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tampered2008-01-07 02:16 am
apostleofhope.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2008-01-07 02:16 am
Log; Complete
When; January 6th [Before Dawn].
Rating; PG-13 [Language, Violence].
Characters; Cirucci [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thunderwitch] & Joshua [apostleofhope].
Summary; After Rosette gives him permission to slaughter some Stewards, Joshua goes looking for a sidekick, and ends up finding a fight with her instead.
Log;
Slaughtering the invaders was much more fun when he knew he had Rosette's full support in it. The best super hero I've ever met. That's what she had said! It made him practically glow with pride as he tore through any Steward he could find.
It was just as he was ripping out the throat of one such victim that he realized something, and almost instantly his shimmering wings spread to set him into flight, headed off to search for Cirucci Thunderwitch. Today was a good day, because his noise wasn't really bothering him, but he could still hear the whisperings. That was how he could locate the strange aliens, after all. Their noise was different.
He had been around Cirucci enough to pinpoint her noise, and as soon as he spotted a large window to her apartment, Joshua reached out to pound against it impatiently, leaving behind smears of blood each time. Far too eager to wait for her to come over, he slid his hand over to grip the edge, shoving it open--locked or not.
"Thunderwitch! Come out and play! You have to!"
~*~
Cirucci Thunderwitch never locked her doors or windows. Most people knew better than to try and barge into her apartment unannounced, and she had never advertised her residence, only a select few even knew where she lived, so to walk out of her bedroom, half-dressed and hair wet from bathing, the last thing she expected to see and hear was the mad angel’s ward.
In all honesty, she’d expected to spend the rest of her day sulking. Goddamn that man, but Szayel Aporro was always frustrating, and even as supposedly affected by that Desire as he was, he still wouldn’t deign touch her, and that was just fucking insulting. Even killing things along side the Espada hadn’t eased the sting.
“… Excuse me?” Were the first words that left her lips, automatically letting her weight rest on one foot, the cock of her hip and slowly toweling her dark purple hair dry, still, lips pursed.
Blood was hard to get off glass. Too annoying.
~*~
Swinging up and in, Joshua helped himself to sit on the windowsill, legs dangling down as he leaned over to smile at her, seemingly unbothered by her clear irritation and murky emotions.
"Rosette said I could go be a super hero, and kill as many as I want. But if I'm supposed to be a super hero, I need a super girl! C'mon, it'll be fun. I can track them."
~*~
“… You need a super girl.” Cirucci repeated, one brow arching high. Slowly, she dropped the towel over the back of her couch, running her pale fingers through her hair, working through knots and tangles accumulated by tight, fast, movements of battle. The blood was easy enough to wash out, but, she noted idly, and paused to remove, a few bits of dried blood under her talon-like nails.
“Joshua.” The Arrancar finally said, plopping down onto the couch arm and dipping over the back, shaking out her hair as she moved. “I am no one’s “super girl”.”
Whatever the hell that was.
~*~
Rolling his eyes, Joshua swung his legs to kick them boredly. "Come on. I can smell the blood on you still... I know you like it. You sure talk about it enough."
Still perched on the windowsill, the blond leaned over to prop his elbows on his knees to eye her. "If you don't want to be a super girl, then you can be the villain! With their city getting invaded by mysterious aliens, the super hero and his arch-nemesis have to band together to triumph over a common goal! It's epic!"
~*~
Cirucci eyed back.
Admittedly, she didn’t mind killing things, any time, any day. But, the hell was this, superheroes, villains, epic? Hardly her thing. The Arrancar pursed her lips again, idly noted her state of undress, dismissed it, and sunk further into her couch.
“The hell are you on about, Joshua?” She sighed, slowly doing up her hair into its usual style, crossing her long legs and inspecting her nails.
“They don’t even have souls for me to eat, and I’m hungry.”
~*~
Joshua frowned and folded his arms across his chest. She was no fun sometimes... How could she not like the idea of being a super hero or super villain? It was just like the books!
"Well then you can eat the souls of whoever's nearby! Usually if they're on the streets it means they're attacking people. Put on a dress and come on." With a wicked grin, he pushed away from the window to fully stand, seemingly not caring that the blood on his shoes was marking her hardwood floors. "Do I have to force you?"
~*~
Now that was amusing.
Cirucci laughed, tossed her hair and kicked her feet, amused by the idea of the human boy forcing her into doing anything. Of course, a part of her knew he was powerful, but that didn’t mean he looked it at all, even with those horns, no, he was barely a man, still mostly a boy, and it was laughable to imagine.
“Yes,” She smirked, half playfully. “You do.”
Now she was just curious.
~*~
He had only been kidding about forcing her, really. He liked fighting alone all the time, and didn't get any enjoyment out of forcing someone to massacre with him. But there was a soft buzzing in his head as she spoke, a whisper of things unsaid. Looking confused, Joshua shook his head a bit, reaching up press his hand against his ear, like that might keep the noise out.
Just a boy. Just a human boy. No, he wasn't! He was everything but. A weak human boy was what he had started out as, but he was different now. Aion had made him different. Rosiel had made him different. Rosette loved him like this, because he was strong.
Narrowing his eyes, Joshua released a low rumbling that sounded akin to an animal's growl. "Stop that!"
~*~
Slowly, Cirucci stopped the small tremors in her shoulders from residual laughter, once again found her lips pursing and one brow arching skeptically. Hand halfway to hair, she lowered it, adjusted the strap of bra and watched him carefully, the predator in her wary.
“Problem?” She murmured, uncrossing, then recrossing her legs, adjusting the garter on the left.
~*~
The air around him had shifted quickly. In place of the giddy Apostle was a menacing Devil, claws grabbing the window to yank it shut. Of course, even if his aura had darkened considerably and the glimmering wings were gone, he was still smiling. "There doesn't have to be."
"I've let you get away with a lot, after all. Threatening my sister? I've killed for less. But remember, I said I like you...and told you not to underestimate me, and we'd be just fine. Why do you push me, Thunderwitch? You think I can't hear the whispers that go on in your head? I told you not to address me that way, anymore. I wonder what it'll take to teach you some respect."
~*~
The annoyed, pursed look to her lips quickly shifted to a snarl and a sneer along with the change in the Apostle’s appearance. Her back, arched over the sofa, straightened, the bared pale neck moved, the expression on her mouth contorted the neat and tidy tear drops on her cheeks.
Cirucci Thunderwitch was not used to boys mouthing off at her, or demanding, and getting, respect.
“Out of my head.” She hissed, and that, at least, she truly did not want. Most of what she was consisted of duplicities, lies, and deceptions, and anyone who could read into her mind would see through her acts far too easily, and she hated being without those.
Respect? People earned respect, or they fucking took it. Up to then, now, Joshua had been an amusement, a useful, charming, amusement. Not, in the most, an object of respect. Coy benevolence, yes. Respect? Far from it.
~*~
Her reaction seemed appropriate, but it made him snarl right back, no longer smiling. "Trust me, I don't want in there. I can't control the noise. Maybe you should think a little more softly."
