Post by ShadowedFlames on Sept 12, 2012 18:22:12 GMT -6
[ Tori Montgomery ]
[ Some may call it a curse, a life like mine. But others, a blessing.
It's certainly a lonely life, but a fulfilling one, at best.
It's my cross to bear, and I bear it gladly.
Someone has to take a stand against evil.
Why should it not be me? ]
[ Catch Me As I Fall ]
[ The Basics ]
Name Meaning: None, really.
Nick Name: "Red"
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Bisexual, leaning more towards lesbian
[ Sweet Ruptured Light ]
[ Appearances ]
Hair: Reddish-Orange in color, typically pulled into a two-layered ponytail. The outer, longer layer extends midway down her back; the smaller one goes to her shoulder blades.
Face & Eyes: Sky-blue eyes, a narrow nose, thin lips with a slight downturn and a few freckles on her cheeks define Tori. If one looks very close (like, say, kissing distance close), a very faint scar can be seen on the bridge of Tori's nose. Eyebrows are somewhat thin without needing Tori to keep up excessive maintenance on them.
Body Type: Standing 5'7" and weighing 152 pounds, Tori isn't model-thin, nor is she a so-called "BBW" either. Tori is of average build; she's not tremendously endowed in the chest, and her rear isn't anything to write home about. She has a slight tone to her physique, stemming from hauling band equipment around, though no one will ever mistake her for a bodybuilder. She does have one tattoo, on the outside of her left arm: The Within Temptation logo, slightly stylized to resemble a phoenix rising from the ashes as depicted in the link above.
Clothing Style: When it comes to fashion, Tori is more about functionality than looks. This is why one will rarely see her in a skirt or even a dress. Her preferred look is a pair of denim jeans, usually slightly faded but not torn anywhere, and a t-shirt or polo shirt. Her favorite ensemble is a pair of snug-fitting faded jeans with her staff member's shirt from her time in Within Temptation's The Unforgiving tour. In warmer weather, the jeans will be traded in for shorts of various types, going no higher than an inch or two above her knees. She never wears tank tops. In colder weather, sweaters become the norm, with a hooded sweatjacket or denim jacket for warmth. In all types of weather, she prefers sneakers to other types of shoes, usually in black or red.
[ Don’t Turn Away ]
[ A Look Deeper ]
Personality:
While Tori isn't an introvert by any means, she tends to be cautious as to who she allows behind her outer wall of distrust. Past experience (and heartbreak/humiliation) has taught her that trusting people usually leads to being hurt, so she has become very careful with forming true friendships. She does speak with a hint of intelligence, but is usually guarded with what she says, figuring the less she offers about herself, the less likely it is that it can be used against her.
She isn't very good at sensing other's emotions without some sort of visual cue, which leads her to sometimes saying the wrong thing when the situation doesn't call for it. This stems from always having to keep her emotions in check, something she was forced to grow up doing and continue into adulthood. While not emotionally withdrawn, she can occasionally come across as being standoffish or aloof—something she's fine with because those reactions don't normally lead to people prying into her business. Because of this emotional façade, Tori has also developed a lack of self-esteem, as being told/overhearing repeatedly that you're a cold-hearted bitch will take its toll on a person.
For those who manage to break through the shell she's built around herself, they will find that Tori will always have their back through thick and thin. She's as loyal as they come, but woe to those who enter that shell and then prove themselves unworthy of her friendship. "Forgive and forget" is not really in Tori's vocabulary, and even years after the fact she still holds a few grudges against those that hurt her emotionally.
Strengths: Physical endurance, fairly athletic, loyalty (when earned), singing ability
Weaknesses: Trust issues, lack of family, heights, lack of self-esteem, current fashions
Dreams: To either write or perform a hit song in front of a sold-out arena. Also, to quote Freddie Mercury, "Find me somebody to love."
Fears: Paralysis—Tori is deathly afraid of being paralyzed, almost to the point where she will be paralyzed by fear when a situation comes up where a wrong move could lead to this result. Granted, in battle this is largely overlooked because battle always has risk, but Tori tries to keep her enemies in front of her to keep from having a shot to the back do more than just hurt her. It's unknown as to why Tori has this fear; Tori isn't explaining why this is any time soon.
Claustrophobia—Tori has developed mild cases of claustrophobia when stuck in a room without fresh air or light coming in. Although she does not become helpless in this situation, she has trouble focusing on things properly when afflicted by a bout of claustrophobia. Note that in Tori's personal case, she relies on visual cues; if she's in a room with sunlight coming in through a window, she's fine. If it's coming through a crack in the wall, well...that is another matter altogether. For Tori, her claustrophobia stems mainly from her visual senses, and not necessarily the typical onsets of this fear.
[ Candy Clouds of Lullaby ]
[ Present History ]
On a daily basis, people find ways to escape reality, even if only for a little while. Some find solace in sleeping their lives away, others use books to escape to alternate realities, and yet others utilize video games. Tori is one of those who uses music to escape the world, if only for four to five minutes at a time. Given her past, it's hard to blame her for doing that, especially when so many songs seem to fit her history.
Well she seemed all right by dawn's early light, though she looked a little worried and weak....
Tori remembers nothing of her parents. Her first memory was being handed off to a friend of her mother's to go to the local amusement park, and returning home to a wall of flames. Her father was a habitual drunkard, and was abusive towards her mother. He had never laid a hand on Tori, which was perhaps the only redeeming quality about the man. She had just turned four that summer, and to lose both parents in such a manner made life difficult for her. With all of her grandparents already dead, Tori was left in the care of the State of Maryland.
Her early childhood was everything one expects in the public school system of America. Made fun of for having no "real" parents, made fun of for having to wear thrift-store clothing and never having a place she could truly home, Tori often wishes she could forget what her formative years were like. The only thing that kept her from dealing with most of her tormentors was her innate athleticism. At a young age, Tori found she could run incredibly far and often did it to escape the taunts of her fellow classmates, making them chase after her and watching them exhaust themselves one by one.
Because of this, Tori never developed a high self-esteem, and also had limited social interaction because no one wanted to talk to "the poor kid." The few people who actually would talk to her showed their true colors eventually, succumbing to peer pressure or just flat-out admitting that "they did it on a dare" to batter Tori's faith in people even further. It also didn't help that the day she turned eighteen, her foster parents kicked her out of the house so they could leave on an around-the-world cruise, having hid the money that was supposed to go towards Tori's upkeep.
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken....
