Re: Baker Street // Baker Street (Vacant)

**Emu Queen** Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:05 am

Baker Street // Baker Street (Vacant) - Page 23 __layout_zpse948848d

Baker Street // Baker Street (Vacant) - Page 23 Masky_zps256fe12d

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Where this figure had come from wasn`t clear at all- but as Ryder raced forward, desperate to get to the Walls and Jo-- a cloaked, masked man dressed in dark red descended right from the sky above, landing on his feet with a thunderous boom directly in front of the redhead, stopping him in his tracks. His parasol opened up above him and perched upon his shoulder, one could guess he perhaps floated down that way- but, the small cracks in the asphalt below he had made upon landing suggested otherwise.
"Helloooo there~!" He chimed, comical voice and lisp contrasting maniacally with his rather... odd and suspicious appearance- he took a step toward Ryder, intentions still unclear. Something was off generally about him, even comparing now to other times he had mysteriously approached the denizens of No Man`s Land-- something was very, very different. "I am the Red Masque, happy to make your acquaintance--!" He took another step forward, apparently not planning on attacking or anything-- as much as the dangerous aura radiating off him suggested otherwise. "And you sir, are Ryder Mercy- how nifty to see you in person...~! Though, honestly, I thought you`d be... taller...? Not that you aren`t tall, you`re plenty tall--! But, hey, we all grow at different speeds--" And another step forward- and this time, when he spoke-- the sinister quality in his voice became a touch more apparent.
"...So, where are you off to in such a hurry, hm...?"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:18 am

Baker Street // Baker Street (Vacant) - Page 23 Ryder213_zps298ce2db

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
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"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Suffice to say--when Masque suddenly plunged down from the sky, Ryder did back up a few steps, immediately readying his bat and glaring at the man--however, the masked man's voice took him off guard, and he frowned slightly, staring at him in confusion.
"Hi...?" he replied to Masque's greeting, lowering his bat slightly, and listening to what the man had to say. Certainly, figures that slammed down from the sky were quite suspicious...When Masque commented about his height, he looked down at himself momentarily, then back at the masked man, as he was asked where he was going. In response to this, he answered quite simply, "To save the world. I'm kind of in a hurry, so...yeah. Sorry to talk and run. But I've got some work to do." And with that, Ryder went ahead and made an attempt to walk right around the imposing figure that was Masque, seemingly paying no mind to the fact that this man was most likely quite dangerous. He was wearing mental blinders at the moment--getting to the Walls was his top priority, and he didn't want to deal with anything else.

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:26 am

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Ryder`s reply earned a slow, steady nod and a hum of approval from Masque, whom stayed still in place as Ryder walked around him, supposedly not planning on taking any action to stop the redhead.
However- Ryder would be able to advance just a few quick steps forward, before suddenly-- Masque materialized directly in front of him all over again. No footsteps echoed forward with his appearance, no indication that he had ever moved from his previous spot came-- he just... appeared there, looming over the young man again. "Everybody wants to save the world! I know I do~! How`re you gonna do it, Ryder?" The male inquired cheerily, tilting his head to one side to portray the curiosity his vacant masked face could not. "You`re not heading to the Walls, are you...?"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:05 am

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Ryder stopped short as Red Masque appeared in front of him again, seeming to step back a bit again. He glanced back at where the man had been standing before, then back to where he was standing now, seeming to become more defensive as he replied to the man,
"I've got my own plan to save the world...and you don't need to hear it. Yeah, I'm heading for the walls...and like I said, I'm in a hurry. As much as I'd love to stay and talk to someone I've never met before in my life, I've really got to go." He paused for a moment, adding in a bit more of a forceful voice, "So, 'Red Masque', get out of the way. I've got a job to do."

