there are only monsters here

She’s a force of nature. This is, of course, anticipated of someone bearing the title of General, but it’s still awe-inspiring. Lenalee is rarely able to simply sit by and watch her comrades fight. She’s usually in the midst of it herself; gliding through the skies with aid of her innocence, dancing on air, and crushing steel beneath her heels.

Looks can be deceiving. She knows this well, forced to grow up far too soon. As a child she was made to bear witness to a multitude of horrors. Monstrous weapons of war wearing human skin, walking amongst innocents, killing without remorse– it had all impacted her development. Seeing these things had melded her into the person she is today. There are times that she finds herself wondering, ‘am I my own person?’ or had she simply become another product of war…?

Lenalee inhales deeply– the stench of blood, ash, and smoldering steel burns her lungs– and exhales. She rises to her feet, legs trembling now, but significantly less than before. Innocence flares to life, and her blood surges in response.

She glides through the sky, leaping from akuma to akuma, a fiery blaze left in her wake.

Her body moved with power and grace, fierce battle cries spilling past pale lips with every strike of her blade. Etna became a weapon of war, she knew that. But still, even as General, she somehow managed to maintain her humanity. She did not fight for this war she was forced into, but for the people who lived on this planet. For the people who was blessed with a normal, average life.

“Tch!” Springing herself off of an Akuma, she jumped back. As her lithe body spiraled, her Innocence cut into the metal mass as if it was melted butter. At long last, the heavy line of Akuma was finally beginning to thin out and she could see the ground from here. When movement caught her eye, a smile touched her lips. “Feeling better?” She asked, joining the other’s side for a moment before she gripped her sword tight.

Nodding her head, Etna rejoined the battle, not once missing a beat between attacks. Shrapenel and ashes rained from the sky, gathering soot in her jacket. Breathing heavier, Etna skidded to a stop, eyes searching the sky. “It’s going to rain tonight,” she noted, only to shake the thought off.

Ah, it appears that she has returned to her senses. Raizel lets out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that it had been the right thing to allow her the liberty to vent through violence—–even if he is not approving of it. But he can tell that she is different from prideful, power-hungry humans who cannot control themselves once they have reached the boiling point.

A nod is given as a reply to indicate he is okay. His kind is known to be able to take regular human-made damages like it is mere air, though his slim figure makes him seem more fragile than the normality. His focus of concern is more on the female than himself anyway, with another nod to tell her that he accepts the apology. But he has to hesitate to the first question after, going through his centuries-old memories before replying,

                “Not daily.”

Then the next question confuses him, for he has been the one who offered to help. Unless she is referring to her attitude prior to that, but he thinks little of that which she needs to reconcile for.

               “It was out of your control. There is nothing to make up for.”

Eiko studies the other with doe eyes, gaze unblinking. What a strange person. She was glad he was okay after that blow, because despite being as small as she was, she was well aware that she knew how to throw a punch. If all those training growing up taught her anything, it was to never hold back. Still, she should not have lashed out on him to begin with; he was far from the source of her troubles, after all.

Remembering why she was so riled up to begin with, she felt her mind become muddled again. At least this time she held no desire to hit a random stranger again.  Impulsive as she may be, Eiko wasn’t unreasonable, either. “That’s good to know,” she responded, almost absently.

Stepping closer to him once more, somehow managing to swallow down the anxiety which coupled with social interactions as a whole, she reached out to him once more. Rising on her toes, she poked at his nose before canting her head to the side.

How humiliating. Though, she supposed it was better than being dead. In fact, Etna found it strange that the Nohrian King had spared her life for he was far from merciful. She had expected being a Prisoner would involve being locked away in a cell for the rest of her life and even tortured. It was hard not to think up some tragedies when dealing with someone like King Goran. 

The maid dress she was forced to wear, under the careful and ever - watchful eye of Nohrian soldiers, was far more comfortable than the heavy armor the Hoshido prisoner often adorned: but it was most definitely far from her comfort zone. 

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, emerald hues flitted forward when Felicia jabbed her side with an elbow, whispering for her to bow her head. Doing as told, she peeked up behind chocolate strands.

That was rather painful, like a small rock of an odd shape ramming into him.

He had allowed the punch to connect where it was supposed to reach, in the case, just below his chest, and he felt loose muscles taking the impact and spreading it momentarily to the rest of the area while he stutters backward, and then allows his feet to give way for him to fall sitting heavily on the ground. He lets out a quiet breath which feels as if it came from the spot where his lungs had been dented, and it is a short moment before he recovers. Nothing of a big deal.

So he stands up again, patting his clothes lightly, before looking at her with the same blank look—–it is supposed to be one of admiration, for he is impressed that a small human like she is bears that much strength. Also a question on whether that is all.