Tori graduated school in 2003, a week after being kicked out of her home, and vowed to never have anything to do with people like those she had graduated with again. It was around this time that she really started looking for an escape, and found it with Evanescence's "Fallen" CD. The haunting melodies and lyrics seemed to speak out to Tori, and this led her to leave her home state of Maryland and follow Evanescence during their Nintendo Fusion tour in 2003. Her travels eventually led her to Phoenix, Arizona, where she picked up a part-time job at a local radio station as office staff.
She was there for a year, renting a motel efficiency room in an effort to save her money. In late 2004, she won a trip to London in a sweepstakes, and had just enough spending money to attend a concert she had heard about through her radio station, featuring an up-and-coming group called Within Temptation. The night of the concert, Tori was blown away by the symphonic gothic metal that the group delivered, and became an instant fan. A bit bummed that none of their CD's were for sale in the US, Tori tried to use her connections to maybe get a copy of The Silent Force in the States.
Communication got mixed up along the way, though, and for once Tori was glad it did. When the letter arrived in the mail, asking her to join the group on their tour across Europe and Asia as a roadie, she jumped at the chance. With no one left behind in the US, and hoping to learn more about music from a group that had begun to make major headway into Europe, Tori took the chance that to this day she never regrets.
If I don’t make it, someone else will. Stand my ground.
For the second half of 2004, and through 2005 and 2006, Tori worked with the experienced stage crew for Within Temptation, learning more about music in the process. Proving to "the boys" that she could do as much as them led to her being accepted as one of the crew, giving her comfort for the first time in a very long while. Affectionately called "Red" by her fellow roadies, Tori began to slowly come out of her social shell, something noted by the lead vocalist of the band. Taking Tori aside in between shows, she learned about Tori's past, the middle name Tori hated to admit (Sinéad), and how she looked to music as an escape from reality. Tori appreciated the candor, the opportunity to talk, and took to heart the promise that Tori would be able to talk more with the vocalist in the future.
In 2007, following Within Temptation's headlining U.S. tour, the band elected to take a year off to recover and work on their music. Keeping to her promise, lead vocalist Sharon den Adel invited Tori to her place for a week, during which Tori learned more about the art of writing music than she thought she'd ever learn. She now had something to do in the off time—she was determined to write a song that would get onto Within Temptation's next CD. With money not an issue (having saved her pay from roadie duties and hardly spending any of it between shows), she settled in a rural village in the Netherlands and started trying to develop the song that she knew was waiting to emerge from her.
Because your soul is on fire, a shot in the dark. What did they aim for when they missed your heart?
Soon after relocating to The Netherlands, Tori became romantically linked with a married couple living two villages away. The couple lived a sexually open life, and Tori soon found herself a part of things that one would normally read about in smut magazines. She learned a lot about herself in that time—mainly that she was bisexual, had a slight preference towards women, and that she could give as good as she got. For five glorious months, Tori was in paradise. She didn't think that anything could go wrong, that karma was finally giving back to her for everything she endured as a child.
Then came October 10, 2008. A day which Tori will never forget as long as she lives.
She was on her way to her lovers' house, ready for a weekend of debauchery and enjoying the time with the couple she had grown to love. As she neared the village, though, she could see the smoke rising in the air. A panic rose in her as she sped into the village only to find her fears realized: her lovers' house had been set ablaze. Getting out of her car, Tori was about to sprint into the burning building to try an ill-advised rescue when she saw a figure leap from one of the windows and start running away from the house. Tori didn't even pause for a moment before taking off after the fleeing figure, her legs pounding a relentless rhythm into the earth as she closed the gap.
Getting within ten feet, she ducked for a reason she couldn't explain, watching as the figure stopped on a dive and dove backwards toward her. As the figure flew by, she noted that it resembled a...werewolf? The other thing she noticed was the wife's diamond pendant hanging from the neck of the whatever-this-thing was. A cold rage fell over Tori, and as she stood, a red beam of light fell from the heavens above, surrounding Tori and imparting the knowledge of times long past...of who and what she could be. The creature had no chance. Wielding her sorrow and anger as a weapon, Tori only left quivering hunks of flesh where a creature once stood. It wasn't until later that she realized that the creature had gotten her across the bridge of the nose, leaving a scar that would fade over time.
That night, in a fitful sleep, she realized that her once-idyllic life was shattered, and that she would never be at peace....
Oh, Sinéad...for the first time, life is gonna turn around. I'm telling you, you will like it....
When Within Temptation started to tour again, Tori was quick to sign up. There were too many memories in The Netherlands for her to face. Days turned into weeks on the road, where she was just going through the motions and not really paying attention to her surroundings. During a stop in Baltimore (one of only four US stops on the tour), Sharon pulled Tori aside and asked what was wrong, having noted the young woman was upset. Upon getting the story, Sharon just shook her head and told Tori to pay attention to tonight's show. She was going to perform a song that wasn't on the normal set list, just for Tori.
Naturally, Tori didn’t believe it, knowing that setlists during tour events only got changed in emergencies. But sure enough, about halfway through, a song Tori hadn't heard before (mainly because she hadn't gotten the newest CD yet) started playing. When the refrain hit, and she heard what was being sung, it was all she could do to keep from either laughing aloud or crying. She never expected her hated middle name to become a song that became a major hit in the European club scene. When asked about it, Sharon just gave a guilty little smile and said nothing, which really said everything Tori needed to hear.
I can't live in a fairytale of lies....
Things continued in good fashion until November 2011, when during the initial set-up for a show, a new roadie on his first show working wasn't watching his surroundings and quickly turned to the side while lifting a speaker, smacking into Tori. She stumbled back, losing her balance as she got to the edge of the stage and tumbled over. The impact broke her left arm in two places, among other various injuries. She was treated at a local hospital in Tokyo, and set up with a place to rest and recover so she could join the tour when she was better. It took all of a month for Tori to regretfully call Sharon in person and tell her that Tori would not be rejoining the tour. She had found her inspiration for writing, and wanted to see where it would go.
Of course, this was a lie. There was no way she could tell Sharon that remnants from her past a millennium ago were starting to haunt her, and that she would have to face them down if she wanted peace in her life. It was an unbelievable story, even to the one living it. Wishing her the best, Sharon left an open invitation for Tori to rejoin them should her muse be banished for some reason.
Since her recovery, Tori has been taking martial arts, hoping to add to her alter ego's fighting ability and knowing that any day now, it could all end. But she would go down fighting, if she had her way. She had run her entire life...it was time to knuckle up and claim her future for herself. Someone had to take a stand against evil.
Why should it not be her?
.
[ Sailor Mars ]
[ Don’t Close Your Eyes ]
[ The Basics ]
Realm of Power: Fire
Alignment: Selenity Court
Colors: Maroon Red, Orange, Purple
Symbol: Classic Mars Symbol.
