From: Adrian Tymes <wingcat@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: [PW!] Black-Flamed Phoenix: The Problem With Prejudice Date: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 7:40 PM lordlocke@my-deja.com wrote: > "MANKEY!" Monk-chan didn't need to think. He KNEW his trainer was > here. He charged into the mountain, taking off down the left fork. > > "WAIT! Monk-chan!" Mara began to take off after the Mankey. > > "Mara! I'll take the right fork and see if Gads's went that way! See > you on the other side of the mountain!" > > "All right... WAIT MONK-CHAN!" The pair split up, charging into the > depths of Mt. Moon. > > All of this didn't go unobserved by another party. Doppler smirked > about the situation at hand. The one who'd be a problem was going the > wrong way. Manipulation was so much easier when problems got themselves > lost. One only has to make sure it stayed that way... "WAIT! Monk...chan?" Mara came up short, nearly tripping over the limp Mankey on the ground. Every visible inch of his flesh was covered by bruises, and his limbs were splayed in an obviously broken position. She had only lost sight of him for a second - how could this have happened? Mara knelt to take a pulse, but somehow she knew he was dead even before she felt his cold, unresponsive flesh. "Mara..." She looked up, and saw him floating there. His recognizable blue aura of psychic powers sent chills down her spine. "What happened? Who did this?" "Look in your heart." He sneered. "You *know* who." "No..." She backed up a couple steps. "You couldn't have..." "I did. And I enjoyed it. Wanna know why?" Mara was too paralyzed to speak. "Because I envisioned him as everyone I've ever hated. Master. The other students. *You*." Cold sweat flicked off her neck, swung off by her sudder of terror. "I'm going to destroy the dojo, member by member. Each and every prejudiced bigot will feel the pain you inflicted upon me, Mara. Except you. I won't kill you. I'll let you inherit the gym. You won't ever be able to look on it without remembering what you did...what you caused to happen. But as the fighting gym's leader, it will be your *duty* to go there, day after day...and remember." "Gads...no..." "But maybe you can stop me. I'll give you this one chance. Come on and fight me, Mara...if your fight-trained senses can find me. Heh, heh, heh..." He floated away into the darkness. And everything went black. --- Monk-chan sniffed. Mara was no longer pursuing him...maybe she had gone off with Andrew. No matter. He smelled people this way, and that probably meant... "AAAAAH!" ...Mara? Monk-chan sped up slightly, then stopped on a dime as he rounded a boulder, spying his quarry. "You really thought I ever liked you?" "Gads, NO!" "I was going to wait for us to be brother and sister. Incest would have been so much more fun. But the time for this is now." "Ga-AH-aads..." "Heh..." Gads shivered slightly, but only for a moment. "Is that all you're good for? Feh. Such a weakling, as always." Monk-chan's nose twitched. This did not smell like the Gads he knew... but something in his mind told him it shouldn't, not at the moment. "You're a disgrace to the Fighting Gym. You, *and* that Mankey. I'll be doing them a favor." "GA-" As Mara's head went sailing overhead, a drop of blood landed on Monk-chan's nose. Blood's scent could not be mistaken, especially not at this range. "Now for that Mankey." Gads rose up, and floated away. "Heeere, Monky Monky Monky..." Pausing only momentarily to wipe the red speck off before it could dry, Monk-chan charged in the direction Gads had gone, turned a corner, and found himself in darkness. --- Doppler handed off the projections of darkness to an aide, then turned to face his assistants. Good actors, both, though the female was still getting used to being able to lose and reattach her head. She had gained power, it seemed, from her death at Vorge's hand. "Everything went ok?" The male started peeling off makeup. "All went as planned, brother Doppler. The Mankey's fears and memories were easy to read, being so close to the top of his thoughts. If I might ask, why are we turning that psychic's friends against him?" "They seek to pull him back into the world of slavery and injustice. If they turn against him, the path they offer will be closed, making it more likely that this 'Gads' will accept us for comfort and friendship when we offer them to him. But we should wait at least until after he confronts Brock to offer; the longer he goes without friends, the more deparate he will grow to have some." TBC? > (OOC: Wanna play with Mara for a bit, Adrian? Gads is covered, but Mara > could use someone to play with or something to do on her way to the > other side of Mt. Moon...) [Will this do for starters?]