Tipping his head up, Joshua pointedly looked down at her as he paced off to the side. Hearing people's noise always made him cranky, especially when they were thinking something insulting. Just like Billy...thinking him a monster. Right.
"You act like you're above me, but I think you've got it backwards. You're nothing but a cheap prostitute, Thunderwitch. People fear you because they're weaklings. But do the strong fear you?" Acquiring the Devil's horns had given him many gifts, but his speed was probably the most useful. No human eye could even follow it, and he doubted Cirucci could do too much better.
And it was his speed that made him suddenly appear standing directly over her, his hand on her neck and a glint in his eye. "No. They don't. They take turns laughing at you and using you." His grip loosened, and his smile returned. "But I don't. I've never laughed at you, and I've never used you. I've treated you equal. So maybe you should think twice about what you say in that head of yours."
~*~
As it were, she was much better than a human eye, had almost managed to move out of the way before his hand closed on her throat and every muscle stiffened, a snarl ripped from her throat and she instinctively moved, had to actually stop herself from twisting her body and kicking out, to listen to his words.
A flush slowly suffused her skin, hackles rose, and her lips only bent further into the sneer, How dare he? Where the hell did he get the gall to call her things like that- She wasn’t, she was strong, she was. Her chin rose, further bared that pale, slim, neck.
“Watch what you say about me, brat.” Cirucci spat, rage alight thanks to his insults.
~*~
Joshua smirked and released his grip on her throat. "Don't like hearing that, do you? Well then, maybe you have a taste of what I feel when you call me names. The only difference is, I'm speaking the truth. You don't like it?"
He settled his hands against the couch on either side of her head, more or less caging her head. He was watching her very curiously, as if observing a new friend and gauging if they were best friend material or not. Of course, that wasn't the case here, was it?
"Why don't you prove me wrong?" He grinned. His menacing aura was gone, but his horns sure weren't. He wasn't stupid enough to ever let his guard down around someone like her.
~*~
Her lips stayed twisted into that offended sneer, her neck arched as her head cocked, dark hair tumbled down carelessly, wrapped damp and curled over her skin as her brows furrowed, instinctively sought to press back as he pressed forward, but suppressed it. Her hands clenched on bare thighs, a flicker of reiatsu and she was suppressing hers, to hide the charging of a cero in her palm.
“The fuck are you doing?” Cirucci baited, she always baited, even when it wasn’t good for her. It was a bad habit, that no matter how many times it broke her body, never broke itself.
~*~
With a chuckle, he stepped back and spread out his arms to his side in a shrug. "Well if you won't go out to play with me, I guess we'll have to play inside! What's a little more blood on my coat?"
Casually slipping his hands into his pockets, the Apostle offered a coy wink. "Unless you agree with me on everything I just said, which I guess would be the smart decision, but it'd also be the boring one. It'd be more fun if you wanna try and prove you're the stronger of us."
~*~
“I won’t go out and play with you because I’m fucking half dressed and I just got out of the damned bath.” Cirucci snapped, still kept the cero pulsing soft and low in her palm, just in case. She’d always known the boy was unpredictable, but that hadn’t stopped her from playing with him.
She liked things like that.
“And if you think I’m going to say you’re right about any of that shit,” Golondrina was within arm’s reach, “you’re damn stupid.”
~*~
"That's why I told you to put on a dress, Thunderwitch, and you could always just bathe again when you get back. No big deal. But come on, you're really getting uppity. This'll be fun. I'll even let you make the first move."
Of course, he wasn't even looking defensive in the least, standing there with his hands in his coat pockets and rocking back and forth on the heels of his dress shoes. He was watching her carefully, but his smile was purely carefree. There were only two people that had ever defeated him in combat. The first was Aion, and that was because his power existed solely to cancel out Chrono's power--the horns Joshua now owned. The second was that damned blind bastard that had followed him here from their world...and that had just been because Joshua wasn't paying attention. He really didn't like being an ornament on the Cathedral's roof.
It would be fun proving to Cirucci just why she could never beat him, no matter how powerful she was. And it was that thought that made him look just as giddy as he felt. "The only downer is that this shouldn't take long."
~*~
She looked at him, for a long moment. He reminded her of someone, she just wasn’t quite sure who. Slowly, instead of moving forward, to attack, she casually leaned back into the couch, crossed her legs, and sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Doesn’t look very fun, to me. I hardly need people whining about me injuring children, again.” The Arrancar taunted, with a wicked smirk on her lips. Hand propped chin, and she appraised him, like a buyer.
“Why,” She crooned. “It’s hardly even worth the effort to release.”
~*~
His eyes narrowed, but his smile stayed in place. Her tricks would never work on him. Could never work on him. Not when he could hear it all. "You think so? Fine, fine."
With a drawn out sigh, Joshua turned his back on her to wave a hand dismissively. "We won't play, then. You're no fun, Thunderwitch. I really thought you'd be up to the challenge."
~*~
How could she not be curious?
Cirucci waited until his back turned, the hand by her face twisted and moved, and instead of releasing the pent up cero, the much faster bala, sent hurtling from her hand at his back, muscles seized as she prepared to move to his reaction, mind sunk low into the thrum of violence, something as instinctive to her as breathing.
~*~
She had fallen for it--him turning his back on her. Even without his special powers, he would have guessed it would work, because the Thunderwitch operated on tricky tactics. Lies upon lies and stabbing in the back. But it wouldn't work on him, of course. Still, he didn't expect her to use something that would...wreck her own apartment.
As soon as she attacked, he was already moving, his form blurring and then gone, the bala blasting right through the window behind where he'd previously been standing. Now situated behind the couch, Joshua let out an approving whistle. "Wow, that's spiffy. I can do that too!"
With a laugh, he held out his hand, the energy crackling above his palm for a moment, only for it to dissipate and for a pout to form on his lips. "Ah, no, the blast would be too big. Your apartment would be gone..."
~*~
“Tch.” What a pain. She’d have to get it repaired, and that meant people, most likely humans, in her apartment. Now that was just annoying. It was like sonido, how he moved, so she wasn’t too shocked, at least.
“That’s why I didn’t use cero.” Cirucci smirked, palms hit cushion and she pushed, feet leading as she flipped over the couch, aimed a kick at his head, to move him back away from the table near him, to get hold of the blade behind.
~*~
"Ah, you have names for your moves? That's so cool! Like in the comic books..." Laughing again like a kid who had just heard the funniest joke, her kick was effective in making him quickly move back, but at the last minute he swung his hand out to catch an outstretched ankle, but he made no move beyond that.
"Haven't you figured it out yet? Why you're not going to win, I mean." Joshua's eyes were twinkling as he observed her her movements.
~*~
The Thunderwitch was forced frozen, half flipped and hair tumbling with a wet slick across her cheek, mouth back in a snarl and palms flat to the floor. She yanked, kicked out with her other foot and reached, felt the cool metal of her blade and her fingers closing on it. Her own blade couldn’t harm her, her skin was untorn, tight around the steel as she felt it slide into her hand.
