Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela cast the man an annoyed look as he questioned her. He definitely hadn’t dealt with her in the past if he felt the need to ask such stupid questions. She had a time and a place in mind for him, but she wouldn’t reveal that until after their negotiations had reached a close. And who knew, maybe by the end of this they could both do a little good in the world and get Karma off their backs. [break][break] Mik’s eyes widened at his expressed suspicions. “Suspicious? Me?” she asked, the picture of innocence. Then she dropped the act and glared at him. “Coming from the strange man who cornered me at work to ask me for help on some mysterious job that’s quite the accusation.” She definitely wasn’t interested in having this turned around on her. She was doing him a favor by offering this deal. “Tell me, Angel Eyes. What makes you trust what you’ve heard?” she asked. “What makes you trust the rumors that I… hell, I don’t know… Poison nuns and torture puppies?” She raised an eyebrow. She didn’t know what rumors were out there, but she knew they weren’t good. Sarah Murray was a bad person. Much much worse than Mikaela herself. “And what do you and the ‘cowardly bastards’ need from me that doesn’t require trust?” She sauntered over to a table and placed her cup on it before sitting down in a chair that allowed her to face the criminal.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
When Arabella woke up, her first thought was that Italy was too goddamned hot. She felt like she was burning, and her reaction to fire had always been particularly bad. She was told that was a nekomata thing, but she hadn’t actually met another neko so she couldn’t confirm that.
[break][break]
She stretched out and noticed some residual soreness in her side. What had happened last night? She’d been down in the kennels and then… oh right. She’d been shot. She must have lost consciousness sometime before Lexie got her to Cami. She’d have to do something to thank-
[break][break]
Her thought broke off into a screech as the bed behind her moved and a wet, shaggy muzzle flopped onto her belly. Her screech made the creature jump up, one of his paws digging into her side as he looked around the room for a threat. “Oh,” she muttered. “It’s you.” She tugged the German Shepard’s paw off of her then sat up. “You scared me. There’s nothing wrong, though, I’m sorry I bothered you.” She gave his head an awkward little pat. She really had no idea how she was supposed to talk to dogs. Was she supposed to talk to them at all? It’s not like he could understand her. She must have seemed like such an idiot to whatever saints were watching her from above.
[break][break]
She got out of the bed and trotted over to her mirror. She looked terrible. That was to be expected, before passing out she’d had a busy week. She had barely slept in the past two days. It was nothing a brush and a little makeup couldn’t fix, but she had more important things to attend to first. Like making sure Lexi and Cami were sworn to secrecy. She had a new reputation since her grandmother had declared her the heir of the international family business, and she couldn’t risk anything messing that up. She didn’t want the title, but her grandmother was the sort of woman who always got what she wanted. She’d rather see her granddaughter dead than be denied something once she set her mind to it.
[break][break]
She headed towards the door but stopped when she noticed Torino following her. “No no no, you stay here,” she said. “If you behave you’ll get a cookie at the end of the day.” That tactic had always worked on her little siblings, but for some reason as she opened the door he bounded through it with lightning fast speed, then turned to face her.
[break][break]
His tail was wagging and his tongue was sticking out of his mouth. Was that a threat of some sort? Bella bristled and glared at the dog. “Be good and stay inside,” she growled, motioning back through the door. He ignored her and kept panting with an annoying smile stretched across his face. Was he mocking her? “Inside,” she snapped. His ears shifted back, like her cat ears would if she was threatening someone. How dare he. She wrapped her arms around his fluffy body and tried to drag him inside to no avail. He was still a puppy. How was he so heavy?
[break][break]
She gave up and slammed her door. “Fine, do what you want. See if I care.” she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
[break][break]
She stalked downstairs and ignored the pitter patter of paws that followed her every step. She didn’t bother to knock as she stormed into Cami’s room. “Do you know how to get rid of dogs?” she demanded.
[break][break]
Cami lowered her book and raised an eyebrow at Bella. “You look much better today.” she commented. Bella huffed and motioned to the dog. “What’s his name?” Bella sighed.
[break][break]
“Touri.” she replied. “Well, Torino but that’s a lot of effort.”
