Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody & Red Comet)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Rhapsody on 22-04-2009, 21:10:36</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>22-04-2009, 21:10:36</strong>
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				A millennium ago, the Dark Realm and the planet Earth had been as one. Demons were free to come and go as they saw fit across the myriad of doorways and paths, and their Dark Queen ruled both realms with an iron fist, taking the prettiest and the brightest of mortals to be her playthings and to spawn entire lines of halfbreeds with her most favored demon servants.&nbsp; Mortalkind lived in absolute terror of the Dark Queen and her broods, helpless before the swarming hordes of dark things that came out of the night.<br><br>But eventually, a rebellion sparked, and humanity rose up as the last few mortal sorcerers poured all their remaining magic towards a solution: a champion blessed by Light who would seal away the Dark forever.&nbsp; Their chosen champion was a village girl named Angel, who was by no one's account a great fighter: it would take years for her to rise up to meet her destiny.&nbsp; Angel's adventures were varied and often as tragic as they were triumphant.&nbsp; She made many friends, and vanquished even more foes, eventually coming to master her power and unearth weapons of legend to aid her in her quest.<br><br>In the last decisive battle against the Dark Queen, nearly five years after she'd been chosen as champion, Angel succeeded in banishing the demon realm from Earth, sealing the most powerful -- including the Queen herself and most of her court -- in slumber so deep it would be hundreds of years before they awoke -- if they awoke at all.&nbsp; &nbsp;Though a few pathways remained intact, most of the roads connecting Earth to the Demon realm were severed.&nbsp; Angel herself died shortly after the final battle, but her legacy lived on in the form of a tiny newborn girl in the care of Angel's own brother.<br><br>Over time, humanity forgot the dark times when demons had reigned over them all, and had relegated demons and their ilk to the status of myth.&nbsp; &nbsp;So too did Angel's legend pass into story, until it was forgotten entirely.&nbsp; But Angel's legacy continued to live on, passed down mother to daughter through the generations, lying dormant until the time the Dark Realm reawoke and began to exert their influence on Earth once again.<br><br>And so our story begins...<br><br>oOoOoOo<br><br>Rumi stretched lazily in the morning light streaming through her window, and yawned expansively. She rolled over in bed, enjoying the warm sunlight on her face and the slide of her sheets against her skin.&nbsp; Then her slowly opening eyes caught the accusing red glare of the alarm clock and she bolted upright, scrambling out of bed.&nbsp; 7:41!&nbsp; She was going to be late for school, and on a test day too!<br><br>"Ohmigod ohmigod I'm late!" she shrieked as she tore pell-mell around her room, tossing aside yesterday's stack of comics and fashion magazines in search of her text books.&nbsp; She shoved them in her backpack as she squirmed into her school uniform, fumbling one-handed with the buttons.&nbsp; Before she even had everything properly snapped into place, she was stumbling down the stairs, stubbing two toes on the bannister and only barely managing to catch herself before she fell face-first onto the landing.<br><br>Her mother stood at the bottom of the staircase, apron around her waist and long-suffering look on her face, holding her lunchbox in one hand and some money in the other.&nbsp; "The taxi is waiting outside, dear," her mother said with a faint sigh.&nbsp; "When you get home, we're going to talk about this sleeping-in habit you have."<br><br>Rumi snatched her lunch and her cab fare from her mother's hand and raced for the front door, pausing only long enough to shove her feet into her shoes.&nbsp; "Okay mom!" she called over her shoulder.&nbsp; "See you later mom!"<br><br>She missed one of the front steps and had to spend precious seconds throwing all the things that had spilled out of her backpack back into it.&nbsp; By the time she got into the cab and on her way to school, it was 7:53, and she bit her nails every minute of the way.&nbsp; She really didn't want to get another late mark, and another detention, but with her luck, there'd be an accident along the way just to delay the cab.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>22-04-2009, 23:45:11</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi wasn't the only one in a hurry to get to school. Zooming down the hill on his bike was her upperclassman and longtime friend Takeshi. His unbuttoned uniform flew in the wind as he zoomed past all the cars stuck in morning traffic. "Dammit dammit dammit dammit." Somehow, he managed to navigate the uneven sidewalk without crashing into anyone, but he soon hit an unexpected bump, sending him flying on a gravity-defying stunt jump...<br><br>...and landing in the middle of the street, right in front of the cab. Rumi might not have gotten into an accident, but her friend might have just caused one if traffic wasn't so slow to begin with. The boy started at the vehicle, surprised, but not nearly as much as when he recognized the familiar face sitting in it.<br><br>He smiled as he gave a nonchalant wave. "Hey, Rumi! Need a ride?" Somehow, he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was still late,&nbsp; could have just died, was right in the way of a long line of cars, proposed a ride his friend already had, and might not even be heard properly amidst the rush hour background noise.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 00:19:08</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The second her face peeled off the dashboard, Rumi was head and shoulders out the window, waving a fist in his direction.&nbsp; Though she didn't know it, she had a perfect imprint of the car's icon just under her left eye.&nbsp; Though she was usually sweet as pie to her upperclass crush, the morning had left her frazzled and stressed, and it definitely showed.<br><br>"Taki, you loon!" she hollered, one hand over her abused nose and the other waggling clenched in the air.&nbsp; "Why can't you ever make it to school on time?&nbsp; You could have gotten me killed! Or worse! Late for first period!"<br><br>The cab driver looked askance at her, then turned his attention back to the road.&nbsp; "Crazy damn kids," he muttered.&nbsp; "I need to find a safer line of work."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 00:53:05</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi's first reaction was to point and laugh at the mark on Rumi's face, ignoring her reaction as he wiped away the tears. Finally, he noticed that he was being yelled at, turning his reaction to one of shock. "What? YOU're the one who's late!" He was prepared to get into a shouting match right in the middle of the street, but soon, the sound of car horns drowned out their screams, alerting Takeshi to the fact that he ought to get out of the way within the nanosecond.<br><br>He turned to them, seeing a long line of drivers in a similarly bad mood. "Um. Oh. Right. Well, later!" And, popping a wheelie for some reason, he waved and weaved out of the cars' way, speeding back towards the school. At that rate, he might manage to make it on time, but Rumi was a different story...
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 01:14:19</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite it all, Rumi hopped out of the cab, threw what she hoped was enough money at the driver to cover the fare, and blazed through the halls so fast she later swore she left smoke trails.&nbsp; A split second before the bell rang, Rumi screeched to a halt beside her chair and plopped down in it to try and catch her breath.&nbsp; <br><br>Aiko, her study partner and sort-of friend, leaned over with a concerned look on her face.&nbsp; "Are you alright, Rumi?" she whispered.&nbsp; "You seem a bit out of breath."<br><br>"Fine," Rumi wheezed, waving Aiko's concerns off.&nbsp; "Just ran up the stairs.&nbsp; Didn't want to be late for the test."<br><br>Aiko blinked.&nbsp; "But... the test is tomorrow!"<br><br>The <em>thunk</em> of Rumi's head hitting her desk reverbrated throughout the room.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 01:36:39</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Meanwhile, in the classroom right above, Takeshi was unpacking his bag nonchalantly. For a moment, he paused, swearing he had just heard a loud noise come from below. Weird.<br><br>The clock ticked by as a tedious morning passed for all involved. The bell signaling the lunch break interrupted Takeshi's snoring and gave him his cue to get out of the classroom, accompanied with his two usual friends, Shinichi and Honda. The three of them made their way towards the cafeteria, joking around, until Takeshi stopped in his tracks, seeming to remember something. "Oh, sorry, guys. I have to go apologize to someone. I'll catch up."<br><br>He walked down the stairs, unsure of what exactly he had to apologize for, but knowing that his nagging feeling wouldn't go away otherwise. He made it to the floor below, trying to spot Rumi amongst the small crowd trying to escape the classrooms.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 02:13:20</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				By the time lunch rolled around, Rumi was back in her usual high spirits and had decided to forgive Takeshi for... whatever it was he had done to her this morning.&nbsp; <br><br>Having already said goodbye to her friends, who didn't share the same lunch period as she did, Rumi made her way out to the concourse to enjoy the sunshine while she ate.&nbsp; 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 02:22:44</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Of course, Rumi would enjoy the sunshine much better if there wasn't an unusually tall guy blocking it. "Hey." Takeshi, having caught up, leaned towards her, arms crossed. "I just wanted to say sorry for this morning." Ah, yes. That explained everything. "Did you make it on time?" His expression neutral, he avoided her gaze.<br><br>His eyes widened as they landed on the girl's lunchbox. "Ooooh, what are you eating? Can I have some?" He had a lunch of his own to attend to, but Rumi's mom really had the greatest cooking.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 03:25:52</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi scowled up as her sunshine was abruptly blocked, but when she saw who it was, her irritation melted away into a genuine smile.&nbsp; "Hey Taki.&nbsp; Wait, what? This morning?"&nbsp; She blinked furiously as she tried to remember back, and then it hit her.&nbsp; Rather like the dashboard of a car, in fact.<br><br>She blushed a little and laughed as she waved at him.&nbsp; "Oh!&nbsp; Never mind that.&nbsp; I was under a lot of stress, that's all."<br><br>She rolled her eyes when he started drooling practically into her lunch, rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a brown paper sack, smaller than her lunchbox but still bulging with food.&nbsp; She handed it over to him with a sigh.&nbsp; "As usual, Mom made you lunch too. She's never gotten over how much you raved about her cooking."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 03:56:02</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi snagged the bag with a wide grin. "Don't mind if I do!" He sat next to her, facing the opposite direction and keeping a safe distance, then began digging in furiously. "Hey, it's not my fault if anything your mom touches turns delicious. --Oh, my favorite!"<br><br>While he ate with an unstoppable appetite, he pause for a moment, snapping his fingers. "Waaaait, that's not why I felt like apologizing. I was thinking about the other day!" That explained the nagging feeling. They had meant to go see a movie together-- not as a date or anything, he had brought his friends. "Sorry for not showing up the other day. I was on my way and then that weird... thing showed up. I got knocked out, and when I came to, it was already nighttime."<br><br>He was of course referring to the mysterious monster attacks that had been occuring lately. Most people were blissfully unaware of the worst of it and, thankfully, there had been no casualties so far, but their very existence was still quite worrisome...
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 06:20:15</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi likewise dug into her lunch.&nbsp; On a good day, she could give Takeshi a run for his money on who could eat faster, but although she was starving, she felt like eating with a bit more decorum today.&nbsp; She only paused long enough to reach over with a chopstick to flick a bit of rice that had landed on his shoulder, and just shook her head.&nbsp; <br><br>"The movie the other night?" she said.&nbsp; "Don't worry about it.&nbsp; I had Kumori and Aiko to see it with.&nbsp; And we got to see one of those girly films you and the boys are always complaining about." Her expression darkened then.&nbsp; "I've been meaning to ask you about that ...monster thing. Are you <em>sure </em>you're okay?&nbsp; I've heard a lot of people haven't fully recovered from those attacks..."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 13:50:56</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi allowed Rumi to get rid of the bit of rice without reacting, remaining mostly concentrated on the food, which he was already getting into the last bites of.<br><br>"Heh, don't worry about it." He echoed her. "I got pulled out of the action early. I didn't even get a scratch!" It was true. There was not a cut or bruise to be found anywhere on his body. A lot of people had hurt themselves simply in the commotion of running away, but he was perfectly fine. "And if you mean if I got scared or anything, don't worry about that either. Nothing scares me." He gave a wide grin and a thumbs-up as he got up.<br><br>"Anyway, the others are probably still waiting for me. Wish I could chat more, but if I stay too long, people will wonder what I'm doing with an airhead like you." He continued grinning as he teased, tapping Rumi's forehead.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>23-04-2009, 20:17:14</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Pfah," she said, batting his hand away from her forehead and beginning to pack up the remains of her meal.&nbsp; "I get better grades than you do, I'm sure.&nbsp; &nbsp;And I know one thing that scares you for sure."&nbsp; She leaned towards him with an evil little smile and whispered, "Mom not making you any more lunches!"<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>24-04-2009, 06:21:20</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Eeegyaaaaaaaaaah!" Takeshi cowered in fear at the very suggestion, tears welling up in mass in his eyes. "I couldn't bear to remain in this woooorld!" Obviously he was overacting, but... the initial look of shock on his face looked genuine. Truly, he was a real food lover! Surprising how he could keep his lean build, all things considered.<br><br>The paper bag was balled up and tossed straight into a nearby bin, an impressive shot considering the distance. "Well, anyway, I'm off." He rose his hand and gave Rumi a backhanded wave as he walked away, the other hand pocketed.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>24-04-2009, 22:04:49</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi sighed wistfully as he disappeared around the corner, no doubt headed back to his loudmouth friends and the rest of his classes.&nbsp; She leaned back against the tree and stared up into the blue sky, wondering (not for the first time) if she'd really be missed if she stayed out in the sunshine under this tree with her books until school ended.&nbsp; It seemed a complete shame to waste studying indoors when one could be out in the fresh air, daydreaming and having fun.<br><br>"Ruuumi!" came a voice from the other side of the concourse, and Rumi glanced over to see Aiko waving excitedly at her.&nbsp; "C'mon!&nbsp; We have chemistry in ten minutes!&nbsp; You don't want to miss the demonstration, do you?"<br><br>Every sunny day had a little black raincloud named Aiko.&nbsp; With her fantasies of staying outside for the rest of the day thoroughly derailed, Rumi got back on her feet and trudged back towards the remainder of classes and schoolwork.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>24-04-2009, 23:48:23</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The rest of the school day went on without further incident for Takeshi, back in class. He might have just managed to get some shut-eye, too, had it not been for Honda's literally constant feed of whispered wisecracks in the middle of lecture. Finally, the day's last bell freed them all before Takeshi was forced to kill his friend. Yawning, he made the way to his bike, alone, when something in his pocket beeped. He took out a cell phone, and he was jerked right awake as he saw the name of the sender. His eyes narrowed down.<br><br>Not a minute later, Rumi would recieve a text message on her own phone, from Takeshi. The message, cryptic, alluded to a location the girl usually passed through whenever she walked back home like normal people.<br><br>"Do NOT go anywhere near the park tonight. Take a detour."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 04:58:47</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Classes had finally let out and Rumi had lost Aiko somewhere in the vicinity of the library -- nothing completely uncommon there: any time the bespeckled girl came within eyesight of piles of books, she invariably gravitated towards them.<br><br>Kumori, boy-addicted as always, had ditched Rumi somewhere around the quad when she caught sight of her current clutch of crushes, leaving Rumi to her own devices. Which was fine with her, really.&nbsp; She loved her friends dearly, but it did grow somewhat tiring to have Aiko chattering away about schoolwork in one ear and Kumori giggling about boys in the other.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>She'd made it to the archway leading into the park, the path she usually took through the park, when her cell phone rang with its usual cheery pop tune.&nbsp; She blinked and fished it out of her bag. <em>I wonder if that's Mom wanting me to pick up something on the way home...</em><br><br>But it wasn't from her mother.&nbsp; It was from Takeshi.&nbsp; She read the text, glanced up at the arch again, then shook her head with a roll of her eyes.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Very funny, Taki," she muttered, tossing the phone back into her bag, and without a second thought headed into the park.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 06:00:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi's warning was probably the worst possible way to make sure Rumi would do as he told, of course. When she entered the park, however, she soon bore witness to a strange phenomenon...<br><br>In the ground was what seemed like a manhole, except it was right in the middle of the grass, and had obviously no business being there. From it poured out large amounts of a purple fog that slowly spread across the park. People, who walked into it as if nothing particularly special was in their way, immediately dropped like flies, drifiting into a sudden sleep. Oddly enough, the worst Rumi might feel was a feeling of drowsiness upon entering the cloud.<br><br>As more and more people fell, small imps began emerging from the hole, tiny foot-tall red demons carrying pitchforks and chattering excitedly in a language that seemed only constituted of the word "nyah". Without paying any attention to the girl, they split up into small teams to begin carrying the bodies back to where they came from. One of them, however, finally seemed to notice Rumi. It flew towards her, seeming to wonder why the puny human hadn't gone to sleep yet. "Nyah nyaaaaah?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 07:09:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				As off in her own little world as Rumi was, she didn't notice when the drowsiness hit her, or when the other park-goers started falling over one by one.&nbsp; She was too busy daydreaming about having ice cream with a tall, dark and handsome stranger, or going out to a really fancy dinner with another stranger who was, yes, tall dark and handsome.<br><br>Kumori she wasn't, but she certainly didn't mind the occasional fantasy either.<br><br>But when the demon imp thing came up and started waving its pitchfork at her, whining "Nyah!" in what she could only assume was an aggressive fashion, she did what any schoolgirl would do.<br><br>She froze, blinked twice, and then ran screaming the other way.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 15:50:55</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The imp didn't seem to know what to make of the strange escapee. Two more flew into view, and had a short conversation with the other in Nyah-ese. Once they reached an agreement (or... whatever it was that they were talking about), the three of them zoomed in Rumi's direction, flying in formation. what seemed to be their leader, a deeper red than the others, sported a large horn in the center of its forehead.<br><br>Even though Rumi was fast enough and had a headstart, she'd find the imps surprisingly persistent pursuers. Their flight actually slowed down the second they moved out of the dark cloud, but that didn't seem to be by choice...
