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Violet-haired Harlot
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Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Thread Started on Oct 5, 2009, 4:20am »
The location of the site was not well-known, yet still it seemed like every time she came here (not that it was often, but still. . .) there were more, and more elaborate offerings and tributes. . . and more vandalism to be cleaned up. Jo frowned as she tried to scrub off a stain that she guessed was some sort of animal blood from the marble headstone. Scrawled beside it was a very vulgar word in black spray paint. The heads had been torn off some of the plush animals left there in tribute, and the stuffings strewn about the area. A vase of flowers had been overturned and the lilies it had held stomped. All that would need cleaning up. She could only imagine how much worse it would've been if this site had been on one of those tacky tourist routes! It was creepy enough that some of those uni kids had found out where it was and started coming. Not that any of them had ever really met Regno Monarch in life, or knew much more about her than what they were taught in their classes, To them, that didn't matter. They were in love with the image of her they had created themselves, in their own minds and the stories they wrote. She was a very attractive woman with a very cool ability, and that was enough for them. Then there were the ones who committed the vandalism, for whom she was quite simply evil incarnate. She was the woman who had killed their beloved queen and arranged the death of their king, not to mention the startling numbers of innocent civilians who had been killed by Argenians under her command last summer.
Somewhere in between those extremes lay the truth (or at least as Jo saw it), that Regno Monarch was a respected military officer who was willing to do whatever it took to try to save what was left of their people, or maybe even revive their world or start anew elsewhere. She'd also had an unhealthy obsession with making all the people of Earth suffer just as the Argenians had, and that had probably been her downfall. The possibility of saving their own people was a noble cause which was easy enough to get people behind. You just don't find that many who are willing to get behind the idea of genocide.
"I wonder where we'd all be right now if you could've just let go of that whole 'death grudge against humanity' thing," she said with a sigh. "Safe again back on our old world with all those we lost returned to us? Struggling through starting over yet again elsewhere? Would've had to have been better than this-- living as second-class citizens, facing discrimination and the possibility of violence every day. . . Even the children aren't immune! I mean, really, what kind of hatred does it take to turn on a couple of kids?" Jo sat down on the ground and picked up one of the stuffed animals-- a brown teddy bear-- that had been left by one of the kids who had visited. "You really were the last great hope of the Argenian people. Too bad you had to go and drop the ball on us. Er, that's an Earth term. . . for, you really screwed up, and now we're all screwed, and not in the good way."
Jo KIM Adminstrators Villain Admin Argenians The Chariot Baddie Leedah member is offline
Violet-haired Harlot
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 389 Location: @ Her Desk Karma: 0
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #1 on Oct 14, 2009, 8:06pm »
There was something about being at a gravesite talking to a slab of rock that made it easier to speak frankly than one could've done standing face to face with the person, and that was never more true than in this case. Petite and pretty though she might've been, there was just something about the air of that woman that kept everyone on edge. Jo certainly would never have dared speak so casually-- far less accuse her of dropping the ball on them-- face to face! Now, though, she felt a lot more sadness and pity than fear.
Sighing softly, she set down the intact brown teddy bear and set about cleaning up the remains of those of its brethren that weren't quite so fortunate. Fortunately, after the first trip or two out here she'd started bringing her own cleaning supplies and garbage bags along, so she didn't have to keep walking back and forth to the bin (which was kind of a long way to go, as secluded a spot as this was). Only once all the loose stuffings and dismembered plush animal parts, as well as whatever flowers had been dumped and stomped into ruin, had been gathered into the bag and tied up did she start the trek out to the bin with it.
If people could be this mean to just the tributes left at the site, she had to wonder what they might've done to the body, if they could've gotten hold of it! The only one she knew who had ever even claimed to see it, though, was that guy at the bakery. He'd been the one to set up the site in the first place. . . although Jo supposed he had abandoned coming by here long ago, probably around about the time he'd decided he was horribly ashamed of ever having taken Monarch's side in things. People who ended up on the losing side in any conflict tended to do that, she supposed. Maybe that was also why Titus had decided he wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything even remotely Argenian? Even now, hours later, Jo couldn't get the hostility she'd been shown by the man out of her mind-- and even worse, the things he'd said about an innocent little child!