“Because you’re cheating by looking in my fucking head.” Cirucci spat out, twining the wires deftly between her fingers, eyes narrowed and the trip phrase to her blade hovering on her lips.
~*~
"Whoa!" He let go of her ankle when her other foot kicked out, letting her flip back to her feet to regain her balance as he rubbed at the spot on his chest where her foot had landed. With a chuckle, Joshua shrugged. "It's not cheating. I can't control it. I'm just glad it doesn't hurt today. But even if I couldn't hear inside your head, you still couldn't beat me. I can stop anything you throw at me."
His azure gaze flicked down to the blade in her hand and there was a soft rumbling of appreciation in his chest, almost like a purr. "That's a neat looking weapon..."
~*~
She didn’t like that purr. It was too much like her own noise, the appreciative croon from her lips in admiration of her own blade. It made her angry, that another would make that noise about her sword.
It was easy to release, then, to let the trip phrase roll off her mouth and change, return to her other self, her true form, the bones and steel and everything that made her deadly, the bestial sense of it, and the avian nature, far too easy, then, to spring, talons outstretched, aiming to have him out the window and in to the open air.
~*~
He wasn't going to fall for that. Not that he wasn't perfectly capable of fighting in the air, especially since it meant he could feel free to use more of his powers, but doing that would also kill a lot of people down below... And Rosette had called him a super hero, hadn't she? Super heroes didn't blow up tons of innocent civilians.
Also, he suspected that combat would be easier for Cirucci once outside, with more room... No, he would stay inside, and so he had a split second decision to make as she leaped at him. He could just 'stop' her... But then she wouldn't be able to move at all afterward, and that would be no fun. So he instead chose to dodge, form moving in a blur to jump to the side and out of the way. Unfortunately, her transformation had been too distracting, and he'd taken too long to react, resulting in a fine cut just along his cheek.
Landing near her kitchen, he winced and reached up to touch his cheek, pulling his hand away to look at the blood dotted on his fingers. "Ouch. That was mean... I can't heal myself, you know."
~*~
“Then you can take back everything you said.” Cirucci crooned around the crash of furniture and the scramble of her talons against hardwood floors. Her lips smirked up into a coy look, comforted and soothed by the feathers down her back, the large wings even cramped by the ceiling.
Her tail thrashed, the mouth at it’s end screamed loudly, somehow a separate voice from her own, and swung at the boy as her talons brought her forward movement to a halt, as she whirled around to face him.
Note to self; don’t release in the apartment again.
~*~
"Only if you take back what you thought~!" he chirped playfully as she spun around to face him, keen eyes watching as the dangerous looking tail whipped around in his direction. His bloodied hand stretched out towards it, a dreamy smile on his face as he channelled the power of time from his horns, the air in front of his palm taking on a purple glow and swirling--almost like it was liquifying.
And then there was nothing. Nothing but a wicked looking tail poised inches before the palm of his hand, frozen in midair. This was a power that was hard for him to control the more he used it, but this had been perfectly successful. For the next 24 hours, Cirucci would be unable to move that portion of her body.
"Ah..." He smiled calmly in her direction, resting his hand on the tip of the tail. "I warned you. Should I stop the rest of you, too?" His hand trailed alone the stone texture of her frozen tail as he slowly strolled towards her. Though he had been acting pleasant and smiling the entire time, there was something darker in his eyes, something one could only notice the closer he got.
He was looking at her like she was dinner. "The more noise I stop, the stronger I get... It'd be easy to stop you. Unless...you give me a reason not to?"
~*~
It wouldn’t move. Cirucci’s eyes widened, purple on white, surrounded by the thick black lashes that blinked too quickly, unable to process not moving.
Her tail wouldn’t move, seemed frozen, cracked and stone, and though she could feel his hand on it, feel the nigh imperceptible shiver at the touch, through the skin, it wouldn’t move. She struggled with it for a moment, her lips twisted, before her talons dug further into hardwood with a loud and sudden crunch.
“What did you do.” She demanded, her voice low, eyes just as dark in match to his, didn’t show fear, though she felt a twinge of it, didn’t show anger, only the simmering, shifting, heat, just below the surface, her teeth showing, her breast heaving from the effort she was putting in to trying to move it.
~*~
He stopped in front of her, letting his gaze travel over her form as he took in all the changed. To be able to transform like that... That was really interesting. He knew that Aion could transform, too, just like all of the Sinners... Cirucci really did remind him of the Devils at home. It was part of the reason he liked her.
"I stopped time," he murmured absently as he inspected the spot his hand had stopped on, thumbs stroking against the bone. "I can stop anything that comes at me... Neat, huh?" Finally looking to her face again, Joshua grinned. "So, what'll it be? You want me to stop the rest of you? I don't know how long it will last without Aion here to cancel it out... Could last hours. Or days. Or months. Not sure~!"
Already there was a shift in the air by his hand as he waited for her answer.
~*~
Shit.
She shivered, nervous, cold sweat fear and the soft stroke of his hand on the bone-flesh of her tail. A small pant, this form was hard to hold, and the effort keeping her tail from crashing to the ground (she refused to be so weak) was a bit much, sent a small drop of sweat coursing down her slim neck.
“I can’t hold this form that long.” She grit out. That was worrying, beyond worrying, because she’d never held her form that long. No Arrancar could, she didn’t think. She started to sweat ten, twenty minutes in. It started to ache by an hour, she’d never gone beyond that.
“…” Cirucci smirked, like needles and pins. “I really don’t fancy that happening, Joshua. Put your hand down.”
~*~
He did put his hand down, too, only he rested it on her tail next to his other hand. She was nervous about being stuck like this... Well, anyone would be, but he could hear her noise. "Can't keep your form for very long? Just like a Devil... It uses up too much Astral power back home. You'll probably pass out, right? Maybe you could try to transform back like this. Should be funny. Or maybe..."
His claws dug into the bone, one hand resting on the frozen part of the tail, the other settled on what was still capable of writhing, and he started to very slowly...pull. There was a menacing sneer tugging at his lips as he watched her face. "I could just rip you free. How much can you bleed, I wonder? Let's find out."
~*~
“Let’s not.” Cirucci snarled, but she was afraid to yank away, not when he had his hands there, she could feel the ripping, but still couldn’t move.
She knew how to seal herself, she’d done it hundreds of time, but it wasn’t going. However, her hands still moved, and her talons thrashed, disengaged from hardwood floor with a rip and moved to hover over the back of his neck, her lips back in a snarl.
“Get off my tail, Joshua. Leave it.” Another drop of sweat on her skin, clammy, cold.
~*~
He stopped pulling, but only because she had done something incredibly stupid. She was acting like a bitch backed into a corner, and she didn't seem to know that biting would only make it worse for her. With a roll of his shoulders, Joshua released her tail and glanced over his shoulder. Seconds passed, there was a shimmer and a flash, and the sharpened talons that had been threatening him were now just as frigid as her tail was.
"Not your smartest move, but I get it. You're desperate. I'll let you stay like this." He ducked under the frozen hand so that he was standing just in front of her, amused at her distress. "Any requests before I leave?"