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:45 am

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"Oh, rude-" Masque didn`t seem nearly as enthused with Ryder`s response this time around, his shoulders drooping some to show this. "But, I`m afraid I can`t let you do that~! Yasee, Charles is a real good friend of mine..." His head tilted upward then, toward the sky- where Charles` and Jo`s message had once been. In truth, Masque didn`t agree much at all with his friend`s methods-- but, who was he to try and correct him...? He glanced back down at Ryder, twirling his parasol once and continuing to speak in that silly, almost mocking tone-- "Soooo... I wanna make sure he comes out of this one all okay-like! We`ve both got jobs to do- they just contrast a little bit. In a bad way. I guess this puts us at an impasse...? Your princess is in another castle, Mr. Mercy-- howzabout instead of fighting or anything dumb like that, we do some-- smart people stuff! How about a spirited debate to settle this, huh? Sound fun? I think it sounds fun-"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:16 am

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

The moment that Red Masque said that Charles was a good friend of his, Ryder immediately gave the man a heated glare. He blamed Charles for what had happened to Jo--so if this man was Charles' friend, Ryder instantly saw him as an enemy. He gripped a bit tighter onto his bat, and as Masque made the princess comment, Ryder replied forcefully,
"No, actually, my princess is in the walls--where I'd really like to go, if you'd just get out of the way." And then smart people things were suggested--and Ryder heaved a big sigh, giving Masque a look before speaking again, "Listen--I'm not the smartest guy around, so if you want a debate, you're gonna have to look somewhere else. If you keep standing there, I'm gonna have to move you by force--and yes, I mean by fighting you. Now move."

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:49 am

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Masque`s lips twitched under his mask, turning up into a smirk as he caught sight of Ryder`s glare. His voice only betrayed his amusement slightly. "Ah-ah-- but, I said I like Charles and I don`t want people interfering with his plans. In the Walls. Where you wanna go. So, It`s kinda-- yeah--" Ryder went on to clarify that he wasn`t really so smart, and that they apparently had to do the fight thing... Masque heaved a dramatic, loud sigh-- as if trying to compete with Ryder`s sigh-- and closed his umbrella, tucking it under his arm. "Well... if you insist~! Was kinda looking forward to that debate thing- but, okay-" He took a step back from Ryder-- and simply opened his arms open wide, leaving himself completely vulnerable to attack. "I can do the fighty thing too, I guess-- you wanna take the first shot?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued- "Y`know, I`m starting to see why Yuri likes you so much! At first I was a little confused- because no offense, but... that power level difference? It`s... a smidgen extreme, isn`t it? But, no- you`ve got this fire in your eyes... probably spurs Yuri on-- he`s never had real good tastes. Oh, that sounded weird-"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:09 pm

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Ryder, at first, had felt pretty confident that he could get through this guy quickly--but as Masque simply opened his arms and stood there wide open for attack, that triggered a few warning flags for Ryder. It reminded him of--the person that Masque had just mentioned.
"You know him--?" Ryder asked, his eyebrows raising slightly. Another person from Yuri's past, perhaps...? Just like Ross...
Ryder hated facing these people. Being told by Ross that he hadn't known as much about Yuri as him--it had made Ryder's blood boil, for reasons that he just couldn't understand. And now here was another one. Ryder glared Masque down for a moment, suspicious of the man's careless position. Either he was totally insane--or very powerful. Or both. That was all that Ryder could assume. He backed up a step, raising his bat up and pointing the barrel of the rifle at Masque's chest. He wasn't going to go running towards the man if he couldn't gauge his power first--so, he tested this by firing off two shots at the masked man. Maybe this would give a little insight...
He didn't have time to waste here--he needed to get to the walls as fast as he could--and he wasn't intending to be stopped.

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sun Sep 07, 2014 9:25 am

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"Yes, no, maybe so~" A knowing and somewhat mocking lilt sneaked it`s way into Masque`s voice as Ryder questioned his knowing Yuri-- he seemed to sense that bugged the redhead at least somewhat. "Would you believe me if I said we were college roommates maybe--?"
As Ryder readied his rifle bat to fire right at his chest- Masque made no move, not even the slightest effort to get out of harm`s way. With the squeeze of the trigger, two bullets were sent whizzing right at his chest, a blow that would surely be fatal-- but... nothing happened.
There was no indication of pain on Masque`s part- no blood spreading, no helpless clink of the bullets falling onto the ground due to some kind of cybernetic implant. It was as if they had disappeared an instant before ripping through the male`s chest-- or as if it had never even existed. Yet, the shots had been fired-- and Masque hadn`t so much as moved an inch.
But, never the less-- he yawned, and opened his arms just a bit wider, as if the reason for this mishap had been the fact that his arms drooped slightly. "Wanna try again...? I don`t have time to waste- I mean, you might, but I honestly don`t have anything better to do! So--"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Mon Sep 08, 2014 10:39 am