[ Return to Me Salvation ]
[ A Look Deeper ]
Uniform Description: Tori's fuku (maroon in color) covers the entirety of her torso, except with a circular hole cut into the garment around the center of her chest to show some cleavage. (The hole itself is approximately 8 inches in diameter, and has nothing to distract people from seeing the aforementioned cleavage.) The bodice is cut a little high, not really allowing any sights to be seen except from the hole in the middle of the bodice. At the bottom of the bodice is her skirt, which is actually attached to the bottom of the bodice to essentially make a one-piece outfit out of the two items. It's a bit longer than most, extending down to her knees (instead of just a few inches like most seem to go), and is orange with dark purple trim at the bottom edge. From a distance, the fuku appears to be made of cloth or a similar substance, but on closer examination the outfit is made of very fine metallic links that allows Sailor Mars to move freely. The metal itself provides barely any further protection than cloth, but it can at least hold off one or two attacks before giving way under the pressure of an assault.
Metallic maroon boots with orange highlights (conveniently enough in the shape of flames) adorn her feet, extending halfway up her calf before merging into a dark purple ring around her leg, with the Mars symbol engraved several times on each leg's ring (four apiece, equal distance apart). This purple ring is merely a part of the boot, just a different color for visual effect. Her tiara appears to be a standard old-school senshi tiara with a flame ruby gem (red, with orange highlights) as the centerpiece, but on closer look the ends of the tiara are attached to cords of beads (maroon/dark purple) that wind around her ponytail. Her collar is in a style similar to the canon senshi, but a bit smaller and is deep purple in color. She also wears purple metallic gauntlets on both hands that she uses to block attacks if her katar are out of position to make the block (or in those rare instances that Tori is not wearing her katar). These gauntlets flare outwards (away from her body) at the elbows and curl in on themselves (as if spiraling into itself at the edges), so anyone running a blade along the length of the gauntlet cannot easily slide it off the metal to touch her skin, as the blade would be forced upwards and caught in a small hook at the end of the curve. The flare is not that big--maybe two inches at most--but it does the job it is designed to do in regards to protecting Tori's upper arms from the sliding of blades. In addition, the gauntlets have orange highlights (again in a flame shape), which serve no purpose but to add to the visual effect of the overall outfit.
While this style of outfit may seem odd for a hyper-aggressive frontline fighter, Tori prefers to sacrifice protection for the benefit of speed and mobility. After all, one cannot hit what one cannot keep up with. The downside is that whenever she is hit, she's likely going to feel it later.
Weapon: Blades of War: Tori's weapons are a pair of modified katar ("punching daggers"). There are three blades on each katar, two smaller red ones on the sides for slashing attacks and a larger, orange one in the middle for piercing blows. The blades are spaced so that they almost look like the letter "W" jutting out from her hands. The way they are modified is that the blades are perfectly balanced to Tori's specific fighting skills, essentially making the weapons part of her. In the interior of the katar are handles that Tori holds onto in order to keep the weapons attached to her hands. It is only on rare occasions that she will remove either katar in a fight, preferring to have the blades as a more damaging weapon compared to her fists.
Dynamite Rave
Lacrymosa
Battle Style: Tori/Sailor Mars prefers an in-your-face, hyper-aggressive approach to the fight as befits her planet's namesake. In some aspects, she is like the Hulk: point her in a direction and let her smash. She doesn't usually have a plan when she fights, except to get close and force her opponent to fight on the defensive, a position that is usually harder because reactions can't always be trusted. Any plans that involve her usually have to be made on the fly, as her free-flowing aggressive combat means that she usually ends up in an area she isn't planned on going to at first.
Warrior Personality: As Sailor Mars, Tori becomes more focused on the heat of battle--almost to the point of excluding everything else. She is highly aggressive in combat, often being the first one to charge into the ranks of the enemy. While it is unclear as to why this is the case, no one can deny that Tori/Sailor Mars can produce results. However, as a result of being on the front lines all of the time, she tends to lose sight of her allies, and may miss something critical happening to them. Such is the price Tori pays for taking an aggressive stand as Sailor Mars.
Passive Abilities: The Instinct. Within every person is a higher state of being, of being able to be so in-tune with your body and your surroundings that you don't even pause to think or to process everything around you—or that such thoughts happen and are processed almost instantaneously. It is called many things by many people; Sailor Mars calls this higher state "The Instinct."
In times of very heated combat, Sailor Mars may find herself reaching this higher state of existence, further enhancing her combat reflexes and ability. When this happens, her senses sharpen, allowing her to see nuances she may have missed (noting an enemy is uncomfortable moving to one side, a slight weakness in their defense that may not have been exploited yet, etc.) and her movements become just a shade quicker as her mind lets go and allows her body to act unhindered. She calls this "giving in to The Instinct."
The downside is that in a group, this may do more harm than good as fending off multiple attackers when The Instinct is focused on one person leads to disaster. Also, Sailor Mars can only maintain this state for only so long before her body starts to tire from the adrenaline coursing through her, and returning from The Instinct leaves Sailor Mars winded and more susceptible to attacks from her opponents.
[ It Ends Here Tonight ]
[ The Story of the Past ]
In the closing years of the Silver Millennium, a bit of apathy began to form in the court of Mars. While most of the Court of Selenity were warriors, and skilled ones at that, it seemed that those from the planet named after the god of war often went unappreciated...even on her home planet. Seijun Honoo, the last recorded princess of Mars, was a far cry different from her ancestors. Whereas they preferred to direct their attacks from afar, using bows and other ranged weapons to control the battlefield, Seijun found more excitement on the front lines, weaving a dance of death that left a trail of bodies in her wake and her enemies wondering what sort of demon possessed her when the cries for battle sounded in her ears.
It wasn't always like this, however. For the first sixteen or so years of her life, Seijun got along well with just about everyone. She learned their styles of fighting, and developed her own means of adapting her attack style to best complement those she would be fighting alongside. This sort of dedication to her combat abilities made her rather easy to work with, and this led to a number of alliances both on the battlefield and behind closed doors. Now, who exactly these alliances were with, Seijun would never say—she wasn't a kiss-and-tell type of person...at least in her early years.