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 20:04:25</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Leave me alooooone!" she wailed, tearing through the park like demons were chasing her, which ironically they were.&nbsp; She vaulted over the prone form of a pair of park lovers, caught by sleep in mid-kiss.&nbsp; <br><br>"Nyaaah!" the demons replied brightly, following in her path with evil little smiles and waving pitchforks.&nbsp; They were moving slower now, but Rumi hadn't ever truly shone in track, so it was fairly easy for them to keep up.<br><br>Rumi screeched to a halt at the crossroads of three paths she didn't recognize, frantically scanning down each one in the hopes of finding an easy out of her predicament, but all three curved into the trees, out of her line of sight.&nbsp; Finally, she picked one at random, crossed her fingers, and high-tailed it at top speed down the neatly groomed path.<br><br>The "nyahs!" of the demon things were growing fainter behind her, and she chanced a look over her shoulder to see if they were still following her.&nbsp; Though the track she just passed over was a straight bit for nearly ten meters, she couldn't see any of the imps behind her.&nbsp; &nbsp;She breathed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the front...<br><br>... just in time to see the original bunch of demons, with the noxious cloud of sleepy gas, still hauling bodies into the dark portal in the middle of the picnic area.<br><br>"Noooo!" she wailed, immediately attracting the attention of another half a dozen imps who leered at her and said, "Nyaaah!" in smug tones.&nbsp; &nbsp;Rumi squeezed her eyes shut and raised her bookbag defensively, tensed for the first stab of those pronged pitchforks into her thigh, or arm, or wherever it was demons stabbed you when they were in the mood.<br><br>"Rumi!" called an urgent, unfamiliar voice from the vicinity of her feet.&nbsp; "Rumi, open your eyes!"&nbsp; <br><br><div class="floatright">(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s315/MeetMeWithTheGods/animecat.jpg)</div>Cautiously, she cracked open an eye and peered down to see the cutest, fluffiest white ...cat-thing she'd ever seen.&nbsp; It was staring up at her with big, blue eyes, tip of its tail twitching.&nbsp; "Rumi!" it snapped, and nudged something towards her with its nose. "Hurry up and take this!"<br><br>That was unexpected, and she blinked furiously.&nbsp; "Huh? You can talk?"&nbsp; <br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://www.geocities.com/silenceredux/angelpendant.jpg)</div>The cat-thing rolled its eyes and said, "Do you want to go into that now, with Tormentors coming for you?" and flicked an ear pointedly towards the approaching demon-imps.&nbsp; "Pick up the pendant," it said encouragingly, as if talking to a particularly slow child.&nbsp; <br><br>Rumi slowly bent to scoop the thing up.&nbsp; It was a beautiful silver piece, with angel wings forming a heart-shaped locket.&nbsp; Even with imminent capture looming on her, she couldn't help but take a moment to admire it.&nbsp; &nbsp;"It's beautiful," she said, running her thumb over the face.&nbsp; &nbsp;There was something familiar about it, and Rumi frowned as she studied it, forgetting about the demons entirely.<br><br>The locket felt almost alive on her palm, pulsing with warmth and familiarity.&nbsp; The longer she looked at it, the deeper it seemed to draw her in.&nbsp; It was almost like it was waiting for something to happen.&nbsp; She frowned, and tried to work out what that might be.&nbsp; Distantly, she was aware of the imp things fighting with the cat thing, but there was a loud rushing in her ears, drowning out all other sound.&nbsp; Her thumb flicked of its own accord to the clasp holding the locket shut, and the feeling of familiarity increased exponentially.&nbsp; Holding her breath now, and not sure why she was doing so, Rumi unclasped the locket and nudged it open. <br><br>"<em>Angel Soul, release the light!</em>"<br><br>The voice was hers, but it wasn't, and the ensuing flash of light blinded her completely.&nbsp; When the spots cleared out of her vision, she was clad in wing-motif armor, with a long, lethal-looking sword in one hand, and the knowledge of what to do with it clear in her mind. <br><br>The demons never knew what hit them.<br><br><div align="center">(http://www.geocities.com/silenceredux/warrior-angel2.jpg)</div>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 21:32:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				One after another, the Tormentors were cleanly sliced in half, the remains of their bodies immediately dissolving into the mist. The remaining ones, at a safe distance, could only look out in amazement. Those that had escaped the attack of the newly-appeared champion leg go of their preys, fleeing back into the hole with a collective "Nyaaaaaaaaaah!" The atmoshphere grew a lot more quiet, until a rumbling sound resonated through the park. With a renewew stream of purple smoke, a humanoid form emerged from the portal. Calling it a human-sized Tormentor might be simplistic, but aside from the crown it sported, this would still be accurate.<br><br>"What the hell is going on? Can't you pipsqueaks do a simple job without needing me to--" The demon paused as his eyes landed on the radiant new appearance. "Wait... could this be... Angel reborn?" He seemed awestruck for a moment, before beginning to... laugh? "ALL RIGHT! If I defeat you right now, I'll become a Lieutenant for sure! Prepare to meet your doom at the hands of General Steelclaw!"<br><br>His nails extending into a pair of long, sharp-looking claws, he charged towards the angelic knight, with a battlecry that sounded oddly like... "Nyah"?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 23:33:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The part of Rumi that was still wondering what the hell was going on was quietly curled up in a corner of her mind, watching everything that was going on around her.&nbsp; Later, there would be time to freak out and panic and all those other responses that sounded really fun to do in the face of demonic things.&nbsp; A brand new part of her she'd never even suspected existed was in firm control now, and it had things well in hand, slicing and dicing and making julienne demon. <br><br>At least until the Tormentors' big brother rose out of the purple haze and issued a direct challenge to her in the most confusing way possible.&nbsp; She braced for and met his attack with her sword, his nails raking over the metal with a screech that sent cold shivers down her spine and made her shudder.&nbsp; With a cry, she wrenched free and staggered back a pace, sword held defensively before her. <br><br>"A promotion to lieutenant?" she said.&nbsp; "From general?&nbsp; Wouldn't that be a <em>de</em>motion? And just who are you guys anyway?&nbsp; Why are you tearing up our lovely park and taking away our citizens?&nbsp; On second thought," she added and brandished her weapon, looking down its gleaming length at him with her other fist clenched.&nbsp; The words were coming, and she didn't know from where.&nbsp; Nor did she know where the sudden shaft of pure white light was coming from, but it did illuminate her nicely as she made her speech.&nbsp; <br><br>"On second thought, I don't care what you're doing.&nbsp; You're going to stop doing it right now, or you'll have to face the soul of the Holy Crusader, Angelic Champion, reawakened once again into the modern age to hold back the darkness!&nbsp; As before, so again, demon!&nbsp; Retreat back into your realm, or be destroyed!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>26-04-2009, 00:54:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The demon fumed as he flew back, seeming surprised that, for starters, he hadn't sliced the sword in half with his nails. "Nyah! This much power, already?! My claws should cut anything!"<br><br>Then, time seemed to stop for the demon as the Angelic Champion delivered her speech of justice. He made no move to stop her while she simply stood and explained who she was and what she was about to do without defending herself. The legends spoke little of it, but this was one of the original Angel's most obscure powers.<br><br>Then, the action resumed as if nothing had happened. The General seemed unmoved, and instead cackled in evil glee. "I love a good challenge! Show me your power!" To demonstrate that his claws could, indeed, cut anything, he sliced a nearby lamppost, sending it crashing right towards where the girl was just standing!<br><br>Could this be the end for our heroine!?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>26-04-2009, 06:27:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				More by instinct than any conscious action, Rumi leapt aside just as the lamp post came plummeting down inches from her feet, barely making the jump by her toes alone.&nbsp; She stumbled and fell to her knees.&nbsp; "Ow," she groaned.&nbsp; "That smarts."<br><br>"Giving up, little girl?" General Steelheart taunted, and Rumi could hear him sharpening his fingernails against each other.&nbsp; "Just lie still and die!&nbsp; It'll be over soon!"<br><br>"Hey!" she shouted angrily, picking herself up and turning to face him.&nbsp; "You know what, buddy?&nbsp; I think I've had enough of you! Time to give you a manicure!"<br><br>Guided by something so far beyond instinct it was legendary, Rumi began to move the sword in her hand through complex slashes that seemed to cut apart the very fabric of reality itself. <br><br><em>"Angellll...."</em><br><br>White and golden light coalesced around her sword hand, sheening down the blade until it erupted in a dazzling spray of light beams, all angled off the weapon.<br><br><em>"Ho-leeeee...."</em><br><br>Tiny wings erupted from the hilt of the sword, shedding a veritable blizzard of feathers to mingle with the golden light.<br><br><em>"Hearrrrrrt...."</em><br><br>Her movements slowed as she came into the proper stance, sword held in a fencer's salute between her eyes.<br><em><br>"STRIKE!"</em><br><br>Her wrist snapped forward, and the cascade of angel feathers and holy light shot from the blade like a guided missile towards General Steelheart's chest.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>27-04-2009, 03:13:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Wh-WHAT?!" The General could do little to stop the incredibly flashy attack. First, the claws he was so proud of shattered into a million pieces upon being hit by the stray beams of light emitted by the attack. Then, the brunt of it hit, pouring more light and feathers into his body than it should be able to contain to begin with. "This can't be happeNYAAAAAAAA--"<br><br>Those were his last words before he burst into a shower of sparkles, drifting down lazily upon the park and handily clearing away at the violet fog. The only thing still worth worrying about was the hole in reality, but chances were the Angelic Champion's sword could do something about it...<br><br>Far away from the scene, up on a tall building, three figures conspired, their silhouettes framed against the setting sun.<br><br>The first spoke. Deep-voiced, he was the most imposing of the three and seemed to be their leader. "It seems it is just as the Dark Queen feared. Angel has emerged once more, reborn in this world."<br><br>The second, a woman wrapped in a gravity-defying shawl, gave a derisive laugh before she chipped in. "Now, the question is... will this precious little angel's wings grow to their former glory, or will they burn up in the light she loves so much?"<br><br>The third one, a thin, younger man, finished. "We must not take the risk of finding out. No matter who she may be, I will find her... and steal her heart."<br><br>The three of them nodded in agreement, deployed their wings, and flew away in separate directions.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>27-04-2009, 07:06:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With combat over and the hapless populace slowly coming to, Rumi was left with her sword, a couple of rips in the space-time continuum and the fluffy white cat-thing to deal with.&nbsp; &nbsp;It took entirely too long for the cat thing, who introduced himself as Elogee, to explain exactly how she could seal the tears, and by the time she had reality back in its proper state, the almost-kidnapees were mobbing her, asking for an autograph, thanking her profusely, and crying loudly with gratitude and big fat tears on her uniform. <br><br>She beat them all back gently, and then performed for the first time in her life a gravity-defying leap away from the scene, landing on top of a low-storied building with the cat-thing riding on her shoulder.&nbsp; With a sudden dearth of energy, Rumi fell to her knees as her armor shone briefly with white light and then faded into her everyday school uniform.&nbsp; "Woah," she said, shaking her head dizzily.&nbsp; "World's worst sugar crash.&nbsp; What was that?&nbsp; What did I become? What did I get myself caught up in?"<br><br>"We should leave," Elogee said, patting her hand with a paw.&nbsp; "I know you have a lot of questions, and I'll explain everything once we're home."<br><br>Rumi arched an eyebrow at him.&nbsp; "Mom's going to kill me if I bring home a stray," she asked.&nbsp; <br><br>Elogee looked offended.&nbsp; "I am <em>not</em> a stray!" he said indignantly.&nbsp; "I am the last descendant of the Shirotenma Clan, and my line has waited for you to be born ever since the first Angelic Champion!&nbsp; I am bound to you, and I most certainly am <em>not</em> a stray!"<br><br>Rumi stifled a yawn. "Fine, fine," she said wearily, climbed back to her feet and scooped to pick Elogee up, tucking him into the crook of her arm.&nbsp; "Just tell me on the way then?&nbsp; I don't think I"ll be able to keep my eyes open." A beat. "And you'll have to hide from Mom.&nbsp; I think she's allergic to cats."<br><br>All the way home, Elogee filled her in about the true history of the world, about her ancestor Angel and the war with the demon realm.&nbsp; Rumi took it all surprisingly well, given the day she'd just had.&nbsp; But it might have had something to do with the fact that exhaustion dogged her every action, and made each step feel like it was being taken wearing lead-filled shoes.&nbsp; She'd freak out about it later, she promised herself.&nbsp; After she got some shut-eye.<br><br>oOoOoOoOo<br><br>But after a full night's rest, in the bright sunshine of a new day, Rumi didn't really feel like freaking out about it anymore.&nbsp; Instead, she hummed to herself as she brushed her hair, the pendant gleaming in the hollow of her throat.<br><br>The headlines in the paper read "<strong>Mysterious Girl Saves Park-Goers</strong>", and with a smile, Rumi clipped the article out of the morning edition, pasting it on the first page of a brand new scrapbook.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>28-04-2009, 04:45:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The next morning, Takeshi found himself contemplating the same headline on a newspaper being read by a man idling by a newsstand. He hadn't gotten very far in, though, before the man took notice and yelled at him to buy his own newspaper, prompting the teenager's retreat.<br><br>"HEY, RUMIII!" If she were to look out her window, Rumi would see Takeshi, standing next to her parked bike, screaming at her from the entryway. Now what could have caused him to go so far out of his way to pay her a visit? This certainly wasn't in his usual habits. Maybe he wanted to show off how he wouldn't be in any danger of being late for school this morning, either.<br><br>Upon checking downstairs, Takeshi would be found chatting with Rumi's mother. Both were beaming, Takeshi because he had just been handed a boxed lunch in person for once, and Rumi's mother because he just wouldn't shut up about her cooking. He waved at her without missing a beat, somewhere between the words "hyperdelicious" and "happiness ground into paste and rolled up into sushi".
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>28-04-2009, 05:42:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				And just like Takeshi was behaving oddly this morning, so too was Rumi.&nbsp; Instead of stumbling down the stairs twenty minutes late, she bounced down them in a ridiculously and somewhat uncharacteristically good mood for being almost forty minutes early.&nbsp; She fairly floated into the kitchen, her school uniform actually neatly pressed for once, both socks at even height on her legs and her hair back in a very fetching upsweep that showed off the back of her neck and her new locket -- which oddly would defy any attempt to actually take active interest in it.<br><br>"Good morning!" she said cheerily, reaching over to snatch a piece of toast the minute it popped out of the toaster, and munching down on it after slathering it liberally with strawberry jelly.&nbsp; "Come to get your own lunch today, Takeshi?&nbsp; It's about time; much more of it, and I was going to have to start charging you delivery fees!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>28-04-2009, 13:45:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi's behaving oddly wasn't that alarming to Takeshi. Maybe she was always like that at home? Still, she was still practically radiating sunshine, flowers and kittens-- no, not Elogee. Thus, she was met with a strangely inquisitive face. However, he indeed followed the cosmic law stating that no one should ever pay attention to the new and incredibly flashy fashion accessory that just showed up on a girl, if, on the same day, a new magical girl had made her first appearance. --Wait, had she actually called him by his real name?!<br><br>Still pondering what cosmic horror had replaced Rumi in her sleep, Takeshi nonetheless returned the cheeriness. "Good morning! Nah, I came to check on you. You did hear the news, right?" Takeshi's mind, however, wasn't fixated on the large bold headline about a new heroine being in town, but rather the much smaller one at the bottom of it, which read "Mayor still freaking out about monsters from another dimension attacking park out of the blue". He leaned forward, concerned. "You DID follow my advice, right? My intuitions always pay off, so you should have, riiiight?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>28-04-2009, 14:32:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Actually," she said, reaching over to pluck another piece of toast conveniently popping from the toaster at that very moment, "I thought you were playing a prank on me.&nbsp; I did go through the park, but I must have <em>just </em>missed the whole interdimensional invasion though.&nbsp; I made it to the arcade completely unmolested by any demons or monsters, or..." Vague handwave. "...whatever it is that's attacking people.&nbsp; Guess I got really lucky."<br><br>She munched her second piece of toast, likewise slathered in jelly, before perking up, like she'd just thought of something.&nbsp; "Hey! How did you know about the monster attack before it happened anyway?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>29-04-2009, 01:17:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi, who had as Rumi spoke started leaning forqwards on the back of a chair, crashed on the ground along with it as she asked the obvious question. He got back up, putting the chair back into position before responding with enough dismissive handwaves to propel a hovercraft. "Oh... I just had a really nasty feeling about that place, you know. And my father always used to say 'Never give up, trust your instincts', so I took him up on that."<br><br>He leaned towards Rumi's ear, whispering conspirationally. "To tell the truth, I think I'm a bit of a psychic." From his tone, he was probably joking, but who knew, sometimes, with that guy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>30-04-2009, 18:57:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She blinked twice as Takeshi seemed to loom over her, twice as large as normal and wiggling his fingers with a creepy little smile on his face.&nbsp; Then she tossed her head back and laughed.&nbsp; "Oh Taki, you're such a joker!" she laughed, slapping him on the shoulder hard enough to floor a baby elephant.&nbsp; "But seriously," she continued.&nbsp; "That was a pretty lucky guess.&nbsp; If I didn't know better, I'd say you almost knew something was going to happen."<br><br>Elogee at that moment chose to make an appearance, poking his head around the doorjamb with a cute little "Mew?"&nbsp; He leapt lightly onto the counter, and from there, onto Rumi's shoulder.&nbsp; "Mew?" he said again, giving Takeshi a hard, assessing look.&nbsp; <br><br>While Rumi didn't seem at all surprised to see him, Rumi's mother, on the other hand, was.&nbsp; She shrieked "RAT!", grabbed the broom, and swung it like a champion hitter driving a home run into the stands.&nbsp; Elogee, reflexes kicking in, jumped clear before the broom could hit him.&nbsp; Rumi, however, wasn't so fortunate, and she crumpled to the floor with the imprint of the broom on her cheek and little stars circling her head. <br><br>"RAT!" Rumi's mom shrieked again, and began chasing the desperately mewing Elogee around the kitchen, whacking at him with the broom, her legs moving so fast they were practically a blur.&nbsp; <br><br>By the time everything got straightened out and Rumi could see straight again, it was time to head to school, and Rumi had forgotten all about Takeshi's "premonitions".
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>01-05-2009, 01:44:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No, no, really, it's--" Takeshi was saved from having to explain anything by Elogee, whom he stared right back at, with a look mixed between surprise and curiosity. "Mew?" Hey, maybe it was trying to communicate. Then, Rumi was knocked out, leaving only the boy to try and stop her mom from taking her whole house as collateral damage in the chase for the "rat".<br><br>The door was later closed between the two, leaving Takeshi to sigh in relief. "I've never seen your mother flip out that hard before. And, I mean, it wasn't a rat, either. The real question is..." He looked into Rumi's eyes, his brow furrowed. "...how did a fox even get inside your house?" Still, he reminded himself to reward that thing if he saw it again. What did foxes eat, again? Foxhounds?<br><br>He walked towards his bike, grinning for some reason. "Anywaaaay... We have two options. The first is that I walk alongside the bike and we take a nice, leisurely stroll. The other..." He hopped on it, grin doubling in size. "...is that you hop aboard and I show you every shortcut I know!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>01-05-2009, 02:10:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi looked doubtfully at the bike, then equally doubtfully glanced at Takeshi, grinning like a maniac and taking up the entirety of the seat.&nbsp; She sighed, then hopped up to sit on the crossbar that joined the handlebars to the rest of the frame, holding onto the metal bar with one hand and her satchel with the other.&nbsp; "Alright," she said.&nbsp; "But if you get me killed, Taki, then by all that's good and holy, I will come back to haunt you, you hear me?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>01-05-2009, 02:46:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I guess I'd better hire an exorcist right away, then!" Takeshi spoke ominously, letting Rumi sit in front of him before putting his hands on the handlebars as best as he could and setting off. He started off smoothly enough, letting the girl adjust to her position, and the first few corners he turned were almost like... a pleasant stroll! Then, things all went downhill from there.<br><br>Quite literally, actually. The second they left flat ground and started riding down the hill, the bike and its two passengers started picking up speed at an alarming rate. Takeshi, who apparently didn't believe in brakes, zoomed past other students in uniform, leaving behind a vacuum strong enough to make some of them lose their footing. The driver seemed not to mind much, but Rumi&nbsp; might not react quite as well, especially considering that, at the bottom of the hill, the road ended where a crossing river began. He got closer and closer, ignoring wether his passenger was pleading for her life or swooning at his courage, then rolled on a plank propped against a fallen-over oil drum, launching the bike up in the air, right above the river.<br><br>Wether that was all part of Takeshi's plan, he didn't bother to explain, and probably wouldn't with the sound of the wind drowning out all sound. As if in slow motion, the bike flew several meters over the river, framed against the morning sun. Inexplicably, this also granted Rumi a stunning view of the entire other half of the city beyond the river.<br><br>Time went back to its regular speed as the bike managed a perfect landing, on top of a surprised but luckily uninjured newspaper-reading man. Attentive fans might notice him to be the one who screamed at Takeshi earlier this morning.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>01-05-2009, 04:29:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Eeeeeee!" was Rumi's clever response the minute they hit the hill and started tearing down at breakneck pace.&nbsp; Her hand closed spastically around the handlebar in a white-knuckled death grip, and her other came up to fruitlessly cover her face with her satchel.&nbsp; <br><br>She risked a peek as the hill levelled out slightly, then recoiled as she saw the river approaching rapidly.&nbsp; Oddly, she did have one moment to appreciate the beauty of the city sprawled in all its glory as the bike sped towards the makeshift ramp, but then it was back to full-fledged panic.<br><br>"Taki?" she said nervously over her shoulder, trying to keep an eye on both him and her approaching doom at the same time.&nbsp; It was astonishing she didn't give herself whiplash, considering how fast her head was jerking back and forth.&nbsp; "Taki? TAK-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"<br><br>And that was the sound that accompanied the brilliant, awe-inspiring leap across the river.&nbsp; It was the only warning that the newspaper-reading man got before the bike landed directly on his head.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>02-05-2009, 18:57:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Throughout the whole thing, Takeshi remained calm, even though a half-smile could be seen on his lips as he noticed Rumi's panicking reaction. Once they bounced back onto dry land, it seemed the boy was unwilling to let go of all the momentum he had picked up, and it seemed his suicidal bicycle death course was going to continue, wether Rumi wanted it or not...<br><br>--Until they came to an abrupt stop, that is. Finally, Takeshi had found the brakes, for something had attracted his attention. Once Rumi got herself out of the bush she probably flew into, she'd find Takeshi in front of the movie theater, face pressed against a poster that had apparently been placed there overnight. With barely concealed glee, he turned to Rumi, revealing its contents. Said contents being a masked man in a bug-themed armor posing heroically above a tagline about this being his greatest fight yet.<br><br>"Heeey, Rumi, look! I forgot all about this, but the Heroic Champion Ramen Raider movie is opening tonight!" He got dangerously closer, stars in his eyes. "How about we go see it tonight? Consider it payback for the other day?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>02-05-2009, 19:17:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It wasn't a bush Rumi flew into, but a tree, and her body did its level best to wrap itself around the trunk.&nbsp; Slowly, she slid back to the ground, and peeled herself off the tree with some difficulty.&nbsp; Muttering dire threats at Takeshi and impugning his ancestry all the way back to the Dark Ages under her breath, she slowly climbed back to her feet and rubbed at the goose egg forming on her head, thankfully hidden by her hair.&nbsp; <br><br>When the poster was revealled, she squealed like the fangirl she honestly was, jumping from foot to foot and clapping her hands excitedly.&nbsp; "Ramen Raider!" she gushed, replacing Takeshi at the window and setting her nose print directly beside his.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Tonight!&nbsp; Do you think he'll finally discover that his one true love is his most direst enemy, Steel Lady Kamaboko?"<br><br>Then the rest of what he said sank into her ears and she reeled back in shock, her jaw dropped so wide her mouth seemed to occupy half her face.&nbsp; "Wha..?&nbsp; Are you asking me out on a date?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>02-05-2009, 19:40:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Huuuuh..." Takeshi, who had already whipped out his cellphone and stealthily set it to be one button press away from calling Shinichi and Honda (yes, both at once), slipped the thing right back into his sleeve just as fast as he had pulled it out. "I guess that would sort of be one? I know the guys stopped watching since Raider 01 got replaced, and I don't know if your friends are big fans either. So I guess that'd only leave the two of us."<br><br>He sat there, arms crossed, avoiding her gaze due to a sudden fascination with the poster's tiny, tiny-print cast list. Hopefully, she wouldn't react badly to a "sort of date".