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Ryder's eyebrows raised, his eyes going wide as the bullets seemed to disappear into thin air just in front of Masque, right before hitting him. This alone set off several alarm bells for Ryder about this guy's power levels--with Yuri, at least, the bullets had hit the guy--sure, they hadn't really done anything, but they had at least made contact. With Masque, though, there was no trace of the bullets left. As if they had never even been fired. Ryder seemed to pause for a moment, then figured that he had no more time to waste here. Every second he stayed here, that was one more second that he wasn't with Jo--and finding her and figuring this whole situation out was the first thing on his priority list. Masque's words only seemed to irritate Ryder, and he suddenly spoke,
"What the hell are you...?!"
Bullets didn't work--maybe the guy just had some kind of defense against long range attacks--? At this point--Ryder figured that it was about time to get back to basics. He gripped his bat tightly in his hand, shifting slightly before quickly dashing forward and swinging his bat for the man's legs. Broken knees usually made people unable to block your way, after all...so, Ryder was hoping that this would work--!

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Wed Sep 10, 2014 7:05 pm

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Masque didn`t seem to have an answer for Ryder`s inquiry about what exactly he was-- and as the redhead charged at him, bat held aloft-- the cloaked man made no move to avoid it. As Ryder swiped his bat at the male`s kneecaps, he`d feel a distinct lack of... anything-- as he struck the space where Masque`s legs should have been. He appeared about a foot forward just a moment later, Ryder having ran right by him-- and although his actions were once again clear, he did visibly stumble a bit, spitting out words in some definite foreign language as he straightened up again.
Once he did- he wasted no time in twirling back around to face Ryder, his arms tucked behind his back. It was becoming more and more evident that he was hell bent on getting into his opponent`s head-- he was gauging each and every one of Ryder`s reactions, and milking this for all it was worth. "Death," He replied to his earlier question- certainly late, but still firmly. He waited a tense moment before continuing- "... No, I`m kidding--! Would you believe me if I said I was---Iuno, George Clooney in a silly costume-- or Yuri`s long lost father-- or just-- a very confused sentient lemon chicken-- with legs--"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:36 pm

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Ryder skid to a halt as he felt his bat make no contact with anything--generally, when people dodged, he saw it--but that time, he hadn't seen the man move at all. However, he heard Masque's grumblings, and turned to face him, an obviously irritated look on his features.
"...Either you're a hologram, or this is going to be even more annoying than I thought," he spoke bluntly, not looking forward to this conflict at all. He was confident that he could win if he just figured out a way to hit the man--what he was really worried about was getting to Jo. He couldn't help but feel an intense sense of foreboding about this entire situation--and the sooner he got to the walls, the better.
As he listened to Masque's reply, he seemed to cringe a bit--and seeing as how well Ryder knew that Yuri often ranted about death, he honestly didn't put it past this guy to be some weird personification of the concept--in Yuri's eyes, at least. As far as Ryder cared, this guy seemed fairly human--just...insanely fast. Or something like that. He didn't want to convince himself that this was a losing fight--he had told himself that he wouldn't doubt himself for the rest of this ordeal, so now wasn't the time. "Okay, cut the crap--! I've got shit to do and you're in the way, so you're going down!" Pausing for a moment to try to gauge the situation, Ryder wondered if maybe striking for a higher spot on Masque's body might help things. He couldn't help but feel a bit foolish, having already missed completely twice--but there was nothing for it. He had to keep trying. He took a few steps to the side, seemingly trying to find a good place to strike--before charging at Masque again for all he was worth, this time aiming straight for the front of the man's ribcage when he swung at him with the bat. "Outta my way--!"

