrowed time. I can take it away. I can lock it...and you...away in the darkest reaches of Valhalla until you learn to play nice." Though she looked upon her sister, she wore a stoic mask of indifference. This wasn't her sister she was dealing with. "Gothrak," since he seemed closest, "phone in my left pocket, take it out, locate Sven and call him. Tell him there is a situation requiring medical assistance. Mundane, bring Sabbatini. Mind my hip, it's ticklish."
The look that Gothrak received at his words, was one that spoke of being so very lost. "If I do that again it's probably gonna just kill him faster." There was a brief hitch in her voice, before her attention rolled back down to Mach. Keeping him here was dangerous. But she wasn't sure how easy it would be to actually move him, considering how tiny she was compared to him. But she was going to try, because there wasn't any other options yet. So she hooks her arms back under his, and moves him, just about a foot or so, then gauges what happens in response.
Instruction was grunted at as he moved the shuffle of a step to reach into Claire's pocket to find the device. Figures, the technophobe being the one to use the cell phone. "Nice pants." He murmured, realizing that it was not the time for jokes but Mach was out so someone had to. He navigated the contact list for 'Sven' and waited.
". . ." That blue gaze took on something other than vacant, a flicker of something, at words that reached him from... wherever the hell he had gone. ". . ." That frozen smirk eased away from his features as he mouthed something. Those blues ticked around wildly, as if trying to grasp what the hell was going on but they would finally settle on Claire. ". . . no." His expression was serious yet pleading. Was he asking for her not to cage up in the darkest hole the woman that did this to him!?! The man, well and truly, was a dumbass. ". . .no. . ." The words barely a whisper before what tentative hold his soul had was lost in that maelstrom of conflicting energies. Those blues frosted over once more as the man resumed his regularly scheduled bleeding.
"All the rage at Fashion Week, you know?" For half a second, she quirked a smile but her gaze and the majority of her attention remained upon keeping Serah contained.
Shae watched, and waited. Should the bulwark fail, she still remained just a few steps back from Serah. "Claire. Is this why she was in the hospital?"
Her lips curled into a sneer when it seemed Claire was calling yet more people. Shae. Goth. Sarai. And now Claire. Her chin tilted slowly as she stared at Claire. Suddenly her head straightened and she launched herself at Claire since she was, to a point, distracted with Goth. A fist was aimed not for her sister's chest or face but rather the center of her throat.