[break][break]
“Torino!” Cami snapped, pointing to the floor at her feet. Touri’s ears pressed back against his head but he walked over to Cami’s bed. “Sit,” she said and he obeyed. “Good boy,” she muttered and patted his head.
[break][break]
“How do you do that?” she groaned. “He wouldn’t listen to me at all.”
[break][break]
Cami shrugged. “My mom takes in dogs a lot, remember?” she asked. “Just get his attention then say something. Be commanding but not mean. Like when you want one of your siblings to listen to you.”
[break][break]
“When I want them to listen to me I threaten them with knives,” Bella muttered.
[break][break]
“Riiight well… Probably don’t do that. Dogs don’t know what knives are.” Cami replied. “Was dog tips all you came here for?” she asked.
[break][break]
Bella shook her head. “About last night,” she started.
[break][break]
“Bella, my loyalty is to you and no one else,” Cami cut in. “I won’t breath a word of it to anyone. What happened though? It’s not like you to get shot.”
[break][break] Bella shrugged. “It was Lexi’s mom. She sent some assassin after me and the dogs in the kennel were barking so loud I didn’t hear him coming.” she sighed. “I’m actually lucky Touri was there, I’d probably be dead otherwise.”
[break][break]
Cami chuckled and Bella cast her an odd look. “Sorry, it’s just… is the only reason you accepted this dog because it saved your life and you owe it?” she asked. [break][break] “What’s wrong with that?” Bella demanded. Cami laughed some more and Bella rolled her eyes. “Torino, come on we’re leaving.” she said and walked out. The dog followed dutifully behind. “Good boy,” she muttered, relieved that he’d at least followed one command.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
This is just gonna be a series of oneshots about Arabella Gambino (AKA Mikaela Lye) and her doggo[break] TW violence, mentions of child abuse, and mentions of animal abandonment [break][break]
Arabella Gambino had never been an animal person. She could never seem to understand them. That didn’t mean she could just avoid them, though. For her upcoming assignment she had been told to go down to the kennels and pick out a dog to bring with them. She didn’t know why she couldn’t bring a shifter along, but she knew better than to ask questions. Not when orders came directly from her father. [break][break] It was three in the morning when she finally made her way down to the kennels. Although her family’s criminal activity went on at all hours, this area of her father’s property was silent. It was very rare that she was completely alone, but she enjoyed it. [break][break] Her footsteps didn’t make a sound as she entered the kennel, but some of the dogs seemed to notice her instantly. Half of them were still asleep, but others jumped to their feet and watched her with eager eyes. She wrinkled her nose against the overwhelming canine stench, but otherwise ignored the dogs. She didn’t pause until she came across one particular dog near the back. He was a German Shepard and although his eyes were open and fixed on her he hadn’t bothered getting up. [break][break] She picked up a slip of paper in front of the dog’s cage and scanned over it for the necessary information. He was younger than most of the dogs here, but he’d been trained enough not to be detrimental to any jobs. She frowned as she saw he didn’t have a name yet. She was sure that wasn’t too uncommon. Many dogs were bred and trained for her family, and if they didn’t excel in any particular area they were often just forgotten. Perhaps in a month when they ran through their inventory again this dog would be given to a nice family. Or, more likely, it would just be abandoned. [break][break] “Ok, dog,” she said, opening the cage. She had no idea how to gauge a dog’s potential, but she figured the first step would be interacting with it. As the German Shepard languidly made his way to his feet and out of the cage, some of the other dogs started barking. She glanced around the room. This was part of why she didn’t like dogs. They made a ridiculous amount of noise for no reason. At least the dog she’d chosen wasn’t part of the problem. [break][break] She took a deep breath and braced herself before holding out her hand for the dog to sniff. He nudged his head under her hand and she hesitantly began scratching behind his ears. She hated every moment of this. It wasn’t like this dog would actually help her. It was just a furry creature that would make a mess and pee on her stuff. Dogs were like that. This one, though… maybe there was some hope that her week wouldn’t be ruined by it. [break][break] The dog fixed it’s attention on something behind her, and Bella turned to see a man with a gun aimed at her. “Stupid dogs,” she muttered. If it wasn’t for the incessant barking she would have herd the footsteps approach. [break][break] She moved on instinct as the man pulled the trigger but even her heightened speed wasn’t enough to dodge a bullet. As pain tore through her side, the dog