~*~
“Fuck-“ Cirucci thrashed, winced, and her tail dropped along with her talon, which twisted her body due to where the frozen part met her flesh being at an angle, which brought her to her knees, floundered, managed to get back on her feet quickly enough but she was forced down again, neck bent to still look him in the eyes.
“Yeah,” She spat, “I got a fucking request.” She tried to seal, but she couldn’t, couldn’t move her tail, a heavy dead weight longer than she was tall, couldn’t move her hand, frozen with knuckles bent and talons arched to claw and rip.
“Undo it.” Another slight pant, sweat beading on the back of her neck. “I can’t hold it long.”
~*~
He watched her drop down, not even able to stay standing no matter how much she tried to stand. The notion of power was a rush. It was why he loved fighting... He loved proving how strong he was, and how weak all the others were.
Leaning over her, Joshua let his bloodied hands rest back in his coat pockets. She was no longer dinner. She was more like a...dessert. "What's the magic word, Thunderwitch? Why should I treat you like a lady if you won't act like one? Even prostitutes are smart enough to know when they need to be polite, unless they want to end up in a back alley with a bullet lodged in their skull, like in the mystery novels."
~*~
“Why should I-“ She grimaced, winced and wrenched, struggled back up, managed to stand straight, with her tail dead weight beside her, the mouth frozen open and tongue half out, spittle frozen against the maw. Terribly attractive.
“Act like a lady for someone who isn’t a gentleman?” Cirucci finished with a hard breath, shuddered at the feel of a damp curl of her hair slipping in the sweat beading down her neck.
“What do you want, mm?” She hated that he could be stronger than her, hated it, even as she forced that smile to her mouth. “Begging? Do you want me to beg, Joshua?” It was hard to stand. One knee shook. The planes of muscle down her belly rippled slightly, fighting the weight urging her to bend.
She’d rather break.
~*~
He offered another shrug and stepped back to flop down onto the couch, relaxing as he watched her struggle against her own weight. The feathers were so pretty...
"I just want you to say 'please'. That's not so hard, right, to use some manners? You say please, and I'll let you go. Or you can just stay like that... I don't care too much, but..." He frowned a little, folding his arms across his chest. "You're prettier in your other form. I'd rather see that again."
~*~
I’m not going to-“ She spat, had to pause and wrench again, a movement that sent those pretty feathers cascading down about her shoulders, white, always white. “Beg you.”
“I don’t know if you heard,” They would have heard wrong, she was lying. But she only begged when it suited her, and this? This did not suit her. At all. “Cirucci Thunderwitch doesn’t beg.”
She did, however, glare, and snap, haul her tail a few steps towards him, gesturing widely with her less weighted hand.
“Get the fuck off my couch, Joshua.”
~*~
"Maybe you don't understand the situation you're in. I'll give you another chance, and you have three options. I'll spell it out for you, since you're a little slow." Leaning over, the blond draped his arm over his knee, making a fist and slowly lifting a finger each time he listed off a choice.
"You can say please, and I'll free you. You can say nothing, and I'll leave right now and you can just wait it out. Or you can continue to mouth off at me, and I'll rip your arm and tail clean from your body before gutting you with both."
Leaning back again, he moved his arm to prop his elbow on the arm rest, letting his cut cheek settle against his knuckles while he eyed her. "I think all three results will be fun for me, but only one will really be fun for you."
~*~
Her lips pursed, and it took her a moment to make it to the couch, free talons dug into the cushion beside his head, and she leaned close, another trace of sweat dripped down her neck, down collarbone and between her breasts.
“I can’t say I really believe you.” She murmured, making sure to stay soft and gentle in her voice. “And I don’t like begging, I’m sure you know.” Honey, sweet, sweet, honey.
“How about…” She smirked a little, very carefully, and her talons dug in to the couch when she leaned closer, inches from him. “Please make sure not to get blood on my couch?~”
~*~
Joshua eyed her carefully, pondering over if that was good enough. He was actually very intrigued. How could someone as pitiful as her have so much pride? Even in a situation like this, she was trying not to crumble... But it didn't matter what she said at this point. He had shown her who was stronger.
"Well, nobody likes begging. That's sort of the point. But... Okay, I guess that'll work. I'll let you go because I feel sorry for you." It took another moment of concentration, a tug in his mind and a moment of weakness for him, and she was free. Time had been returned, and hopefully she knew better than to try and attack him again.
"But I think I already got blood on your couch," he added in cheekily, not seeming very ruffled by her close proximity.
~*~
“Ah-“ She’d started to say something about the blood on her couch, move, shift over him, and then suddenly she wasn’t so heavy, lurched forwards and had to brace with her talons, dug in and gasped, tumbled with the sudden change in weight and ended up half-sprawled over him.
“…” Cirucci glared, and instead of embarrassing herself further, she quickly sealed herself, released the thrashing tail and wings, the talons, the hands near his head now small, thin fingered, sharp nails and pale skin.
“I don’t like blood on my couch.” She muttered, chin rose, and another drop of sweat.
~*~
Joshua watched in fascination as she sealed her other form, almost sorry to see it go... Because it really was neat, but...this form was definitely prettier. Not to mention lighter, and much more pleasant to have on his lap.
Matching her glare with a carefree smile, the Apostle moved his hand up to gently tuck her slightly dampened hair behind an ear. She certainly looked disheveled, but he was the one covered in blood, so he certainly couldn't comment on her needing another bath to wash off that sweat.
"Oh well. I'll get someone to clean it for you, and you can play with them afterward. Sound fun?"
~*~
“Make it someone with a soul.” Cirucci shot back immediately, tossed her head and sent those dampened curls flipping about. She wasn’t going to be embarrassing, and scramble out of his lap like it bothered her, or move like she was inconvenienced, shifted around and was idly reminded of Rosiel asking her if she’d fucked the boy.
Did she look like she would? Really?
“I’m fucking hungry.” And for that matter, he had a soul. That predatory gaze on her face betrayed it.
~*~
His horns were gone now, leaving him feeling a bit worn out. He wasn't used to reversing the effects of freezing someone...that was usually what Aion did. Due to his weariness, his smile was gone and he looked more bored than anything.
"Well if you'd agreed to go outside with me in the first place, we could have killed some aliens and you could have snacked on some people, but you insisted on being difficult. You can get off, now. And don't think about nibbling on me--I'm not a meal for you."
As he spoke, Joshua was looking away from her, as if thinking about something else while talking. Rosette would probably worry if he stayed out much longer... Maybe he ought to bring her something back. Sunflowers? No, it wasn't the season, and someone in a flower shop would probably scream and run if they saw him like this.
~*~
There. Now she wouldn’t look bad, rolled her eyes and got off him, but ended up having to flop to the couch, muscles strained from holding the form that long with the wings and tail and all, sighed and rolled over, hauled herself up again and dragged herself towards her bedroom.
“Fuck you, Joshua.” She spat, waving her hand dismissively.
~*~
Joshua offered a play pout at her words before standing up to brush off his pants. "You're so vulgar. It's really unattractive. I hope you don't talk like that around my sister."