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #2 on Nov 6, 2009, 6:44pm »
Perhaps he was just sentimental, or maybe his guilt had finally caught up to him. It could have been that he simply had no knowledge that his legs were leading him to the site of his former Commander. He had often thought that fate led him to her, and that if circumstance had led him to his people earlier, he would still have sided with Regno Monarch. He normally didn't believe in such things, but it was by some act of providence that he survived the battle last summer, so to say that he had an idea about fate and destiny would be a better way to word it.
As he came across the site that he created so many months ago, he spied another Argenian on Regno's side during the battle, cleaning the headstone. This should have been Kylar's task, but he had been coming to this site less and less as he began to partially acclimate to his new status.
Truth be told, even though he's said on many occasions that he only followed Regno because he met her first, he never really meant it. The truth was, that after learning of Regno's history, albeit after her death, he was proud to have served by her side. He was still proud of all he had done in her name, as he felt that the Argenians might have just been flat out executed if not for what he made the Young Queen Serenity feel.
Kylar wanted to stop before he was noticed, but his legs kept moving. There wasn't much he could do to stop himself, so he gave in and picked up a few supplies that the other Argenian, Jo, he believed her name was, as he really couldn't remember right off hand, had brought to the site. He then began cleaning the back of the headstone, which had many other derogatory comments or gang type symbols on it. Apparently, humans believe that defacing sites where others rest was a sign of power.
He didn't look up from the headstone as he said, "It's my fault. I'm the one who took the time to dig her grave. I should have continued coming here to keep this kind of trash from being placed around here." Kylar remained silent for a few more minutes before speaking again, "I'll tell you this, simply because we're here alone. Had I to do it all over again, I would have still chosen her side. I came into the fight so late, that I wish I could have been of more help..."
He trailed off once more. He had never really had the chance to talk to his fellow cleaner over the year, so maybe a friendship could be created out of this simple task of preservation.
Jo KIM Adminstrators Villain Admin Argenians The Chariot Baddie Leedah member is offline
Violet-haired Harlot
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 389 Location: @ Her Desk Karma: 0
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #3 on Nov 10, 2009, 5:09am »
The last thing Jo expected to find when she returned from taking the trash to the bin was the man who'd created and then abandoned the site, and she wasn't sure whether the sight of him should've made her feel glad, angry, or just relieved. For the moment she settled on patently ignoring him as she returned to her task of scrubbing off the spray-painted graffiti. She was doing a pretty good job of that, too, until he had to go and break the silence by talking. She sighed, eyes still avoiding him, unsure what to say. Though part of her was glad he was at least admitting his fault in this, another part was wondering whether he really was at fault. Honestly, why should anyone have to come by and clean up blood, graffiti, and ruined tributes at any grave, no matter whose it was? Didn't the people on this planet have any common decency, at least, even if they didn't have respect? It wasn't until after the man spoke again that she finally bothered to even look at him. She could see (even if she didn't fully agree with) why he wasn't willing to say something like that in front of others-- it wasn't exactly the popular sentiment, after all.
"You did all you knew how in what time you got. There are so many things that happened where, if somebody had just done something a little bit differently, things might've turned out for the better. Don't try to take all the blame on yourself," she said finally. "It is what it is."
It took quite a bit of elbow grease to scrub away paint, and the effort of it soon began to get the better of Jo's bum shoulder. She set the cleaning supplies down and sat in amongst the surviving flowers and plushies to give it a rest.
"I wonder what she'd think about all this, the human kids coming here and leaving all these presents and tributes like she's some kind of idol?" she mused. "I can't decide if she'd hate it, or if it would just feed into her ego."
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #4 on Nov 24, 2009, 6:43pm »
The gravesite was actually beginning to look respectable again as Kylar scrubbed away the phrase, "Murderous Bitch" from the back of the headstone. He scoffed at the phrase, but then thought about everything he knew of the late Regno Monarch. She might have seen the insult as a compliment.
Thoughts filled his head of how Regno would have reacted to those that idolize her. He imagined many different scenarios where she would simply destroy the humans, or use them as slaves to build statues in her likeness. He finally spoke up, "I'm not sure. I believe that some of them would get on her nerves more than others, yet the throngs of followers would probably only be allowed to follow her when she wanted them to. I could imagine how much she would use the humans and how much she would loathe them."