surprised her by lurching forward and clamping his mouth down on the arm holding the gun. That gave her enough time to draw a blade. Adrenaline shot through her and in a flash it was pressed against the attacker’s neck. “You’ve failed,” she smirked. “Tell me who you’re working for, then run. Otherwise you won’t make it out of here alive,” she hissed. She would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the fear that entered the older man’s face. She loved it when people underestimated her. It made things too easy. She’d barely had to do anything to catch him off guard. [break][break] “Some woman. She didn’t give me her name but she had black hair and wolf ears.” he stuttered in response. Bianca Leone. She was her half brother’s mother and she was under the false impression that Alexeo was stuck in the criminal world because of Bella. Bianca had made a few attempts to threaten her before, so this attack didn’t come as much of a surprise. For an assassin he’d given away his client a little too easily. Maybe this was just meant as a threat too. It was crossing a line, though. She’d have to bring it up with her father. “Y-you were supposed to be some child that wouldn’t put up a fight.” the assassin said. [break][break] “Oh, I’m sure that’s not what she told you,” Bella drawled. She may be young, but she was well trained. Everyone around here knew that. “You should have paid better attention. Now go or you’re dead.” [break][break] She watched him flee, then sank down to the ground against one of the dog cages. She’d been able to ignore the bullet hole torn through her side when she had adrenaline rushing through her, but it was already fading, leaving her exhausted and in pain. The dog nudged his head against her arm and she wrapped it around his fluffy body. [break][break] “Torino,” she whispered into the dog’s fur. “I’m naming you Torino, and you’re mine now.” Her eyelids felt heavy as blood continued to seep from her wound. It was starting to hurt less, but she knew that wasn’t a good thing. “We’ll start training in the morning.” she told the dog. For now she just wanted to sleep. She doubted anyone would be coming for her, but she’d figure out what to do once she woke up. If she woke up. [break][break] She was still half awake when she heard footsteps and did her best to snap to attention. As her dog started growling over her, she forced her eyes open to find her brother entering the kennels. “Lexi?” she asked softly. “What are you doing here?” [break][break] “Saving you apparently.” he replied grimly. “Come on, Ari, you can’t sleep here.” He reached down to help her out, but Torino growled at him. Bella waved him off and raised her arm so Alexeo could get her to her feet. Her knees wobbled and she leaned against her brother for support. [break][break] “Touri, come” she called to the dog, who dutifully followed behind them. Good. She didn’t want a dog that would be difficult to train. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?” she asked her brother, letting her eyes drift shut again as he led her forward. [break][break] “Ohhhh, I’m not sure yet. If you don’t throw up on me this will be better than the time you got yourself poisoned.” he mused, but his smile faded quickly. “Ari, what happened?” [break][break] Bella shook her head. She couldn’t tell him his mother was trying to kill her. He had too much blind faith in his mother. To him she represented goodness and purity. She was certainly much better than their father, so Bella didn’t want to take that belief away from him. Instead she stopped moving forward and forced her eyes open, looking down at him. “Someday I’m going to get out of here,” she said. “When I do you should come with me. We can run away to England or Japan. Anywhere but here.” [break][break] Alexeo’s face darkened. “You already tried that, remember?” he asked softly. “It didn’t end well. And if you try again it’s going to be so much worse.” [break][break] Bella turned her gaze to the ground. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten. When she was thirteen she had tried to leave. She had such a well laid out plan, but her father had caught her. Everyone involved, and some that weren’t but were close to her, had been punished for it. Alexeo was one of the people that had gotten in trouble despite having no involvement. When she asked him to leave with her then he’d said no. Their father hadn’t believe that. There were enough scars on both of them to remind them not to try something so stupid again. “This will be different.” she whispered. “I’m not running from him this time. I’ll make him let me go. I’m not losing anyone else to this world.” [break][break] Alexeo shook his head and started moving forward again. “Let’s get moving, Cami’s a good healer but if you bleed out before we get to her she won’t be able to bring you back from the dead.” [break][break] Bella nodded and let him guide her, knowing fully well that she was going to owe him for this. He could report her injury to their father and then she’d get in trouble for letting her guard down and her brother would be rewarded for being a good spy. Alexeo had never cared for following the rules, though. He despised their father. He was probably just helping her to rebel against him, not that he’d ever find out about this.