On her seventeenth birthday, she found herself in a training exercise with the Princess of Jupiter. Jupiter had always given Seijun a run for her money, and today was no exception. The exercise was called a draw after an hour, and as Seijun walked away to freshen up, she thought she heard Jupiter's voice softly say, "I need to stop going so easy on her." Whether Jupiter actually said that, or Seijun just imagined Jupiter saying that, no one really knows. What is known is that in the next moment, Seijun just snapped. She sprinted across the sparring grounds, leaping into the air and landing knees-first onto the back of Jupiter, who was bent over to pick something off the ground. The impact sent both women to the ground, and Seijun stabbed both of her katar down at Jupiter's head, the blades impacting less than a finger's width from Jupiter's head. In a low voice, Seijun muttered, "Next time, bring everything you've got. I don't want to hold back." Seijun leapt off, and by the time Jupiter got to her feet, Seijun had all but vanished.
Word of this incident spread, and slowly the alliances that she had built began to crack. The one that hurt her most was that Mercury flat-out refused to speak to her anymore. Seijun had enjoyed Mercury's company the most compared to the others in Selenity's court, and losing that sent Seijun into a mood that got taken out on her sparring opponents. There was no mercy, no quarter given. She would take on three, four, even five opponents at a time in an effort to drive herself to exhaustion, but no one on the planet was giving her a challenge she thought worthy.
A year passed. Seijun's reputation continued to grow, and now no one wanted to face her. Desperate for a challenge, she was about to travel around the Sol system to find someone to challenge her when someone appeared from within her own court: Phobos, the highest-ranking member of the court of Mars, and her element of fear. Finally, a worthy challenge, she thought as she made the arrangements for the spar. It was on Seijun's eighteenth birthday that the two met, and from the start Seijun knew this was going to be a waste of time if she couldn't get Phobos to get over her fear of...well, fear. Seijun tried everything in her power—taunts, attacks, purposefully giving near-death blows but pulling away at the last split-second to keep from actually killing her opponent. Nothing worked.
In exasperation, Seijun called off the whole deal. Phobos wasn't as ready as she was led to believe. As Seijun turned to leave, she stopped dead in her tracks, a feral smile coming to her face. For standing several meters away was Princess Jupiter, an impassive look on her face. "You wanted me to bring everything I have. If you still want it, Mars, come get it."
Seijun only hesitated for a few seconds. "Dance with me, Death, for I am ready," she muttered almost inaudibly before she leapt into the fray. Another hour passed, in which neither woman backed down. Both had suffered serious injuries, but neither wanted to give in to the pain. In the end, Seijun ended the fight as she found herself reacting far quicker than she should be given the injuries she suffered, letting her body react to the fight instead of thinking about it. The first thing she recalled after her mind went blank was standing within arms' reach of Jupiter, at a stalemate with Mars somehow managing to stay on her feet despite a badly sprained ankle. If this continued, Mars knew she would lose because her body wouldn't be able to support her...and she was fine with that. "I yield" was all she got out of her mouth before she found it invaded by the tongue of Jupiter. What happened afterwards was their business. The following afternoon, when Seijun emerged from her chambers, Phobos saw her limping, with a black eye and bruises all over, and asked her what happened. Seijun only grinned and said, "Foreplay."
The old Seijun was back after that day. Though she continued to give no quarter, she now found herself telling her opponents where their weaknesses were, and trying to improve them should they ever need to be used in war. A few months passed in this manner, and soon Seijun was surprised by a request from Phobos. Apparently, she thought she was better prepared for another round with Seijun.
This second session went much better, as Seijun was able to reach the younger court member this time and impart her knowledge. While Phobos was still wary of unleashing her full ability, she could wield a sword quite well and had come to grips with knowing what her powers could do if pressed into action. What surprised Seijun is that Phobos soon made a game of trying to catch Mars off-guard, using stealth tactics. The first time Seijun managed to fend off Phobos in this manner, she asked her court member what had brought this on. Phobos shrugged and quietly replied, "I know you fear being attacked unawares. If I can barely force myself to face my fears, perhaps the best I can do is help my future Queen overcome hers."
If Phobos had ulterior motives for this, Seijun never found out. Things ratcheted up in intensity, the war began to break out in force, and Mars was forced to deal with the new problems that came up. The evil forces seemed to have no end. Hours blended into days, until everything was a blur of battle cries, the ringing of steel upon steel, rivers of blood, and the screams of the dying. By all rights, Mars should have been in her element...but even the most battle-hardened warrior has their limits.
On the last day of her life, Seijun stood at the front gates of her palace, with a squad of two hundred remaining warriors. She had gotten no word on the condition of Phobos, who was sent off to infiltrate the enemy camp and eliminate their officers to sow dissension in the ranks. She had heard that the other palaces were falling or in danger of doing so; no help would come from that quarter. On the horizon, the red hills were black with the sheer number of troops their opponent was throwing at them.
"Troops, you can see the situation. They have worn us down to those you see here. Most of us, if not all of us, will not live to see the sunset. If you want to leave, and try to find a way to live, I will not stop you. That is your prerogative, but remember: the enemy has shown that they will not suffer us to live. Women, children, civilians—they have shown no mercy. Flee if you feel that is best, but I will not be joining those who do. If I am to die today, and dine in the halls of Valhalla tonight, I will go down by taking as many of them with me as I can! Their victory will be a costly one, and it will be noted that with her dying breath, Seijun Honoo would not YIELD!"
To a man, no one left the field of battle. The squad of two hundred stood valiantly, and in the end, Seijun stood alone, surrounded on all sides. Seijun whirled in a dance of death, her blades tinted red from the blood of her foes. It seemed that perhaps, against the longest odds in her life, Seijun would live to see the sunset.
A stone slung from the masses changed that. The projectile flew true, striking Seijun at the base of the neck and fracturing two of her vertebrae. She fell hopeless to the ground, unable to move any of her limbs as the blows rained down on her. Raising her head, she saw the ghostly images of Mercury and Jupiter amongst the horde of enemies, and attempted to reach for them as the enemy general swung her sword at her neck. She died unable to reach for the ones she loved as her crimson regret left her body, and the last of the royal line of Mars breathed her final breath.
[ My Soul On the Other Side ]
[ Player Information ]
Player Name: Duane
Player Age: 31
Contact Information: phoenix1_7 (at) yahoo (dot) com.
AIM: ShadowedFlamesDS
Skype: ShadowedFlames
[ Some may call it a curse, a life like mine. But others, a blessing.
It's certainly a lonely life, but a fulfilling one, at best.
It's my cross to bear, and I bear it gladly.
Someone has to take a stand against evil.
Why should it not be me? ]
[ Catch Me As I Fall ]
[ The Basics ]
Name Meaning: None, really.
Nick Name: "Red"
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Bisexual, leaning more towards lesbian
[ Sweet Ruptured Light ]
[ Appearances ]
Hair: Reddish-Orange in color, typically pulled into a two-layered ponytail. The outer, longer layer extends midway down her back; the smaller one goes to her shoulder blades.