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:39 pm

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"You`re right about the second part, I guess-" Masque murmured in response to Ryder`s initial statement, shrugging his shoulders a bit- he swung his umbrella around at his side once, perching it upon his shoulder afterward. Though there was no outward indication, he found himself rather pleased with Ryder`s slight reaction to him calling himself 'death'-- this man knew Yuri better than he had originally thought...
Again, he didn`t move in the slightest as Ryder poised himself to strike, looking over the cloaked male strategically- he remained that way, only tilting his head some as the redhead charged forward. But, as Ryder struck his bat at Masque`s rib cage-- this time, he allowed him to see what exactly had been preventing him from getting a clean hit in.
Masque`s stomach and chest evaporated entirely into pitch black specs of dust- expanding quickly and allowing the blunt of Ryder`s attack to flow through it`s center. Once the blow had passed through him- the dust zipped back together, materializing into Masque`s form all over again-- and the male didn`t seem bothered much from this sudden... event. He simply cleared his throat, straightened his head back up- and turned toward Ryder, opening his arms up at his sides again. "...Try again. I dare you."

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:22 pm

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

As Ryder's bat passed through Red Masque yet another time--he actually managed to see how this was happening this time. Reacting with shock, Ryder stumbled back a few steps, staring at Masque with disbelief.
"You're..." Ryder managed to speak, but had no idea what to say. This man...had Yuri been talking about this man the entire time...? Ryder had fought plenty of terrifying enemies before--but Masque was in a totally different league. "Shit..." Ryder paused for a moment to try to re-gauge the situation, hoping to think of some new strategy to fight this man with--but if he could disintegrate at will, this was going to be far more than just an average battle...and frankly, as Ryder suddenly heard a loud rumbling from the walls and a strange light streaked across the sky--it became quite clear that he needed to hurry. He quickly turned to look at Masque again, glowering as he spoke in a voice with an obvious edge of irritation paired with anxiety on it. "I'm getting pretty tired of your--whatever it is you're doing! I don't care who you are or what you want--I'm getting to those walls. Enough of your messing around--either get serious or get out, because I'm going!" He raised his bat threateningly, as if trying to egg Masque on into attacking--if he could figure out this man's fighting style, at the very least, maybe it would expose a weakness... "Come at me, if you really wanna stop me!"

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:04 pm

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Masque seemed-- confused at Ryder`s response, slowly tilting his head to the side and twirling the handle of his parasol just some. This was, of course, but an act-- each word and movement from him felt underhandedly degrading, as if he was in some constant state of scoffing at the man before him.
As focused as Masque was on staring over at Ryder with vacant masked eyes- the sudden streak of light across the sky caught his attention. "Ohp--" He murmured, glancing up-- and immediately recognizing the other blaze of red lighting flying about above them. "I guess the girl finally awakened...? A little late... that stuff usually happens back in childhood, not in their thirties... late bloomer, I guess...? Iuno, psychics are freaks- they give me the jeebie heebies a bit-" CP was in some big trouble-- either that, or Jo was...? He couldn`t exactly tell how the fight was going from down here, as much as he would have liked to-- and soon, Ryder`s provocation brought him back to Earth, earning another stare from the cloaked man whom still stood at a distance, motionless as if he were some sort of still life painting brought to reality.
"...Oh-- well-- er..." He seemed to have to contemplate this, looking for at his feet and shuffling about awkwardly a bit- before he shrugged, closing his parasol once again and keeping it in a firm hold in gloved hands.
"If you say so-" Masque disappeared an instant later- no specs of dust left behind to indicate he had so much as been there to begin with. For a few fraught, tense moments, it looked almost as if he had vacated the street, leaving Ryder alone entirely...
But soon enough- the redhead would feel the center of Masque`s umbrella sort of just-- bonk against the back of his head. Not too hard, but hard enough to supply an annoying tingle of pain. "Bonk-"

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:59 am

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
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"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

"Wh-What girl--? Who awakened to what--?! Stop being so goddamn cryptic, you asshole--!" Ryder demanded, the further loud crashes that were sounding throughout the city not doing much for his nerves. As Masque disappeared, his eyes opened wide and he tensed up, waiting to see the man reappear--only to be bonked on the head from behind. His immediate reaction to this was to immediately whirl around, swinging his bat at Masque just as hard as he could. "Don't fuck with me!" He backed up a few steps, then, firing off three bullets Masque's way, aiming for different places on the man's body--maybe he wouldn't be able to do the mist thing with this many attacks at once, Ryder thought--then again, Ryder wasn't really thinking right now. His entire thought process was focused on finding out what was going on--and finding Jo and making sure that she was safe.