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about. Why would he need to know how injured she was? He wasn't the one who would have to deal with it. Was there any chance he was actually concerned for her well-being? That couldn't be right. It wasn't like he needed her alive for anything. As far as she knew they were just some weird type of friends. She had to be missing something. Him acting like he cared was too suspicious. [break][break] She hissed as he approached with the cloth. She debated biting his hand, but he drew out of range before she made up her mind. Instead, she settled on growling at him. [break][break] "I can take care of myself, you know," she grumbled as he pulled out his phone, "It's not like I'm a child. Or worse, some innocent fool that's never been hurt before. I've been in worse condition. This is nothing." [break][break] Mikaela narrowed her eyes as he suggested they go back to his bike. Was he trying to call her bluff? He was definitely trying to make her look like an idiot. Well, the joke was on him. Growing up she'd been forced to pretend she wasn't injured too many times to slip up now. Suddenly she was much more determined to pull off a lie she'd previously deemed impossible. [break][break] She checked that her purse was still over her shoulder and her cross necklace hadn't fallen off before pushing herself to her knees, then standing. A cold dizziness washed through her, but she ignored it until it faded enough to focus. She kept pressure off of her right leg as she met his gaze. The uphill incline looked exhausting, but she would deal with one thing at a time. "Lead the way, Touri." she drawled, crossing her arms over her chest. That was the best way to keep her right arm still without it seeming suspicious.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
A wave of relief washed through Mikaela as the assassin came into view. She hadn’t been worried about him or anything, but she still scanned him for any signs of injuries. Strands of his hair had come undone and his clothes were a mess, but his saunter was as smooth as ever and she didn’t see any blood. Good. She wouldn’t have to deal with a guilty conscious. [break][break] "I already told you, I’m fine," she grumbled noncommittally. She’d told enough lies in her life to know when she couldn’t get away with one. Then again, she didn’t have to tell the whole truth. She glanced down, looking for other injuries. She’d scraped her leg, but other than that there didn’t seem to be too much external damage. He hadn’t seen her land, he didn’t need to know that her right arm had taken most of the impact. Her leg hurt too, but she didn’t think it was broken. At least, she hoped it wasn’t. As long as she could walk on it she might be able to pull this off. And if not? Well, she could still try. [break][break] It was a pity she hadn’t been paying attention. With all her training, she knew how to fall right. If she had been thrown off the bike at a different angle things could have been a lot worse. Unfortunately, she had a nasty habit for focusing on other people when she should be worried about herself. It was a side effect of being forced to watch over her younger siblings for so many years. [break][break] Mikaela froze as Touri got closer. Every muscle in her body tensed as she resisted the urge to claw at his face. She rarely let people near her while she was injured. Growing up it had been a dangerous idea to let her guard down, especially when she already couldn’t defend herself. [break][break] "I don't know." she lifted a hand to tentatively touch the cut on her forehead. She hadn't noticed that one. At least it was only a cut. If she had landed differently the ornaments in her hair could have been shoved into her skull. [break][break]"Touri," she whispered, only to lose her train of thought when he tore off part of his sleeve. She leaned back as he tried to bring the purple fabric close to her. She batted his hand away. What had she been about to say? It was definitely something that would distract him from all of this. It didn't matter. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela studied Cali’s face. As far as she could tell, the girl was serious. Her biggest fear was a three eyed elephant. Mikaela had grown up around terrors worse than that, and sometimes she forgot not everyone else had the same experiences. How was she supposed to blend in with this type of life when she was so different? [break][break] “Don't worry, an elephant wouldn’t be able to make it through these halls. A baby elephant, maybe, but we could handle that.” she replied. “You know, my little sister is a seer, she has three eyes. I promise in real life it’s not as scary as it seems.”