Before she could completely disappear into her bedroom, he was quick to slip up beside her to sweep an arm around her waist. "Nice to see you again." After offering a light kiss to her cheek in mockery of their previous farewell at the gala, Joshua looked over to the broken window curiously and decided to use the front door instead. He didn't need anymore cuts, or Rosette would worry.
Ah... Tulips. He would get her tulips.
Rating; PG-13 [Language, Violence].
Characters; Cirucci [
thunderwitch] & Joshua [apostleofhope].Summary; After Rosette gives him permission to slaughter some Stewards, Joshua goes looking for a sidekick, and ends up finding a fight with her instead.
Log;
Slaughtering the invaders was much more fun when he knew he had Rosette's full support in it. The best super hero I've ever met. That's what she had said! It made him practically glow with pride as he tore through any Steward he could find.
It was just as he was ripping out the throat of one such victim that he realized something, and almost instantly his shimmering wings spread to set him into flight, headed off to search for Cirucci Thunderwitch. Today was a good day, because his noise wasn't really bothering him, but he could still hear the whisperings. That was how he could locate the strange aliens, after all. Their noise was different.
He had been around Cirucci enough to pinpoint her noise, and as soon as he spotted a large window to her apartment, Joshua reached out to pound against it impatiently, leaving behind smears of blood each time. Far too eager to wait for her to come over, he slid his hand over to grip the edge, shoving it open--locked or not.
"Thunderwitch! Come out and play! You have to!"
Cirucci Thunderwitch never locked her doors or windows. Most people knew better than to try and barge into her apartment unannounced, and she had never advertised her residence, only a select few even knew where she lived, so to walk out of her bedroom, half-dressed and hair wet from bathing, the last thing she expected to see and hear was the mad angel’s ward.
In all honesty, she’d expected to spend the rest of her day sulking. Goddamn that man, but Szayel Aporro was always frustrating, and even as supposedly affected by that Desire as he was, he still wouldn’t deign touch her, and that was just fucking insulting. Even killing things along side the Espada hadn’t eased the sting.
“… Excuse me?” Were the first words that left her lips, automatically letting her weight rest on one foot, the cock of her hip and slowly toweling her dark purple hair dry, still, lips pursed.
Blood was hard to get off glass. Too annoying.
Swinging up and in, Joshua helped himself to sit on the windowsill, legs dangling down as he leaned over to smile at her, seemingly unbothered by her clear irritation and murky emotions.
"Rosette said I could go be a super hero, and kill as many as I want. But if I'm supposed to be a super hero, I need a super girl! C'mon, it'll be fun. I can track them."
“… You need a super girl.” Cirucci repeated, one brow arching high. Slowly, she dropped the towel over the back of her couch, running her pale fingers through her hair, working through knots and tangles accumulated by tight, fast, movements of battle. The blood was easy enough to wash out, but, she noted idly, and paused to remove, a few bits of dried blood under her talon-like nails.
“Joshua.” The Arrancar finally said, plopping down onto the couch arm and dipping over the back, shaking out her hair as she moved. “I am no one’s “super girl”.”
Whatever the hell that was.
Rolling his eyes, Joshua swung his legs to kick them boredly. "Come on. I can smell the blood on you still... I know you like it. You sure talk about it enough."
Still perched on the windowsill, the blond leaned over to prop his elbows on his knees to eye her. "If you don't want to be a super girl, then you can be the villain! With their city getting invaded by mysterious aliens, the super hero and his arch-nemesis have to band together to triumph over a common goal! It's epic!"
Cirucci eyed back.
Admittedly, she didn’t mind killing things, any time, any day. But, the hell was this, superheroes, villains, epic? Hardly her thing. The Arrancar pursed her lips again, idly noted her state of undress, dismissed it, and sunk further into her couch.
“The hell are you on about, Joshua?” She sighed, slowly doing up her hair into its usual style, crossing her long legs and inspecting her nails.
“They don’t even have souls for me to eat, and I’m hungry.”
Joshua frowned and folded his arms across his chest. She was no fun sometimes... How could she not like the idea of being a super hero or super villain? It was just like the books!
"Well then you can eat the souls of whoever's nearby! Usually if they're on the streets it means they're attacking people. Put on a dress and come on." With a wicked grin, he pushed away from the window to fully stand, seemingly not caring that the blood on his shoes was marking her hardwood floors. "Do I have to force you?"
Now that was amusing.
Cirucci laughed, tossed her hair and kicked her feet, amused by the idea of the human boy forcing her into doing anything. Of course, a part of her knew he was powerful, but that didn’t mean he looked it at all, even with those horns, no, he was barely a man, still mostly a boy, and it was laughable to imagine.
“Yes,” She smirked, half playfully. “You do.”
Now she was just curious.
He had only been kidding about forcing her, really. He liked fighting alone all the time, and didn't get any enjoyment out of forcing someone to massacre with him. But there was a soft buzzing in his head as she spoke, a whisper of things unsaid. Looking confused, Joshua shook his head a bit, reaching up press his hand against his ear, like that might keep the noise out.
Just a boy. Just a human boy. No, he wasn't! He was everything but. A weak human boy was what he had started out as, but he was different now. Aion had made him different. Rosiel had made him different. Rosette loved him like this, because he was strong.
Narrowing his eyes, Joshua released a low rumbling that sounded akin to an animal's growl. "Stop that!"
Slowly, Cirucci stopped the small tremors in her shoulders from residual laughter, once again found her lips pursing and one brow arching skeptically. Hand halfway to hair, she lowered it, adjusted the strap of bra and watched him carefully, the predator in her wary.
“Problem?” She murmured, uncrossing, then recrossing her legs, adjusting the garter on the left.
The air around him had shifted quickly. In place of the giddy Apostle was a menacing Devil, claws grabbing the window to yank it shut. Of course, even if his aura had darkened considerably and the glimmering wings were gone, he was still smiling. "There doesn't have to be."
"I've let you get away with a lot, after all. Threatening my sister? I've killed for less. But remember, I said I like you...and told you not to underestimate me, and we'd be just fine. Why do you push me, Thunderwitch? You think I can't hear the whispers that go on in your head? I told you not to address me that way, anymore. I wonder what it'll take to teach you some respect."
The annoyed, pursed look to her lips quickly shifted to a snarl and a sneer along with the change in the Apostle’s appearance. Her back, arched over the sofa, straightened, the bared pale neck moved, the expression on her mouth contorted the neat and tidy tear drops on her cheeks.
Cirucci Thunderwitch was not used to boys mouthing off at her, or demanding, and getting, respect.
“Out of my head.” She hissed, and that, at least, she truly did not want. Most of what she was consisted of duplicities, lies, and deceptions, and anyone who could read into her mind would see through her acts far too easily, and she hated being without those.
Respect? People earned respect, or they fucking took it. Up to then, now, Joshua had been an amusement, a useful, charming, amusement. Not, in the most, an object of respect. Coy benevolence, yes. Respect? Far from it.
Her reaction seemed appropriate, but it made him snarl right back, no longer smiling. "Trust me, I don't want in there. I can't control the noise. Maybe you should think a little more softly."