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:01 pm

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As quick as Ryder was to whirl around and swing at Masque- this time, the male only ducked under his bat, remaining in his somewhat squatted position and eyeing Ryder as the male backed off. He waited until the redhead`s finger brushed against the trigger- before slowly, his entire body began to evaporate into black dust from the bottom to the top. It appeared to be a slow process from an outsider`s perspective- but, it was quick enough to spare him from the bullets. In this new locust-like form, he shifted forward some, before re-materializing-- this time much closer to Ryder. Without a word just yet, he turned his umbrella and forcefully rammed it`s handle into Ryder`s gut-- pulling back and stepping away quickly, not wanting to risk being struck from the short range.
"I said psychic- the girl you`re trying to... er, save?" He glanced up at the sky, observing as two red streaks of light darted over to the Conqueror Town Ruins. This city was gonna be totaled in a bit... it was kind of a shame... "She`s fighting a crazy AI android thingy-ma-jigger-- but, it`s okay! This could be really good! I`m kinda counting on her winning- Charles actually finishing his plans would be... counter-productive--? I kinda like humanity where it is? It`s a real nice... species. I`d say she has a good chance- but, I mean, it`s always likely she gets torn to bits by the crazy android thing. ... I mean- that`s kinda really likely, actually. She`s rabid-- control is key--" He murmured the last bit, almost as if he were worried about frazzling Ryder`s nerves-

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:38 am

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Ryder grimaced as he saw his bullets whiz straight through the mist that Masque had converted into--not even having any time to attempt to dodge when Masque's umbrella handle shoved itself into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to let out a loud heave of air. Gripping at his stomach with his free hand, Ryder looked up, squinting slightly as he recovered from the pain, about to yell at Masque--but then the masked man spoke, and Ryder's eyes slowly opened up wide, his entire body slackening somewhat in shock as he put two and two together.
"B-But...Jo's not..." Ryder mumbled quietly, his mind immediately leaping back to the day that the Inquisitor had psychically bashed his way through Carrion Land and demolished over half its population. Masque's words seemed to overlay this image almost like a narration of sorts--and as the flashback faded to an end and Masque continued talking, Ryder seemed to pale considerably. He opened his mouth as if to form words--making several attempts that just ended in strangled noises leaking forth from his throat. Jo was...doing what? Those streaks up in the sky...were who? There was a chance...of her being...what? He continued to stare at Red Masque for a moment, a far-away look in his eyes as he straightened up just slightly--before suddenly dashing straight at the masked man and unleashing a flurry of uncontrolled bat-swings at the man's body.
"Outta the way, outta the way, GET OUTTA THE WAY!"

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:32 am

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Masque did nothing but watch, peering at Ryder vacantly through the dark holes of his mask as he attempted to take in the information the cloaked male was feeding him-- he couldn`t help but feel something like pity pang in his gut. For someone Masque knew to be particularly involved with the events of No Man`s Land-- this seemed as if it were news to him...
Admittedly- he hadn`t expected Ryder to lash out like that. He let out a distinctively unmanly squeak of surprise- springing off to the side and evaporating different parts of his body at a time to avoid each of Ryder`s haphazard swings. "Calm down, calm down--! Listen, stupid-- pardon my language-- anyway, even if you did somehow manage to get to her, she wouldn`t even--listen--! Her--psychicnesswhatever kind of just... kick started into a super late stage of development kinda usually reserved for really old psychics... even then it`s kinda--awful. Not a fun time. Iuno what`s up with her-- but, she`d likely just kinda... kill you if you got too close. Like-- violently. And anyone else. And if all these earthy rumblies are any indication to what`s going on right now, probably any buildings too. She can`t help it. For all I know she`s killing herself right now. Very likely. Quite frankly, I`d stoop that low if I were a freak like that? Iuno. But, hey-- I`m not the psychic guy-- that was kinda Xiu`s thing, moreso. Call me racist- psychics are freaky freaks. Either way, the long and short of it is just that either she kills CP-02, all the other CP units are freed and humanity as a whole is saved but stuck in constant disorder due to the absence of their only remaining authority figure-- oRRR she dies. Painfully. CP-02`s a sadistic li`l bugger, he is- probably gonna be up to some real gross stuff. Iuno." He attempted to explain, stumbling a decent distance away from the redhead and eyeing him from afar. "...None of that matters, though. I`m afraid I can`t let you get out of here alive, actually-- no hard feelings, though. I say that to a whooole lot of people~!" No footsteps accompanied his sudden appearance directly in front of Ryder- this time, he jabbed the tip of his umbrella into Ryder`s gut- a surprising and almost inhuman amount of strength backing the attack. Immediately afterward he withdrew, swiping his parasol down toward the other`s knees-- it actually wasn`t clear if he was intentionally mimicking the other or not...