[break][break]
That was something she’d usually try to avoid talking about, but Cali didn’t seem like a huge threat. What would she do with the information that Mikaela had a little sister? It wasn’t like she’d know who to tell to get the best rewards. Unless Cali was some sort of spy… that was ridiculous though. Right? Even Mikaela wouldn’t be able to stand acting so ditsy, and she had pulled off thousands of innocent acts in the past.
[break][break]
After stabbing Cali’s arm, Mikaela remained tense and ready to defend herself. Most people didn’t particularly enjoy being stabbed. Thankfully, Cali seemed more shocked than angry. And she was in pain. That would make this a bit trickier. “You have to realise that’s bad, right?” she asked. “Cuts are supposed to hurt. If you weren’t feeling anything at all it might be ok, but if you can feel the other one that’s not good.” She wrapped a bit of gauze into a lump and handed it to Cali for the new cut.
[break][break]
Mikaela clucked her tongue and debated what the next step should be. She’d had cuts that were numb if too many nerves were cut through, but she didn’t think that was possible in a finger. She also didn’t think it was deep enough for that. Shallow cuts, especially on the finger, usually hurt the most. So what else could it be? “Was the knife you were using clean?”
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
As the dizziness subsided, Mikaela looked around. She couldn’t see Touri through the trees, but she could hear movement. A moment later his voice broke through the woods and she winced. She had managed to crash his bike after claiming she could drive it. If she were him she’d be very upset. [break][break]
But there were more important things to worry about. She debated whether she should flag him down or try to remain hidden. He wasn’t exactly a threat, but she wasn’t certain he was trustworthy either. She wasn’t sure how bad her injuries were, but she would have to be creative to take him in a fight even if she was in top shape. [break][break]
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to figure out how she would defend herself if it came to that. She lifted a hand to where her purse should have been over her shoulder, but it must have flown off in the crash. She’d thrown her knives in there, which meant she was practically unarmed now. Not that weapons would have been very useful if she couldn’t even get up. [break][break]
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t that far away, he’d find her sooner or later. It might as well be on her terms. “Sono qui,” Mikaela began, then cringed. English. She needed to speak in English. It took half a moment for her to flip the language switch in her brain, then she called out again, “I’m fine, thank you for asking.” [break][break]
That had taken too long for her liking. The adrenaline was still pulsing through her, but the fine edge had dulled leaving her thoughts a bit slow. If she had another concussion her healer would be pissed. Not to mention dealing with Touri would be a nightmare. No, it definitely couldn’t be a concussion, then. It was just a side effect of the lingering panic.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
“That sounds like a boring law,” Mikaela remarked, but she put on the helmet without much resistance. She’d gotten yelled at for not wearing a helmet one too many times. It was one of very few childhood lessons that she still paid any attention to. If she was going to do something stupid and reckless that got her killed it would be more fun than a road accident. [break][break] Mikaela tensed as Touri’s arms wrapped around her waist. Suddenly she flashed back to the last time she’d been on a bike, with a different man’s arms wrapped around her. She’d had a different ring on her finger, on her way to announce an engagement to a different family. That had been a lie too, but she’d been on a different side of the deceit. This time it wouldn’t end with nearly as much bloodshed. [break][break] “Mio Dio,” she muttered under her breath, forcing her thoughts away from the past. It was going to be a long evening and she doubted Dai was going to make it any better. That was probably a good thing. Dai’s antics should make it easy to remember that this was all just an act. He definitely didn’t have any feelings for her, and whatever she was feeling was just echos from the past being projected onto him. [break][break] Mikaela made sure her purse was secure over her shoulder before kicking the motorcycle into action. It had been a long time since she’d been on one of these, and she hadn’t realised how much she’d missed the feeling of the wind rushing past her. [break][break] She dodged traffic as she drove them towards the highway that would eventually lead to her grandfather’s house. She didn’t know the route that well, but she could follow traffic signs until she was close enough to figure it out on her own. [break][break] As Mikaela took a sharp turn, another car coming around the corner caught her off guard. She felt the bike tilt a bit too far as she swerved to avoid the impending collision. The bike was moving too fast and she panicked for a moment too long. [break][break] Instinct had her gathering shadows around her as she felt the instability. She pushed the panic aside and focused all of her attention on creating a shadowy padding to cushion Daichi’s landing to the best of her ability. Meanwhile she landed hard. [break][break] The pain lancing through her leg and arm snapped through her concentration and with it her control over the shadows. Her head slammed into the ground and she was glad she’d accepted the helmet. Finally, she let down her guard the panic came flooding back in in one huge wave. She pinched her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She needed to calm down and assess the situation but first…. [break][break] She opened her eyes and used her uninjured arm to push herself into a sitting position. A wave of dizziness swept over her, distracting her from her mission to determine whether Daichi was alright.