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>02-05-2009, 20:04:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No, Aiko and Kumori would sooner slit their own throats than sit through Ramen Raider," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.&nbsp; "So yes, I suppose it would sort of be one, if your friends don't want to come."<br><br>And just as suddenly, she found herself interested in the charge list posted on the side of the building, because apparently the price of popcorn was fascinating all of a sudden.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>02-05-2009, 20:28:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good, then it's agreed. We meet here for the first showing. If we come early maybe we can beat the long lines. --A-anyway, we're gonna be late if we stay here!"<br><br>Doing his best impersonation of a marching robot, Takeshi walked back to his bike, gesturing to Rumi to sit back at the usual place. Oddly enough, the rest of the ride went surprisingly... normally.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>02-05-2009, 22:13:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi remained silent during the entire run, and it's doubtful if she would have noticed another death-defying leap across rivers or freeways or a jungle stampede right in the middle of the city.&nbsp; She was uncharacteristically subdued as she hopped off the handlebars when the bike finally made it to the school, and stood for a long moment, watching Takeshi.<br><br>Then, like a bolt out of the blue, she kissed him on the cheek.&nbsp; A quick peck, really, quicker than a hummingbird's wings, but a kiss on the cheek nonetheless.&nbsp; And then she was running off to her first class, waving over her shoulder and smiling at him: "Thanks for the ride, Takeshi!&nbsp; I'll see you later, okay?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>03-05-2009, 05:41:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hm?" Takeshi was, naturally, taken by surprise when it felt like a hummingbird pecked him. His eyes widened and he responded absolutely nothing except a raised hand very slowly waving at her. He remained silent, but mind readers around the area might notice something like a fireworks display and a parade being thrown in his mind at right about that moment. Luckily, there are none involved in this story so far.<br><br>As Rumi exited his view, he suddenly became once again aware of the world around him. Apologizing as he nearly bumped into someone, he went to chain his bike before walking into the school himself.<br><br>Moments later, he sat at his desk, behind Shinichi.<br>"Hey, Tak. Why're you grinning like an idiot?"<br>"Hey. I'm not grinning."<br>"Whatever. Listen, me and Honda were thinking of going to see the Ramen Raider movie tonight. You game?"<br>"Huh... No, I've got other plans, sorry."<br>"Oooooh, what sort of plans?"<br><br>Ten solid minutes of teasing and probing ensued even though class had already begun, but miraculously, Takeshi finally managed to divert the subject.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>03-05-2009, 06:32:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi fairly floated through the rest of the day, despite probing questions by Kumori and Aiko... well, mostly Kumori, who teased her mercilessly with her wild speculations about her love life, which absolutely <em>had</em> to be the reason why she was in such a floaty, distracted mood.&nbsp; But with skill and aplomb Rumi had thus far never displayed with her friends, she deflected and parried every single poke and prod Kumori made.<br><br>Elogee was waiting for her when school ended, jumping down from a tree branch to land on her head.&nbsp; Rumi, lost in a daydream, shrieked like a banshee and flailed like a windmill when he jumped on her, grabbed him by the tail and wound up to let him fly.&nbsp; At the last minute, she stopped when she realized who was hanging in her hand upside down in front of her face.&nbsp; "Elogee, what are you doing here?"<br><br>The fox-cat gave her a withering look.&nbsp; "Mind putting me down first?"<br><br>"Oh! Sorry!"&nbsp; Rumi lowered him to the ground, where he all but pulled his tail violently out of her grasp and licked it for a minute.&nbsp; "I was coming home anyway, but thanks for meeting me."<br><br>Elogee looked up, still seeming less than pleased with his charge.&nbsp; "We're not going home," he announced.&nbsp; "You've been the Angelic Champion for all of a day, and if yesterday's any indication, you're in serious need of training."<br><br>Rumi blinked and crouched down to talk to the fox-cat face to face.&nbsp; Despite how odd it looked, no one gave her much of a second glance.&nbsp; Yet another one of those obscure Angelic powers, no doubt.&nbsp; "Elogee, I won.&nbsp; Yay team?"<br><br>"Your technique was sloppy, you fumbled into that win, and Steelheart?&nbsp; He was a weak player at best.&nbsp; Yes, you won, but it was a lucky shot.&nbsp; If he had dodged..."<br><br>Rumi sighed and stood up.&nbsp; "He didn't, Elogee.&nbsp; Lucky shot or not, the good guys came out on top."&nbsp; She bent down again long enough to ruffle his ears, and despite himself, he purred briefly.&nbsp; "Can we talk about the training thing later?&nbsp; I have to go get ready for a date tonight."<br><br>And before Elogee could say much else, Rumi had already disappeared, smiling and waving to the fox-cat as she turned the corner. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>03-05-2009, 17:15:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Almost just as soon as Rumi had left, Takeshi strolled onto the scene, gazing at the sky with a distant look in his eyes. Even so, this didn't stop him from spotting Elogee in the corner of his eye. "Huh." He crouched next to the cat-thing, giving it a hard look. "Where are all those foxes coming from? Wait..." He squinted and poked the animal's nose. "Are you stalking me?" He got back up, grinning. "Look at me, talking to animals. Anyway, don't tell anyone, but I've got a sort-of-date to prepare for." And, just like Rumi, he disappeared without letting Elogee respond, mostly because he didn't know it could.<br><br>The clock spun forward, and Takeshi, now out of his uniform, was standing in front of the theater, waiting for Rumi. Deep in though, he was broken out of his reverie by the beeping of his cell phone. Grumbling, he checked it, but his breath was cut short when he read the message displayed. "...Damn. Why tonight?" Much like the previous night, Rumi would soon recieve a text message of her own from Takeshi, though much less cryptic this time. "Hey, I'll be a bit late. :( If I'm still not there when it starts, get us seats and I'll catch up with you during the previews."<br><br>Inside a restroom, a man laid against the wall, deep in sleep. The only other occupant was Takeshi, leaning on the counter as he clutched a small object. Suddenly, the back of his shirt was ripped apart as two black masses grew out of his shoulderblades...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>03-05-2009, 20:56:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi walked down the street as if she hadn't a care in the world, and at the moment, that was more or less true.&nbsp; The forces of darkness hadn't poked their noses beyond their own doorstep so far today, and even if Elogee was going to be the rain, Rumi wasn't going to let it ruin her parade.&nbsp; <br><br>She had a date!&nbsp; Of course, it was with Takeshi, so that might nullify some of the benefits of actually having a date, but Rumi was likewise determined that it wouldn't ruin her good mood either.&nbsp; <br><br>Besides, Takeshi wasn't <em>that</em> bad.&nbsp; He was a doof at times, true, but at least he was a cute doof.&nbsp; Her phone beeped, interrupting her mental train of justification, and she pulled it out to view the message.&nbsp; And just like that, her good mood came plummetting down.&nbsp; Furiously, she typed out a response, her thumbs flying across the key pad. <br><br><strong>I'll wait outside as long as I can.&nbsp; But you BETTER show. &gt;:( </strong><br><br>She pocketed her phone again and leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky with a sigh.&nbsp; She'd just bought a new sundress for the date too, light blue cotton with a floaty, flirty skirt that barely brushed her thighs.&nbsp; &nbsp;If this dress went wasted, ooooh! Taki would pay in spades.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>03-05-2009, 22:08:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Oddly enough, the text message Rumi sent went unread. What could he possibly be doing?<br><br>Meanwhile, inside one of the theater's viewing rooms, the lights dimmed and the conversations died down as another movie was about to start. Or, more precisely, twenty straight minutes of ads and trailers. The first one shown, however, was a little strange. The first few seconds featured a red-skinned, horn-bearing Uncle Sam pointing at the audience, with the caption "I want YOU for the Demon Corps". How odd.<br><br>The next moment, a Tormentor flew into the frame and begun to speak. Luckily for the nyah-impaired, subtitles were included. "Hey, you! Are you sick of this boring, depressing, human world? Don't you think it's time for some change?" As he continued speaking in the foreground, Uncle Sam made way for what seemed to be a gigantic piece of quartz housing a black, hazily-formed humanoid figure. "You're in luck! The Demon Corps are hiring! Join us, and we will free the Dark Queen from her crystal prison, fully awakening her from her slumber of several thousand years and restoring her true powers!"<br><br>The Tormentor put on an army helmet as a map of the world came onto view, each country superimposed with a sad smiley face. A red demonic smiley face, grinning, appeared in a puff of smoke over Japan. From it emerged several red arrows flying towards other countries and turning them into demonic faces of their own, which themselves launched more arrows, soon covering the whole planet in red and adding the caption "HAPPY FUN TIME". "With our historical foothold restored and the power of the Dark Queen and her lieutenants, nothing will stop us from subjugating humanity again and bringing about a new era of, er, happy fun time!"<br><br>The view switched to live action footage showing the dark hole in the park from the previous day. "Interested? Then, jump into the nearest portal to the Dark Realm for more information! Our Seductresses will be more than happy to assist you." A human man could be seen, embracing a sexy demoness. While the bottom of their bodies were out of frame, both had a conspicuous lack of clothes. When he broke away from her, he was bearing horns and devil wings. He gave a smile, a wink and a thumbs-up at the camera. "Seductors are also available for women, and guys who are into that. We're demons. We don't judge."<br><br>Demon Uncle Sam came back on screen. He was the one to speak, this time. "Don't wait! The Dark Portal will open in 3... 2... 1..." And, as predicted, a dark hole opened right in the middle of the floor in the front of the room. The reel ended, but the lights didn't come back on. A swarm of Tormentors poured out, cackling mischievously.<br><br>Almost everyone's reaction was to make a run for it, of course. In the projection room, two Tormentors spoke to each other. "What? They're still not interested? We have Seductresses and all!" "I'm as surprised as you are. Humans are weird."<br><br>A few made it out, but the exits were soon stopped by, of all things, teenaged cat-boys in leather suits emerging from man-sized dark holes, which promptly closed themselves underneath them. From the middle of the screen, another hole opened, from which a winged figure walked out, hovering in mid-air. It seemed to be an older teenager, though the tiny black visor covering his eyes made it impossible for anyone to discern his identity. His wings were covered in black feathers and his clothes were similar to the henchmen's, but the respectful bows from Tormentors and cat-boys alike were enough to show that he was the one in charge. "Hmph. Idiots."<br><br>Right about then, Rumi might notice the few people fleeing the theater in terror. Except two neckbearded men calmly walking out, seemingly annoyed that their movie was interrupted by "such a lame viral marketing stunt".
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>04-05-2009, 02:09:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The longer Rumi waited for Takeshi to arrive, the more she fumed.&nbsp; The first few guys to walk past her had flirted with her, much to the dismay of their girlfriends, but as time went on, her face got darker and darker until it resembled a thundercloud, causing most of those who normally would have approached her to second-think that decision and wisely turn to go another direction.&nbsp; <br><br>She pulled out her cell phone, sending message after message to Takeshi, each one increasingly irritated until finally she shoved the offending piece of technology back into her bag and stormed away from the theater.&nbsp; <br><br>At least, she began to storm away, but she was nearly trampled by the mad rush of people exiting at great speed.&nbsp; <br><br>She yelped and barely got out of the way of the stampede, only suffering an elbow in the ribs and some three hundred pound gorilla stomping on her foot in the process.&nbsp; She spat a very unladylike word as she hopped around, holding her throbbing foot in one hand while waving the other at the stream of panicked people.&nbsp; &nbsp;"You maniacs! You're going to get someone killed!"<br><br>She gingerly tested her footing, then whirled when something slimy and dark brushed past her.&nbsp; "Wha..? Dark energy..?" There was nothing there, but the feeling persisted, and no matter how many times she spun around trying to track, she couldn't see anything.&nbsp; "What's going on?" she demanded on no one in particular.<br><br>One of the stragglers running out of the theater chose that moment to go past her, shrieking "DEMONS!"&nbsp; It was as good an answer as any.<br><br>Rumi knew what that meant.&nbsp; She darted into the alleyway near the theater, clenched her fist around her locket, thumbed the catch and thrust it into the sky.&nbsp; <br><br>"<em>Angel Soul! Release the light!</em>"<br><br>Somewhere unseen, an orchestra struck up the notes of an inspirational melody as her clothes vanished into thin air.&nbsp; With the locket still in one hand raised high above her head, she closed her eyes and spun.&nbsp; <br><br>Gossamer wings erupted from her back and feathers flurried around her body, forming diamond-hard celestial plate across her chest, legs and hands.&nbsp; &nbsp;A sheet of golden light passed over her, threading feathers through her hair, gathered around her waist before falling to mid-thigh in a skirt of ringmail.&nbsp; In a pop of light and sound, the wings vanished, and the metallic versions on her locket spread to exponential proportions, wrapping around her hand to form the guard and the hilt.&nbsp; With a crystalline <em>shiiing</em>, a four-foot blade of light shot from the hilt, solidifying into a lethal-looking sword that shed light with every cut and slash Rumi made.<br><br>As the unseen orchestra crescendoed, she struck a warrior's pose, sword raised, hair flaring dramatically around her and heroically backlit by bright golden light that emanated from some unseen source.<br><br>As wondrous as this transformation from cute, angry schoolgirl into the Holy Crusader, Angelic Champion, was, it was a shame no one was around to witness it.&nbsp; <br><br>++++++++++++++<br><br>A trio of Tormentors had backed Shinichi and Honda into the corner formed by the bank of vending machines, and were currently threatening the Hapless Duo with smug little "nyah!"s and jabbing pitchforks.<br><br>"I just wanted to see Ramen Rider!" Honda sobbed. <br><br>"It looks like this noodle stand won't ride again!" Shinichi chimed in.<br><br>The duo wailed again, clutched each other, and prepared for the end to come as the Tormentors moved in for the kill.&nbsp; <br><br>But the only thing that hit them was a blinding golden light.&nbsp; They both looked up with an articulate "Huh?" as the light faded, but there were no Tormentors in sight.&nbsp; Just a golden-haired goddess in skimpy armor wielding a sword.<br><br>"ANGELIC CHAMPION!" they both squealed, because they both naturally read the papers and manga, and had secretly been dying to meet the new magical girl.<br><br>"You boys get out of here, alright?" the angel said with a wink.&nbsp; She saluted them with her sword and leapt off to save another pack of trapped people.<br><br>"I think I'm in love," Honda said, wiping away the drool from his chin.&nbsp; <br><br>"Uh-huh," Shinichi replied with a goofy grin.<br><br>They didn't leave for many minutes, but blessed as the area was from the holy blast, no more demons tormented them. <br><br>++++++++++++++<br><br>"Hah!" Rumi muttered to herself, cutting through another demon pack with effortless ease as she moved deeper into the theater.&nbsp; "I <em>knew</em> he was going to bring his idiot friends!&nbsp; You just wait til I get my hands on you, Mr. Takeshi Sort-of Date!&nbsp; I'm going to kill you!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>04-05-2009, 03:57:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Rumi searched for the source of the dark energy, she'd eventually find the projecting room from earlier. It was different, however, in that on the screen was now projected something that could only be described animated abstract art based on swirls and undecipherable runes. While it had no effect on the Angelic Champion, it seemed that every human exposed to it was hypnotized enough to nicely line up to walk into the dark hole, which the Tormentors and as-of-yet unnamed cat-boys guided them into. Looking bored, the dark angel floated above the proceedings, leaning lazily in the air. "Hurry it up, you maggots. I've got a much more important matter to attend to."<br><br>At the entrance, a cat-boy spotted Rumi, waved, and spoke to her cheerfully. "Welcome to the Demonic Corps recruitment station! I see you've brought fighting gear already--" A second one chimed in, interrupting him. "W-w-w-wait! That's holy gear, isn't it? It's-- IT'S THE ANGELIC CHAMPION!!"<br><br>Every single being in the room turned in her direction at once.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>04-05-2009, 05:48:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"That's right!" Rumi said, and her voice carried down to the huge screen, though it had to be at least fifty feet, with all the righteous indignation of a Holy Crusader facing a host of demons, or a schoolgirl who'd bought a cute new dress, had a manicure and had ended up getting stood up for a date.&nbsp; Whichever was worse.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>She took a stance, pointing down at the demons and their entranced victims.&nbsp; "How dare you?" she cried, and the demons nearest to her practically withered when they were hit by the sheer outrage in her voice.&nbsp; "How dare you come in here and disrupt a perfectly good movie, making girls get stood up on their sort-of dates with their idiot sort-of boyfriends and wasting people's money?&nbsp; Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a refund at a cinema in this economy?"<br><br>She moved down the a step, sword flashing up to take the place of her accusing finger.&nbsp; "I'm a blast from your past, demon scum.&nbsp; And as soon as you tell me where you got that cat-suit, I'm going to kick your ass straight back into the Dark Realm.&nbsp; Face the soul of the Holy Crusader, Angelic Champion, reawakened once again into the modern age to hold back the darkness!&nbsp; As before, so again, demon!&nbsp; Retreat back into your realm, or be destroyed!"<br><br>And without further ado, Angelic Champion leapt in a heroic, gravity-defying leap straight up into the air.&nbsp; Demons watching closely would see the faint outline of angelic wings shimmer into view around her as she brought her sword horizontally in front of her face, and closed her eyes.&nbsp; The wings half-closed around her form for a brief moment, flashed once, and at the same time both they and her furious eyes snapped open.<br><br><em>"RAZOR FEATHERS!" </em><br><br>Dozens if not hundreds of razor-sharp feathers of light shot out of the light-etched wings, slashing through countless Tormentors and dissipating them into smoke.&nbsp; Miraculously, they didn't touch any of the zombified humans filing into the portal, nor the two cat-boys, nor the dark-winged angel floating above.&nbsp; <br><br>Their intended purpose only became clear when they shredded the screen into confetti, tearing it free of its moorings.&nbsp; The wall behind it should prove completely unusuable by the projector above.<br><br>In the aftermath, Angelic Champion landed in a perfect three-point crouch, sword extended to the side, and her very unimpressed eyes focussed on the cat boys and the angel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>04-05-2009, 19:28:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As a flock of Tormentors unsuccessfully tried to salvage the broken screen, the lined up humans slowly came back to their senses and made for the exits. Sighing, the dark angel covered half of his face as he sighed. "What are you waiting for? Stop them!" The cat-boys below, panicking at the sight of a majorly pissed superpowerred schoolgirl, did their best to stop the oncoming mob. Naturally, this meant they were trampled as all of the hostages made it out. Dusting themselves off, the henchmen got back up, and bowed to their boss. "Sorry."<br><br>The black angel's exasperation reached an all-time high as he floated down to face Rumi, seeming as unimpressed by her threats as she was by his presence. "Well, well. It seems you're not the only one having a horrible time. Not only are my servants too slow to get anything done, but they're incompetent, too! And now, you, Angel's leftovers, have just put the final nail in the coffin of my prospects for the evening." Even through his visor, his eyes visibly flashed red for a second.<br><br>"No matter." The material making the right sleeve of his costume flew towards his hand like liquid before coalescing into some sort of whip, which wavered around the air as if it had a mind of its own. "How about we have some fun together, then? Just the two of us." All henchmen, now nicely lined up alongside the walls with no apparent intent to interfere, not included.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>05-05-2009, 04:26:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"My," Angelic Champion said mildly, bringing her sword to bear in a defensive position and stepping to the right, circling with the black angel if he chose to follow her movements.&nbsp; "Aren't we self-important.&nbsp; I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your oh-so-busy schedule, so let's just get this over with, and we can both get back to our normal routines, hmm?"<br><br>Angelic Champion kept one eye on her whip-wielding opponent, and one eye on the crowd of people to make sure they were getting out unmolested.&nbsp; But it seemed the only ones getting molested with the cat boys trampled under their feet.&nbsp; Of course, she wasn't solely looking to make sure they were getting out alright; she was keeping an eye open for Takeshi as well.&nbsp; She wasn't sure if she was more relieved he wasn't there, or pissed he hadn't showed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 03:49:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The Angelic Champion's keeping an eye on the people running away hadn't escaped the mystery man, who was circling along, even if a few inches off the ground. He smiled. "Oh, don't worry about me. And don't worry about them, either. The one you should be worrying about... is yourself!" Clearly, his powers didn't include witty banter assistance, but the lightning-quick lunge that followed probably compensated.<br><br>Oddly, he wasn't aiming for Angelic Champion herself, but instead flew to her side. With a strange, probably physically impossible movement of his whip, his goal was to snag her weapon and disarm her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 04:12:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Distracted as she was by the stampede of people, she couldn't compensate for the grasping whip, and it easily wrapped around the hilt of her sword.&nbsp; "Gah!" she said, snapping her attention back to where it really should have been all along.&nbsp; <br><br>A brief tug-of-war and Angelic Champion lost her grip on the weapon, which went spinning across the floor and disappearing somewhere into the mire of bubble gum, spilled soda and scattered popcorn under the theater seating.&nbsp; Wide-eyed, she watched it vanish and turned back to look at the black angel, swallowing audibly.<br><br><em>Well, it was a good run,</em> the fatalistic part of her brain said cheerfully.&nbsp; <em>Better luck next time, hey?</em><br><br><em>What?!</em> her survival instinct chimed in incredulously.&nbsp; <em>Give up and die like this? Are you insane? Fight, dammit!</em><br><br>The internal argument went through another few iterations of the same general theme, with her flight response timidly adding that maybe she should run away... but in the end, it truly was no contest.&nbsp; A look of grim determination settled in on Angelic Champion's face, and she set herself in a fighting stance, raising her mailed fists protectively in front of her.<br><br>"Let's dance, pretty boy."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 04:32:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The villain grasped his hair with one hand, threw his head back and laughed loudly as Angelic Champion faced him defiantly, even unarmed. He calmed down and faced her again, still smiling unnervingly. Well, at least he was having fun. "I like your style. You've been in this world almost exactly twenty-four hours, your moves are dull, you're only using the most basic of your powers, and you don't have your weapon."<br><br>He finally touched down on the ground, humoring her as his whip dissipated back into his clothes. "Yet... you still have fight left in you. Very well, then. I can easily take care of you barehanded. CHAINED WINGS!" He suddenly shouted, having not specified that extra appendages were apparently fair game now.<br><br>In a way oddly similar to when the Champion deployed her razor feathers earlier, the black angel's wings folded themselves in and projected several feathers towards her. Instead of cutting or striking her, however, they connected with each other in mid-air and took the form of soft but oddly sturdy chains, attempting to pin her against the nearest wall.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 04:42:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				On the first pass of the smoky black chains, Angelic Champion merely leapt aside as the chains smashed into the wall behind where she'd just been standing.&nbsp; "Hah!" she crowed, holding her fingers out in a V in front of her.&nbsp; "You think measly chains can hold the Holy Crusad-<em>erk</em>!"<br><br>Of course, what she hadn't been planning on was the chains snaking around and jumping her from behind, and despite her valiant flailing and heroic wailing, it wasn't long at all before Angelic Champion, pride of Earth and Defender of the Light, was trussed up not unlike a Christmas turkey.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 05:13:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Humming softly (and somewhat creepily), the dark angel floated towards the immobilized Angelic Champion, getting his face uncomfortably close to hers. Miraculously, they seemed to have breath mints in the Dark Realm. He put an oddly soft hand on her cheek. "No wonder they call you angelic. I wonder, has this body ever known the touch of a man? ...Those lips, even?" After a moment's silence, he retracted himself a bit, enjoying his attempt at getting a reaction out of the Champion.<br><br>He slid his hand down to her body itself, where the chains had been arranged to display her breasts rather proeminently. "Not too tight, I hope?" The chains around that area immediately tightened themselves just a little bit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 05:40:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Angelic Champion grit her teeth and turned her head, straining to get away from the dark angel's creepy touch.&nbsp; "Get your hands off me!" she raged, and light flashed in response to her heightened emotions, but before it could do more than begin to coalesce, whatever nascent concentration she'd begun to build was rudely interrupted when the chains tightened around her chest, squeezing her ribs painfully.&nbsp; <br><br>"Ow!" she hissed through her teeth, and squirmed with her face turning deep, outraged scarlet as his hand closed around the exposed top of her breast and began to tease it.