Tipping his head up, Joshua pointedly looked down at her as he paced off to the side. Hearing people's noise always made him cranky, especially when they were thinking something insulting. Just like Billy...thinking him a monster. Right.
"You act like you're above me, but I think you've got it backwards. You're nothing but a cheap prostitute, Thunderwitch. People fear you because they're weaklings. But do the strong fear you?" Acquiring the Devil's horns had given him many gifts, but his speed was probably the most useful. No human eye could even follow it, and he doubted Cirucci could do too much better.
And it was his speed that made him suddenly appear standing directly over her, his hand on her neck and a glint in his eye. "No. They don't. They take turns laughing at you and using you." His grip loosened, and his smile returned. "But I don't. I've never laughed at you, and I've never used you. I've treated you equal. So maybe you should think twice about what you say in that head of yours."
As it were, she was much better than a human eye, had almost managed to move out of the way before his hand closed on her throat and every muscle stiffened, a snarl ripped from her throat and she instinctively moved, had to actually stop herself from twisting her body and kicking out, to listen to his words.
A flush slowly suffused her skin, hackles rose, and her lips only bent further into the sneer, How dare he? Where the hell did he get the gall to call her things like that- She wasn’t, she was strong, she was. Her chin rose, further bared that pale, slim, neck.
“Watch what you say about me, brat.” Cirucci spat, rage alight thanks to his insults.
Joshua smirked and released his grip on her throat. "Don't like hearing that, do you? Well then, maybe you have a taste of what I feel when you call me names. The only difference is, I'm speaking the truth. You don't like it?"
He settled his hands against the couch on either side of her head, more or less caging her head. He was watching her very curiously, as if observing a new friend and gauging if they were best friend material or not. Of course, that wasn't the case here, was it?
"Why don't you prove me wrong?" He grinned. His menacing aura was gone, but his horns sure weren't. He wasn't stupid enough to ever let his guard down around someone like her.
Her lips stayed twisted into that offended sneer, her neck arched as her head cocked, dark hair tumbled down carelessly, wrapped damp and curled over her skin as her brows furrowed, instinctively sought to press back as he pressed forward, but suppressed it. Her hands clenched on bare thighs, a flicker of reiatsu and she was suppressing hers, to hide the charging of a cero in her palm.
“The fuck are you doing?” Cirucci baited, she always baited, even when it wasn’t good for her. It was a bad habit, that no matter how many times it broke her body, never broke itself.
With a chuckle, he stepped back and spread out his arms to his side in a shrug. "Well if you won't go out to play with me, I guess we'll have to play inside! What's a little more blood on my coat?"
Casually slipping his hands into his pockets, the Apostle offered a coy wink. "Unless you agree with me on everything I just said, which I guess would be the smart decision, but it'd also be the boring one. It'd be more fun if you wanna try and prove you're the stronger of us."
“I won’t go out and play with you because I’m fucking half dressed and I just got out of the damned bath.” Cirucci snapped, still kept the cero pulsing soft and low in her palm, just in case. She’d always known the boy was unpredictable, but that hadn’t stopped her from playing with him.
She liked things like that.
“And if you think I’m going to say you’re right about any of that shit,” Golondrina was within arm’s reach, “you’re damn stupid.”
"That's why I told you to put on a dress, Thunderwitch, and you could always just bathe again when you get back. No big deal. But come on, you're really getting uppity. This'll be fun. I'll even let you make the first move."
Of course, he wasn't even looking defensive in the least, standing there with his hands in his coat pockets and rocking back and forth on the heels of his dress shoes. He was watching her carefully, but his smile was purely carefree. There were only two people that had ever defeated him in combat. The first was Aion, and that was because his power existed solely to cancel out Chrono's power--the horns Joshua now owned. The second was that damned blind bastard that had followed him here from their world...and that had just been because Joshua wasn't paying attention. He really didn't like being an ornament on the Cathedral's roof.
It would be fun proving to Cirucci just why she could never beat him, no matter how powerful she was. And it was that thought that made him look just as giddy as he felt. "The only downer is that this shouldn't take long."
She looked at him, for a long moment. He reminded her of someone, she just wasn’t quite sure who. Slowly, instead of moving forward, to attack, she casually leaned back into the couch, crossed her legs, and sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Doesn’t look very fun, to me. I hardly need people whining about me injuring children, again.” The Arrancar taunted, with a wicked smirk on her lips. Hand propped chin, and she appraised him, like a buyer.
“Why,” She crooned. “It’s hardly even worth the effort to release.”
His eyes narrowed, but his smile stayed in place. Her tricks would never work on him. Could never work on him. Not when he could hear it all. "You think so? Fine, fine."
With a drawn out sigh, Joshua turned his back on her to wave a hand dismissively. "We won't play, then. You're no fun, Thunderwitch. I really thought you'd be up to the challenge."
How could she not be curious?
Cirucci waited until his back turned, the hand by her face twisted and moved, and instead of releasing the pent up cero, the much faster bala, sent hurtling from her hand at his back, muscles seized as she prepared to move to his reaction, mind sunk low into the thrum of violence, something as instinctive to her as breathing.
She had fallen for it--him turning his back on her. Even without his special powers, he would have guessed it would work, because the Thunderwitch operated on tricky tactics. Lies upon lies and stabbing in the back. But it wouldn't work on him, of course. Still, he didn't expect her to use something that would...wreck her own apartment.
As soon as she attacked, he was already moving, his form blurring and then gone, the bala blasting right through the window behind where he'd previously been standing. Now situated behind the couch, Joshua let out an approving whistle. "Wow, that's spiffy. I can do that too!"
With a laugh, he held out his hand, the energy crackling above his palm for a moment, only for it to dissipate and for a pout to form on his lips. "Ah, no, the blast would be too big. Your apartment would be gone..."
“Tch.” What a pain. She’d have to get it repaired, and that meant people, most likely humans, in her apartment. Now that was just annoying. It was like sonido, how he moved, so she wasn’t too shocked, at least.
“That’s why I didn’t use cero.” Cirucci smirked, palms hit cushion and she pushed, feet leading as she flipped over the couch, aimed a kick at his head, to move him back away from the table near him, to get hold of the blade behind.
"Ah, you have names for your moves? That's so cool! Like in the comic books..." Laughing again like a kid who had just heard the funniest joke, her kick was effective in making him quickly move back, but at the last minute he swung his hand out to catch an outstretched ankle, but he made no move beyond that.
"Haven't you figured it out yet? Why you're not going to win, I mean." Joshua's eyes were twinkling as he observed her her movements.
The Thunderwitch was forced frozen, half flipped and hair tumbling with a wet slick across her cheek, mouth back in a snarl and palms flat to the floor. She yanked, kicked out with her other foot and reached, felt the cool metal of her blade and her fingers closing on it. Her own blade couldn’t harm her, her skin was untorn, tight around the steel as she felt it slide into her hand.
“Because you’re cheating by looking in my fucking head.” Cirucci spat out, twining the wires deftly between her fingers, eyes narrowed and the trip phrase to her blade hovering on her lips.