Face & Eyes: Sky-blue eyes, a narrow nose, thin lips with a slight downturn and a few freckles on her cheeks define Tori. If one looks very close (like, say, kissing distance close), a very faint scar can be seen on the bridge of Tori's nose. Eyebrows are somewhat thin without needing Tori to keep up excessive maintenance on them.
Body Type: Standing 5'7" and weighing 152 pounds, Tori isn't model-thin, nor is she a so-called "BBW" either. Tori is of average build; she's not tremendously endowed in the chest, and her rear isn't anything to write home about. She has a slight tone to her physique, stemming from hauling band equipment around, though no one will ever mistake her for a bodybuilder. She does have one tattoo, on the outside of her left arm: The Within Temptation logo, slightly stylized to resemble a phoenix rising from the ashes as depicted in the link above.
Clothing Style: When it comes to fashion, Tori is more about functionality than looks. This is why one will rarely see her in a skirt or even a dress. Her preferred look is a pair of denim jeans, usually slightly faded but not torn anywhere, and a t-shirt or polo shirt. Her favorite ensemble is a pair of snug-fitting faded jeans with her staff member's shirt from her time in Within Temptation's The Unforgiving tour. In warmer weather, the jeans will be traded in for shorts of various types, going no higher than an inch or two above her knees. She never wears tank tops. In colder weather, sweaters become the norm, with a hooded sweatjacket or denim jacket for warmth. In all types of weather, she prefers sneakers to other types of shoes, usually in black or red.
[ Don’t Turn Away ]
[ A Look Deeper ]
Personality:
While Tori isn't an introvert by any means, she tends to be cautious as to who she allows behind her outer wall of distrust. Past experience (and heartbreak/humiliation) has taught her that trusting people usually leads to being hurt, so she has become very careful with forming true friendships. She does speak with a hint of intelligence, but is usually guarded with what she says, figuring the less she offers about herself, the less likely it is that it can be used against her.
She isn't very good at sensing other's emotions without some sort of visual cue, which leads her to sometimes saying the wrong thing when the situation doesn't call for it. This stems from always having to keep her emotions in check, something she was forced to grow up doing and continue into adulthood. While not emotionally withdrawn, she can occasionally come across as being standoffish or aloof—something she's fine with because those reactions don't normally lead to people prying into her business. Because of this emotional façade, Tori has also developed a lack of self-esteem, as being told/overhearing repeatedly that you're a cold-hearted bitch will take its toll on a person.
For those who manage to break through the shell she's built around herself, they will find that Tori will always have their back through thick and thin. She's as loyal as they come, but woe to those who enter that shell and then prove themselves unworthy of her friendship. "Forgive and forget" is not really in Tori's vocabulary, and even years after the fact she still holds a few grudges against those that hurt her emotionally.
Strengths: Physical endurance, fairly athletic, loyalty (when earned), singing ability
Weaknesses: Trust issues, lack of family, heights, lack of self-esteem, current fashions
Dreams: To either write or perform a hit song in front of a sold-out arena. Also, to quote Freddie Mercury, "Find me somebody to love."
Fears: Paralysis—Tori is deathly afraid of being paralyzed, almost to the point where she will be paralyzed by fear when a situation comes up where a wrong move could lead to this result. Granted, in battle this is largely overlooked because battle always has risk, but Tori tries to keep her enemies in front of her to keep from having a shot to the back do more than just hurt her. It's unknown as to why Tori has this fear; Tori isn't explaining why this is any time soon.
Claustrophobia—Tori has developed mild cases of claustrophobia when stuck in a room without fresh air or light coming in. Although she does not become helpless in this situation, she has trouble focusing on things properly when afflicted by a bout of claustrophobia. Note that in Tori's personal case, she relies on visual cues; if she's in a room with sunlight coming in through a window, she's fine. If it's coming through a crack in the wall, well...that is another matter altogether. For Tori, her claustrophobia stems mainly from her visual senses, and not necessarily the typical onsets of this fear.
[ Candy Clouds of Lullaby ]
[ Present History ]
On a daily basis, people find ways to escape reality, even if only for a little while. Some find solace in sleeping their lives away, others use books to escape to alternate realities, and yet others utilize video games. Tori is one of those who uses music to escape the world, if only for four to five minutes at a time. Given her past, it's hard to blame her for doing that, especially when so many songs seem to fit her history.
Well she seemed all right by dawn's early light, though she looked a little worried and weak....
Tori remembers nothing of her parents. Her first memory was being handed off to a friend of her mother's to go to the local amusement park, and returning home to a wall of flames. Her father was a habitual drunkard, and was abusive towards her mother. He had never laid a hand on Tori, which was perhaps the only redeeming quality about the man. She had just turned four that summer, and to lose both parents in such a manner made life difficult for her. With all of her grandparents already dead, Tori was left in the care of the State of Maryland.
Her early childhood was everything one expects in the public school system of America. Made fun of for having no "real" parents, made fun of for having to wear thrift-store clothing and never having a place she could truly home, Tori often wishes she could forget what her formative years were like. The only thing that kept her from dealing with most of her tormentors was her innate athleticism. At a young age, Tori found she could run incredibly far and often did it to escape the taunts of her fellow classmates, making them chase after her and watching them exhaust themselves one by one.
Because of this, Tori never developed a high self-esteem, and also had limited social interaction because no one wanted to talk to "the poor kid." The few people who actually would talk to her showed their true colors eventually, succumbing to peer pressure or just flat-out admitting that "they did it on a dare" to batter Tori's faith in people even further. It also didn't help that the day she turned eighteen, her foster parents kicked her out of the house so they could leave on an around-the-world cruise, having hid the money that was supposed to go towards Tori's upkeep.
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken....
Tori graduated school in 2003, a week after being kicked out of her home, and vowed to never have anything to do with people like those she had graduated with again. It was around this time that she really started looking for an escape, and found it with Evanescence's "Fallen" CD. The haunting melodies and lyrics seemed to speak out to Tori, and this led her to leave her home state of Maryland and follow Evanescence during their Nintendo Fusion tour in 2003. Her travels eventually led her to Phoenix, Arizona, where she picked up a part-time job at a local radio station as office staff.
She was there for a year, renting a motel efficiency room in an effort to save her money. In late 2004, she won a trip to London in a sweepstakes, and had just enough spending money to attend a concert she had heard about through her radio station, featuring an up-and-coming group called Within Temptation. The night of the concert, Tori was blown away by the symphonic gothic metal that the group delivered, and became an instant fan. A bit bummed that none of their CD's were for sale in the US, Tori tried to use her connections to maybe get a copy of The Silent Force in the States.