&nbsp; "Get off me!" she cried, sounding more in that moment like a frightened girl than a true champion of the light.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Get off! Get off!"<br><br>Was this was how it was supposed to go?&nbsp; Disarmed and molested, helpless to do anything?&nbsp; The sexual plaything of some admittedly hot demon spawn and his sexually-ambiguous Tormentor buddies?&nbsp; The hand groped lower, nudging around into the top of her chestplate now, and Rumi -- not the Angelic Champion in that moment, but plain old Rumi -- whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut.&nbsp; <br><br><em>You're not here,</em> she told herself over and over again.&nbsp; <em>Pretend... pretend you're with Takeshi.&nbsp; Yes!&nbsp; You're with Takeshi and you're... you're... Think, Rumi! Think!&nbsp; You're watching the </em>Ramen Raider<em> movie! Yes, the date went off without a hitch, and this is all just a bad dream.</em><br><br>In her mind's eye, she could see them both, sitting together in the theater, sharing a huge bucket of popcorn and pointing out truly awesome things to each other.&nbsp; Ramen Raider, in all his glory, facing down Steel Lady Kamabuko despite knowing she was his one true love, knowing that he had to end this before the world was destroyed in the fires of their passion... <br><br>It was a pleasant daydream, and no matter what was done to her body, Rumi fought like a bandit to remain firmly detached from the experience.&nbsp; Sweat beaded her forehead as she struggled to maintain her composure.<br><br><em>We're watching Ramen Raider... he's about to perform his ultimate attack... He's on his noodle stand now, and.... Wait...</em><br><br>Ramen Raider.... noodle stand...<br><br>And just like that, frightened little Rumi disappeared and confident awe-inspiring Angelic Champion was back in control.&nbsp; Her eyes snapped open and her head whipped up, with an evil little grin and a certain gleam in her eyes that would give even the most steelhearted demon pause.&nbsp; She leaned forward just slightly, almost like she was pressing into his touch, like a lover would... <br><br><strong>"ANGEL KNEE!"</strong> With a scream that could be heard halfway down the block, she brought her knee up sharply, directly into the crotch of the dark angel with all her strength, considerably augmented by her transformation and heavy plate boots weighting her leg like a roll of quarters did to a fist...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 06:19:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Wha--" Another incredibly loud scream followed, as the demon boy flew across the entire room as the chains loosened themselves from Rumi's body. Much like Ramen Raider's noodle stand at the end of the movie-- spoilers, yes --his crash was spectacular, sending theater seats flying everywhere. For a while, he didn't move at all, body curled up in foetal position. The two cat-boys from earlier leaned toward him.<br><br>"Shouldn't we, like, do something?"<br>"Nah, his pride's just been shattered. Anything we do from now on will just make things worse."<br><br>With pained-looking movements, he finally uncurled himself at least partly, staggering onto his feet and panting. "All right... Let's call this a day... Troops! Retreat!" With a herculean effort, he stood upright in a position that almost looked natural and pointed at Angelic Champion, face distorted by rage. "I won't forget this! I, Fallen the Jack, swear that I will bring your heart to the Dark Queen on a silver platter!" And, with this, his body sank into the ground, with his troops all soon following.<br><br>*******<br><br>Much later that night, Rumi would finally recieve a sign of life from Takeshi, as yet another simple text message. "I'm really sorry. You all right?" Oh, well, now, that excused and explained everything, didn't it?<br><br>Leaning on his bed in the dark, Takeshi deposited his cellphone on the night stand, not really expecting a quick response, if any. He turned on his back, gazing at the ceiling. "Waaaaay to go, King of Losers," he said to no one in particular.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 21:29:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The first thing Rumi did when she got home was take a shower.&nbsp; And scrub her chest repeatedly, trying to wash away the feeling of unwanted hands on her breasts.&nbsp; Elogee was waiting for her in the bedroom, no doubt ready to deliver another scathing report about her progress and prowess in combat, no doubt to criticize and deride everything she had done, despite the fact that she had won.&nbsp; <br><br>It wasn't something Rumi was prepared to handle, having had so close a brush with the demon realm as she had, so she hid in the shower.&nbsp; It wasn't until long after the water had run cold and her fingers had pruned up that she felt anywhere near ready to face Elogee.&nbsp; And any tears she may have shed in the process were mercifully indistinguishable from droplets of water on her cheeks.<br><br>+++++++++++++<br><br>"I don't understand why they're doing this," Rumi said much later.&nbsp; She was sitting cross-legged on her bed with her chin propped on one hand, speaking with Elogee who was likewise sitting on her bed, tail tucked over his forefeet.&nbsp; "What's so all-fired important that they'd need humans for anyway?"<br><br>Elogee was silent for a long moment, his face screwed up in thought.&nbsp; "Pride," he said finally.&nbsp; "Mostly, pride.&nbsp; You remember how I told you that demonkind once ruled the Earth?"&nbsp; Rumi nodded.&nbsp; "When the Dark Queen was locked away in her crystal prison by your ancestress, Angel, she -- the Dark Queen -- levied a curse on the entire world, that humanity would fail and diminish without her.&nbsp; Obviously," he said, looking out the window at the sprawling city beyond, "that didn't happen.&nbsp; Humanity flourished without her.&nbsp; She may not be awake yet, at least not fully, but that's what's driving a lot of these attacks.&nbsp; Jealousy and pride."<br><br>Rumi hugged her knees to her chest.&nbsp; "So... what?&nbsp; They're just going to keep luring helpless people into the underworld?"<br><br>"Yes," Elogee said, and there was a serious look in his eyes Rumi didn't particularly like.&nbsp; "They need slaves and breeding stock.&nbsp; Humanity's always been good for both those things."<br><br>She hugged her knees tighter and rested her chin on them.&nbsp; "So what do we do?"<br><br>"We train," Elogee said gently, resting a paw on her bare foot.&nbsp; "I might have been a bit harsh earlier this evening, but I did mean it when I said you need training.&nbsp; &nbsp;They're going to keep coming, until someone stops them.&nbsp; And no one's better equipped to stop them than you."<br><br>"Am I all alone in this?" Rumi murmured, staring at the wall.&nbsp; It was a rhetorical question, really.&nbsp; She knew the answer.<br><br>But Elogee surprised her when he said, "Not necessarily.&nbsp; If you can find the Saints..."<br><br>Rumi jerked her head up to stare at him.&nbsp; "The who what now?"<br><br>"The Saints.&nbsp; Four of Angel's closest friends.&nbsp; The sorcerers had enough energy left over after infusing Angel with their power to do the same, on a somewhat lesser scale, to four others.&nbsp; Angel got to choose, and she chose her dearest allies.&nbsp; Michael, Gabrielle, Raphaelle and Uriel. At least one of each of their descendants should prove compatible with their power... the power you have the ability to awaken within them.&nbsp; It's just a matter of finding them."<br><br>"I'm not alone?"<br><br>Elogee smiled and leapt onto her shoulders to nuzzle her cheek.&nbsp; "Never alone," he said firmly.&nbsp; "I'm here.&nbsp; I'll help guide you through this.&nbsp; We're going to be okay.&nbsp; &nbsp;If we can find the Saints and the Relics -- other weapons and powers Angel developed -- we'll be just fine.&nbsp; Okay?"<br><br>Rumi blinked slowly, then nodded at the fox-cat.&nbsp; "Yes," she said softly, hope and determination rising.&nbsp; "We will be."<br><br>+++++++++++++<br><br>There was no return text message from Rumi.&nbsp; Instead, half an hour after he'd sent his own "explanation", there was a shower of soft <em>pak!</em> noises, like someone tossing gravel at his window.&nbsp; Should he choose to investigate, in a patch of moonlight standing outside his window was Rumi, once agian wearing the cute, flirty, nearly scandalous blue sundress, with her hands clasped in front of her, staring up at his room with an indeterminate expression.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 22:25:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi had nearly fallen asleep in his day clothes by the time the first pebble hit his window, but he still sat up, startled. It took a second and third one to confirm that he wasn't imagining the sound, and soon, Rumi could see the silhouette of a startled Takeshi opening the window. Once it was fully open, a pebble hit his forehead, but he didn't seem to notice. "...Rumi?" He looked around, knowing that shouting at her at this time would attract attention, before just shrugging and climbing out the window.<br><br>Holding on to the edge, he dropped to the ground not too far from her, getting up as if it was normal for high schoolers to jump out second story windows like that. Not getting why she was wearing dress, he scanned her expression, unsure of wether she was here to talk or scream her head off at him. He took the first step, literally and figuratively. "Listen, Rumi, I'm sorry. I have this new part-time job, and the boss just told me to do something out of nowhere and he wouldn't hear any of it. I thought it'd be done quickly, but..." The last part trailed off, he was almost mumbling at this point, eyes hidden by the shadow of his own hair.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>06-05-2009, 22:46:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi let him ramble on about his new job, keeping her hands clasped firmly in front of her, so he wouldn't see them trembling.&nbsp; As he trailed off and looked down, she too bowed her head.<br><br>In a sudden, lightning move, she threw herself forward and hugged Takeshi tightly, so tightly it might seem like she was trying to break his ribs.&nbsp; "You're okay," she breathed, tears quite obvious in her voice.&nbsp; "You're okay. You're okay, you're okay, you're okay."&nbsp; Almost like she was trying to convince herself.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 00:31:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi lost his breath for a moment, both because of the surprise and of the lung-crushing hug. For some reason, it only now occured to him that Rumi would worry more about his having possibly been in mortal danger than his having stood her up. He smiled, a little bitterly.<br><br>Somehow, he had managed to free his arms, probably as soon as she relaxed her grip even a little bit. Much more gently, he reciprocated the hug. "I am. And so are you." Somehow, it seemed the moon shined a bit brighter when his rose his head, putting his face in full view and allowing Rumi to see he was smiling. "It's been a weird evening, hasn't it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 00:43:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She brought up a hand to wipe the tears out of her eyes and laughed a little.&nbsp; "Yeah... it's been a really, really weird night.&nbsp; And all the way over here, I wasn't sure whether to be angry that you didn't show, or relieved that you weren't there.&nbsp; It was <em>horrible</em>.&nbsp; And when I saw you, I just couldn't be angry anymore.&nbsp; You're alright," she said with a smile, and laid a hand on his cheek.&nbsp; "That's what matters."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 03:35:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi gave a weak chuckle at Rumi's words. "Don't worry about me... I'm not afraid of anything, remember? You, though..." His expression darkened once more, as his grip tightened a bit around Rumi. "I won't let them hurt you. I won't let you worry about me, and I won't let them hurt you. I promise." Of course, this promise might just inspire Takeshi to get even more reckless, but the moment probably didn't lend itself well to being rational about things. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 04:06:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi tilted her head a little to look up at Takeshi.&nbsp; His face was so determined, so utterly determined, it was very hard not to have her heart skip a beat or two as she examined it.&nbsp; A faint flush crossed her cheeks as it truly dawned on her that he cared enough about her to want to protect her.&nbsp; <br><br>It was kinda funny, actually, since she surprised herself by discovering that she'd do the same for him.<br><br>And then in the next second, following the train of discoveries, self and otherwise, she realized that they were close enough to kiss, if both of them leaned forward just slightly.<br><br>"Taki..." she said softly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 04:22:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi had come to the exact same realization just as Rumi found herself thinking it. Still he didn't move. He only needed to lean just a bit forward, just a bit... Right about now, this would be the moment where something explodes, or where the comic relief character appears between them, screaming...<br><br>"TAKESHI! What do you think you're doing!?"<br><br>His father's voice came from the opened window. His escape attempt had been spotted. In the faint moonlight, the man probably couldn't see what they were doing, but anything involving his son going down two stories without taking stairs was probably bad news. Takeshi sighed and pulled away from Rumi. "Sorry." He looked up at the window and shouted. "Just give me a sec!"<br><br>And then he kissed her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 04:54:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fireworks and parades immediately took up residence in Rumi's head.&nbsp; Stars exploded behind her eyes, a cheerleading squad marched down her mental Main Street, strewing confetti and leading a marching band blaring out some triumphant, brassy tune.&nbsp; <br><br>And when it was all over, she drew back a little, enough to look at him again.&nbsp; Somehow, her hands had gotten tangled up in his hair, which was weird, since his hair was relatively short and her hands had started out nowhere near his head. <br><br>"So," she said, after clearing her throat a few times, and blinking rapidly to try and clear the soft hazy field of stars that seemed to be blocking her vision.&nbsp; "Do you want to try the date thing again another night?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>07-05-2009, 05:11:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Sure." He drew himself away, smiling goofily but still not quite realizing what he had just went and done. "We still haven't seen that movie yet, you know." His eyes widened a bit at the memory of a knee just like Ramen Raider's, making him silently wince but otherwise not breaking his newfound unassailably good mood. "...Actually, maybe something else. For variety. You know."<br><br>"Anyway, see you tomorrow." He turned his back to Rumi, offering his usual stationary handwave as he walked back towards the normal entrance to his home, back into the light where his father could actually see that he wasn't trying to run away from home or deal drugs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>08-05-2009, 04:48:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hi, Mr. Maeda!" Rumi called, waving to Takeshi's father as she started back down the walk.&nbsp; He didn't look too happy with Takeshi, but he had always liked her, so maybe she could mitigate it a little.&nbsp; "It's just me, Rumi!&nbsp; He's not doing anything shady or illegal, I promise!"&nbsp; <br><br>==========<br><br>The next few days were busy for Rumi.&nbsp; After that one, fantastic kiss, she'd walked on air all the way home, stars in her eyes and little hearts circling around her head.&nbsp; Not even the catcalls of random street thugs could deter her from being lost in a pleasant little world of her own. <br><br>She went right to bed and woke up the next morning feeling on top of the world, even more so since there was no school to attend that day.&nbsp; That feeling lasted right through breakfast and up to the point that Elogee introduced her to her brand spankin' new training regime.&nbsp; After that, her mood went south as her muscles protested, her body ached and her mind whimpered.&nbsp; By the time it was done, she wanted nothing more than to crawl right back into bed, early in the evening as it was, but Elogee wouldn't hear any of it.&nbsp; She had to patrol, he said, and so patrolling she went.&nbsp; <br><br>And for the next few days, that became her life.&nbsp; Wake up ungodly early thanks to Elogee's cold nose, and train before breakfast.&nbsp; After breakfast, there was school, but Elogee tapped her on her lunch break as well for extracurricular studying on the different demon breeds and their strengths and weaknesses.&nbsp; Then more school.&nbsp; And when classes were done with, it was time for rigorous physical training, then dinner, and then patrolling in uniform until Elogee was certain that the demons would not be making an appearance that night.&nbsp; <br><br>All in all, it was exhausting, and as a result, Rumi did not get a chance to see much of anyone for that week, let alone the person she wanted to see the most.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>08-05-2009, 05:40:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				While Takeshi's schedule hadn't been as busy as Rumi's during that week, he still seemed to be exhausted the next time Rumi caught a glimpse of him. This was in no small part thanks to Shinichi and Honda's latest scheme. One day, the two managed to corner her in a hallway as lunch break just began, to tell her about the many wonders of--<br><br>"THE ANGELIC CHAMPION FAN CLUB!" Honda bellowed, attracting some people's attention, as Shinichi handed her a pamphlet.<br>"I drew it myself." The front of it featured a drawing of Angelic Champion posing heroically, curtesy of Shinichi's amateur mangaka skills. The rendition was quite faithful, except maybe for the overly flattering chest size.<br>"So, as a girl, you might be telling yourself 'Why would I care about that floozy? Why am I so insensitive to someone so awesome?'"<br>"And sexy."<br>"Yes. Our document here outlines all of that and more! Buy a macaroon today--"<br>"They're cheap."<br>"--and you'll get even more pamphlets! Now, let me tell you a personal story. Last week, Shinichi and I were at the theater..."<br>"It was attacked by monsters, if you saw the news."<br>"And like a streak of light, she arrived just in time! From then on, we swore to pay her back by supporting her cause from the sidelines."<br>"I tried punching one of those monsters. Then it stabbed me."<br>"Right. We can't really fight back ourselves, so instead, we're going to be cheering as hard as we can, giving her the fighting spirit she'll need to kick butt!"<br>"Our cheer squad only has one member in so far, though."<br>"Slow down! I was about to talk about that. Rumi! As a true, genuine real deal friend of a friend, would you be interested in joining the front lines of our fan club, as an official member of the Angelic Champion High School Student Cheer Squad For Everlasting Peace?"<br>"I think you know the other girl, though, she--"<br>"Cut it out, guys."<br><br>So far, Shinichi and Honda's overly enthusiastic sales pitch had had them drawing closer and closer, leaving very little room for Rumi to speak, move or breathe. Mercifully, Takeshi came out of nowhere, drawing them apart. "Hey, haven't seen you around much." He said nothing else, eyes fixed on Rumi's lunchbag, discreetly licking his lips.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>08-05-2009, 09:31:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Excited as they both were to be pimping out their new fan club idea, Shinichi and Honda would find Rumi a less than ideal candidate, which might be why they hounded her even after her unenthused "uh-huhs" and "okays" would have given more perceptive people the hint that she really wanted to be left alone.<br><br>As they both rambled on and shoved pamphlet after pamphlet in her face, she leaned her head against the wall on the side of the cubby and closed her eyes.&nbsp; Honda and Shinichi's voices faded into an excited but distant babble.&nbsp; Her bruises had bruises, and all she wanted to do was sleep.&nbsp; Lethargically, she picked at her open lunchbox, which was astonishingly untouched considering Rumi's reputation for having a healthy appetite.&nbsp; Elogee had been running her into the ground, and though she managed to stay awake for classes, she considered her lunch hour fair game to take a nap since Elogee hadn't put in an appearance so far today.<br><br>She didn't even react when they got right up in her face, spewing even more nonsense about Angelic Champion and her cheer squad.&nbsp; Lazily, she wondered what they'd do if she pulled out her pendant and transformed right in front of their eyes.&nbsp; Would they fall down and have heart attacks on the spot, or would they jump around and squeal like neko fangirls, begging for her autograph and asking her out on dates?&nbsp; Either way, it was an amusing notion, but in the long run, probably more trouble than it was worth.&nbsp; She'd never get rid of them if they knew the truth.&nbsp; <br><br>... Wait, had he just called her a floozy?<br><br>"Cut it out, guys."<br><br>The voice drifted into her haze like a knife through butter.&nbsp; Blearily, she opened her eyes to see Takeshi parting Shinichi and Honda like Moses did the Red Sea.&nbsp; Her knight in shining armor, coming to her rescue.&nbsp; A slow smile started as her eyes focussed, and didn't diminish even the slightest when she realized he seemed to be more interested in her lunch than in her.&nbsp; "Hey," she said, the word coming on the tail end of a yawn.&nbsp; "Yeah, I've been... busy."&nbsp; A lame way to put it, but truthful, and without revealing too much.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>08-05-2009, 23:53:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi continued on as he fought back the two other guys with each hand. "That sucks. --Anyway, guys, could you make like a tree for a minute? I've got something to tell Rumi." And, with minimal protests, his two friends left to harass another nearby girl, who seemed about as receptive as Rumi was and much more hostile.<br><br>He scratched his head as he watched them leave. "I swear, they're going crazy about that girl." When they cleared away, Takeshi leaned on the wall next to Rumi. "Anyway, I lied. I don't have anything special to tell you. I thought I had it tough with my new job and trying to stop these two from doing something stupid, but you don't look so hot either. You haven't been avoiding me, have you?" The last part was side with a grin, but in her current mental state, Rumi might think for a second that he wasn't kidding...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 00:30:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No, no," she said with a speedy handwave.&nbsp; "Nothing like that.&nbsp; I'm..." <em>... Angelic Champion, and my fox-cat has been running my ass into the ground.</em>&nbsp; "I'm..." <em>... the Holy Crusader, charged to send the Dark Queen packing forever.</em> Inspiration struck her sluggish brain suddenly.&nbsp; "I'm trying to get on a better schedule.&nbsp; Thinking about maybe joining the track team, so I'm trying to get into shape."<br><br>Yeah, cos <em>that</em> sounded like her.&nbsp; Oh well.&nbsp; Flimsy excuse or not, it gave her a reason to have the increased speed, stamina and agility she did, even in her powered-down state.<br><br>She dredged up enough energy to stand and snapped her lunchbox shut.&nbsp; "I think we should talk though," she said quietly, trying to ignore the flurry of butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence somewhere in the vicinity of her stomach.&nbsp; Face off against a ravening horde of demons?&nbsp; Oh yeah, without flinching.&nbsp; Talk to a boy she liked? Time to run away.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 00:46:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh?" Takeshi suddenly seemed a bit apprehensive. He wasn't nervous like Rumi was, but guys do NOT talk about their feelings and get to keep looking cool, and his sixth sense told him this was what was going to happen. It would be hard to avoid mentioning what had happened the week before, after all. "About what?"<br><br>But, worst of all, she had closed her lunchbox. Takeshi had lost his chance.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 01:11:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I think we should start dating."&nbsp; The words came out in a headlong rush, in the kind of serious tone most other people reserved for talks where they <em>stopped</em> dating.&nbsp; Rumi stood very firmly, holding her lunch box with both hands before her, like she was holding her satchel.&nbsp; She even met his eyes instead of trying to find anything else to look at but him.&nbsp; "I can be understanding about the whole part-time job thing, if you can be understanding about my training and stuff."&nbsp; Vague, but it could work.<br><br>"About damn time!" cheered Kumori from the next table over.&nbsp; Rumi glanced over to see both her and Aiko watching with their chins on their hands and dreamy looks in their eyes.&nbsp; She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at them.&nbsp; <br><br>She held up her lunchbox on the tips of all ten fingers, like an offering on a silver platter.&nbsp; It was the ace in the hole, the <em>pièce de résistance</em>, the bait and the reward all in one tasty Magical Girl Kokori lunchbox.&nbsp; "We could seal the deal over lunch?" she said hopefully.&nbsp; "Mom made potato salad fresh this morning."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 01:55:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi blinked as Rumi spoke, but let her continue. Then, when she finished and presented her lunchbox, he... burst into uncontrollable laughter? This went on for a few seconds before he stopped to catch his breath, snatching the lunchbox with one hand and wiping away a tear with the other. "Hahaha... We have a deal! Haha... Sorry, that was cute."<br><br>Eagerly, he opened the lunchbox to inspect its contents. "Someone call the world records, because I think I just broke the one for happiest guy ever. Potato salad? This is great!" He seemed a lot more interested in the lunchbox than Rumi herself, and had stealthily turned his back on Kumori and Aiko, so as to avoid their glances.<br><br>Smiling, he closed the box, holding it with a hand as he offered Rumi the other. "So, what did you have in mind?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 02:33:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi blinked as he threw his head back and laughed at her, and in the corner of her eye, she could see Kumori's expression go from happy and cheerful to dark and threatening.&nbsp; She stood up from the chair, pushing her sleeves up her arms and death-glaring the back of Takeshi's head, and only Aiko's desperate dive took her down before she could outright attack him for laughing at her friend Rumi's offer. <br><br>Hastily, said friend Rumi grabbed Takeshi's hand and determinedly marched them away from Kumori before she could subdue Aiko and come after them.&nbsp; "Happiest guy in the world, huh?" she said with a rueful smile.&nbsp; "Why do I think that has more to do with my lunch than with me?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 04:09:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Somehow, Takeshi had managed to completely miss Kumori's attempt on his life and Aiko's heroic sacrifice. Walking away from them, he handed the lunchbox back to Rumi. It was still her stuff, after all. "What? I mean, <em>you</em>'re not stuffed full of delicious potatoes, are you?"<br><br>He grinned at her as he pushed the door to head outside. "All right, all right, I admit it, the lunch thing is just bonus. Just don't tell your mom I said that, I think she'd have a heart attack." Considering how much time and energy he spends praising her cooking, this might just be the ultimate praise, by comparison.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 04:19:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi smiled softly as she took the lunchbox back from him.&nbsp; It was high praise indeed, especially coming from him.&nbsp; "I haven't eaten yet, so no. I'm not stuffed full of delicious potatoes.&nbsp; Mom always gives me too much anyway, so you can go ahead and eat them."<br><br>Outside, it was another typically beautiful, sunny day filled with students lounging around on the grass and eating their lunches on picnic tables.&nbsp; "What did you mean, what did I have in mind?" she asked, suddenly remembering the question he'd asked her. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 04:59:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi found a spot in a tree's shade where he sat, bringing Rumi down with him like some kind of defeated video game boss. "Oh, you know. We can't start dating if we don't have an actual date. I was wondering if you had any ideas." He looked up to the sky visible through the leaves. "The last two times I went to the theater, there was a monster attack involved. I think we should scratch that out, just in case. It would be nice if it was something that wouldn't interfere with my job and your training either, even though I can't really control that."<br><br>Leaning more and more casually to the point where he just looked like he could take a nap right then and there, he started counting on his fingers, considering every option. "Pool... Fireworks... Demolition derby... Restaurant-- speaking of which."<br><br>A second later, he continued enumerating date prospects, munching on a piece of potato.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 05:15:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well..." she said, picking a blade of grass out of the lawn and leaning comfortably back against the tree, then on a whim plucked a chocolate chip cookie out of her lunch box and munched thoughtfully.&nbsp; "I don't think there's any fireworks scheduled any time soon, but there are a few festivals coming up I think.&nbsp; A demolition derby isn't really my idea of fun, but if you want to go, I can give it a shot.&nbsp; The pool has merits though...<br><br>"Or!" she said, perking up brightly, "if you still want to watch a movie with me, we can rent a video and watch it at my house or yours.&nbsp; I mean," she added with a small laugh, "it's not like demons are going to show up at home, right?"<br><br>Laws of magical girls and monster attacks being what they were, that practically guaranteed that something demon-related was going to happen now...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 05:44:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi gave an odd-sounding laugh. "Yeah, you wouldn't let demons into your house, would you?" Somewhere, Elogee's oversized ears must have been burning. His next words were more enthusiastic. "Sounds like a plan, though! Nothing too fancy, but it works."<br><br>Further plans were interrupted, however, as Shinichi and Honda came walking down a nearby path, carrying an "ANGELIC CHAMPION FAN CLUB: Now recruiting" banner, of all things. "...These guys."<br><br>Soon, Takeshi was on the other side of the tree, where he'd at least be partially hidden, and had urged Rumi to join him. He was now massaging his temples. "I swear, that club's... I don't know, it's cheesy."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 05:48:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi needed no prompting to hide from Shinichi and Honda and quickly joined Takeshi behind the tree, cowering against him like there was a flock of Tormentors looking for them.&nbsp; "They're really getting into the whole notion of this Angelic Champion... floozy, aren't they?"&nbsp; She <em>barely</em> held in her grin with that word.&nbsp; "Do you think they're telling the truth about being saved by by her?"<br><br>Hey, <em>she </em>knew that it was true, but she was more interested in seeing if it was a believeable enough story.&nbsp; Plus, it might give her a chance to gauge Takeshi's reaction to the whole notion of Angelic Champion.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-05-2009, 18:14:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi shrugged and rested his hands behind his head, only briefly seeming to mind that he was being cowered upon. "I just can't see them getting fired up over anything if they're just making it up. They've told me the story seventeen times, and it gets more ridiculous every time. I mean, at first she was just winking at them, but the current version has each getting a kiss and a ride on the Angelcycle. That's what they're calling it, at least."<br><br>"Still," he sighed, "I think they're going a little too far. It's nice that they're getting inspired to do stuff, but they're only going to put themselves in more danger for their stupid cheer squad. Then, is she gonna rescue them again? And what are the police and army doing? One person is making us all feel safe, but should we, really?"<br><br>His expression had gradually darkened as he spoke, but suddenly brightened up. "But anyway! Enough about that depressing stuff. For that movie, wanna do it tonight? Tomorrow's good for me too. I'll warn you again if something comes up, but hopefully it won't get too crazy this time."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>10-05-2009, 10:35:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi got quiet, really quiet, as his obvious ambivalence about Angelic Champion shone through in his voice.&nbsp; Her own smile faded and she leaned her head back against the tree; she didn't even laugh when he mentioned the Angelcycle, and she had to admit he had a point about the army and the police.&nbsp; Though things had been quiet for a week or so, with only random sightings and no outright attacks, no help had come to her from normal, human agencies and it seemed like they were trying to ignore the fact that such things were happening on their respective watches.&nbsp; <br><br><em>Even if they decided to take action, they'd probably be just as susceptible to the demons' corruptive influence anyway, and give me more victims to worry about,</em> she thought, a little bitterly.&nbsp; It had only been a handful of battles, but she was growing mightily tired of facing down the dark forces all by her lonesome.&nbsp; <em>I need to find these Saints as quickly as possible.</em><br><br>"Yeah," she said slowly, still caught up in her thoughts, then shook her head to clear them when she realized what he was now talking about.&nbsp; Instantly, her mood improved.&nbsp; "Yes," she said, a lot chipperly.&nbsp; "Tonight is fine.&nbsp; You pick the movie, I'll get Mom to make the snacks.&nbsp; How does that sound?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>11-05-2009, 04:45:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi nodded with energy and a large grin, oblivious to how much his earlier words had affected Rumi's mood. "Sounds like a great plan! The guys want me to help me out with god knows what after dinner, but I'll try not to let them hold me up too much, and then I'll go pick up the movie. Speaking of the guys..."<br><br>He peeked behind the tree to see if the founding members of the Angelic Champion Fan Club were still around. Luckily, they were nowhere to be found, and the ear-splitting song they had begun to sing in the background, <em>Hymn of Beautiful</em>, had been interrupted as they walked back into the school building. "I think the coast is clear."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>11-05-2009, 16:40:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Okay, so it's settled.&nbsp; Just don't choose anything too scary, okay?&nbsp; I always have to hide under a blanket when I watch scary movies."&nbsp; Rumi gave Takeshi a bright grin and picked up her satchel, then hared off back to school, disappearing around the corner just as the <em>Hymn of Beautiful</em> started up again, loudly and off-key, from near the volleyball courts.<br><br>A minute later, she walked back up to the tree like she'd planned to do so all along and, studiously looking anywhere but Takeshi, she bent to pick up her lunchbox from where it had rested at his feet, and just as casually walked away again.<br><br>==========<br><br>Rumi had finally managed to convince her mother that yes, she really <em>did</em> want to go to Aunt Yuki's tonight, where she could drink cocktails and gossip and read magazines in her underwear.&nbsp; No, Rumi would not be throwing any wild parties while she was gone, and Rumi most certainly did not have any ulterior motives in mind.&nbsp; Of course all she wanted to do was make sure her mother had fun.&nbsp; But first, before she left, Rumi needed just a <em>few</em> things made.&nbsp; No, no wild parties.&nbsp; Maybe a friend over to watch a movie, that was all.&nbsp; <br><br>Rumi closed the door and leaned against it with a "phew!" of relief the moment she'd gotten her mother out the door and into the cab.&nbsp; It wasn't often her mother left the house, and she always seemed to find a million and a half excuses not to go, but this time Rumi had played it smart and gotten Aunt Yuki to come over and drag her recalcitrent sister off to a night of drinking and giggling.&nbsp; <br><br>Now, if only she could get the demon cat out of the house, all would be perfect.&nbsp; <br><br>Said demon cat was, at that moment, sitting on the bottom step of the stairs leading to the second floor, trying to drill holes through her head with his eyes.&nbsp; His ears were flat, and his fur was fluffed out in what Rumi could only assume was his particular species' warning sign of irritation.&nbsp; It made him look anything but irritated; in fact, the exact opposite was true.&nbsp; The further he fluffed, the cuter and more non-threatening he looked, and Rumi really had to resist picking him up and snuggling him like a teddy bear. <br><br>"You should be out training, not sitting at home drooling over that strange boy," Elogee groused, hopping down off the step to come over to her and stare reproachingly up from her feet.&nbsp; "The demons aren't going to take a night off just because you want to do goofy, sappy things with some loaf you know from school, you know."<br><br>"Oh, stuff it," Rumi said cheerfully, swiping a small heart-shaped pillow from a nearby shelf and tossing it at him.&nbsp; Well, small to <em>her</em> anyway.&nbsp; To Elogee, it was nearly the size of his head and it clocked him hard enough to send him rolling head over tail.&nbsp; Not that Rumi was paying any attention -- she'd already gone into the kitchen to make sure all of her mother's tasty treats were still in their plastic containers, waiting for the moment when their deliciousness would be revealled.&nbsp; <br><br><em>Come to think of it, there are a </em>lot<em> of containers on the counter... maybe Mom went a little overboard.</em>&nbsp; Bah! No matter! If Takeshi didn't steamroll through all the yummy food her mother had made, Rumi would.<br><br>Elogee shook his head and jumped back to all four feet, bounding after her.&nbsp; "I'm not going to go away, Rumi," he said, bunching for a second, then leaping onto the counter.&nbsp; "What happens if there's a demon attack tonight?&nbsp; What are you going to say to this guy, huh?&nbsp; Have you thought about that?"&nbsp; His nose twitched suddenly, and his head whipped around so fast he nearly fell off the counter.&nbsp; "Is that salmon I smell?"<br><br>"It is!" Rumi exclaimed with a bright, evil smile.&nbsp; For all she dozed off in class and liked to flake on small responsibilities, she really was no dummy.&nbsp; She'd had the foresight to ask her mother to make some fishy treats, specifically so she could lure Elogee away to somewhere he wouldn't glower at her and potentially bite her date, sending him home so she could get back to training.&nbsp; <br><br>She picked up the container holding the fish finger foods and marched off into the depths of the house.&nbsp; Elogee followed her, led on by the heavenly smell of foxcat dainties.&nbsp; Rumi went right into the laundry room, opened the container and <br><br>Bam! The trap slammed shut as she leapt out of the laundry room, ironically using the reflexes that Elogee had drilled into her head over the last week or so, and quietly shut the door, trapping her erstwhile guardian inside.&nbsp; Hopefully, he'd fall asleep after gorging himself on the veritable mountain of salmon long before he realized he was stuck in the laundry room, with nary a pile of clean clothes to curl up in.&nbsp; <br><br>In the meantime, however, Rumi could finish getting ready.&nbsp; And with that thought in mind, she crept up the stairs and hopped into the shower, figuring she had just enough time to get clean, dry her hair and get dressed before Takeshi showed up at the door with the movie.&nbsp; <br><br>... If, of course, he didn't text her, saying that he had to work or something.&nbsp; Because <em>that</em> would certainly never happen tonight, not when Rumi had gone to such lengths to make it an enjoyable night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>12-05-2009, 05:58:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Miraculously, Takeshi hadn't yet been contacted for his mysterious part-time job, and all signs pointed to him actually being able to enjoy his evening. However, he was still being held up by something that might prove even worse...<br><br>"Hmmmm. What to choose." For twenty minutes now, he had been strolling through the video store, being thoroughly undecided on what to rent. Movie after movie was inspected, with nothing hitting that perfect note he was looking for. A new release, or an old classic? A lovey-dovey story he might fall asleep watching, or a gritty action flick Rumi would probably be unimpressed with? Of course, he shouldn't pick a horror movie, as Rumi had advised against. Or maybe she was using reverse psychology? She did say not <em>too</em> scary, so maybe he should pick something moderately scary?<br><br>Finally, after much deliberation, he managed to come up with a decent escape plan. While he wasn't sure which movie to pick in order to please both of them, he had settled on the quantity-over-quality approach. Thus, he walked out of the store with a precariously balanced pile of ten DVD cases, taking advantage of their amazing ten-rentals-for-the-price-of-nine deal.<br><br>Upon exiting, he bumped into a bespectacled schoolgirl carrying a similar pile. No doubt she had also been seduced by the store's fantastic offer. Predictably, movies flew about everywhere to find themselves strewn on the sidewalk and, after several heartfelt apologies from the shy-looking girl and reassurances that all was fine from Takeshi, both piles were reassembled, though Takeshi failed to notice that his now had eleven movies instead of ten. Oops.<br><br>Only when he was out of view did the teenage girl stop gazing at his back. Her expression suddenly became a lot more sinister, and she muttered, to no one but herself. "I hope you and your human <em>friend</em> will enjoy my little surprise, Jack." Finally, she entered the store, depositing the nine remaining movie cases on the counter, shooting the clerk a flirty wink and walking right back out with an out-of-place elegant stroll.<br><br>Oddly enough, the few seconds of security camera footage that caught her on tape didn't show a glasses-wearing schoolgirl, but rather an attractive but very oddly-dressed older woman. Only when she turned back and left were the batlike wings protruding from her back clearly visible. If only anyone had been paying attention to that screen...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>12-05-2009, 14:38:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi was putting the finishing touches on her hair when the doorbell rang.&nbsp; "Coming!" she called, and promptly stabbed the metal clasp of her barrette into her head.&nbsp; She yelped and jerked her hand back, taking a few strands of hair painfully with it.&nbsp; Muttering ear-shrivelling curses under her breath, she hurried down the stairs, thankfully without tripping and killing herself on the way, though it was a near thing.&nbsp; <br><br>She took a moment to make sure that none of the snacks or dinner foods her mother had prepared were going to waste or had vanished, and most importantly, that Elogee was safely out of the way for the time being.&nbsp; She stopped by the laundry room door long enough to listen, but all she could hear was mewling little snores.&nbsp; It might have been a trick to lull her into complacently opening the door so he could escape, so Rumi refrained from checking with her own two eyes.<br><br>She threw open the door with a cheery little "Hi!" and a brilliant smile. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>13-05-2009, 04:30:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hey, Rumi!" Takeshi's voice could be heard coming from behind the stack of DVD cases, which were magically larger than they has any right to be, just for the sake of the sight gag. He leaned aside, peering as best as he could from behind them while returning Rumi's smile, which may or may not fade upon seeing that he had apparently planned movie night to last forever.<br><br>He walked in, taking off his shoes without even using his hands, and deposited the pile onto the nearest flat surface he could find. "As you can see, I couldn't settle on one good movie to rent, so I picked ten instead. We can just pick one or two from those! Let's see, there's..."<br><br>He picked the first one from the pile, the packaging showing a limp blonde young man in a pilot spacesuit being held up by two other guys. "Weekend at Bernie Wiseman's..." It was unceremoniously discarded as he presented the next one, a little girl sitting at a rainy bus stop with a musclebound teenage delinquent. "My neighbour Jotaro..." The next one had Ramen Raider sitting at a table with all of the greatest villains he had ever faced, wearing a Santa hat and cutting a turkey. "I figured the Ramen Raider Holiday Special might be good for a laugh..." And the next one... had a completely black label? "...Huh, not sure what that one is. I don't remember picking any weird artsy movi-- <em>Is that salmon I smell?!</em>"<br><br>Completely switching gears, he dropped the mysterious movie with the rest, hovering towards the laundry room as if floating on a cloud. "...Wait, hold on." Frowning, he turned and resumed floating blissfully, this time towards the kitchen. Why would he smell salmon in the laundry room anyway? That would just be weird.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>13-05-2009, 13:06:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				And in the kitchen, he would find a veritable feast to put most grand banquets to shame, with food ranging from sandwich stuff to entire dinners, in various containers and warming trays.&nbsp; The counters fairly groaned under the sheer weight of the smorgasbord, and the combined smells were what one could only describe as "delectably delicious".&nbsp; <br><br>"This is why I texted you not to eat dinner.&nbsp; Mom kinda went overboard," Rumi said, having followed the floating Takeshi into the kitchen, brushing a crumb off her skirt.&nbsp; "She's gone for the night, staying with Aunt Yuki.&nbsp; So we have the house to ourselves." <br><br>Well, there was Elogee, but Rumi certainly wasn't going to bring <em>him</em> up, not since she had cleverly disposed of him for some hours to come.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>14-05-2009, 03:50:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With a disturbingly high-pitched squeal, Takeshi floated down to the ground to marvel at the all-star <em>delecticious</em> snack lineup spread out before him. "It's like I've died and gone to heaven!" Paying little attention to Rumi's words, he, without asking permission, grabbed a plate and began cheerily opening the containers. With much enthusiasm and the occasional short impromptu dance number, he gathered a little bit of anything that caught his eye, soon ending up with a carefully architectured, multi-layered pile of foodstuffs that could make a sumo wrestler's eyes bug out at the sight of.<br><br>"All right, I'm all set!" He turned back to Rumi, carrying the plate, a stick of pocky sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he finally acknowledged her existance again. "Your mom's cooking is the greatest!" He then paused as if he just thought of something. "...Say, I wonder if it's genetic."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>14-05-2009, 14:11:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rum selected her own food much more sedately... but then again, she had grown up with this cooking and ate it every day, so maybe her lack of excitement was forgiveable.&nbsp; By the time she was done, modest inroads had been made in the amount of food, but enough remained to possibly feed them both for the next week, if necessary.&nbsp; <br><br>"Genetic?"&nbsp; Rumi said, munching on a celery stick as they proceeded back into the den, where the TV and couch were set up for marathon movie viewing.&nbsp; "Cooking?&nbsp; I don't know, you tell me.&nbsp; I made the brownies."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>15-05-2009, 04:01:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hmmm, let's see. I think I have some underneath the tiny pizzas." As he followed Rumi, he carefully rearranged the contents of his plate to unearth the brownies, managing to extract them without throwing off his meticulously arranged balance. Piece of brownie in hand, he sat on the couch, put the plate down on the coffee table, and slooowly brought the brownie to his mouth before taking a small bite. He closed his eyes to focus on the flavor, and...<br><br>Opened them. "Hm. It's all right."<br><br>What? All right? Rumi's hidden cooking talents didn't blow her mother's out of the water, revealing a whole new class of power levels for kitchen stadium domination? Or, oppositely, she wasn't terrible at it to accidentally put rocks and twigs into the mix? That had to be breaking some kind of law. ...Or maybe it had some kind of delayed effect?<br><br>Not too bothered by this conundrum, Takeshi got back up and went back to grab the DVDs he had dropped. Coming back, he looked at the blank labelled one quizically. "I checked inside, and the DVD isn't labelled either. How about we pop it in to see what it is? Just don't answer the phone if we see any rings on the screen."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>15-05-2009, 11:51:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"That only happens if you're blonde and have boobs out three feet," she said, serenely flopping down on the couch.&nbsp; Her super-charged Angelic Champion reflexes served her well as her food toppled and threatened to spill, but she corrected the plate with a lightning-fast move.&nbsp; She blinked, stopped chewing and swallowed.&nbsp; "You didn't rent one of those adult movies, did you?" she asked, peering at him suspiciously.&nbsp; "Because I don't think I'm that kind of girl."<br><br>No one ever paid attention to the opening screens that had the studio logos, so it would be fairly easy to miss the fact that the Lionsdoor Films lion had horns and breathed fire.&nbsp; <br><br>But the opening strains of what sounded like fantasy music and a peaceful medieval village fading into view on the screen would instantly catch the eye and ear... perhaps even supernaturally so.&nbsp; &nbsp; For a moment, all was calm as the TV village people went about their early morning days.&nbsp; The camera panned along the street, occasionally focussing on one villager or another, usually busty lusty women or strong-jawed, sinister men, but never enough to indicate if they were the main character of the film or not.<br><br>Then a barely decent succubus strolled out out onto the screen, breasts straining against her bustier, tail lashing lazily against perfectly-formed thighs.&nbsp; Where she passed, the men and women of the village fell into clothes-shedding frenzy, their activities beyond that falling into the dust clouds that rose in their wake, with only the occasional head, arm or leg appearing to indicate they were still there at all.&nbsp; <br><br>"Oh my god!" Rumi shrieked, and threw a piece of brownie at Takeshi's head.&nbsp; "You <em>did</em> get one of those movies!"<br><br>The camera zoomed in on the succubus' face, and she smiled and wiggled her fingers merrily.&nbsp; "Hi Jack!" she chirped.&nbsp; "Don't you just hate rejection?&nbsp; I know I do!&nbsp; That's why I made you this video.&nbsp; &nbsp;I know I'm usually supposed to send you a mixed tape, or dedicate you an angry, girl-power song on the radio, but I hate being cliche.&nbsp; So I did this instead."<br><br>Rumi's eyes went wide, and she looked at Takeshi.&nbsp; "What <em>is</em> this?" she said.&nbsp; Her hand instinctively crept up to wrap around her pendant, her muscles tensed.&nbsp; <br><br>The camera zoomed back out, following the succubus as she sauntered down the street, twirling her tail in her hand as she went.&nbsp; "Do you like No Town?&nbsp; This is a place where <em>my</em> rejects go.&nbsp; &nbsp;I'm very proud of it. I created it especially for you and your new, less pretty, tailless girlfriend."<br><br>The camera zoomed in on a close-up again, and the lighting shifted to cast a dramatic, sinister blue shadow across her face.&nbsp; "We could have been great together, Jack.&nbsp; But you had to go and tell me no.&nbsp; &nbsp;So now, I'm telling <em>you</em> no... <em>forever</em>."&nbsp; She threw back her head and laughed.&nbsp; <br><br>And at that moment, a spinning vortex opened directly in the middle of the TV screen, and a gale wind picked up, sucking the remote, books, papers, small appliances and most importantly, all the food stacked up on Rumi's and Takeshi's plates.&nbsp; <br><br>Rumi gave a wail of surprise and let go of her pendant only to grab at the arm of the couch as the tornado attempted to pull her into the TV.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 03:50:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi went white as a sheet as he saw the figure come onscreen, increasing the dread he had been feeling when he realized he might've accidentally rented porn. He would bless his lucky stars that common sense came in extremely short supply in this town, allowing Rumi not to put two and two together, but he was also the one not paying any attention to her pendant, either.<br><br>He extended a helpless hand as the snacks all vanished into TV-land, but there were even more pressing matters at hand, like stopping himself and his new, less pretty, tailless girlfriend from being sucked into another dimension. He extended a hand for Rumi to grab ahold of, but he neglected to notice that he was holding on to a couch cushion, hardly the most reliable thing to grip.<br><br>Despite his best efforts (and those of a pair of black wings he had grown in desperation, ruining another shirt in the process), he and his cushion slipped away, being sucked into the screen. With all the objects flying around, he had no idea if Rumi had had a similar fate, but he wasn't that optimistic.<br><br>Then, all went black.<br><br>*******<br><br>Groggily, Takeshi woke up, mumbling. "Mmmm... I don't wanna go to school..." Then, he was suddenly jerked awake as he realized that his pillow was in fact a large tree root and his blanket in fact a bear.<br><br>Half a mile's run later, Takeshi leaned against a tree, panting. He surveyed the situation. His clothes were intact, except for the shirt, and he was in the middle of a dark forest, probably on the outskirts of this so-called No Town. "RUMI?" He called out, getting no immediate response. He punched the tree, gritting his teeth.<br><br>"Damn... Why did you drag her into this? What are you playing at?... Lamia the Queen?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 17:03:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi screeched as the wind ripped her away from the couch, sending her spinning into oblivion.&nbsp; She tried to grasp at her locket, but couldn't find it as the world stretched crazily away, like all those science fiction movies where the event horizon of a black hole grabbed hold of something and pulled it excrutiatingly slowly into the maw.&nbsp; <br><br>Finally, her flailing hand locked on her pendant, and she flipped the catch determinedly.&nbsp; "<em>Angel soul! Release the---</em>"<br><br>The table lamp interrupted her transformation phrase by spinning out of the yawing portal, and smashed into her head, knocking her unconscious.<br><br>*******<br><br>She was rudely awakened some indeterminate amount of time later when someone roughly grabbed her hair and hauled her to her feet.&nbsp; Groggy and bleary-eyed, she opened her eyes to see the village smith, grinning at her with missing teeth.&nbsp; "'Ello, poppet," he said, his accent horrible and overblown.&nbsp; "We're gonna 'ave a good time with <em>yew</em>!" <br><br>He spun with her still half-dangling from her hair, and crowed, "Lookee 'ere, lads! I got us a right pretty thing ta play wit!"<br><br>The "lads", all of them as burly and strong-looking as the smith, cheered.&nbsp; "Drag 'er in! Let's string 'er up an' 'ave our way, ey!"<br><br>Rumi kicked and struggled, and her hand shot to her throat.&nbsp; One transformation and she could easily dispatch all of these attackers.&nbsp; But quest as her fingers did, they couldn't find the locket anywhere, or the chain to which it was attached.&nbsp; It was only when the smith started tearing at her clothes as he dragged her towards the waiting smithy that she realized the truth.