"Whoa!" He let go of her ankle when her other foot kicked out, letting her flip back to her feet to regain her balance as he rubbed at the spot on his chest where her foot had landed. With a chuckle, Joshua shrugged. "It's not cheating. I can't control it. I'm just glad it doesn't hurt today. But even if I couldn't hear inside your head, you still couldn't beat me. I can stop anything you throw at me."
His azure gaze flicked down to the blade in her hand and there was a soft rumbling of appreciation in his chest, almost like a purr. "That's a neat looking weapon..."
She didn’t like that purr. It was too much like her own noise, the appreciative croon from her lips in admiration of her own blade. It made her angry, that another would make that noise about her sword.
It was easy to release, then, to let the trip phrase roll off her mouth and change, return to her other self, her true form, the bones and steel and everything that made her deadly, the bestial sense of it, and the avian nature, far too easy, then, to spring, talons outstretched, aiming to have him out the window and in to the open air.
He wasn't going to fall for that. Not that he wasn't perfectly capable of fighting in the air, especially since it meant he could feel free to use more of his powers, but doing that would also kill a lot of people down below... And Rosette had called him a super hero, hadn't she? Super heroes didn't blow up tons of innocent civilians.
Also, he suspected that combat would be easier for Cirucci once outside, with more room... No, he would stay inside, and so he had a split second decision to make as she leaped at him. He could just 'stop' her... But then she wouldn't be able to move at all afterward, and that would be no fun. So he instead chose to dodge, form moving in a blur to jump to the side and out of the way. Unfortunately, her transformation had been too distracting, and he'd taken too long to react, resulting in a fine cut just along his cheek.
Landing near her kitchen, he winced and reached up to touch his cheek, pulling his hand away to look at the blood dotted on his fingers. "Ouch. That was mean... I can't heal myself, you know."
“Then you can take back everything you said.” Cirucci crooned around the crash of furniture and the scramble of her talons against hardwood floors. Her lips smirked up into a coy look, comforted and soothed by the feathers down her back, the large wings even cramped by the ceiling.
Her tail thrashed, the mouth at it’s end screamed loudly, somehow a separate voice from her own, and swung at the boy as her talons brought her forward movement to a halt, as she whirled around to face him.
Note to self; don’t release in the apartment again.
"Only if you take back what you thought~!" he chirped playfully as she spun around to face him, keen eyes watching as the dangerous looking tail whipped around in his direction. His bloodied hand stretched out towards it, a dreamy smile on his face as he channelled the power of time from his horns, the air in front of his palm taking on a purple glow and swirling--almost like it was liquifying.
And then there was nothing. Nothing but a wicked looking tail poised inches before the palm of his hand, frozen in midair. This was a power that was hard for him to control the more he used it, but this had been perfectly successful. For the next 24 hours, Cirucci would be unable to move that portion of her body.
"Ah..." He smiled calmly in her direction, resting his hand on the tip of the tail. "I warned you. Should I stop the rest of you, too?" His hand trailed alone the stone texture of her frozen tail as he slowly strolled towards her. Though he had been acting pleasant and smiling the entire time, there was something darker in his eyes, something one could only notice the closer he got.
He was looking at her like she was dinner. "The more noise I stop, the stronger I get... It'd be easy to stop you. Unless...you give me a reason not to?"
It wouldn’t move. Cirucci’s eyes widened, purple on white, surrounded by the thick black lashes that blinked too quickly, unable to process not moving.
Her tail wouldn’t move, seemed frozen, cracked and stone, and though she could feel his hand on it, feel the nigh imperceptible shiver at the touch, through the skin, it wouldn’t move. She struggled with it for a moment, her lips twisted, before her talons dug further into hardwood with a loud and sudden crunch.
“What did you do.” She demanded, her voice low, eyes just as dark in match to his, didn’t show fear, though she felt a twinge of it, didn’t show anger, only the simmering, shifting, heat, just below the surface, her teeth showing, her breast heaving from the effort she was putting in to trying to move it.
He stopped in front of her, letting his gaze travel over her form as he took in all the changed. To be able to transform like that... That was really interesting. He knew that Aion could transform, too, just like all of the Sinners... Cirucci really did remind him of the Devils at home. It was part of the reason he liked her.
"I stopped time," he murmured absently as he inspected the spot his hand had stopped on, thumbs stroking against the bone. "I can stop anything that comes at me... Neat, huh?" Finally looking to her face again, Joshua grinned. "So, what'll it be? You want me to stop the rest of you? I don't know how long it will last without Aion here to cancel it out... Could last hours. Or days. Or months. Not sure~!"
Already there was a shift in the air by his hand as he waited for her answer.
Shit.
She shivered, nervous, cold sweat fear and the soft stroke of his hand on the bone-flesh of her tail. A small pant, this form was hard to hold, and the effort keeping her tail from crashing to the ground (she refused to be so weak) was a bit much, sent a small drop of sweat coursing down her slim neck.
“I can’t hold this form that long.” She grit out. That was worrying, beyond worrying, because she’d never held her form that long. No Arrancar could, she didn’t think. She started to sweat ten, twenty minutes in. It started to ache by an hour, she’d never gone beyond that.
“…” Cirucci smirked, like needles and pins. “I really don’t fancy that happening, Joshua. Put your hand down.”
He did put his hand down, too, only he rested it on her tail next to his other hand. She was nervous about being stuck like this... Well, anyone would be, but he could hear her noise. "Can't keep your form for very long? Just like a Devil... It uses up too much Astral power back home. You'll probably pass out, right? Maybe you could try to transform back like this. Should be funny. Or maybe..."
His claws dug into the bone, one hand resting on the frozen part of the tail, the other settled on what was still capable of writhing, and he started to very slowly...pull. There was a menacing sneer tugging at his lips as he watched her face. "I could just rip you free. How much can you bleed, I wonder? Let's find out."
“Let’s not.” Cirucci snarled, but she was afraid to yank away, not when he had his hands there, she could feel the ripping, but still couldn’t move.
She knew how to seal herself, she’d done it hundreds of time, but it wasn’t going. However, her hands still moved, and her talons thrashed, disengaged from hardwood floor with a rip and moved to hover over the back of his neck, her lips back in a snarl.
“Get off my tail, Joshua. Leave it.” Another drop of sweat on her skin, clammy, cold.
He stopped pulling, but only because she had done something incredibly stupid. She was acting like a bitch backed into a corner, and she didn't seem to know that biting would only make it worse for her. With a roll of his shoulders, Joshua released her tail and glanced over his shoulder. Seconds passed, there was a shimmer and a flash, and the sharpened talons that had been threatening him were now just as frigid as her tail was.
"Not your smartest move, but I get it. You're desperate. I'll let you stay like this." He ducked under the frozen hand so that he was standing just in front of her, amused at her distress. "Any requests before I leave?"
“Fuck-“ Cirucci thrashed, winced, and her tail dropped along with her talon, which twisted her body due to where the frozen part met her flesh being at an angle, which brought her to her knees, floundered, managed to get back on her feet quickly enough but she was forced down again, neck bent to still look him in the eyes.