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

Akikazemoon Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:02 am

Ryder Mercy
The Boss
-------------------------------------
"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
-------------------------------------

Just one hit--Ryder glared as he continued swinging--he just needed to land one hit--just one--! As Masque actually began speaking again, Ryder seemed to get more and more frantic with his attack--even getting fairly sloppy with his swings.
"Shut up...shut up...SHUT UP--! Nobody is dying! Not Jo, not me, NOBODY!" Ryder shouted as he continued swinging--only for Masque to suddenly shift position again, and before the redhead could react, the tip of Masque's umbrella was stabbed into his gut. He stared down at the injury as a small blotch of blood began to form around it--only for the umbrella to then be swiftly pulled out, and swept against his legs, making him fall to the ground. He stared at Masque for a moment, bewildered, then quickly did his best to get to his feet again, clearly in pain thanks to his injury. "There's...no way that I'd let you kill me...plenty of people have said they would kill me before...nobody's managed to...and that's not about to change...!" He tried to think of a new form of attack--he really did--but he was too panicked. He staggered forward, haphazardly swinging his bat at Masque again, eyes wide with the shock that had come with all of the information that Masque had just poured upon him. "Nobody's dying here...except you...!"

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:40 pm

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Masque waited, silent and reaction-less for Ryder to swing at him again-- once he had, he shifted his umbrella up, parrying the blow with the midsection of the parasol. He worked the device something like a staff- twisting it quickly before lunging the handle back toward the redhead`s gut in one swift movement. "Please, Ryder-- trust me, I`m just a biiit older than you are..." As if a gust of wind had brushed by them, he disappeared- only to reappear directly behind Ryder, and send a swing at the male`s side, then another jab toward the center of his back. After something of a pause- he sent another barrage of hits toward Ryder`s back, far too quickly to be visible from an outsider`s perspective. Each hit from him was dangerously strong-- as if it were a good fifty men attacking an area as opposed to just one. "I`ve been told by plenty that they`d kill me, too~! Farrr more people than you could ever even imagine..." Only an instant later, he disappeared and reappeared all over again- this time in front, and whacking at the redhead`s wrist. "Needless to say, it doesn`t work out so well for them. Because, well- some people are just... superior! Made better! Built to survive-- they`re the fittest!" He bounded back- in the case that his attack on Ryder`s wrist didn`t get the bat away, he didn`t want to be too close. In truth, he didn`t think of Ryder`s weapon as too big of a threat to him-- but he had an impression to make here...! "Like... er, take Yuri! Or his daughter! Or that weird little greenette friend of yours- with the plants. I like that one..." His voice dipped into something more sinister as he eyed Ryder from afar, "But, you...? You`re average at best--" Slowly, he began to close the space between them again, stalking closer and seeming larger by the second. "And natural selection is not at all kind to the 'average', Ryder..."