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela scowled at Touri’s back as he exited her apartment. “You could do much worse than kill me,” she muttered. She locked the door behind them then followed him through the building, paying attention to make sure there weren’t any other footsteps in the hall. She wasn’t interested in interacting with any of her neighbours in front of Touri. He’d probably tease her for her innocent facade. [break][break] She crossed her arms over her chest as they came to a stop in front of a motorcycle. To Mikaela’s surprise, he actually handed her the keys to the bike. “We could take my car,” she pouted, but snatched the keys out of his hand. She didn’t have her own car anyway. If she ever needed to make a quick escape she figured she’d just steal one. Anything else could be managed through buses and trains. [break][break] She narrowed her eyes as she studied the motorcycle. She hadn’t been on a bike in seven years, but she was sure it would come back to her. It’s not like she had any choice in the matter. She wasn’t the sort of person to let her bluffs get called. She had killed to keep her word in the past and this wasn’t nearly as stressful as that. [break][break] “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you stole my bike. This is exactly like the one I had back home.” she lied, feigning confidence as she got on and started it up. She was surprised by the familiarity of the engine humming beneath her. She had once owned her own bike but it wasn’t nearly as showy as this one. Her priority had never been looking cool. Her reputation was based solely on her own actions. Although the tattoo on her wrist did help. In Italy her family had a reputation almost everyone was aware of, whether she’d wanted it to be applied to her or not. She glanced back at Touri. “Helmets?” she asked.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela blinked at Cali's description of her nightmare. If that was her worst nightmare, she was lucky. Mikaela had been cursed by nightmares since she was a child, and all of them were worse than mutated animals. She kept a journal of her dreams, but some of them were too hard to remember long enough to write down. She'd rather let those ones fade from her memory anyway. "Let's just say there are scarier things than three eyed elephants." she replied. [break][break] As predicted, it didn't take much prompting to get Cali talking. She set to work, the steps of cleaning a wound as familiar as breathing. She had done this for her brother whenever he got himself hurt and didn't want their father knowing. Of course, he usually had much worse wounds than this. This was still deep, but at least she didn't have to fear for Cali's life. [break][break] As Cali's story came to an end she briefly wondered what possessed someone to sell Cali a knife, but that train of thought came to an abrupt when Cali mentioned that she didn't feel any pain. Even if she had an amazingly high pain tolerance, she should have at least felt it. [break][break] "That's probably not good," she sighed. She had always been taught that pain was a tool. When it was missing it was usually a red flag. If Cali hadn't already been resistant to the idea of going to a hospital, she would have suggested she go now. As it was, she was the last person who would push the matter. If she was ever seriously injured she'd rather accept subpar wound care than be forced to go to a doctor. [break][break] Maybe it was just adrenaline. Cali didn't seem like the type of person that would regain control quickly after a burst of adrenaline. Then again, cutting a finger wasn't exactly the scariest thing in the world. Maybe it was for normal people though? It was hard for Mikaela to know what qualified as a legitimate threat to people that hadn't been raised in an environment where they had to fight for their lives. [break][break] She inspected the cut itself. It wasn't too deep, but she knew any cut could do serious damage if it wasn't cared for correctly. Especially if that cut was on someone's hand. People interacted with too many dirty things to avoid infections if they didn't take care of their wounds. There was some redness around the cut, but she didn't think that would be related to the numbness. Sometimes when a lot of nerves were cut at once it could cause the area to be numb for a couple of weeks. She didn't really know enough about first aid to determine if it was something worse, though. She never went to hospitals, but if a wound was severe enough she always had other people to contact to take a look at it. [break][break] She debated what to do for a moment before deciding to gather what information she could. Which meant first she should test the adrenaline theory since that would mean she could go about bandaging the wound as usual. There were different ways to test that, but she went with the easiest one. She grabbed a blade from the counter behind her and stabbed Cali's arm, careful to make it about as deep as the cut on her finger. "Did that hurt?" she asked.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Daichi Takeshi - She’s definitely not stubborn - ### Words