<br><br>The reason she couldn't find her pendant is because it was gone.&nbsp; &nbsp;And she was in real trouble now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 17:51:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi had some things to worry about himself. Fleeing angry bears, snakes, komodo dragons and koalas, he, too, had come to the realization that he was stuck powerless. He had managed to elude his pursuers by climbing in a tree, when a familiar voice rang out from behind him.<br><br>"Looking for this?"<br><br>Floating in mid-air, smiling at him, was Lamia the Queen, holding on to a black gemstone. Takeshi turned and lunged into her direction. "Give that BACK!" Giggling, she flew a mere foot away, only allowing him to grab onto a tree branch for support. "That's just adorable," she said, "you think you can do anything to me in this world!" The boy, uncharacteristically serious, spat back at her. "Why did you do this? What do you want? You're not going to change my mind, my answer's still no!"<br><br>Emitting, of all things, a highly-pleased squeal, Lamia flew back towards him, hugging him and rubbing her cheek against the top of his head as she shoved her abundant cleavage into his face. Her hold may look gentle at first glance, but Takeshi's struggle to get out of it seemed to have no effect whatsoever, not to mention that his will to fight was rapidly being drained away. "Oooh, Jack, you're just so sweet! But that's too little, too late, I'm afraid. I'm aaaall over you, now!"<br><br>She released him, allowing Takeshi to catch his breath. She seemed highly amused at seeing him so helpless. "But what am I saying? The party's just begun! I can still have some fun with you, especially since you don't seem to get the rules." She pointed in a direction. "If you go that way, you'll find the town gates. Your girlfriend is somewhere in there, waiting for a knight in shining armor. If you run fast enough, maybe you can still rescue her!"<br><br>Takeshi, still panting, gave her a puzzled look, then, asking no more questions, jumped out of the tree and began running in the direction the succubus lieutenant had pointed in. Once he left her view, she brought a fan whipped out of thin air against her face, emitting a haughty, drawn-out evil laugh.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 19:48:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the destroyed living room, the TV screen showed a flickering three-way split -- a length-wise view of Rumi being dragged through the street and into the smithy, and two horizontal frames featuring Lamia and Takeshi, the former laughing maniacally, the latter running through the trees heading frantically to the gates of the town.<br><br>In the laundry room, Elogee suddenly woke up, one long ear twitching as he sleepily looked around.&nbsp; "Huh?&nbsp; Wha?"&nbsp; He blinked, yawned cutely, and stretched, then curled up on the pile of old rags he'd found after stufifng himself with enough salmon to kill a kodiak and closed his eyes again. <br><br>A second later, he bolted upright, both ears and his fluffy tail at attention.&nbsp; "Dark energy!" he gasped, then seemed to realize where he was.&nbsp; He bounded to the door, and scrabbled fruitlessly at it, leaping to try and get the knob to turn.&nbsp; "Rumi!&nbsp; Rumi, let me out!"<br><br>*******<br><br>She named them Smelly, Gross and Oversexed in her own head as they dragged her into the smithy and bound her with one of the chains hanging against the wall.&nbsp; &nbsp;There was little to distinguish them from one another besides their hair color and the pecking order they seemed to have established amongst themselves.&nbsp; Smelly was definitely the leader, but it seemed to be a toss-up as to who was their second in command, since the other two spent just as much time scuffling with each other as they did shredding her clothing.&nbsp; <br><br>The old pre-Champion Rumi would have struggled and kicked, shrieking and flailing about in an attempt to get free.&nbsp; &nbsp;She would have been panicking and freaking out, and she was... but deeply under lock and key in the small space the new post-Champion Rumi had allotted her to freak in.&nbsp; This sadly wasn't the first situation she'd been in that had ended up like this, and Elogee had tried to instill her with some instincts to obey should she find herself like this again. <br><br>Said new Rumi was passively letting them do as they pleased, giving up a token resistance mostly to lull them into a false sense of security.&nbsp; Her dress was long gone by the time Smelly's hands started to roam over her body, poking and prodding and pinching and squeezing and generally making Rumi feel like she needed to take a series of hot showers to scrub her skin raw.&nbsp; <br><br>"Leave me alone!" she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her head to avoid Oversexed's clumsy and brutal attempt to kiss her when Smelly let him at her for a moment.&nbsp; "Go away!"<br><br>"Not a chance, poppet," Oversexed leered, rudely abusing her breast with dirty fingers, and leaving smears of grease on her skin.&nbsp; "Yew ain't goin' anywhere, and neither are wes.&nbsp; Ain't had a tasty like yew 'round these parts afore, and wes gonna get our bite. And yew can't stop us!"&nbsp; He threw back and laughed. <br><br>And that's when Rumi made her move.&nbsp; She wrapped her hands around the chain binding her wrist to get some leverage, then kicked Oversexed in the testicles with all her might with a savage "Hee-YAH!"&nbsp; When he doubled over in shock and surprise, her other leg came up to knee him in the face, with another heroic-sounding cry of effort.&nbsp; "I <em>said</em>," she snarled, "leave me alone!"<br><br>Oversexed toppled like an overly large, aroused tree, one hand cradling his crotch, the other clutching his face.&nbsp; Smelly and Gross stood mute in surprise for a moment, then gave roars of anger and started moving towards her. <br><br>The door to the smithy burst open at that moment, and Rumi had never been so glad to see Takeshi in her life.&nbsp; Not that she'd tell him that, of course.&nbsp; She just merely glared at him from where she hung suspended by the chain, only blonde hair strategically draped across her breasts and her pink heart-spotted panties lending her any semblance of modesty.<br><br>"Well it's about time," she said testily.&nbsp; "Do a girl a favor and <em>get me down from here</em>!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 22:29:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi only lost a half-second being surprised by Rumi's clothes, or lack thereof, before springing into action. The two remaining men turned their attention to him, not too peculiar on who they'd take out their anger on as revenge for their friend. Smelly was the first to be dispatched, tackled headfirst into the stone wall, sending him crumbling into a heap on the floor. Takeshi dodged a lunge from the raging Gross, reciprocating with an improbably strong punch that sent him spiraling across the room, not to mention broke his nose.<br><br>The three men (Wait, three?) down for the moment, Takeshi took a moment to rub his eyes. While Rumi might not have noticed them being unusually blood-red as he entered, they had now reverted to their usual brown. "Rumi!" He rushed over to her side, frantically trying to undo her chains. He tried as best as he could not to actually look as her, since the case of mermaid hair she had going on might not last for long as she moved too much.<br><br>He screwed his eyes in concentration, not sure what to do with the tangled mess of chains, which was loosening a bit but perhaps not enough. "Is there a key for those things?" He had better hurry up, too, as the one known as Smelly, a bloody bump on his head, slowly rose up to his feet, looking three times more pissed than he used to be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 22:46:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi didn't know whether to be touched he was avoiding staring at her less-than-modest body while she was helpless, or annoyed that he was so busy not looking at her, he might take forever to get her down.&nbsp; "I don't know, did you check their pockets?"&nbsp; If Rumi had a hand free, she would have slapped one to her forehead.&nbsp; "We're in a blacksmith's shop.&nbsp; Find a tool to use, or something.&nbsp; There's got to be one around here somewhere."<br><br>She saw Smelly coming just as Takeshi didn't.&nbsp; And just as he had been improbably strong, Rumi was improbably agile.&nbsp; There was enough give now in the chains that she could actually find some purchase with her feet on the wall.&nbsp; She tensed, trying to time her moment.&nbsp; "You're going to want to duck," she said calmly, before she swung herself forward, dodging around Takeshi if necessary, and trapped Smelly's head in a scissor lock with her legs.&nbsp; And if her hair flared in a dramatically-appropriate fashion as she moved, with the unfortunate side effect of flashing the room her bare chest, well... sometimes sacrifices had to be made.&nbsp; <br><br>Like some crazy limbo pole, Rumi hung suspended between the chains holding her wrists and the lock she had on Smelly's head as she firmed her purchase.&nbsp; Smelly growled out something threatening and angry-sounding, but Rumi's lock was iron.&nbsp; "Say goodnight, Smelly," she said a second before she twisted her hips, kicked with both legs and cracked Smelly's head directly into the wall beside her.&nbsp; <br><br>The chain twisted her around for a moment when she let go, before thumping her back against the wall with a thud and a muffled "oof".&nbsp; Miraculously, her hair settled back into place, covering her breasts once again.&nbsp; "I'd really like to get down before they wake up," she said plaintively, allowing some of the very real panic to seep into her eyes and voice now... just in case she didn't look or sound as any sane, non-magical girl should be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>16-05-2009, 23:49:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi ducked as instructed, and whistled as he got back up, whistling to Rumi. Partly because what he had just seen was so unexpected from the normally not ass-kicking girl, and partly because he had caught a glimpse of her bare breasts in the process. She might notice him blushing a little as he came back with a set of pliers, but would she care so much when he used them to deftly break her chains?<br><br>That he did so by smashing the pliers against the lock he had managed to find was unimportant. Rumi might've felt her wrists ringing a bit as she was finally freed, though.<br><br>Takeshi stretched his hand out to help Rumi back up, smiling what he hoped was a reassuring smile despite the questions running through his head right now. "Are you all right? I think the coast is clear, so we can make a run for it when you're ready." Luckily for them, this didn't seem to be the sort of town where you could get arrested for indecent exposture.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>17-05-2009, 00:13:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The minute both feet were on the ground again, Rumi did three things.&nbsp; First, she rubbed her wrists to try and get some circulation back in them again.&nbsp; Second, she armed herself with a stout lead pipe that happened to be lying on the bench beside where she'd been strung up.&nbsp; And third, she pulled Takeshi to her via a handful of his shirt and kissed him soundly, completely forgetting about the whole nudity thing.<br><br>"My hero," she said with a soft smile, then grinned and spun the pipe in her hand.&nbsp; She was too high on adrenaline to really care about how much skill she was displaying that she really shouldn't have.&nbsp; There'd be a neat and concise explanation for it later -- perhaps it was something in this realm that had "gifted" her with this sort of knowledge.&nbsp; <br><br>Her smile faded a little as she peeked out the window, looking to see if the mad orgy in the streets was coming any closer.&nbsp; "How are we going to get out of here?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>17-05-2009, 01:03:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi was taken aback by the sudden kiss out of nowhere, which at least made them even. He was certainly not complaining, either. He returned Rumi's smile with his usual carefree grin, especially out of place in this situation. "Remember, I promised I'd protect you, didn't I?"<br><br>Even if no one was looking at the screen in Rumi's living room at the moment, it cut to a quick flashback of the aforementioned promise before switching back to the current situation.<br><br>Checking over Rumi's shoulder to see if there was anyone around, which there luckily wasn't, Takeshi answered quickly. "Well, for starters, we can take the door!" He grabbed Rumi's hand, beginning to run as far away as possible from the smithy as he could. Only then did he realize what she really meant. "...Oh, yeah, here. I think priority number one is finding that woman, and I'll beat some answers out of her. I'm ready to bet she would be..."<br><br>He looked around the deserted streets, noticing that they had passed by at least four brothels in their short run, and this didn't seem like any more of a red light district than the rest of the town. "...anywhere. All right, priority number one is getting some new clothes."<br><br>He turned back nonchalantly, only to see a dustcloud headed their way like a tsunami, except it was full of half-naked people somehow managing to maintain an orgy while still moving at a decent pace, assimilating every living being that crossed its path.<br><br>The run resumed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>17-05-2009, 01:18:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, I don't know... I'm kind of getting used to the bare-breasted lead-pipe undies look," she said with a mad giggle that disturbed her as much as amused her.&nbsp; "... You know, on second thought, maybe some clothes wouldn't be amiss.&nbsp; Except that I don't think there are many clothes in this village.&nbsp; It seems to be kinda contrary to its purpose and all."<br><br>She glanced back over her shoulder and yelped as the dustcloud parted just long enough to reveal a buff man with an intimidatingly large organ reaching for her right before three women covered in questionable fluid jumped on him and pulled him back into the writhing throng.&nbsp; On sudden impulse, she darted into an alley way between two houses and yanked Takeshi in after her, a second before the orgy would have engulfed him into their frighteningly violent sex acts.&nbsp; <br><br>"They don't corner well, huh?"&nbsp; she gasped, leaning over and trying to catch her breath.&nbsp; "This place is really scary, you know?"&nbsp; She straightened and leaned back against the wall, turning her head to face him with a sudden, worried look, then seized his shirt again desperately. <br><br>"I don't want my first experience to be getting stuffed full of angry, violent village meat," she blurted out.&nbsp; "So if it comes down to it... if it looks like I'm going to be lost to that..." Vague hand wave in the direction the orgy went. "...disturbed group of people rolling around in the streets out there... I want you to take me, do you hear me?&nbsp; I want it to be you, not them.&nbsp; Promise me!"&nbsp; she added, shaking him slightly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>17-05-2009, 01:46:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi gulped at Rumi's demand. Oh wow, he thought. She'd finally snapped and gone insane. Then again, if he didn't have a better grasp of what was going on, maybe he would too. "I..."<br><br>The screen, for a second, flashed back to another one of the men engaged in the orgy, breaking flying bricks with his member before stuffing it into an orifice it really, really wasn't meant for.<br><br>Takeshi had to restrain himself from puking a little, which hopefully Rumi wouldn't interpret the wrong way. Focusing, he grabbed Rumi by the shoulders and looked at her in the eyes before answering. "...All right, I'll do it. I did say I was going to protect you."<br><br>Another flashback to the exact same promise scene? Oh, come on.<br><br>"...I promise." Takeshi didn't exactly ponder the details of how he'd go about doing such a thing, but at the very least he seemed flattered, giving Rumi a weird half-smile. He let go, peeking out to see the mob gone, at least for the moment. "I didn't expect us to, you know, do it on our first real date, though."<br><br>He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "So, think we should risk it into an actual clothes store? There's one right across the street." Of course, who knew what they'd find in there?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>17-05-2009, 04:05:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You think I wanted to end up in some weird alien sex-crazed dimension on our first date?" she hissed.&nbsp; "You think I wanted to get pawed and touched and rubbed by a man who looked like he didn't have a neck or had taken a bath in the last, oh... <em>forever</em>?" She shuddered convulsively.&nbsp; <br><br>"I wanted to sit on the couch and watch movies with you, nom down Mom's food and maybe let you get to second base! Instead I'm half naked, running for my life from some mob with more penises than orifices, and <em>you</em> didn't expect this?&nbsp; If the unthinkable happens, if it <em>has</em> to happen, it's <em>going</em> to be you, because I want it to be with someone I l---" She coughed and broke off.&nbsp; "--ike."<br><br>Nice catch, that.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject. "So, think we should risk it into an actual clothes store? There's one right across the street." Of course, who knew what they'd find in there?</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>She blissfully let him change the subject, though she eyed the clothing store as if it were a neko-girl supply store.&nbsp; "Anything's got to be better than running around and hoping my hair's going to keep me covered," she said.&nbsp; She reached out and clasped his hand, and if her grip was a little more white-knuckled than couples generally held them, well... could he blame her?&nbsp; "Together on three..?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>23-05-2009, 03:29:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Right." Takeshi nodded with a somber look on his face, at least glad that they had a goal to work towards for now, however small. "One... Two... THREE!"<br><br>And he took off, dashing through the empty street, which had the look and eerie quietness usually associated with the aftermath of a natural disaster. He was surprised to see that even in such a relatively short distance, Rumi had managed to run past him, even though he hadn't known her to be that fast until then. Wow, he thought, she really was serious about the track team thing. His thought was interrupted, though, as a form jumped at them from the shadows just as Rumi managed to touch the door.<br><br>The last thing Rumi could hear before being shoved into the store was someone screaming "IT'S RAPE TIME!" before being kicked away. Takeshi slammed the door behind him, holding it closed for a few seconds just in case. Luckily, whoever it had been didn't seem particularly eager to come in.<br><br>Inside, what the duo found wasn't all that unexpected from what they had seen up to this point. Racks full of enough generic rags and poofy dresses to clothe an entire RPG's peanut gallery were right next to leather gimp suits proeminently on display, which themselves were right next to a section, probably to Rumi's horror, entirely devoted to catgirl cosplay supplies. Oddly, the counter was unattended to. Maybe whoever manned it had been sucked into the carnal tsunami?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>26-05-2009, 00:32:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi stared around at the various goods on display with barely concealed disgust in her expression.&nbsp; "This isn't exactly what I'd call clothing," she muttered, holding a pair of assless leather chaps at arms length, like she was afraid it would bite her.&nbsp; "Though I suppose it might help us blend in... if people think we don't belong, they'll be after us like..."&nbsp; She bit back whatever she was going to say, with one single frightened look towards the door where, off in the distance, sounds of the evergrowing orgy could be heard.<br><br>She sighed and started rifling through the various racks, occasionally turning green when she came across a particularly horrendous getup.&nbsp; Finally, she slid a blue and white bustier and skirt so short it might as well have been a belt off their hangers, yanked the price tags off, and turned her back on Takeshi to slip into the clothing... even though he'd already seen pretty much all there was to see one way or the other, the tenuous and slipping illusion of modesty had to be maintained. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>26-05-2009, 16:10:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi turned his own back promptly when he realized that Rumi intended to change here and there. Trying to distract himself from the fact that her body was on display once more, he turned his attention to another clothes' rack, through which he browsed looking for a solution to his shirtlessness problem. A series of innocuous-looking black sleeveless shirts attracted his attention, though they seemed to come in only two sizes: way too large, and way too tight. After some deliberation, he settled on the latter, which at least wouldn't slip to the floor if he stood still, even though it almost looked painted on.<br><br>"Rum-- Aaaah!" He turned back to Rumi, who, it seemed, hadn't finished changing yet, and spun on his feet to face... an older woman, dressed for success. Success, in this case, meaning nothing but rope. She smiled at him sweetly, as normally as someone would if they were actually dressed by normal people standards. "Hello, dear. My husband would be crushed if he learned you didn't pay for those. You intended to, didn't you?"<br><br>The shopkeepress leaned to the side to glance at Rumi, whom she waved at, beaming.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>29-05-2009, 22:36:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"O-o-of course!" Rumi said, jerking the short short skirt spasmatically in an effort to find the place where it would give her the most cover.&nbsp; Bright red stained her cheeks, both at the sight of the rope-bound woman and her own state of disarray.&nbsp; She cautiously let go of the garment to feel about for the tags she'd taken off the items she'd chosen, then waved them.&nbsp; "See? I have the price tags right here!"<br><br>She edged a little closer to Takeshi, getting slightly behind him.&nbsp; She told herself sternly that she most definitely was <em>not</em> cowering.&nbsp; It was simply that Takeshi was fully dressed and -- <em>whoa, that's a tight shirt... When did he have time to paint that on?</em> -- he could give her the cover she needed to finish getting into the "clothes" she'd selected.&nbsp; "Um... what... currency does this village accept again?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>30-05-2009, 23:11:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The woman kept on smiling, either ignoring Rumi's embarassment very convincingly, or just being oblivious to it. Her cheerfulness only kept on increasing at the teenager's question, to which she answered sweetly. "Oh, you must be new around here! We always love getting fresh meat. Things here are paid for in gold coins. The monsters on the outskirts of the town carry some."<br><br>Despite how ominous that might all sound, Takeshi seemed almost relieved. "Oh! I kicked a few slimes on the way here." He searched through his pockets and took out a few thick, glimmering golden coins... Three of them, to be precise. The saleswoman leaned towards him, then the price tags Rumi was holding, and finally stopped smiling, showing disappointment instead. "Oh, poor dears... We also accept credit card and sexual favors. The conversion rate is pretty loose so you can name your price."<br><br>Judging by Takeshi's dumbstruck silence, he hadn't brought his credit card.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>07-06-2009, 01:17:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was a strange scent in the air as Rumi frantically tried to puzzle some way out of this that wouldn't involve those ominious "sexual favors" the woman who seemed to think rope was an acceptable garment obviously wanted in place of coin.&nbsp; &nbsp;She felt an unaccustomed heat rising into her cheeks as her body responded to the smell, and belatedly, she thought of pheromones, those ephemeral things Elogee had warned her might be used against her.&nbsp; <br><br>"I... I don't suppose there are any chores around here we might be able to do in trade?"&nbsp; Rumi didn't have much hope that there was, but so long as there was a chance she wouldn't have to... perform in other ways, she would grasp at whatever straws she could.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>08-06-2009, 19:09:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The shop lady, smiling a mischievous smile, tucked away a bottle of perfume she had sprayed in the air on a strange whim. Her voice was now a tiny bit lower, more drawn-out as if she seemed to have something else on the mind right about now. "You've just missed inventory and spring cleaning... No, no, no, you two are such nice specimens, I almost don't want to let you go." She slinked behind Takeshi, grabbing his torso from behind, pressing her almost-bare breasts against his back. He, whose face had begun to redden from the strange smell, was now positively blushing. "I'll be taking your little boyfriend now. Maybe my husband will-- Oh, Pierre, just in time!"<br><br>The door slammed behind Rumi, letting in a mountain of a man somehow larger than any they had seen so far. The mass of muscle, almost bestial-looking, wore only a loincloth, and didn't seem to need much of an explanation as he landed his eyes upon Rumi. Observing the hulking brute approaching, Takeshi's red face grew pale.<br><br>Silently, he broke from the woman's grip and rushed for Rumi, grabbing her by the hand and yanking her away from the grunting shopkeeper. Mind hazy and Rumi in tow, he raced towards the nearest exit, which just happened to be stairs in the back, leading to the second floor. Upon there, the duo went for the first door they could find, which was quickly slammed and barricaded with the help of a nearby chair.<br><br>Takeshi looked around him. They seemed to have stumbled upon a bedroom, the place messy, and the bedsheets lying in a heap on the floor. The shopkeeping couple probably lived here. Oddly enough, the scent of pheromones was even stronger in this room. Breathing heavily, Takeshi grabbed Rumi by the shoulders. "Rumi... let's do it, right here and now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>08-06-2009, 21:29:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Meanwhile, back in Rumi's living room...</em><br><br>Elogee finally got out of the laundry room Rumi had shut him in, managing to leap to the door handle and latch his teeth around the knob, then scrabble with his paws enough to get it turned.&nbsp; Then, he had to thump himself rather violently against the door, still hanging precariously from the handle, in order to convince it to open.&nbsp; By the time he'd been unceremoniously dumped through the thin crack, after pawing and scraping and chipping not only a claw but a tooth in the process, he was exhausted, all but ready to curl up and take another nap.<br><br>Needless to say, his mood wasn't the greatest as he picked himself off the floor and gathered his last dregs of energy to race into the living room and survey the carnage.&nbsp; <br><br>And carnage it was, with food spilled across the carpets, furniture tossed about and tipped over, and the malevolent black energy pulsing evilly across the wreckage of what by all appearances had shaped up to be a lovely evening in for our heroes.&nbsp; <br><br>"Rumi?" Elogee called, coming warily into the beam of blackish light emitting from the television.&nbsp; He gaped at the dramatic, close-up shot of Takeshi and Rumi intensely staring at each other, with the ghostly image of the earlier promise overlaid atop it.&nbsp; It took Elogee a moment to realize what they were talking about, and then his jaw dropped in shock.<br><br>Angelic Champion... no, scratch that, <em>Rumi</em>... was about to give up her most powerful weapon to that strange boy!&nbsp; Because she'd landed in the middle of demons?&nbsp; Was she that lustful?&nbsp; Why didn't she just transform and deal with the demons in the way Angelic Champion did best?&nbsp; What was <em>wrong</em> with that girl?<br><br>In absolute horror and disgust, Elogee leapt at the television as if to stop the travesty on the television from taking place, only to faceplant on the screen and fall twitching to the floor.