He chuckled slightly and then picked up a small teddy bear that was lying face first in the dirt. He brushed the dirt off the bear and said, "I don't think she would have liked things that were cute and fluffy like this." He then gazed a small knife buried in the dirt. Kylar picked it up and noticed that it seemed to be a small, sharpened letter opener. He wasn't sure if it was a gift or if someone had just been careless and left it here. He shrugged and tossed the letter opener toward a nearby tree, causing it to stick into the trunk.
Kylar then returned to his work, primarily because there wasn't much remaining graffiti left to clean up. He spent the next few minutes finishing his work before the last bit of grime was erased. "All done... but for how long?" he said in the air. He knew the site would be messed up again soon, but he made a promise to himself that he would frequent Regno's grave to keep the grounds clean. Maybe someday they'd be able to live in peace and not have to worry about cleaning the graves of the dead.
Jo KIM Adminstrators Villain Admin Argenians The Chariot Baddie Leedah member is offline
Violet-haired Harlot
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 389 Location: @ Her Desk Karma: 0
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #5 on Nov 25, 2009, 4:43am »
Judging by the way he talked about her, it didn't sound like Kylar knew much more about Colonel Monarch than Jo, herself, did, but that was hardly a surprise. It wasn't like either of them got a lot of quality time with the woman, right? And it wasn't like the colonel had been the most approachable person, either. Jo wondered whether there was anyone who could really, honestly say they knew her, or that she was their friend. . . either here or back on the homeworld. The idea of someone like that having friends boggled the mind, and yet, no-one was an island, right?
"Well, I know one thing for sure," Jo said, "if she'd had this kind of following when we were going after those crystals, we probably wouldn't be where we are right now."
Kylar leaned over and picked something up off the ground, where it had been partially buried. Whether a deliberate burial which had surfaced, or an item that had been dropped by someone and partly buried by normal foot traffic, she hadn't been close enough (or even really paying much attention) to see. It was only once the man held it in his hands and brushed it off to see what it was that she glanced over to find it was a small, sword-shaped knife of some sort-- too small to do much damage if used in a fight, but too sharp to be just another of the many childish toys arranged around the site. He paid the object little mind, and simply tossed it aside, where it stuck into the trunk of the tree it impacted (not bad for such a small, unremarkable object). He then went back to work getting the last of the graffiti off the stone. Rather than showing any sense of accomplishment over having finished the task, however, he worried over how long the site would remain clean.
"They mess it up again, I'll come back and clean it again, simple as that."
It wasn't like this had been the first time she'd come here and done this, after all. Granted, it wasn't as often as it should've been-- maybe five or six times since she'd learned of the site's existence-- but it was something. Anyway, somebody had to look out for the ones who could no longer choke the life out of their enemies without even touching them, themselves, right?
Jo sighed softly, scratching a bit at the back of her neck, as she swallowed her pride enough to add, "Thanks for coming by to help today."
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #6 on Dec 8, 2009, 2:48pm »
The work was finished, yet Kylar didn't feel a sense of accomplishment from his task. Perhaps it was because he felt it was an exercise in futility, but he made a promise to himself that he would continue to keep the site looking respectable, no matter what it took. The time he had taken into creating the headstone, the time he took to dig the grave with his own two hands, everything that he had done for this resting place essentially forced his hand into maintaining it.
Honestly, though, he didn't mind now. He knew what it would take to overcome the adversity that was placed on his people. Perhaps people would stop defacing the site when they notice how often it gets cleaned up. Kylar let this small hope wade in his mind as Jo thanked him for helping.
"You're welcome. I plan on coming by here more often, if only to keep the site looking like this..." he trailed off and then looked at Jo. He began thinking about the plight of the Argenians and suddenly he had an idea. He had heard something about a gala of some sort going on this Friday. He then spoke up, "There's a party on Friday at a museum, I believe. I wonder if there should be an Argenian or two that show up. They can't keep us from going, that's for certain. It might be fun..." He then waited for her reaction and wondered what she might say.