Communication got mixed up along the way, though, and for once Tori was glad it did. When the letter arrived in the mail, asking her to join the group on their tour across Europe and Asia as a roadie, she jumped at the chance. With no one left behind in the US, and hoping to learn more about music from a group that had begun to make major headway into Europe, Tori took the chance that to this day she never regrets.
If I don’t make it, someone else will. Stand my ground.
For the second half of 2004, and through 2005 and 2006, Tori worked with the experienced stage crew for Within Temptation, learning more about music in the process. Proving to "the boys" that she could do as much as them led to her being accepted as one of the crew, giving her comfort for the first time in a very long while. Affectionately called "Red" by her fellow roadies, Tori began to slowly come out of her social shell, something noted by the lead vocalist of the band. Taking Tori aside in between shows, she learned about Tori's past, the middle name Tori hated to admit (Sinéad), and how she looked to music as an escape from reality. Tori appreciated the candor, the opportunity to talk, and took to heart the promise that Tori would be able to talk more with the vocalist in the future.
In 2007, following Within Temptation's headlining U.S. tour, the band elected to take a year off to recover and work on their music. Keeping to her promise, lead vocalist Sharon den Adel invited Tori to her place for a week, during which Tori learned more about the art of writing music than she thought she'd ever learn. She now had something to do in the off time—she was determined to write a song that would get onto Within Temptation's next CD. With money not an issue (having saved her pay from roadie duties and hardly spending any of it between shows), she settled in a rural village in the Netherlands and started trying to develop the song that she knew was waiting to emerge from her.
Because your soul is on fire, a shot in the dark. What did they aim for when they missed your heart?
Soon after relocating to The Netherlands, Tori became romantically linked with a married couple living two villages away. The couple lived a sexually open life, and Tori soon found herself a part of things that one would normally read about in smut magazines. She learned a lot about herself in that time—mainly that she was bisexual, had a slight preference towards women, and that she could give as good as she got. For five glorious months, Tori was in paradise. She didn't think that anything could go wrong, that karma was finally giving back to her for everything she endured as a child.
Then came October 10, 2008. A day which Tori will never forget as long as she lives.
She was on her way to her lovers' house, ready for a weekend of debauchery and enjoying the time with the couple she had grown to love. As she neared the village, though, she could see the smoke rising in the air. A panic rose in her as she sped into the village only to find her fears realized: her lovers' house had been set ablaze. Getting out of her car, Tori was about to sprint into the burning building to try an ill-advised rescue when she saw a figure leap from one of the windows and start running away from the house. Tori didn't even pause for a moment before taking off after the fleeing figure, her legs pounding a relentless rhythm into the earth as she closed the gap.
Getting within ten feet, she ducked for a reason she couldn't explain, watching as the figure stopped on a dive and dove backwards toward her. As the figure flew by, she noted that it resembled a...werewolf? The other thing she noticed was the wife's diamond pendant hanging from the neck of the whatever-this-thing was. A cold rage fell over Tori, and as she stood, a red beam of light fell from the heavens above, surrounding Tori and imparting the knowledge of times long past...of who and what she could be. The creature had no chance. Wielding her sorrow and anger as a weapon, Tori only left quivering hunks of flesh where a creature once stood. It wasn't until later that she realized that the creature had gotten her across the bridge of the nose, leaving a scar that would fade over time.
That night, in a fitful sleep, she realized that her once-idyllic life was shattered, and that she would never be at peace....
Oh, Sinéad...for the first time, life is gonna turn around. I'm telling you, you will like it....
When Within Temptation started to tour again, Tori was quick to sign up. There were too many memories in The Netherlands for her to face. Days turned into weeks on the road, where she was just going through the motions and not really paying attention to her surroundings. During a stop in Baltimore (one of only four US stops on the tour), Sharon pulled Tori aside and asked what was wrong, having noted the young woman was upset. Upon getting the story, Sharon just shook her head and told Tori to pay attention to tonight's show. She was going to perform a song that wasn't on the normal set list, just for Tori.
Naturally, Tori didn’t believe it, knowing that setlists during tour events only got changed in emergencies. But sure enough, about halfway through, a song Tori hadn't heard before (mainly because she hadn't gotten the newest CD yet) started playing. When the refrain hit, and she heard what was being sung, it was all she could do to keep from either laughing aloud or crying. She never expected her hated middle name to become a song that became a major hit in the European club scene. When asked about it, Sharon just gave a guilty little smile and said nothing, which really said everything Tori needed to hear.
I can't live in a fairytale of lies....
Things continued in good fashion until November 2011, when during the initial set-up for a show, a new roadie on his first show working wasn't watching his surroundings and quickly turned to the side while lifting a speaker, smacking into Tori. She stumbled back, losing her balance as she got to the edge of the stage and tumbled over. The impact broke her left arm in two places, among other various injuries. She was treated at a local hospital in Tokyo, and set up with a place to rest and recover so she could join the tour when she was better. It took all of a month for Tori to regretfully call Sharon in person and tell her that Tori would not be rejoining the tour. She had found her inspiration for writing, and wanted to see where it would go.
Of course, this was a lie. There was no way she could tell Sharon that remnants from her past a millennium ago were starting to haunt her, and that she would have to face them down if she wanted peace in her life. It was an unbelievable story, even to the one living it. Wishing her the best, Sharon left an open invitation for Tori to rejoin them should her muse be banished for some reason.
Since her recovery, Tori has been taking martial arts, hoping to add to her alter ego's fighting ability and knowing that any day now, it could all end. But she would go down fighting, if she had her way. She had run her entire life...it was time to knuckle up and claim her future for herself. Someone had to take a stand against evil.
Why should it not be her?
.[ Sailor Mars ]
[ Don’t Close Your Eyes ]
[ The Basics ]
Realm of Power: Fire
Alignment: Selenity Court
Colors: Maroon Red, Orange, Purple
Symbol: Classic Mars Symbol.
[ Return to Me Salvation ]
[ A Look Deeper ]
Uniform Description: Tori's fuku (maroon in color) covers the entirety of her torso, except with a circular hole cut into the garment around the center of her chest to show some cleavage. (The hole itself is approximately 8 inches in diameter, and has nothing to distract people from seeing the aforementioned cleavage.) The bodice is cut a little high, not really allowing any sights to be seen except from the hole in the middle of the bodice. At the bottom of the bodice is her skirt, which is actually attached to the bottom of the bodice to essentially make a one-piece outfit out of the two items. It's a bit longer than most, extending down to her knees (instead of just a few inches like most seem to go), and is orange with dark purple trim at the bottom edge. From a distance, the fuku appears to be made of cloth or a similar substance, but on closer examination the outfit is made of very fine metallic links that allows Sailor Mars to move freely. The metal itself provides barely any further protection than cloth, but it can at least hold off one or two attacks before giving way under the pressure of an assault.