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:58 pm

Baker Street // Baker Street (Vacant) - Page 23 Tiny10

Baker Street // Baker Street (Vacant) - Page 23 Layout13

Kraven
☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠

"RYYYYYYDDDEEEEERRRR!!" a rather loud, somewhat familiar sounding, but still new voice echoed through the whole street. Yuri ran down Baker Street, a rather serious expression on his face. He was engaged in combat with none other than Red Masque himself... by all means, Ryder Mercy was committing suicide. Not willing to let his "battle-brother" pass until they had taken over the world, the small blonde charged Red Masque and attempted to dropkick him from behind "BEGONE WITH YOU DEATH! THIS ONE IS EXEMPT FROM YOUR LAWS!" he barked out, falling over on his face from the drop kick. He quickly got back on his feet however and laughed rather loudly "BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!" before pointing to himself "IF YOU WISH TO TAKE HIS LIFE, YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH I, KRAVEN!" he announced rather loudly, in his typical fashion. Except smaller.

☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠
"DEATH IS MY FATHER, MY BROTHER, EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD TO ME!!!"
Kraven Theme - Holy Diver

**Not Manchee** Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:27 pm

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❤ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ❤

Cathy skipped in after Kraven, unable to hold back giggles as the small blonde announced his presence, challenging Red Masque. This was NOT going to end well, was it? She was probably going to enjoy some of the Yuri beaten up, she wasn't gonna lie to herself about that...but she should probably do something to make sure he didn't die. Another Kraven death was not acceptable.

"Kravey be careful~"

That should do it, yeah. Just in case, though, she took her syringe out...obviously that would help fighting Red Masque. What could go wrong?

❤ ✄ ♔ ✄ ♔ ❤

❝ Cathy'll take good care of you~! ❞

Akikazemoon Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:48 am

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Ryder Mercy
The Boss
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"I guess it's true what they say...you never know how strong you are...until being strong is the only choice you've got."
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Ryder was battered back and forth by Masque at speeds that were practically impossible to detect. Bruises quickly began blooming across his skin as Masque bashed him back and forth. As Masque's onslaught finally ended and Ryder was left to think about the masked man's words, he still refused to give up the fight--but the words were beginning to sink in, and it was undeniable that there was a certain sense of doubt beginning to loom over Ryder--until he heard his voice being roared out loud across the street--and then a small, blonde guy came and drop kicked Red Masque. Oh. Ryder stared at Yuri for a moment, eyes wide.
"Who--" he stuttered out--only to hear the blonde speaking his name. "...YURI--?!" He stared wide-eyed at Yuri for a moment, and then Cathy showed up, verifying it. Ryder did his very best to ignore the giant syringe that Catherine pulled out, instead focusing on wondering why Kraven was so small. That was...odd, to say the least. Yuri was actually...shorter than him now. This was really weird--and he had no idea what was going on--but still, it gave Ryder a new burst of hope, and he gave Masque a cheeky grin before calling over to the masked man, "No matter how average I might be...I've got rivals in high places, you know? Just look who's come to back me up...!" Honestly, this felt almost nostalgic. The first time that Kraven and Ryder had worked together had been on Baker's Street--and yet again on this forlorn road, they were joining together once more to fight an even bigger enemy. He took a moment to look at Yuri, then jerking his thumb in Masque's direction before saying, "You know, I dunno just who this guy is, but we're knocking his fucking head off, alright?!" He picked up his bat from where it had fallen on the ground, barely feeling the pain of his injuries now, having received a huge confidence boost with the arrival of Kraven and Catherine. "Let's do this thing--!"

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Ryder's Theme - Burn My Dread

**Emu Queen** Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:56 pm

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The moment Yuri`s roar ripped through the cold air of Baker Street- an audible sigh slipped from Masque, and he took a single step forward- causing Yuri`s drop kick to connect firmly with... well, the air. His shoulders kind of just drooped, and for a while there, he looked physically done with this whole thing... until he seemed to finally decide to humor Yuri, turning around to face the blonde.
He glanced at Ryder as the redhead spoke, not really acknowledging anything with a real response yet-- he seemed a little annoyed with all this, now. After a bit of just staring at Yuri and Ryder, Masque crossed his arms, speaking disapprovingly, "...You do not just get to come out here, challenge me, and be this small at the same time." He uncrossed his arm, placing the tip of his umbrella onto the ground and leaning onto it slightly as he glanced the small group over. "Though, I gotta say, this is pretty cute~! You look just like you did the day I found you~! Except back then you were no where near as cool- I invented Kraven... Yuri`d be dead by now..." He hummed, "If you wanna back out, now`s probably the time..."

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

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