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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 6, 2009 19:23:33 GMT -5
Ashe thought for a moment about his words, and then she realized something. "So it is as if you are sacrificing your own innocence to help others?" If he had made that choice, then no matter what he had done he was still a good person. That was a choice she had never come to make; she had never saved a person in need. She had watched from the shadows, countless times, as people were mugged and killed. Yet she had not done anything. But at the same time, she had never killed someone before. She had crippled many, but could never bring herself to kill another. In this new light, she thought about her own existence. If this was all true, than that meant she was a darker person than those who had killed others before. In that one moment, her whole morality was turned upside down, and she had to start from scratch.
She spun around, hiding her face. "I need to go."
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 6, 2009 20:54:33 GMT -5
"I know how you feel. You're wondering if you've been right, if you should have been more or less involved, yes? I know, it was the same for me. Admitted, that was when I was a child, but... I didn't really have a choice in becoming comfortable with killing. A man attempted to mug me in an alley, and he wouldn't let go of my throat, therefore I had to kill him, for my own sake. As time went on, I found my self helping others in danger more and more, often having to kill. But either way, one dies. It's a matter of opinion, which is the lesser of two evils, leaving the child or otherwise defenseless person to die, or maim or kill the assailant, often a parent or grandparent, or something. Perhaps it's better to remain in the shadows, to not get involved. You have equal chance of making things worse as you do them better. In the end, the only wrong choice would be to kill both.
My position has evolved to include the choice of 'avenge those slain', or 'slay the masses that slayed them'.
It's twisted, convoluted, wrong. Your standpoint on it is perhaps the best. You seem naive to killing, at least by your own hand. At least, that way, you yourself can live, and run not the risk of increasing the danger experienced by others in the act of trying to save them." Leon explained, knowing that his answer to her previous question had significantly bothered her. He could guess as to why. Besides that, talking about these things had bothered him, and he didn't want to be alone, especially when he did enjoy the available company.
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 6, 2009 22:07:10 GMT -5
Ashe turned back to face him, slightly comforted by his words. But her defenses were already raised, and nothing could get through to her now. Because of this, she also noticed the eyes starting her down from behind. They were not like the lust filled eyes of last time, these were those of a cold-blooded killer. She raised her hand instinctively, catching a knife aimed at her face between her fingers. With a flick of her wrist she sent it back in the direction it had come, lodging it in the neck of the assassin. He fell from the bush with a gurgled cry, and another figure stepped over his body. The man's broad frame was cloaked entirely in black, and he emanated cold, raw power. His voice sent chills down Ashe's spine, "Imagine my luck. Two targets, together." He slipped a knife from his sleeve, "There's a huge bounty on you're head," he said to Leon, and then he turned his gaze to Ashe. "And I was told there's a man willing to pay a good amount for you alive."
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 6, 2009 22:21:26 GMT -5
"Well, you're not getting paid today. Either you leave with your life, or you die. Either way, you are not collecting that money." Leon said, stepping up next to Ashe, one hand on the hilt of the Crimson Nightmare, the other on the hilt of the longsword. He was ready to kill the man, but he prefered to avoid it if possible. Especially because he knew Ashe would be effected enough from having killed the meager assassin. There's no way he could survive a Shrike to the throat.
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 6, 2009 22:33:34 GMT -5
Ashe didn't even notice the man lying on the ground, bleeding from the throat, her sword was already in her hand. She didn't know what was happening, but a small voice inside her head told her to kill. She never stopped to think about it, instead she slid her foot back into a fighting stance and let her face twist into a scowl.
The man watched her with an amused expression. "So the lady wants to take me on? So be it." He pulled off his cloak, revealing a long two-handed bastard sword, honed to a deadly point. Before he could react, Ashe was upon him, her sword locked against his as she forced his back.
Ashe's eyes grew darker as she pushed onward, now he was back against a tree. She twisted her arm and released the knife hidden in her glove, lodging it into the bark beside his ear. "Die," she growled.
(I wonder how many people shes killed without even realizing it=/)
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 6, 2009 23:27:55 GMT -5
Leon's eyes widened, as he thrust out his blades, and killed the dying Assassin and the one pinned to the tree. He sheathed his blades, and moved in front of Ashe, grabbing and shaking her shoulders.
"You've never willingly killed someone. You aren't making that transformation now." He said, looking her in the eyes.
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 7, 2009 15:42:17 GMT -5
Ashe's head shook limply, but finally she raised it, her eyes returned to their normal shade of blue-green. "What...?" Then she saw the dead bodies, and the blade in her hands. She had come so close to killing that man, she had him pinned to the tree... But Leon had been there to save her from it. That cold hand that had grasped her mind and taken control was gone, but she could still hear it from the depths of her mind, why did you hesitate? He would've taken you prisoner, and killed many people if you let him live, why did you not kill him? She pressed her hand to her face, forcing the voice out.