Jo KIM Adminstrators Villain Admin Argenians The Chariot Baddie Leedah member is offline
Violet-haired Harlot
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 389 Location: @ Her Desk Karma: 0
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #7 on Dec 11, 2009, 1:50am »
Kylar didn't seem to have the same stubborn defiance about him as Jo did, and she wondered how much of that was directly attributable to background. She'd spent almost half her life on the streets, a fact which, in and of itself, accounted for a lot of her attitude. While she didn't know much about this man's background, she knew he currently worked in a bakery. On Earth, that would've meant nothing other than that he liked making breads and cakes. Coming from a world where there was still such thing as tradition and family business, it was likely they had been baking for generations-- a respectable line of work, and hardly one known for creating hardened characters. Just when she was busy thinking how the two of them couldn't have possibly been more different, he said something which mildly surprised and amused her; it sounded like he was inviting her to go crash some ritzy party. Looking at him, she wondered whether that was anything the still rather baby-faced man had ever done before. It had been a while since she'd done it, herself-- the last time had been the pink princess' debutante ball over the summer. She'd have to try to be a little less conspicuous this time. . . or as inconspicuous as a woman who looked like her ever got, going to a fancy party. Honestly, if she put some effort into it, Jo was perfectly capable of acting like a proper lady of high society. . . or at least the Argenian version of one. She still remembered all the lessons on manners and etiquette that had been drilled into her as a child; it was just a matter of how much different those things might be here than what she was used to back home.
"Wear a nice suit," she said finally, "and you'd better act elegant, 'cause if you embarrass me, I do not know you."
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #8 on Dec 15, 2009, 4:35pm »
Kylar laughed a little louder than he probably should have, but it was just so great to be able to laugh freely again. He was really glad that he had taken to learning to be a proper gentleman over the past year, even if he did still chase people with his sword and he felt that he could act like he belonged in high society, especially considering the type of person that was bound to be at this gala. He replied to Jo's comment with, "Don't worry, I will be the perfect gentleman. We should have a lot of fun, I'd say. Hopefully we won't meet up with any of those hooligans, but I figure they wouldn't be allowed in. Oh, and I have a very nice suit that I've been wanting a reason to wear. It's from one of those Italian designers or whatever he is. You'll love it."
The suit that he had spent much of his government funding for was one that Kylar loved, and he knew it would be perfect for the gala, especially for a party crasher. He wondered what type of dress Jo would wear and if things would go well. He had never crashed a party before, but he figured all it was was attending without an invitation. He chuckled and then said, "So have you been to many parties like what this is supposed to be? I haven't been to anything too formal. My family was more centered in local area conventions and things. It was more of a relaxed atmosphere, but I'm certain I can cope for a party like this."
Jo KIM Adminstrators Villain Admin Argenians The Chariot Baddie Leedah member is offline
Violet-haired Harlot
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 389 Location: @ Her Desk Karma: 0
Re: Paying Respects (Tue 4/2) « Reply #9 on Dec 18, 2009, 4:34pm »
"My parents used to throw big, fancy parties all the time when I was a kid. I was never allowed to go, at least not until I hit puberty, but I used to lurk and watch from the doorway. The first real party I got to go to was my thirteenth birthday, the day I supposedly became a woman. I thought I was so grown-up. . . yet there was so much about the world and life I didn't know," she said. "My whole childhood I was trained in manners and skills to become a proper lady of high society, but they didn't teach me jack shit about the real world."
That was about as far into her personal sob story as Jo was willing to go. She wasn't looking for pity, or to make excuses for why she was the way she was.
"Unfortunately, some of those 'hooligans' are pretty influential people, so we might end up running into them whether we like it or not. If they know anything about manners, maybe they'll at least try to behave themselves long enough to get through the night."
Although remembering the trouble a couple of those Senshi tried to cause her at the last event she'd crashed, she wasn't sure she could count on discretion, even on the parts of those who should know better. All she could do was try to blend in a little better this time and hope for the best. She didn't have anything pre-planned as to what to wear, however. She didn't even own anything really formal, and as she was already up to her eyeballs in debt to the government, it wasn't like she could afford it, either. Maybe she could rent something for the night, or get it on that all at once wondrous and horrid thing the humans called "credit".
"I'm not even gonna ask where you got the money for that. . . or why you would've thought you would need it. Might as well ask what it looks like so as to try not to clash too terribly, though."
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