Metallic maroon boots with orange highlights (conveniently enough in the shape of flames) adorn her feet, extending halfway up her calf before merging into a dark purple ring around her leg, with the Mars symbol engraved several times on each leg's ring (four apiece, equal distance apart). This purple ring is merely a part of the boot, just a different color for visual effect. Her tiara appears to be a standard old-school senshi tiara with a flame ruby gem (red, with orange highlights) as the centerpiece, but on closer look the ends of the tiara are attached to cords of beads (maroon/dark purple) that wind around her ponytail. Her collar is in a style similar to the canon senshi, but a bit smaller and is deep purple in color. She also wears purple metallic gauntlets on both hands that she uses to block attacks if her katar are out of position to make the block (or in those rare instances that Tori is not wearing her katar). These gauntlets flare outwards (away from her body) at the elbows and curl in on themselves (as if spiraling into itself at the edges), so anyone running a blade along the length of the gauntlet cannot easily slide it off the metal to touch her skin, as the blade would be forced upwards and caught in a small hook at the end of the curve. The flare is not that big--maybe two inches at most--but it does the job it is designed to do in regards to protecting Tori's upper arms from the sliding of blades. In addition, the gauntlets have orange highlights (again in a flame shape), which serve no purpose but to add to the visual effect of the overall outfit.
While this style of outfit may seem odd for a hyper-aggressive frontline fighter, Tori prefers to sacrifice protection for the benefit of speed and mobility. After all, one cannot hit what one cannot keep up with. The downside is that whenever she is hit, she's likely going to feel it later.
Weapon: Blades of War: Tori's weapons are a pair of modified katar ("punching daggers"). There are three blades on each katar, two smaller red ones on the sides for slashing attacks and a larger, orange one in the middle for piercing blows. The blades are spaced so that they almost look like the letter "W" jutting out from her hands. The way they are modified is that the blades are perfectly balanced to Tori's specific fighting skills, essentially making the weapons part of her. In the interior of the katar are handles that Tori holds onto in order to keep the weapons attached to her hands. It is only on rare occasions that she will remove either katar in a fight, preferring to have the blades as a more damaging weapon compared to her fists.
Dynamite Rave
- Sequence: "Don't think you can stay away from me!" A red glow surrounds her Blades of War, and Sailor Mars crosses her hands in front of her, eyeing her target in the distance. With the glow intensifying, she cries out, "Feel the heat!" and spreads her arms wide. The red auras combine into a ball about a foot wide, and flies out towards the target of her choice.
- Effect: A typical ranged energy attack, this deals minor fire damage and is Sailor Mars' only way to cause non-melee damage, as well as her only long-range attack. It's mainly used to try to draw her enemies into melee range.
Lacrymosa
- Sequence: Taking a rare moment to pause in her attack, Sailor Mars sends a primal scream to the heavens, arching backwards as she does. An orange beam of light envelops her from above, and focuses on the hands and feet of Sailor Mars as the general beam itself fades into the ether. The light remaining on the hands and feet of Sailor Mars seems to take on the properties of fire, moving and flickering along those limbs as she rejoins the fray knowing that nothing can hold her back, now.
- Effect: Taking the focus on melee combat further, this ability adds fire-elemental damage to her melee attacks with the Blades of War or with any unarmed punches or kicks she may land.
Battle Style: Tori/Sailor Mars prefers an in-your-face, hyper-aggressive approach to the fight as befits her planet's namesake. In some aspects, she is like the Hulk: point her in a direction and let her smash. She doesn't usually have a plan when she fights, except to get close and force her opponent to fight on the defensive, a position that is usually harder because reactions can't always be trusted. Any plans that involve her usually have to be made on the fly, as her free-flowing aggressive combat means that she usually ends up in an area she isn't planned on going to at first.
Warrior Personality: As Sailor Mars, Tori becomes more focused on the heat of battle--almost to the point of excluding everything else. She is highly aggressive in combat, often being the first one to charge into the ranks of the enemy. While it is unclear as to why this is the case, no one can deny that Tori/Sailor Mars can produce results. However, as a result of being on the front lines all of the time, she tends to lose sight of her allies, and may miss something critical happening to them. Such is the price Tori pays for taking an aggressive stand as Sailor Mars.
Passive Abilities: The Instinct. Within every person is a higher state of being, of being able to be so in-tune with your body and your surroundings that you don't even pause to think or to process everything around you—or that such thoughts happen and are processed almost instantaneously. It is called many things by many people; Sailor Mars calls this higher state "The Instinct."
In times of very heated combat, Sailor Mars may find herself reaching this higher state of existence, further enhancing her combat reflexes and ability. When this happens, her senses sharpen, allowing her to see nuances she may have missed (noting an enemy is uncomfortable moving to one side, a slight weakness in their defense that may not have been exploited yet, etc.) and her movements become just a shade quicker as her mind lets go and allows her body to act unhindered. She calls this "giving in to The Instinct."
The downside is that in a group, this may do more harm than good as fending off multiple attackers when The Instinct is focused on one person leads to disaster. Also, Sailor Mars can only maintain this state for only so long before her body starts to tire from the adrenaline coursing through her, and returning from The Instinct leaves Sailor Mars winded and more susceptible to attacks from her opponents.
[ It Ends Here Tonight ]
[ The Story of the Past ]
In the closing years of the Silver Millennium, a bit of apathy began to form in the court of Mars. While most of the Court of Selenity were warriors, and skilled ones at that, it seemed that those from the planet named after the god of war often went unappreciated...even on her home planet. Seijun Honoo, the last recorded princess of Mars, was a far cry different from her ancestors. Whereas they preferred to direct their attacks from afar, using bows and other ranged weapons to control the battlefield, Seijun found more excitement on the front lines, weaving a dance of death that left a trail of bodies in her wake and her enemies wondering what sort of demon possessed her when the cries for battle sounded in her ears.
It wasn't always like this, however. For the first sixteen or so years of her life, Seijun got along well with just about everyone. She learned their styles of fighting, and developed her own means of adapting her attack style to best complement those she would be fighting alongside. This sort of dedication to her combat abilities made her rather easy to work with, and this led to a number of alliances both on the battlefield and behind closed doors. Now, who exactly these alliances were with, Seijun would never say—she wasn't a kiss-and-tell type of person...at least in her early years.