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 7, 2009 17:10:47 GMT -5
A frown creased Leon's forehead. He leaned to the side, so he could still see Ashe's face.
"Are you ok?" He asked, squeazing her shoulders slightly, stopping the shaking. He worried that meeting him had caused this issue with the Assassin, as he seemed to have been actively searching for him, she had seemed only a bonus to the man. If indeed that was the case, it was somewhat his fault for Ashe nearly losing her innocence.
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 8, 2009 22:24:46 GMT -5
Ashe brought her hand back to her side, her ace calm once more. "I'm fine." She broke free from his grip and leaned her back against the tree, sliding her water bottle from her pack and dumping it over her head. She felt the cool liquid run down her face and felt some relief, but she knew it wouldn't last. The voice inside her wouldn't go away, it was always there, urging her on. She was starting to believe it; maybe the world would be better off without certain people. Would it really be such a bad thing to erase them? But she couldn't bring herself to do that.
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 8, 2009 22:49:07 GMT -5
Leon wouldn't pursue the issue further. It was obvious that she wasn't being quite truthfully in simply saying she was fine, but he figured it wouldn't help to nag her either. He just kinda stood there, not really sure what to do or say. He scratched his head, kinda staring absently at his boots. They were nice boots.
(Lol, I don't do that anymore, but I remember I used to get entralled with the designs on my shoes if there was an awkward silence in our conversations XD)
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 16, 2009 18:33:31 GMT -5
Ashe suddenly threw the bottle to the ground and sprung to her feet. "I'm sorry, I... I have to go now." She turned and sprinted across the field quickly, hoping she could find it again... She had just seen it the day before, it was somewhere around here. Finally she found what she was looking for. The river ran smoothly but rapidly, and it's icy water would cool her head. She quickly slipped out of her weapon holsters and emptied all her hidden knives onto the bank and jumped in, cutting the surface. As she came up for air, her head smacked against a sharp rock, and she could feel her vision failing. The fast current pulled her relentlessly as she fought to stay conscious, but it was a battle she couldn't win. Water forced itself down her throat and her blood flowed from her head as she disappeared into darkness...
(duhn duhn DUHN!!!! lol I love doing that XD)
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 16, 2009 19:58:32 GMT -5
Leon had followed her. He felt like he was intruding, like perhaps he shouldn't be doing it, but he was only being sure of the maiden's safety. There was no wrong intent. When she started to remove her weapons, he prepared to turn away, should she make herself indecent, but she didn't, merely removing those before diving cleanly into the water. But, when she came up, she slammed her head into a rock, and fell back blow the surface. He knew she was in trouble. He'd seen the red appear on the side of her head before she went under.
He ran forward and dove into the water, swimming at an inhuman speed to where she was, being swept along below the surface. He grabbed her, and placed his boots on the bottom, kicking off and soaring through the air, landing a couple feet from where she had placed her belongings.
He quickly tilted her head, lifting her chin, and brought his ear to her mouth, looking to see if her chest was rising, and listening for the sounds of breathing. Neither was apparent. As such, he pinched her nose, and brought his lips to hers, breathing deeply, watching her chest rise. After it fell, he repeated the action, before pulling away and lacing his fingers. He placed the heel of his palm on the approximate center of her chest.
He compressed her chest about an inch and a half, letting the ribcage settle before doing it again, repeating the action a total of thiry times in about twenty seconds, before bringing his lips back to hers, and breathing deeply.
(Yes, I do know CPR. Now, anyway. Learned it in five minutes so as to do this post XD. And now, thanks to you, I know it RIGHT lol.)
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 16, 2009 20:42:37 GMT -5
Ashe's eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright, coughing violently. After a few moments the coughs ceased, the water removed from her lungs, and she looked around quickly, her gaze finally coming to rest on Leon. Her head was pounding; she could still feel warm blood flowing, and her whole body was sore. "What- what the hell just happened?" she asked in a shaky voice, her throat like sandpaper.
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Post by Mordecai L. Halder on Dec 16, 2009 21:02:20 GMT -5
"You nailed a rock and almost drowned." Leon said, looking at her with concern.
"I followed to make sure you were ok, and it's a good thing, too. That was a stroke of bad luck that could have cost you your life. Are you ok?" He asked, still holding her head off the ground, his forehead creased with a frown. He still felt slightly wrong about having followed her, but it was by far outweighed by the fact that, had he not, she would have died.
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Post by SoulofDarkness on Dec 16, 2009 22:17:10 GMT -5
Ashe felt herself blushing slightly, but wiped it away quickly. He had been watching her... but at least she had decided to only remove her weapons. And besides that, he had saved her life, and she owed him for that. She cupped her hand to her head in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Even though it wasn't a bad wound, it was bleeding at a dangerous rate due to it's location on the head. She lay back, suddenly feeling dizzy.
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