&nbsp; <br><br>Long minutes later, as he woozily came to, he saw a glint of silver underneath the entertainment unit, and vaguely stared at it for long moments before he recognized it as Rumi's henshin pendant.<br><br>Well, that explained things.<br><br>================<br><br>Rumi only had to take one look at the hulking brute of a nearly-naked man that came thundering through the door to understand that this was not something she had any desire to take part in.&nbsp; So when Takeshi broke free of the woman and all but hauled her up the stairs, she didn't argue with him.<br><br>She wasted no time in shoving the chair under the handle as Takeshi leaned his full weight against it, just in case the couple were as fast as they were horny, before thumping back against the wall panting and trying to catch her breath.&nbsp; "I really want to go home," she cried... albeit softly, so as to not attract the attentions of the couple downstairs, who judging from their shouting were either in the middle of an argument, or in the middle of having sex... or possibly both.<br><br>And like the thought of the couple having sex downstairs had mystically enticed Takeshi to accost her, he grabbed her shoulders and propositioned her right then and there.&nbsp; If she hadn't done it first, back in the alleyway, she probably would have laughed at him, or curled up and died of embarrassment first.<br><br>"What? Here? In this gross pigsty?"&nbsp; But as the heavy, drifting scent filtered into her nostrils, Rumi felt her resistance to the idea melting away.&nbsp; It appeared as though rape were only a matter of time now, and he <em>had</em> promised to be her first, after all.&nbsp; "On second thought," she said slowly, glancing fearfully over her shoulder at the pitifully-barricaded door and the caterwauling coming from beyond it, "that might not be such a bad idea.&nbsp; Have... er... you... before?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>08-06-2009, 22:27:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi gave the door a good, hard look just as Rumi did. "I've never had much of a need to, to tell the truth. So if breaks, it'll be my fault." To her no-doubt puzzled look, he grinned back. "What? It's the first time I barricade a door, I swear!"<br><br>Deflecting the blank stare that followed, Takeshi turned his back to Rumi, heading towards the bed. "Anyway, to answer your question... Er... No... you'll be my first too." He sat on it, turning back without a trace of his goofy grin, offering a sad half-smile instead. "So let's pretend that we're back home and that our date just went super."<br><br>He crashed on the uneven mattress, unbuttoning his jeans. "Man, I'm stuffed! What about you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>08-06-2009, 22:57:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi swallowed, trying to get into the spirit of things, but the sad smile Takeshi gave her only accentuated the absolute mess this date had become.&nbsp; She smoothed her belt-skirt as she sat down beside him, and attempted to relax.&nbsp; With all the various sounds around them though, including the sex tsunami that had chosen that moment to travel by outside.&nbsp; By the noise it generated, it seemed to have grown larger, and Rumi gulped again, thinking of the various people she'd glimpsed inside the massive dust cloud.<br><br>"Yeah," she said, squirming in the corset she was fairly sure she hadn't put on correctly.&nbsp; "Mom really went all out for us tonight, huh?"<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-06-2009, 00:18:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi was doing his best to pay no mind to the ambient noise. At least, the lightheadedness from the pheromones made this easier. He rose up to sidle up to Rumi, grasping at the strings holding her corset in the back. "Yeah, we've really stuffed ourselves silly. Isn't that one a little too tight? It's got to hurt."<br><br>And, as best as he could, he started literally undoing the strings she had probably spent minutes figuring out. The scenario in their head was playing out strangely, but it was still a good effort given the situation.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-06-2009, 00:26:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi watched in slight amazement as he proceeded to yank out all of the eyelets and buttonhooks she still hadn't convinced herself she'd figured out.&nbsp; She forced a laugh that sounded halfway normal towards the end of it.&nbsp; "Thanks," she said, "it was starting to itch.&nbsp; Shows what I know about corsets, right?&nbsp; I don't know what came over me, wearing it for our date." <br><br>His shoulder was close enough that if she tipped her head just so, she could rest on it, nestled into the crook of his neck, without interrupting his divestment of her shirt.&nbsp; The pheromones certainly weren't hurting, and neither was the vague smell of him that her nose found under his jaw.&nbsp; "You smell good," she said.<br><br>And just like that, the last little bit necessary to fall headlong into the fantasy they'd been so desperately trying to build in their heads to escape the reality of their situation clicked into place, and Rumi gave a contented little sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed against him, moving only enough so he could continue to untie her corset.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-06-2009, 01:35:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi's method for undoing the corset wasn't all that complicated, as it mostly involved pulling on the strings as hard as he could without hurting Rumi or breaking anything. Still, he managed to make good progress on it. "I think it looks good on you." If just a little weird.<br><br>He let Rumi relax against her, thinking to himself that even she, too, somehow still smelled nice even after all they had been through. By now, he had moved beyond loosening the corset up a bit, and the last knot was unmade, allowing her to remove it entirely if she shifted her body the right way.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-06-2009, 04:37:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She really didn't have to do much when the last knot was untied but shift just a little bit, and the whole thing slid to one side, falling with a light thump to the floor.&nbsp; The sound was easily lost in the cacaphony coming from outside the narrow window, starting to recede into the distance by now.&nbsp; Her hair still easily curtained her breasts, or would, if it weren't for the slight breeze coming in from outside that shifted the strands and gave tantalyzing glimpses of pert, pebbled nipples and creamy white mounds.<br><br>Somewhat unaware of what the wind was doing to her somewhat-cover, and really, uncaring about it regardless with the help of that heady scent in the air messing up her inhibitions, she tilted her head up.&nbsp; Which only served to reveal an entire half of one breast and a smooth stretch of skin that eventually ended in the wide band that comprised her entire skirt.&nbsp; <br><br>"This is not how I envisioned doing this," she said softly, searching his face for ...something.&nbsp; &nbsp;She bit her lip and the faintest hint of color highlighted her cheeks, then daringly reached out to first caress his cheek, then begin tugging at the too-tight bindings of what passed for his shirt.&nbsp; "But I'm glad it's you.&nbsp; I really am"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-06-2009, 13:26:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Finally, Takeshi was catching a glimpse of Rumi's body that wasn't on accident. He let her caress his cheek, looking at her in the eyes and smiling. "Same here. --Oh, hold on." Once again, he shifted his body a bit to allow himself to take his shirt off, with Rumi's help. While he did so, he spoke up. "A girl asked me out not long ago. I said no. You know why?"<br><br>The shirt finally came off, revealing his torso. He had only been wearing the thing for a few minutes now, but somehow, the faint rays of the sun filtering in through the dirty windows literrally casted his atheletic upper body, highlighted by the tiniest bit of sweat, in a different light. "It was you I wanted to be with." He pulled her closer, keeping to himself the details of his rejection, but obviously not regretting it for a second.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>09-06-2009, 23:31:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				They were dancing around each other, and the longer they tiptoed, the more insistent the reminders that they were <em>not</em> at home in front of the television, curled up on the couch, became.&nbsp; Rumi couldn't help but feel a little thrill of pleasure to hear that he'd rejected someone else because he'd wanted her instead, and a slow, soft smile dawned.&nbsp; <br><br>A particularly loud thud from downstairs followed by a sudden dearth of noise made her flinch and hurry up to take the initiative.&nbsp; Any second now, heavy thudding footsteps would shake the stairs, and the door would be thrown open and...<br><br><em>BOOM.</em><br><br>Another wall-rattling thud and the noises resumed, but Rumi had already moved like her life depended on it, slinging one leg over Takeshi's and straddling his lap in a heartbeat.&nbsp; And it would become obvious fairly soon that somewhere along the way (probably down in the shop) Rumi had lost those cute heart-speckled pink panties she'd been wearing in the smithy and the replacement pair she'd found on the rack to go with the skirt were completely crotchless.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>10-06-2009, 19:17:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi's hair stood on end as the noises from downstairs grew more menacing. (What <em>were</em> they doing, anyway?) Before they knew it, Rumi was sitting on his lap and Takeshi's pants had joined the heap of discarded clothes on the floor. And, the realization made him white as a sheet for a second, but the only thing truly separating them now was his a thin pair of boxer shorts, through which his erection was now quite obvious.<br><br>Wordlessly, he slid his boxers down in the small space still left between the two of them, freeing his engorged member. There was no time for words, now, no time for foreplay, no time to try and make this a moment to remember as anything else than a brief respite in the middle of a nightmare. An inscrutable expression on his face, he lifted Rumi a bit, and slid into her...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>10-06-2009, 20:37:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It hurt, and the pain did wonders to block out all the ambient surroundings from Rumi's mind.&nbsp; She bit down on her lower lip with a whimper of discomfort.&nbsp; They'd had no time for foreplay, and even though the smell of rutting that permeated the air helped a bit, she still wasn't quite wet enough.&nbsp; "Wait," she whispered.&nbsp; "Wait, just let me..."<br><br>As quick and as shocking as it had been, the pain soon faded, and Rumi shifted her legs, trying to get used to the alien sensation of having a man inside her.&nbsp; Her fingernails dug into Takeshi's shoulders as she squirmed, trying to find a comfortable spot.&nbsp; Then she froze, her eyes blinking wide. "Oh," she squeaked, and a slight shudder rippled through her body.&nbsp; A tiny adjustment of her hips brought another shudder, along with a flood of damp heat between her legs, and she squeaked again.&nbsp; "Oh!"<br><br>"Ohhh..." she said, this time in a completely different tone, and all the tension drained away as she sank down every inch of his member, eyelids drifting shut with a tiny moan when there was no more to fit inside.&nbsp; <br><br>=============<br><br>"My eyes!" Elogee shrieked, abandoning his attempts to hook Rumi's pendant out from under the TV stand and diving headfirst under the nearest pillow, yanking it down around his ears and desperately wishing he knew where the remote was, so he could mute the sounds he really shouldn't be hearing coming from the TV.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>11-06-2009, 02:34:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Luckily for him, Takeshi had no idea there even was an Elogee to worry about, allowing him to fully focus his attention on Rumi. As if linked to her, he shuddered a bit with each of her body's shifts, holding his breath at the tight fit for a second when she finally found just the right position.<br><br>Vigorously, he grabbed ahold of her hips from underneath the tiny skirt. As well as his position allowed, he started grinding his hips, bouncing a bit on the mattress. Rumi was going to have to do most of the movement here, but judging by his heavy breathing, he was already getting into it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>11-06-2009, 17:33:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				And move she did, for Rumi soon discovered that she was an enthusiastic proponent of sex and fully intended to enjoy it to the best of her abilities.&nbsp; Her nails clawed Takeshi's shoulders as she threw her head back and rocked herself forward, impaling herself on him over and over again.&nbsp; <br><br>She twisted suddenly, with agility as surprising as the first time she'd displayed it, rolling onto her back and wrapping her legs around his waist, and dragged him atop her without so much as causing a pause in the rhythm of her hips.&nbsp; She moaned, directly into his ear, as the angle changed and sent pleasant little tingles shooting through every limb.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>11-06-2009, 20:28:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi's gasp at the sudden change in position was indistinguishable from the rest, but his eyes still went wide for a second to indicate his surprise. Still, they had found their rhytm, and like an electric current, pleasure coursed through his body with every thrust. Taking advantage of the new position, he drew his lips closer to Rumi's and kissed her, wetly.<br><br>The sensation was short-lived, however, as Takeshi drew his face away to rest most of his weight on one arm, using his free hand to begin fondling one of Rumi's creamy breasts.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>11-06-2009, 22:12:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was something that felt familiar about the way he was caressing her breast, but the niggling little thought in the back of her head was easily ignored with the veritable flood of new sensations through her.&nbsp; With a tiny growl, she leaned forward and nipped Takeshi under the jaw, dragging her nails down his back.<br><br>She gasped as something jolted in an entirely different way, and the flawless rhythm she'd been keeping up til now jumped and stuttered, becoming more desperate, deeper, faster and insistent.&nbsp; "Takeshi," she whimpered raggedly, hands scrabbling at his shoulders and back as if she'd tear the skin off him with her nails.<br><br>=========<br><br>And in the living room, buried now beneath three pillows and two couch cushions, Elogee whimpered and tried to claw his ears off his head.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>12-06-2009, 02:53:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi's skin was tough, but even he was starting to feel just how strong Rumi's passion was, somehow making him imagine that she could draw blood any second now. Still, he didn't care, lost in a storm of sensations of his own.<br><br>Once again, he was resting on his two arms so that he steady himself while thrusting more intensely than ever before. Something was building up exponentially within him, something part of him would have liked to hold off but still felt powerless to. "Rumi, I'm... I'm," he responded to Rumi, tears forming in the old, yellowed bedsheets beneath his own hands.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>12-06-2009, 06:20:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi let out a low, gutteral moan, which was quickly followed by a sudden cry as the pressure building low in her loins wrenched and began to spread to every other part of her body.&nbsp; Every other breath was his name, whimpered and gasping.&nbsp; Every other piston of her hips was jerky and uneven.<br><br>"Oh god..." she wailed, back arching helplessly as her climax took her from out of nowhere, and then she had no more words to wail.&nbsp; Every muscle went whipcord-tight, internal and external, legs locked in a deathgrip around Takeshi's waist, hands clenching and releasing around his shoulders in an unconscious imitation of what inner muscles were currently doing to his member. Somewhere in there, there were more words, half-coherent and passionate, but easily lost in her ragged cries.<br><br>===========<br><br>It took a long time for Elogee to emerge from beneath the small mountain of pillows he'd tried to suffocate himself in, but eventually, he took the relative quiet from the television as a good sign.&nbsp; More than a little traumatized by the entire experience, he returned to trying to retrieve Rumi's pendant from under the TV stand and, when that was done, trying to figure out some way to get it into the TV world and into her hand.<br><br>It helped his utter sense of violation and nausea that the screen had misted over, showing only an overhead shot of the village, looking deceptively sleepy and dangerously innocent.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>12-06-2009, 23:44:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi arched his head back as he climaxed along with Rumi, suddenly screaming out loud enough to drown out every other sound for a moment. In violent waves, his seed came forth, drenching Rumi's loins with heat that contrasted even with the warmth of their sweat-drenched bodies. The torrent seemed like it would never end, and Takeshi kept pounding with the last remaining bits of his strength, delirious with rush of pleasure assailing him.<br><br>After what felt like a blurry eternity, Takeshi found himself crumpled alongside Rumi, breathing heavy and hoarse as if he had just ran a marathon. Finally, the tide was receding, and the haze in his mind dissipating, just like the fog on the village being displayed onscreen. Finally, coherent thoughts were slowly beginning to form again in his mind, just out of reach.<br><br>His reverie was suddenly broken up, however, when loud, unmistakable steps could be heard coming up the stairs, slow and deliberate. It seemed the couple below had been reminded of the two intruders' existence.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>19-06-2009, 04:35:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It took Rumi awhile to remember how to breathe properly, and during that time, her chief exertion was nothing more strenuous than attempting to get her pulse back to a normal beat.&nbsp; A slight breeze wafted in from the window, washing over her sweat-slick body as she sprawled on the messy bed beside Takeshi and stiffening her nipples again.&nbsp; She rolled her head to the side and eyed Takeshi warily, and almost... proprietarily?<br><br>She could almost gratefully thank the intruder, because she was fairly certain that the minute one of them opened their mouths, it was going to get very awkward.&nbsp; "I guess they heard us," she said after a moment, then rolled with a little bit of difficulty to her feet, reaching for the scattered clothes and trying to wiggle back into them.&nbsp; "We should probably figure a way out of here now..."<br><br>"I smell you, little tasty morsels," came the sounds of a disturbingly lustful voice from the other side of the door, accompanied by the creak of the knob turning.&nbsp; "Little humans... let me in..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>19-06-2009, 19:08:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As he got up to hurriedly get dressed, spots dancing in front of his eyes, Takeshi wondered if the voice on the other side of the door really was saying those disturbing things, or if he was just imagining them in his daze. His mind started to clear up as he slid back into his pants and, not without some difficulty thanks to the sweat, his T-shirt.<br><br>As the door began to rumble against the suddenly so aged-looking chair holding it up, he went up to the window and pulled it open. The movement seemed effortless, but if Rumi was paying more attention than she probably should at the time, she might notice that, aside from a small creak for the breeze to go through, the thing was all but molded shut when they came in.<br><br>The short gust of wind that swept through the room was cool enough to fully jolt Takeshi back to reality. He looked down the window, noticing that another rooftop could be jumped onto, only a few feet below them. In fact, the buildings all seemed to be pressed together quite well, which might allow for some rooftop jumping if things came down to it. He turned to Rumi, smiling. "You've been training for the track team, right? How about a little parkour?"<br><br>Without waiting for confirmation, he leapt down, taking the shock of the landing pretty well considering the state he was in. He turned back to the window, opening his arms in order to catch Rumi if need be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>25-06-2009, 22:42:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I've been training for the track team!" Rumi parroted brightly and inanely, falling prey in that moment to the unfortunate tendency to mindlessly repeat whatever they last heard that sounded interesting or intriguing.&nbsp; She blinked in amazement as Takeshi tore the window free from its frame.&nbsp; "Wow!" she said, impressed despite herself, and though her nether regions were well and satiated, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of lust as she watched the muscles ripple along his back.&nbsp; "Looks like I'm not the only one who's been working out."<br><br>Then he was gone, through the window, leaving Rumi alone in the pheromone-drenched room.&nbsp; The stiff breeze helped to clear her head, and that twinge of lust gradually mutated into one of discomfort, reminding her of exactly how abused and tender she was.&nbsp; <br><br>Takeshi landed fairly gracefully, and turned to catch her.&nbsp; Rumi climbed onto the splintered sill, ready to prove she needed no one's assistance, that she too could land in a perfect three-point crouch after dropping a couple of stories out of a demon couple's bedroom window.... when the door bust open as the store owner's presumed husband slammed through it and strode angrily into the room.&nbsp; "Grok want pussy!" he growled menacingly, slowly stomping towards Rumi.<br><br>Rumi had had only one quick, terrified glimpse of him before Takeshi had hustled her upstairs, but that one glimpse had been enough to let her know that this was not someone she ever wanted to run into alone.&nbsp; Her longer -- but no less terrified -- look now affirmed this impression, since the male (because she couldn't really call him a man) appeared as though he'd been chiseled from granite, all angularly-bulging muscles and square, squashed features.&nbsp; He was huge, he was hideous, but most disturbingly, he had a penis the size of Rumi's leg danging between his thighs.<br><br>She stared at it in fascinated disgust for a long moment, because how could she <em>not</em>?&nbsp; It was unignorable.&nbsp; It was bulbous.&nbsp; It was veiny.&nbsp; It was... moving?<br><br>"Yeah!" shouted another, higher-pitched voice as Grok's member rose to attention.&nbsp; Rumi felt like throwing up when she discovered first-hand that Grok's penis had a mind of its own... and a tiny, squashed, hideously grinning face to match.&nbsp; "Spread those legs, sweet stuff!&nbsp; I haven't plumbed a human's depths in centuries!"<br><br>With a shriek, Rumi spun to get away, forgot she'd been perched on the windowsill, and went flailing and screaming all the way into Takeshi's arms.&nbsp; <br><br>So much for showing that grace and agility she kept claiming she had, but never seemed to be able to display.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>26-06-2009, 04:29:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				For Takeshi, who luckily wasn't in position to have his own mind scarred by the bizarre display, Rumi's shriek seemed like it came from fear of the fall itself rather than anything else. Interpreting her panicked look as a silent plea for protection, he gave her a reassuring smile as he caught her, turned tail, and began to run forward.<br><br>He kept Rumi in his arms despite her probably being able to run, and didn't bother to check behind him when another, much lower scream was heard behind them, followed by a massive crashing sound and an unnatural silence that lasted several seconds before the usual ambient sounds of rut could be heard again. Curious.<br><br>After some oddly natural-looking rooftop-hopping, Takeshi suddenly gasped, as if he had noticed something Rumi hadn't. "Her." Oddly enough, she might also get an undefinable nagging impression right about then, but probably not for the same reasons. He slowed down, stopping on top of some kind of warehouse with a partially opened glass roof. He set Rumi down without a word, seeming absorbed in his own single-minded thoughts as he wandered towards the opening.<br><br>Through it, echoing rather distinctly, could be heard an unmistakable noblewoman's laugh, one Rumi would recognize as belonging to the demoness that had dragged them in there in the first place. "AAAAAAAAHAHA-ha-ha! That is sooooo ironic! Here I am, plotting petty revenge, and I bag about half of the collection by complete accident. ...What's the matter? Aren't you happy I'm the one busting my <em>oh-so-pretty</em> ass going through the trouble of reuniting you?" Through the roof window, part of the lieutenant Lamia the Queen could be seen, triumphantly twirling her tail at someone just out of sight.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>26-06-2009, 16:20:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Adara Midori was having the strangest day of her life.&nbsp; If she disregarded the fact that she'd been kidnapped by a demon -- and who wouldn't, in this town? -- there was still the question of how she had gotten to her present location, and where exactly said location actually was.&nbsp; The last thing she had expected when she'd gone out for coffee was to be snatched off the street and stuffed into what appeared to be a third-rate amateur sword'n'sorcery-type porno, as apparent supporting cast.<br><br>Adara had nothing in particular against porn in general, and had once or twice been asked to participate in home movie-style videos, never before had she taken any of them up on those offers.&nbsp; She still had a reputation to maintain, after all.&nbsp; And the last thing that reputation needed was her nude, writhing form available for $14.95 on some XXX site.&nbsp; <br><br>She largely ignored the demon cackling in front of her, and bent her attention to trying to spot the hidden cameras she was sure had been set up.<br><br>Because there was no way anyone, demon or otherwise, would kidnap her, Adara Midori, only daughter of porn mogul Yuri Midori and top adult film star Destineé, and <em>not </em>film it.<br><br>**********<br><br>From her vantage point on the roof above, Rumi skirted around until sne could get a better look at Lamia the Queen's boudoir. <br><br>It was dark, almost sinister in a sensual sort of fashion, and it was hard to see, but Rumi thought she could make out a naked female form chained to the far wall, which the demon seemed to be facing and mocking.<br><br>"Takeshi!" Rumi hissed, moving back around the edges of the window.&nbsp; "She has a human tied up down there!&nbsp; We have to do something!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>26-06-2009, 17:42:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takeshi would have probably continued stalking forward and jumped right through the window if Rumi's words hadn't brought him back to his senses. "--A human?" He shifted his position a bit to get closer to Rumi. The naked girl there looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on <em>how</em>. Possible overlooked classmate? Then again, she was hard to overlook to begin with.<br><br>Meanwhile, down there, Lamia continued taunting the girl with words she couldn't possibly understand. "I mean, here I am, perfect vision of beauty according to nine men out of ten, and he has the gall to say [no]! --Dear, you don't seem to be paying attention. What part of 'personal sex slave' don't you get?" By this point, she had gotten much closer, tentatively giving Adara's nipples a pinch and licking her cheek. "Oh, so sweet. By the way, you know what I love about the female form? It's that I've got <em>soooo</em> much of i-- Hold on."