On her seventeenth birthday, she found herself in a training exercise with the Princess of Jupiter. Jupiter had always given Seijun a run for her money, and today was no exception. The exercise was called a draw after an hour, and as Seijun walked away to freshen up, she thought she heard Jupiter's voice softly say, "I need to stop going so easy on her." Whether Jupiter actually said that, or Seijun just imagined Jupiter saying that, no one really knows. What is known is that in the next moment, Seijun just snapped. She sprinted across the sparring grounds, leaping into the air and landing knees-first onto the back of Jupiter, who was bent over to pick something off the ground. The impact sent both women to the ground, and Seijun stabbed both of her katar down at Jupiter's head, the blades impacting less than a finger's width from Jupiter's head. In a low voice, Seijun muttered, "Next time, bring everything you've got. I don't want to hold back." Seijun leapt off, and by the time Jupiter got to her feet, Seijun had all but vanished.
Word of this incident spread, and slowly the alliances that she had built began to crack. The one that hurt her most was that Mercury flat-out refused to speak to her anymore. Seijun had enjoyed Mercury's company the most compared to the others in Selenity's court, and losing that sent Seijun into a mood that got taken out on her sparring opponents. There was no mercy, no quarter given. She would take on three, four, even five opponents at a time in an effort to drive herself to exhaustion, but no one on the planet was giving her a challenge she thought worthy.
A year passed. Seijun's reputation continued to grow, and now no one wanted to face her. Desperate for a challenge, she was about to travel around the Sol system to find someone to challenge her when someone appeared from within her own court: Phobos, the highest-ranking member of the court of Mars, and her element of fear. Finally, a worthy challenge, she thought as she made the arrangements for the spar. It was on Seijun's eighteenth birthday that the two met, and from the start Seijun knew this was going to be a waste of time if she couldn't get Phobos to get over her fear of...well, fear. Seijun tried everything in her power—taunts, attacks, purposefully giving near-death blows but pulling away at the last split-second to keep from actually killing her opponent. Nothing worked.
In exasperation, Seijun called off the whole deal. Phobos wasn't as ready as she was led to believe. As Seijun turned to leave, she stopped dead in her tracks, a feral smile coming to her face. For standing several meters away was Princess Jupiter, an impassive look on her face. "You wanted me to bring everything I have. If you still want it, Mars, come get it."
Seijun only hesitated for a few seconds. "Dance with me, Death, for I am ready," she muttered almost inaudibly before she leapt into the fray. Another hour passed, in which neither woman backed down. Both had suffered serious injuries, but neither wanted to give in to the pain. In the end, Seijun ended the fight as she found herself reacting far quicker than she should be given the injuries she suffered, letting her body react to the fight instead of thinking about it. The first thing she recalled after her mind went blank was standing within arms' reach of Jupiter, at a stalemate with Mars somehow managing to stay on her feet despite a badly sprained ankle. If this continued, Mars knew she would lose because her body wouldn't be able to support her...and she was fine with that. "I yield" was all she got out of her mouth before she found it invaded by the tongue of Jupiter. What happened afterwards was their business. The following afternoon, when Seijun emerged from her chambers, Phobos saw her limping, with a black eye and bruises all over, and asked her what happened. Seijun only grinned and said, "Foreplay."
The old Seijun was back after that day. Though she continued to give no quarter, she now found herself telling her opponents where their weaknesses were, and trying to improve them should they ever need to be used in war. A few months passed in this manner, and soon Seijun was surprised by a request from Phobos. Apparently, she thought she was better prepared for another round with Seijun.
This second session went much better, as Seijun was able to reach the younger court member this time and impart her knowledge. While Phobos was still wary of unleashing her full ability, she could wield a sword quite well and had come to grips with knowing what her powers could do if pressed into action. What surprised Seijun is that Phobos soon made a game of trying to catch Mars off-guard, using stealth tactics. The first time Seijun managed to fend off Phobos in this manner, she asked her court member what had brought this on. Phobos shrugged and quietly replied, "I know you fear being attacked unawares. If I can barely force myself to face my fears, perhaps the best I can do is help my future Queen overcome hers."
If Phobos had ulterior motives for this, Seijun never found out. Things ratcheted up in intensity, the war began to break out in force, and Mars was forced to deal with the new problems that came up. The evil forces seemed to have no end. Hours blended into days, until everything was a blur of battle cries, the ringing of steel upon steel, rivers of blood, and the screams of the dying. By all rights, Mars should have been in her element...but even the most battle-hardened warrior has their limits.
On the last day of her life, Seijun stood at the front gates of her palace, with a squad of two hundred remaining warriors. She had gotten no word on the condition of Phobos, who was sent off to infiltrate the enemy camp and eliminate their officers to sow dissension in the ranks. She had heard that the other palaces were falling or in danger of doing so; no help would come from that quarter. On the horizon, the red hills were black with the sheer number of troops their opponent was throwing at them.
"Troops, you can see the situation. They have worn us down to those you see here. Most of us, if not all of us, will not live to see the sunset. If you want to leave, and try to find a way to live, I will not stop you. That is your prerogative, but remember: the enemy has shown that they will not suffer us to live. Women, children, civilians—they have shown no mercy. Flee if you feel that is best, but I will not be joining those who do. If I am to die today, and dine in the halls of Valhalla tonight, I will go down by taking as many of them with me as I can! Their victory will be a costly one, and it will be noted that with her dying breath, Seijun Honoo would not YIELD!"
To a man, no one left the field of battle. The squad of two hundred stood valiantly, and in the end, Seijun stood alone, surrounded on all sides. Seijun whirled in a dance of death, her blades tinted red from the blood of her foes. It seemed that perhaps, against the longest odds in her life, Seijun would live to see the sunset.
A stone slung from the masses changed that. The projectile flew true, striking Seijun at the base of the neck and fracturing two of her vertebrae. She fell hopeless to the ground, unable to move any of her limbs as the blows rained down on her. Raising her head, she saw the ghostly images of Mercury and Jupiter amongst the horde of enemies, and attempted to reach for them as the enemy general swung her sword at her neck. She died unable to reach for the ones she loved as her crimson regret left her body, and the last of the royal line of Mars breathed her final breath.
[ My Soul On the Other Side ]
[ Player Information ]
Player Name: Duane
Player Age: 31
Contact Information: phoenix1_7 (at) yahoo (dot) com.
AIM: ShadowedFlamesDS
Skype: ShadowedFlames
Sailor Mars // Tori Montgomery (Image courtesy of lunaii.com and used by permission)