She hated to admit it, but that felt good. It felt good to actually be able to get that sense of pent up anger out of her system. Looking down, once more Eiko found herself fiddling with her fingers. Her knuckles ached from impact, but she’s been through enough fights to push through it. 

When the other stood on his feet, she managed to meet his gaze. Lips parted to speak, only to shut once more. Brows pinched together, she shook her head. “I--” Another clear of her throat. “Are you okay? I’m... I’m sorry.” Now that she had cooled down ( fairly quickly ) she realized that was completely uncalled for. Without thinking, she reached out and touched the front of his shirt and smoothed it down.

&&. @xtrinsic wanted a starter! ( load save a? )

          “oh, well—!”

     he gives a nervous laugh in response, pulls his hands away like he was burned and scratches at the back of his neck because he can’t help it ( it’s a habit by now, one that’s more to help him then anything else. gives him something to do because he can’t think right unless he fidgets, unless he can do something with his hands ). she’s looking up at him with those big eyes and it’s an instant scramble to his nerves. he wishes he was better at reading people like this because he can’t quite tell if she’s angry or not ( chie usually makes it obvious, and yukiko has this weird air about her that makes it hard for him to do—well, just about anything ). he holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender, smile friendly enough ( but nervous and twitchy all the same ).

          “yeah–ah, it was some confetti! our            mascot—he, err, gets a little excited.              sorry about that.”

She just needed a few things, nothing too crazy. The plan was to go in, grab the things she needed ( only the things she needed ), and get right out of there. She wasn’t sure if her wallet could handle a spending spree on things she didn’t really need. The most important thing was to get her enough food to last her the next week before her pay check.

Pushing the cart, chocolate hues scanned her surroundings, taking her lower lip between her teeth. “.... Those look so good,” she whined to herself, head ducked forward in defeat.

The next thing she knew, however, a plathora of rainbow paper rained before her eyes.Her body tensed and a loud screech! of surprise escaped her, shoulders tense. Eiko hated how easy it was for her to startle, and to make it worse: he had to hear it.

As Yousuke Hanamura ( the same Yousuke Hanamura who she’s been crushing on for the longest time ever ) approached her and started stammering out apologies, she was quick to shake her head, waving a hand frantically before her in a dismissive manner.

                    “N--N--No, no, Hanamura-san! It’s o--okay. I was just.. Uh... Not paying attention and he came out of nowhere. I wasn’t really scared, jist s--startled.” Realizing that she has been rambling like an idiot, she ducked her head forward and hid behind her bangs.

            it would be an understatement to say he was taken by surprise, but as soon as he felt flesh on flesh, a close fist striking him in the mouth, the error of his ways suddenly became very, very clear. still, it didn’t mean he regretted any part of his previous advances. the girl had made the mistake of getting in -his way. and now, she had officially gotten underneath his skin. 

he staggers back, already feeling his jaw starting to ache. ❛ that — hurt. ❜  humorlessly, he let’s out a dark chuckle. she was lucky people were starting to crowd around him, or else he would’ve had a little more fun. his voice became muffled behind his hand, holding his jaw.  

❛ it’s okay, everyone. nothing to see here. i’ve learn my lesson, miss. ❜  oh, but this was just beginning. 

Immense guilt washed over her, though she tried to contain it within her small form. If she apologized now, he’d see her as weak -- and she wasn’t! She did not back down from a challenge, no matter how much she shook and quaked in her shoes.  She did not mean to hit him, not really, but she tried to reason that he had it coming.

“Yeah, right..” That was probably the closest to an apology he was going to get, a heated glare fixating itself upon him. “.. Next time, don’t stop in the middle of the damn hall as if you own the place.”

She could hear them...                                      The whispers. She could feel them....                                      The daggers being glared into her back.

            it almost makes him laugh. almost. of course, he does nothing but allows himself to be bumped into. ridiculous. the prince had to consider one thing—this was certainly more interesting than making girls swoon with a single look. ❛ sweetie, it’s not polite to call stranger’s names. otherwise, something bad might happen… like— ❜  

a single pause, and his hand shoots forward, swiftly capturing the other’s wrist in his grasp. another sweet smile—fingers CURLING around her flesh. 

❛ —this. so, how about it? are you going to apologise, or do i have to make you? ❜  

A part of her was vaguely aware that she was over - reacting. Eiko has always been a very confrontational person ( which was rather ironic, considering the fact that she’s often a ball of anxiety ) when it came to certain things -- like pet peeves, such as stopping out of nowhere.

In all honesty, the entire ordeal was forgotten and she had moved on, holding no intentions of responding to the other. She did not linger on the short confrontation and assumed that was done and over with. However, when fingers wrapped around her wrist, her body tensed.

friend: hey man im sorry about what i did