<br><br>"I need to take her by surprise," Takeshi whispered. "You stay here, and I'll go take care of her, okay? ...In fact, go find a safer place. This isn't--" Before Rumi could protest at not being part of his idea of an attack plan, a massive purple ball of energy pierced the roof right where the two were spying. Either the whispering or their shadows had, somehow, caught Lamia's attention, and she now looked at the newfound hole, a manic smile taking over her triumphant look.<br><br>Takeshi couldn't quite see it, though, as the blast's force had been enough to sent him flying right off the roof, the edge of which he unsucessfully tried to get a grip on, leaving claw marks before loudly crashing into an open dumpster. If its force had been enough to do this to him, what had just happened to Rumi?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>26-06-2009, 22:29:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Adara actually had the gall to look somewhat bored with Lamia's advances and not-so-subtle threats as the demoness tweaked her nipples and ran her tongue up the side of Adara's jaw.&nbsp; But Lamia did succeed in provoking a verbal reaction from her, in case that's what she'd been going for.&nbsp; &nbsp;Adara rolled her eyes.&nbsp; "If you think you're woman enough to top me," she said with a dismissive smirk, "you've obviously not been invited to one of my mother's orgies."<br><br><br>* * * * <br><br>And on the roof, Rumi had only a split-second's warning to prepare for the pulse of light that speared through the window and blasted directly at them.&nbsp; Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Takeshi fall away from the building, but Rumi had instinctively crossed her arms before her face and ducked her head, bracing against the torrent.&nbsp; It burned like liquid fire, and smoke curled up from her flesh.&nbsp; It only lasted for a moment, but that moment lasted an eternity.<br><br>"Help me!" she shrieked, in pain, in agony, to no one in particular.<br><br><br>* * * * <br><br>Elogee yipped in angry fox-cat pissed-offedness, leaping at the screen and swatting at the digital image of Lamia the Queen as if his claws could pierce through and score her directly.&nbsp; Forgotten beside him was Rumi's pendant, lying discarded by his side. <br><br>There was a faint click, easily lost in Elogee's angry hissing and Rumi's screams of pain, and the feathered heart cracked open.&nbsp; There was a flash of light...<br><br>* * * * <br><br>... and the pain was gone.&nbsp; &nbsp;And with the departure of the pain went the whole reason Rumi had been screaming in the first place.&nbsp; Cautiously, she cracked open an eye, expecting to see that her arms from the elbows down had been melted away, or badly charred, or even sunburned... but all she saw was smooth, unblemished skin that disappeared beneath a pair of silver feather bracers laced with corset bindings.&nbsp; <br><br>The vambraces from her Angelic Champion costume.&nbsp; <br><br>The one that she could only don when she transformed using the pendant. <br><br>The pendant she hadn't used, and couldn't find anywhere. <br><br>She blinked in astonishment as she stared at her protected forearms.&nbsp; &nbsp;What the hell?&nbsp; How had this happened?&nbsp; Elogee had never mentioned that bits and pieces of her armor might be able to show up when they felt like it... when she got home, she was definitely having a few words with her fox-cat.&nbsp; However they'd shown up, whyever they'd come, Rumi felt miles better with even an iota of her Angelic Champion raiment on her body.&nbsp; She rolled her shoulders, grinned and then jumped straight down into the hole Lamia had made trying to destroy them.&nbsp; <br><br>Her vambraces weren't her sword, which honestly would have been more useful.&nbsp; But even still... one piece of Angelic armor in this place?&nbsp; It was purifying, it was exhilirating, it was...<br><br>It was absolutely <em>priceless </em>to see Lamia the Queen's expression when she landed, finally in a textbook perfect three-point crouch, and straightened ominously.&nbsp; "I don't believe we've met," she said in a deliberately friendly tone, then cracked her knuckles one hand after the other.&nbsp; "Let's remedy that, shall we?"<br><br>* * * *<br><br>And back in the living room, Elogee stared suspiciously at the pendant, having just picked his jaw off the floor at the unbelievable miracle of Rumi calling her armor to her without the pendant.&nbsp; "What game are you playing at?"&nbsp; he asked it, but only got a single glimmer of light off the curve of the half-opened heart in response. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>27-06-2009, 01:19:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As he flew away, Takeshi only caught one fleeting glimpse of Rumi before falling down to the ground. The split-second he caught was more than alarming, however. As he plummeted, and even as he painfully crashed into the dumpster half-filled with manure, his mind filled in the very alarming blanks. Burned into his eyes was the sight of her being vaporized. What had he done? What was he <em>thinking</em>? <em><strong>What had that bitch done?!</strong></em><br><br>A black gloved hand burst from the side of the metallic dumpster, tearing into it as if it were aluminum paper.<br><br>* * * *<br><br>Inside, Lamia blinked, a blank look on her face, visibly confused at Rumi's almost-naked but still heroic appearance. Before she... started laughing? "AAAAAhaha-ha-HA! Oooh, that's rich, This really is my lucky day. But yes, yes, I've wanted to make your acquaintance for a long while no--"<br><br>Before she could threateningly whip out a weapon or continue with the witty banter, the sound of her amused voice was interrupted by an earth-shaking scream, followed by the nearby wall breaking down. Fallen the Jack, the <em>other</em> demonic lieutenant, had just burst in, the black garment on his right side molding itself into a sword of pure darkness, which he, with a decidingly ungraceful scream of berserker rage, plunged right into her torso, pinning her to the wall.<br><br>Lamia screamed, but, once she was literally against the wall, regained her composture to a startling degree, especially considering that she was still impaled. As she spoke, sweet as honey, it almost seemed she had forgotten Rumi was there at all! "Oh, Jack, I'm soooo glad to see you! You shouldn't have knocked so hard, though." The sword dissolved, the smiling succubus' wound closed almost immediately, and she extended her wings to fly right out of the way. As she flawlessly dodged the pitch-black icepicks he tossed at her while screaming like a maniac, she kept on talking. "Confusion! Rage! Sex! With their powers combined, you get... a real demon! Ooooh, take me now!"<br><br>Despite her words, the demon lieutenant didn't look like he was in any mood to "take" her. Eyes obviously glowing red even through his black visor, he continued attacking relentlessly, paying no attention to anything else in the room, including his girlfriend and the hostage. Still, she dodged like a butterfly, continuing to giggle and praise him. The Jack finally stopped in his tracks, heaving and panting. An intricate red rune glowed on the back of his right hand, causing him to cry out in pain. He extended his arm, and from thin air rather than his costume, a glowing red sword formed, which he finally managed to successfully thrust into Lamia just like the last time, with the difference that her scream was MUCH louder. Once again, the sword evaporated before anyone could take a good look at it, and the corresponding wound didn't close up<br><br>Fallen the Jack staggered around, vision blurry, clutching his hand. As he gasped for air, his eyes finally landed on Rumi for the first time. "You," he mouthed almost inaudibly, before collapsing.<br><br>Having gathered her strength, Lamia walked to the fallen Jack, putting a black stone in his unconscious hand. "Oh, you idiot. I don't want you <em>dead</em>." Still managing to smile after all this, she turned to Rumi once more, covered in sweat for a wide variety of reasons. "Where were we, again?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>27-06-2009, 01:55:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi had gotten used to demons laughing at her, and she supposed she did indeed make something of a fairly comical sight, with her hair tangled and dust streaking her skin.&nbsp; She certainly wasn't the picture of self-assurance and holy confidence Angelic Champion was, but she was hardly a laughingstock nonetheless.&nbsp; But let the demon bitch laugh.&nbsp; Let her underestimate her opponent.&nbsp; Let her blather on about how she was lucky, how she was amused how she was...<br><br>... pinned to the wall by a giant black sword?<br><br>It happened so fast Rumi didn't even have time to register what exactly had happened.&nbsp; All she knew was that there was now a gaping hole in the wall -- to match the one in the ceiling, no doubt -- and there was a bloody great demon unlike any others she'd seen in this village so far screaming in rage and fury and about to go for another round of attacking.<br><br>She tensed, prepared to fight, but the demon didn't seem at all interested in her.&nbsp; He seemed mightily interested in beating the snot out of the succubus with the poor fashion sense though.&nbsp; Rumi took a moment to marvel at this sudden fortuitous chain of events before she took the opportunity to beeline it to Adara.&nbsp; "Hi," she said, glancing hurriedly around for something to break the bonds holding the girl into place.&nbsp; <br><br>"Rumi, right?" the redhead said, as if being chained naked to a wall were a daily occurance for her.&nbsp; Rumi nodded briefly, glanced over her shoulder at the battling demons and resumed her hunt for a pair of pliers or a bit of sturdy metal to get some leverage.&nbsp; The redhead sighed, rolled her eyes, and then wriggled in a way that hurt Rumi's eyes to follow, and did strange things to her libido to watch.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>The redhead dropped lightly to her feet, then rose rubbing her wrists.&nbsp; "I'm Adara," she continued, picking up a discarded item of clothing that appeared to be a short black miniskirt and stepped into it.&nbsp; <br><br>Rumi blinked, then hauled Adara down as pieces of debris went flying over their heads.&nbsp; "You're taking this awfully well," she said cautiously as they stood back up and Adara found another piece of her clothing under the table, a red halter top this time.&nbsp; "And you... got out of those chains awfully fast..."<br><br>"No shoes," Adara muttered, glancing around again as she straightened the hem of her shirt and adjusted her breasts inside them.&nbsp; "Those were Italian leather too... I hope that wannabe has the cash to buy me a new pair."&nbsp; She glanced at Rumi with a smile that was a shade sympathetic.&nbsp; "This is nothing compared to the bash Daddy threw me for my sweet sixteen," she said, as if that explained everything, "and the wannabe domme can't manage a pair of manacles for shit." <br><br>Rumi blinked rapidly again.&nbsp; "Oh," she said inanely.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Whatever the girls would have spoken about next was interrupted by the fairly loud crash of the new demon falling to the floor after growling out something about "you".&nbsp; Rumi's shoulders tensed again as she realized that the demon was down, and the succubus was still standing, albeit wounded.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Excuse me a second," she said to Adara, then turned and walked towards Lamia.&nbsp; <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Having gathered her strength, Lamia walked to the fallen Jack, putting a black stone in his unconscious hand. "Oh, you idiot. I don't want you dead." Still managing to smile after all this, she turned to Rumi once more, covered in sweat for a wide variety of reasons. "Where were we, again?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>She took a deep breath, extended one hand and struck a pose like she was about to give one of her awe-inspiring speeches.&nbsp; Time itself seemed to hold its breath in anticipation... but Rumi had no patience for speeches right now.&nbsp; She had inspiration aplenty, but mostly, she was furious.&nbsp; So instead, she summoned her inner reserves of speed, the short burst of superhuman agility that she could call upon even untransformed, and suckerpunched Lamia the Queen as the demon was waiting for her to open her mouth and pontificate.<br><br>Of course, it helped that her bracers were augmenting her fist with holy power, but Rumi didn't even feel like she was cheating.<br><br>"Right about there, I think," Rumi said grimly, flexing her hand and spinning in place to face Lamia once again.&nbsp; "Did you catch my name, or do I need to repeat it for you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>27-06-2009, 02:23:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After the battle against a relentless but unfocused foe, Lamia was taken completely off-guard by the sudden impact of Rumi's fist against her face. She staggered backwards, clutching her face. Wait, what was that human girl's name? "Punch"? "Fist"? The demoness was still wondering, but didn't ask. As she took her last few steps back, her wings keeping her from falling on her back, she withdrew her hands from her face.<br><br>From her nose was coming tiny, tiny trickle of vibrant red blood. She had a twitchy, horrorstruck look on her face, however, as she stared at the tiny spot of blood on her hand. "You ruined my face." She looked again at Rumi, said ruined face contorted in rage. "You RUINED my FACE, you thieving little bitch!" She held her two hands to the side, two crackling, glowing orbs of energy forming around them.<br><br>Somehow, as she had begun rapidly gathering energy from the ambient air, the atmosphere completely changed. She was, only now, getting serious, and preparing herself to blow the pathetic little human child into a pathetic little smoking crater!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>27-06-2009, 15:17:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rumi tilted her head and listened to Lamia's ranting.&nbsp; Her eyes flicked down to the energy the demoness was drawing from the air, and then ... threw her head back and started to laugh? <br><br>Hey, if the demons could do it to her, she could do it to them.<br><br>"Please," she chuckled, wiping the tears out of her eyes.&nbsp; "Is that really all you've got?&nbsp; 'Thieving little bitch'?&nbsp; You aren't the most creative of the Dark Queen's brood, are you?&nbsp; It's a shame you can't ask Steelheart to give you pointers... his <em>nyahs</em> were far more engaging than whatever it is you're doing."<br><br>* * * * <br><br>Elogee had returned to watching the screen, and he shook his head in stunned disbelief.&nbsp; "Rumi... what are you <em>doing</em>?&nbsp; Attack already!&nbsp; You!"&nbsp; He shook the pendant viciously with his paw, whipping it back and forth.&nbsp; "Do something!&nbsp; Open sesame!&nbsp; Release the light!&nbsp; Dammit!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>27-06-2009, 17:53:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"SHUT UP!" They may have not been quite ready yet, but Lamia flung her energy balls at Rumi, one after the other. Obviously, the taunts were having an effect on her, as she barely even bothered aiming. Still, their power was just as deadly as before, punching two large holes in the walls of the room, strong enough to make the roof above it cave in a bit. Whatever this building was made of, it wasn't really solid stuff.<br><br>Lamia fumed as she continued advancing towards Rumi. This time, she was manifesting a glowing pink energy whip out of thin air, lashing out at the ground and leaving deep gashes to demonstrate its power. "Don't compare me to... to that dumb <em>goon</em>! Who cares about brains, anyway? I have power, AND beauty! A lot more than YOU, in fact. You smell of virgin sex from across the room. Did your partner fall asleep in the middle of it like I'm about to?!"<br><br>With a renewed rictus, Lamia pointed at Rumi, causing the whip to extend straight towards her, in a trick she might recall from the other lieutenant she had last faced. It might be worth mentioning that, at this point, she was long past caring about what Adara was doing and where she was...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>28-06-2009, 00:27:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Having learned that lesson well from the last time she'd faced Fallen the Jack, Rumi was more than prepared to jump out of the way of the lashing whip.&nbsp; Lamia wasn't exactly the most accurate with the thing, but she was <em>quick</em> and Rumi had to dance to avoid being hit.&nbsp; She managed to dart in close enough a couple of times to get off blows that would have been glancing at best, and missing at worst -- she was not a hand-to-hand specialist, and she felt naked without her sword -- but maybe something would come to her if she was forced to think quickly.<br><br>Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adara heft something in her hand, something black and boot-like and definitely destroyed.&nbsp; And for the first time, the thus-far unflappable girl showed anger.&nbsp; No, not anger.&nbsp; Fury.&nbsp; She tossed the boot aside and scooped something else up, a chunk of wood that might have once belonged in the wall.&nbsp; Murder in her eye, she advanced on the duelling pair, gaze locked on the back of the demon's head.<br><br>The snap of the whip as it wrapped around her forearm snapped Rumi back to her own peril, and though her bracers protected her somewhat, it still hurt and she screamed again.&nbsp; Then, gritting her teeth, she forced herself to wrap a hand around the whip and jerk Lamia forward, keeping her from noticing Adara's approach.&nbsp; "Weak," she snarled through the sizzle of the whip against the holy metal of her bracers.&nbsp; Sweat was pouring down her face from her efforts, but she had to keep Lamia distracted long enough for Adara to do something.&nbsp; "<em>Pathetic</em>.&nbsp; And your boobs were obviously store-bought... You should have words with your surgeon, by the way.&nbsp; They're lopsided."<br><br>"Italian leather!" Adara shrieked, banshee-like in her rage.&nbsp; "<em>Shredded</em> like it was common vinyl!&nbsp; How <em>dare</em> you?"&nbsp; She swung the two-by-four at Lamia's skull like a champion hitter batting for home plate, and golden light flared around her body.&nbsp; The hunk of wood flashed, grew and thinned in the blink of an eye, leaving a long, silvery-blue quarterstaff topped by half-furled wings in its place, still travelling with all the velocity of the two-by-four.<br><br>"<em>HOLY SPIRIT STRIKE!</em>"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>28-06-2009, 01:27:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up shut u-- What?" Lamia turned her head just in time for Adara's holy quarterstaff to hit her in the face, sending her flying to the cold, hard ground and freeing Rumi's hand in the process. She slowly got back up to her feet, noticing a single drop of blood on the floor. If Adara's epic level of fury could cause her to spontaneously manifest holy powers, Lamia's prevented her from enunciating clear sentences. "destroy maim kill rape"<br><br>Her normally perfect hair now covering the upper half of her grotesquely grinning face, she continued her crazed tirade, preparing another pair of energy balls, now drawing in not only energy but also matter, sucking in everything like two tiny black holes. "<em>shoot slash break burn</em>" The orbs expanded from her palms, grazing a nearby wall and beginning to attract it too, making the already wobbly structure begin to emit some seriously alarming sounds. "<strong><em>eviscerate rape rape KILL KILL KILL KILL YOU</em></strong>" A door was torn free from its hinges, narrowly avoiding hitting the demoness before being consumed whole by one of the globes.<br><br>Now might be a good moment for the two heroines to envision a tactical retreat.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>28-06-2009, 01:51:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Not good, not good, <em>not</em> good. <br><br>Elogee whimpered, fatalistically sure that his Champion was about to meet her untimely end, and feeling helpless to do anything to stop it.&nbsp; He spun, scooped up the pendant and threw it at the TV in sudden fury.&nbsp; "You're worthless!" he shouted.<br><br>And the next minute, he was picking his jaw up off the floor as there was yet another flash, and the pendant disappeared. <br><br><em>Definitely</em> not good.<br><br>* * * *<br><br>"What does it take to put this bitch down?" Adara demanded, twirling her staff and seemingly heedless of the fact that she was shedding bits of light everywhere.&nbsp; <br><br>"I don't know," Rumi said, then grabbed Adara's shoulder when the other girl looked like she was going to step forward for another attack.&nbsp; "But we need to go!&nbsp; Now!" She ducked and rolled under half a wall as it came screaming past her, and got clipped by another bit of flying debris.&nbsp; "Ow!&nbsp; She's going to bring the building down!&nbsp; We need to leave!"<br><br>Adara looked like she was going to argue, but a piece of wood clipped her in the shoulder.&nbsp; "Ow!&nbsp; Motherfu--- <em>Fine</em>!&nbsp; But I'm going to kill that bitch!&nbsp; Do you <em>know</em> how long I had to wait for those boots to be imported?"<br><br>"Whatever," Rumi muttered, dodging another hail of wood fragments and striking black lightning.&nbsp; She glanced at the still-unconscious demon on the floor, then grit her teeth and darted to his side.&nbsp; <em>He looks like he weighs a ton and a half,</em> she grumbled to herself before doing her best to hoist him into a fireman's carry and stagger towards the window.&nbsp; On another day, she'd have left him to his fate, but today... today, he'd been an ally, even unwitting, and her conscience -- damnedable thing that it was -- wouldn't let her discard him like trash.&nbsp; <br><br>She and Adara hit the window running, blowing through the glass like it was made of spun sugar and falling nearly three stories to the hard-packed ground below.&nbsp; Thankfully, the demon was the heaviest, fell the quickest and made for an excellent cushion for Rumi and Adara.<br><br>"Ow," Rumi groaned, picking herself off the ground and feeling the back of her throbbing neck to make sure she hadn't broken it.&nbsp; Her other hand came out of the dust and garbage... with something warm and metallic clutched in her hand.&nbsp; She blinked, then slowly opened her palm to see a very familiar winged-heart locket resting on her palm... along with a stylish, thin, wing-motif bracelet the same silvery-blue as Adara's staff.<br><br>"Oh thank god," Rumi breathed, thumbing the catch on the locket.&nbsp; If the demon witch decided to come down to play more, which was a distinct possibility, since Rumi still had no idea how to get out of this weird porn-world, at least she would meet Angelic Champion, and not Rumi.&nbsp; "I think this is yours," she said absently, holding the bracelet out to Adara.<br><br>"Really?" Adara said doubtfully, taking the bracelet from Rumi and staring at it with a critical eye.&nbsp; "I don't remember ever owning something as... <em>tacky </em>as this... are you sure?"<br><br>Rumi just rolled her eyes as she clasped the locket around her throat.&nbsp; It nestled into the hollow above her collarbone with a tiny but reassuring weight.&nbsp; Now, she was loaded for demon, and ready to kick demon ass... if said demon ass was chasing them, of course, because Rumi had certainly had enough of them <em>and </em>this town for one day.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>28-06-2009, 02:20:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Luckily for the two girls, Lamia didn't give chase. Her cry of rage, supernaturally amplified, could still be heard coming from the self-destructing building. Then, a massive creaking sound could be heard from the bulk of the structure, finally giving in and collapsing, the entirety of it drawn to the same point, compressing towards it with a deafening crunching sound. Finally, the last few debris came down and Lamia's scream was finally silenced.<br><br>No one could <em>possibly</em> survive that, right?<br><br>The town was once again bathed in an eerie quietness. The immediate threat had been neutralized, and even the sound of the city-spanning orgy had calmed down, bathing it in post-coital bliss. It seemed the two heroines wouldn't need to use their powers, after all.<br><br><strong>CRASH</strong><br><br>Like a gigantic, grotesque Kool-Aid Man, a familiar looking twelve foot-tall figure, with massive dark purple wings and generous amounts of fur, charged towards them. <strong>"GROK STILL WANT PUSSY!!"</strong> His terrifying member, transformed to have a tiny pair of bat wings of its own, grinned at the two girls as he thrust forward enthusiastically. "I'm back, hot stuff! --Oooooh, you brought a friend too!"<br><br>No magic, no strategies, no tricks. Just a massive twelve foot-tall demonic gorilla in rut with a talking schlong, charging towards them mindlessly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rhapsody</strong> on <strong>08-07-2009, 18:46:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				For a long moment, all was silent as Grok, Grok's Cock and the two girls stared across at the short alleyway at each other.&nbsp; The wind gusted, bringing a tumbleweed through the debris between them all.&nbsp; From somewhere far above, far distant, the ever-present soundtrack was a high warble, followed by a <em>wah-wah-waaaaaah</em>.<br><br>"Now <em>that</em>," Adara said, half-impressed, staring at the independent thinker perking up like a missile at Grok's crotch, "is something I haven't seen before."<br><br>And her words seemed to be the spell that launched Grok forward, screaming his warcry -- which conveniently doubled as his desire, in case anyone had any doubt in their minds.&nbsp; He lunged for Adara first, while his member spat something ropy and white at Rumi.&nbsp; Both girls jumped aside, Adara with a smug "ha!" and Rumi with a totally grossed-out "Eew!"&nbsp; <br><br>"How does this work?"&nbsp; Adara called, waggling the bracelet above her head and jerking backwards as Willy swung around for another try.&nbsp; More sticky white goo spurted forward, narrowly missing Adara's blouse and spattering against the wall.&nbsp; "<em>You get semen on this shirt, and I swear I'll castrate you</em>!"<br><br>Rumi kicked out and managed to connect with Grok's left temple, but the blow seemed to do more damage to her foot than to the hulking demon-ape.&nbsp; "I don't know!" she called back, hopping on one foot and rubbing her bruised toes.&nbsp; "You just wave it above your head and shout the activation phrase!"<br><br>"What's the activation phrase?"<br><br>"You mean you don't know it?&nbsp; I knew mine right away!"&nbsp; <br><br>"Well congratulations!&nbsp; But mine didn't come with an instruction manual!&nbsp; What's your phrase?"<br><br>"What?&nbsp; You can't use my phrase!&nbsp; That's cheating!"<br><br>"Oh, like you'd know if I can use your phrase or not. Maybe mine is exactly the same as yours, did you ever think of that?"<br><br>"You can't use my phrase! Get your own phrase!"<br><br>"Why you--"<br><br>The two girls were bickering back and forth so intently that they failed to notice they weren't fighting Grok anymore.&nbsp; The hulking demon stood, scratching his head with one thick finger, then glanced down at his penis.&nbsp; "Grok want pussy?" he asked.&nbsp; <br><br>"You're damned right, pally-pal," his penis agreed with a firm bob. "Just clunk them both over the head with your fist.&nbsp; They're not going to see it coming."&nbsp; He snickered, drooling a little at the thought.&nbsp; "Pardon the pun.&nbsp; But I get the blonde first."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Angelic Champion Rumi (Rhapsody &amp; Red Comet)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Red Comet</strong> on <strong>09-07-2009, 03:46:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A small crowd of onlookers had slowly begun gathering. Most had been alerted by the sound of the building collapsing, but the newest attraction, a large demon facing off against two cute young girls, was proving to be a lot more interesting. Soon, they began cheering, chanting for the three to fight! Fight! Fight! Clearly, violence was this town's main pasttime after sex. ...Not that they saw much difference to begin with.<br><br>Amongst them was Grok's wife, who had graduated from wearing rope to wearing nothing at all. She seemed to be enjoying herself quite thoroughly, even considering what her husband was doing. "Give it your best, everyone!" What? Was she also cheering Rumi on?<br><br>Meanwhile, Grok had decided to follow his manhood's advice, proving once and for all that constantly providing blood to the wrong brain could have tangible results. Thus, he swung his two keg-sized fists in the air, aiming to knock out both girls while they were arguing!
			</dd>
		</dl>
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