“Yeah,” She spat, “I got a fucking request.” She tried to seal, but she couldn’t, couldn’t move her tail, a heavy dead weight longer than she was tall, couldn’t move her hand, frozen with knuckles bent and talons arched to claw and rip.
“Undo it.” Another slight pant, sweat beading on the back of her neck. “I can’t hold it long.”
He watched her drop down, not even able to stay standing no matter how much she tried to stand. The notion of power was a rush. It was why he loved fighting... He loved proving how strong he was, and how weak all the others were.
Leaning over her, Joshua let his bloodied hands rest back in his coat pockets. She was no longer dinner. She was more like a...dessert. "What's the magic word, Thunderwitch? Why should I treat you like a lady if you won't act like one? Even prostitutes are smart enough to know when they need to be polite, unless they want to end up in a back alley with a bullet lodged in their skull, like in the mystery novels."
“Why should I-“ She grimaced, winced and wrenched, struggled back up, managed to stand straight, with her tail dead weight beside her, the mouth frozen open and tongue half out, spittle frozen against the maw. Terribly attractive.
“Act like a lady for someone who isn’t a gentleman?” Cirucci finished with a hard breath, shuddered at the feel of a damp curl of her hair slipping in the sweat beading down her neck.
“What do you want, mm?” She hated that he could be stronger than her, hated it, even as she forced that smile to her mouth. “Begging? Do you want me to beg, Joshua?” It was hard to stand. One knee shook. The planes of muscle down her belly rippled slightly, fighting the weight urging her to bend.
She’d rather break.
He offered another shrug and stepped back to flop down onto the couch, relaxing as he watched her struggle against her own weight. The feathers were so pretty...
"I just want you to say 'please'. That's not so hard, right, to use some manners? You say please, and I'll let you go. Or you can just stay like that... I don't care too much, but..." He frowned a little, folding his arms across his chest. "You're prettier in your other form. I'd rather see that again."
I’m not going to-“ She spat, had to pause and wrench again, a movement that sent those pretty feathers cascading down about her shoulders, white, always white. “Beg you.”
“I don’t know if you heard,” They would have heard wrong, she was lying. But she only begged when it suited her, and this? This did not suit her. At all. “Cirucci Thunderwitch doesn’t beg.”
She did, however, glare, and snap, haul her tail a few steps towards him, gesturing widely with her less weighted hand.
“Get the fuck off my couch, Joshua.”
"Maybe you don't understand the situation you're in. I'll give you another chance, and you have three options. I'll spell it out for you, since you're a little slow." Leaning over, the blond draped his arm over his knee, making a fist and slowly lifting a finger each time he listed off a choice.
"You can say please, and I'll free you. You can say nothing, and I'll leave right now and you can just wait it out. Or you can continue to mouth off at me, and I'll rip your arm and tail clean from your body before gutting you with both."
Leaning back again, he moved his arm to prop his elbow on the arm rest, letting his cut cheek settle against his knuckles while he eyed her. "I think all three results will be fun for me, but only one will really be fun for you."
Her lips pursed, and it took her a moment to make it to the couch, free talons dug into the cushion beside his head, and she leaned close, another trace of sweat dripped down her neck, down collarbone and between her breasts.
“I can’t say I really believe you.” She murmured, making sure to stay soft and gentle in her voice. “And I don’t like begging, I’m sure you know.” Honey, sweet, sweet, honey.
“How about…” She smirked a little, very carefully, and her talons dug in to the couch when she leaned closer, inches from him. “Please make sure not to get blood on my couch?~”
Joshua eyed her carefully, pondering over if that was good enough. He was actually very intrigued. How could someone as pitiful as her have so much pride? Even in a situation like this, she was trying not to crumble... But it didn't matter what she said at this point. He had shown her who was stronger.
"Well, nobody likes begging. That's sort of the point. But... Okay, I guess that'll work. I'll let you go because I feel sorry for you." It took another moment of concentration, a tug in his mind and a moment of weakness for him, and she was free. Time had been returned, and hopefully she knew better than to try and attack him again.
"But I think I already got blood on your couch," he added in cheekily, not seeming very ruffled by her close proximity.
“Ah-“ She’d started to say something about the blood on her couch, move, shift over him, and then suddenly she wasn’t so heavy, lurched forwards and had to brace with her talons, dug in and gasped, tumbled with the sudden change in weight and ended up half-sprawled over him.
“…” Cirucci glared, and instead of embarrassing herself further, she quickly sealed herself, released the thrashing tail and wings, the talons, the hands near his head now small, thin fingered, sharp nails and pale skin.
“I don’t like blood on my couch.” She muttered, chin rose, and another drop of sweat.
Joshua watched in fascination as she sealed her other form, almost sorry to see it go... Because it really was neat, but...this form was definitely prettier. Not to mention lighter, and much more pleasant to have on his lap.
Matching her glare with a carefree smile, the Apostle moved his hand up to gently tuck her slightly dampened hair behind an ear. She certainly looked disheveled, but he was the one covered in blood, so he certainly couldn't comment on her needing another bath to wash off that sweat.
"Oh well. I'll get someone to clean it for you, and you can play with them afterward. Sound fun?"
“Make it someone with a soul.” Cirucci shot back immediately, tossed her head and sent those dampened curls flipping about. She wasn’t going to be embarrassing, and scramble out of his lap like it bothered her, or move like she was inconvenienced, shifted around and was idly reminded of Rosiel asking her if she’d fucked the boy.
Did she look like she would? Really?
“I’m fucking hungry.” And for that matter, he had a soul. That predatory gaze on her face betrayed it.
His horns were gone now, leaving him feeling a bit worn out. He wasn't used to reversing the effects of freezing someone...that was usually what Aion did. Due to his weariness, his smile was gone and he looked more bored than anything.
"Well if you'd agreed to go outside with me in the first place, we could have killed some aliens and you could have snacked on some people, but you insisted on being difficult. You can get off, now. And don't think about nibbling on me--I'm not a meal for you."
As he spoke, Joshua was looking away from her, as if thinking about something else while talking. Rosette would probably worry if he stayed out much longer... Maybe he ought to bring her something back. Sunflowers? No, it wasn't the season, and someone in a flower shop would probably scream and run if they saw him like this.
There. Now she wouldn’t look bad, rolled her eyes and got off him, but ended up having to flop to the couch, muscles strained from holding the form that long with the wings and tail and all, sighed and rolled over, hauled herself up again and dragged herself towards her bedroom.
“Fuck you, Joshua.” She spat, waving her hand dismissively.
Joshua offered a play pout at her words before standing up to brush off his pants. "You're so vulgar. It's really unattractive. I hope you don't talk like that around my sister."
Before she could completely disappear into her bedroom, he was quick to slip up beside her to sweep an arm around her waist. "Nice to see you again." After offering a light kiss to her cheek in mockery of their previous farewell at the gala, Joshua looked over to the broken window curiously and decided to use the front door instead. He didn't need anymore cuts, or Rosette would worry.
Ah... Tulips. He would get her tulips.