[break][break]
Mikaela rolled her eyes. “Oh calm down about that already. All the guy has to do to get Thief back is come ask. But he won’t.” she replied matter of factly. It was true. She was holding Thief hostage, but all she’d wanted from her brother was for him to join her in Canada. She told him he could have Thief back once he did that. Seven years had passed since then and she doubted her brother would be coming for Thief any time soon. It was almost annoying how stubborn her family could be. Thank god she hadn’t inherited that from her father too. She, at least, knew when she had no choice but to back down. [break][break] Touri’s sudden desire to leave immediately caught Mikaela a bit off guard. It’s not like she’d thought she could kill time forever, but she’d at least wanted to make sure they’d be a bit late. Nonetheless, she nodded and went along with it. She might as well get this over with, she just had to make an appearance then she could leave as soon as she figured out why Adrian had made such a big deal about her coming tonight. [break][break] Mikaela sighed at his assessment of her weapons. “Thats the point, darling,” she drawled, throwing both blades in her purse. “Neither of these are up to my standard. I don’t store high quality weapons in my kitchen.” She pulled open another drawer and grabbed another knife and a pack of cigarettes, then headed to the door. Thief jumped off the couch and rushed over the second the door opened, but she ignored him. [break][break] She eyed Touri as he announced that he would be driving. He looked so serious about it. It was almost cute. How deep did that resolve go? If it was anyone else she wouldn’t have bothered testing it, but Touri made her curious. “Absolutely not.” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not letting you drive so you can crash and force me to end up in a hospital. Or, worse, so you can abandon me to my family. What sort of idiot do you take me for?”
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela shook her head. Maybe she needed to put something up to ward off bad luck. That might help her avoid situations like this. “If you do stitches at home you’ll get an infection, and then you’ll be stuck in a bed for a week with fever dreams and nightmares.” she replied. Assuming Cali was as childish as she acted, that should be enough to scare her off. Then again, Mikaela was used to much younger kids. She probably needed something that would scare sane people too. “And if you don’t go to the doctor then the infection could get really bad and you might have to cut your whole hand off.” she added. [break][break] She sat down across from Cali and braced herself to actually examine the wound. “I can’t be sure until we get the blood off.” she said, picking up one of the towels and dipping it into the water. There was definitely a lot of blood, which wasn’t necessarily a bad sign. Some people just bled more than others. She studied Cali for a moment before doing anything else. This part would probably hurt and she wasn’t sure how well the girl could handle pain. If she started squirming around or ran away it wouldn’t be good. [break][break] She moved Cali’s arm so her bleeding finger would be over the bowl of water. “Why don’t you tell me how you got this?” she asked. When she was younger, healers would always try to get her talking if they had to do something that would be painful. It was a good distraction from what was going on, not that she had actually needed it. Even from a young age, Mikaela was used to pain. It was one of few constants throughout her childhood. She doubted Cali would have as much experience dealing with pain as she did. She wasn’t sure how long telling that story would keep Cali’s attention, but if it was too short she’d probably be able to come up with something else to ask.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela looked away as Cali lifted her hand higher. “Why did you have to come to me about it?” she groaned softly as Cali entered the apartment. She closed the door and put Thief down. She wasn’t sure if Cali would actually leave once she got her bandaid, but tending to the wound was definitely the first step to getting her to move on. Any hope at a peaceful evening had definitely gone out the window, though. [break][break] She ignored Thief as he raced over to Cali and start scratching at her leg begging for attention. Usually he would avoid strangers as long as they weren’t sitting in one of his spots, but she hadn’t spent much time with him today so he was probably desperate for pets. [break][break] Mikaela went over to the kitchen and searched for a bowl before filling it with warm water. “The cool bandaids are really small, we can’t use them if the cut is too bad.” she replied. “So let’s clean it and see.” She put the bowl of water on the table then grabbed some old cloths she’d never managed to get the blood stains out of. “I’m not going to take you to a doctor, but if it’s bad enough that you need stitches you’ll have to go.” she added. She had taken care of plenty of deep wounds in the past, but she didn’t want Cali to come running back to her if she ended up tearing her stitches, which seemed likely. She also didn’t want Cali thinking she could come to Mikaela any time she hurt herself.
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela scoffed. “Been a while since anyone’s told me I amuse them. People usually stick to words like terrify or annoy.” She sighed, “I suppose you can stab some stranger on the street if it’s really that big a deal. Then you can go ahead and check yourself into therapy.” [break][break] Mikaela froze as Touri grabbed her hand, ready to reach for one of the blades he’d discarded on the counter. She stayed tensed to attack until he stepped away, then she looked down at her hand. The ring was big and between the diamonds and the silver it was far too white for her. She only wore white when she was trying to disguise herself. It had always felt wrong to wear a color representing innocence or purity when she was being herself. If she’d picked out a ring it would have definitely been gold, and she wasn’t sure she would have wanted a diamond either. [break][break] And yet… [break][break] “You got me a ring?” she asked, feeling tears build up in her eyes. She’d had her own ring from years ago, but she hadn’t been looking forward to seeing it again. Not to mention washing the blood off of it. When she’d declared she was moving to Canada she’d stored the ring in a box, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to get rid of it. It was a family heirloom and she’d had to fight for it. The idea of it going to one of her cousins felt wrong. They wouldn’t know what it meant to her. That didn’t mean she ever wanted to wear it again, though. The last time she’d had it on her hands were buried in a fatal wound, hopelessly attempting to stop the bleeding. [break][break] She shook her head and forced long buried memories memories away. “Who did you take it from?” she demanded. “Not someone who will be wanting it back, I hope.”
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext1]I'm not ready for the truth to see the light
[attr=class,Mikredheadertext2]Make it up, Make it pretty, I don't mind
[newclass=.Mikredimage]width:500px;height:200px;background-image:url('https://i.ibb.co/hxzNqkk/download.png');border-left: solid 10px #8f0505;border-right: solid 10px #8f0505;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhover]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;height:200px;width:500px;margin-top:-200px;[/newclass][newclass=.Mikredhover:hover]opacity:0.4;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff;[/newclass] [newclass=.Mikredhovertext]font-family:Arial;color:#4c306a;font-size:18px;text-align:justify;[/newclass]
Mikaela liked her time off. She liked curling up on the couch with in her hoodie to read a book. And, most importantly, she liked getting breaks from dealing with people. That’s why she told very few people where she lived. She was happy to annoy people into leaving her alone in public, but in her own home she’d prefer to not have to. [break][break] That was why when Thief started barking at the door she did her best to ignore it. Of course, it wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door, sending Thief flying back in her direction. He whined and scratched at the edge of the couch until she finally put her book down. [break][break] Mikaela grabbed a knife as she made her way to the door. When she saw Cali through the peephole, she put the knife on a table by the door. Based on their interaction in the past, she didn’t think the girl was a serious threat. She swooped down to pick Thief up then opened the door. [break][break] She leaned against the doorframe as she glanced at Cali’s injured hand. There was so much blood she had to look away quickly. She’d been used to blood growing up, but now it just triggered memories better left buried, along with a deep-rooted feeling of disgust. “You think you cut off your thumb?” she raised an eyebrow. Thief struggled in her arms and she stepped out of the doorway. “Come in, sit down. I’ll see what I have.” she sighed.
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