Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sat Aug 02, 2014 12:29 am

On their way to the Playboy Mansion, Jackal, Bunny, and Buddi would run into a dense fog. This fog, dense and foreboding, quickly separated the three, and slowly, it began to clear. As the fog cleared, each and every one of the Vulture Team officers would find themselves in a different location. Now doubt this was the result of Killer Queen's psychic powers, just as she'd used her powers in the Inquisitor Tower, they once again found themselves trapped in one of the Assassin's constructs. Buddi found himself alone in the Inquisitor Tower, dark, dusty, filled with the spirits of the dead. Slowly, corpses of familiar faces would begin to rise from the the floor, which for a few moments seemed to look as if the bodies were floating up from the water. In a matter of seconds Buddi found himself in a bloodied room filled with corpses, not unlike the day when Mr. Heart attacked the Inquisitor Tower. He was alone, and the entire tower was completely silent.

**Emu Queen** Sat Aug 02, 2014 4:35 pm

Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower Buddi11_zps7fc043c9

ＢＵＤＤＩ
ＪｅｒｅｍｉａｈＣａｒｒａｗａｙ（？）

『 just like an amnesiac, trying to get my senses back
laughing with a mouth of blood
from a little spill I took 』

__________________________________________________________________________________________

At some point since the fog had turned up, he must have stopped paying attention to his surroundings- because the next time he glanced over his shoulders, Bunny and Jackal were no where to be found.
Which caused him to slow down, suddenly tentative- it had been days since he`d actually recovered... there was no way it was safe for him to be out here all on his own. After a few more steps, it wasn`t long until an unfamiliar wetness reached his ankle- and by the time his dark eyes flickered downward, a murky lake of innards and thickened blood had filled to his knees.
His eyes stretched open wide as he gasped and stumbled away in a panic- and as he did, the sensation of... something scaly seemed to brush against the bare skin of his back. Quickly and frantically, he whirled in that direction- but as soon as he caught sight of a shock of brown hair, he couldn`t move away fast enough.
His large form broke into an involuntary tremble, sending tremors of movement through the blood gathered around him- the scent was near overwhelming, thoughts clouding and heavy-- and the longer he spent in here, the more time his weakened mind had to work. He wish he knew what this all meant... but, for once- the metallic scent of inner fluids was unwelcome to the mutant. Something about this was different- foreboding, morbidly nostalgic...
Buddi trudged a step forward, and scuttled right back as something seemed to brush against his left leg this time- further evaluation informed him that it was... a mask...? He used one arm to keep his buzz axe somewhat elevated, while the other reached to salvage this object-- he couldn`t explain... why exactly he was so particularly interested in this article... but, soon enough, he managed to grab it and bring it closer to his own face. His eyes ran over it`s shape, evaluating and calculating- and once it clicked that this mask seemed to be in the shape of a human heart, he snarled-- and tossed it far away, causing it to splash in the distance.
He glared at where it landed, for he could very clearly see it still floating above the plasma- and as he scanned over the area once more, his sight caught on... what appeared to be a top hat, popping up into view, as if something had been pulling to keep it submerged previously. Checkered in black and white- what a positively eccentric design. He wrinkled his nose as familiarity sank in- and allowed his shoulders to drop, a rabid sort of rage building in his chest. Buddi was never one to deal with hauntings, his broken psyche did this to him without any physicality needed-- he felt caged, and an itch in the back of his mind told him the only way to deal with this was to break the fucking cage.
Still, the white and paralyzing fear that had spread through the marrow of his bones kept him nailed in place. "...H-Hello...?" He whimpered out at last, now acknowledging the heat gathering in his eyes- which was alarming, to say the least. He couldn`t remember the last time he cried... "...Is anybody here...?" The mutant moved his free hand to the hilt of his buzz axe- they were guessing that this would be a trap. And he figured he would be ready for any fight- but... not whatever this was... "...Th-this isn`t very funny..."

__________________________________________________________________________________________
⊰ Buddi`s Theme - Laughing With a Mouth of Blood ⊱

Akikazemoon Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:00 pm

Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower NeoOrane55_zpsf4fb4318

Orane Riviere
Forget-Me-Not
-------------------------------------
"Second chances don't just come around every day...this time, I'll be strong--for everyone's sake."
-------------------------------------

Orane had closed his eyes as the initial darkness of Barbara's illusions set in--not wanting to have to see them literally form around him, for fear that it might be a bit too much to deal with. After a moment, he opened his eyes--and the room around him brought a wave of familiarity--but it wasn't a very positive familiarity. The blood splattered around--which Orane all too quickly realized had risen up a bit too high to be comfortable--this wasn't how he wanted to remember this version of the Inquisitor's tower. Orane wasn't sure how Barbara had conjured up something so vivid--but he took a spare moment to remind himself that none of this was real. And whoever he was going to face in here, he was going to have to beat them. But why the old Inquisitor's Tower...? What connection would this place have to any of Vulture's members? It didn't seem to make sense.
He found himself in the shadows of the room as he suddenly heard a tentative voice break the silence. For a moment, the only sound was that of dripping blood into the pool of the plasma flooding the ground--but then the voice came again. And as he heard the voice, Orane's brows furrowed. That sounded like...no--it couldn't be. Jolyne had said that he'd died. There was no way...It had to just be a coincidence. Just similar voices. Or maybe being in this place--this illusory phantom of the Inquisitor's Tower, awash with blood--maybe it was doing something to his head. Barbara had warned him not to freak out. He had to focus, and deal with whatever came at him. He took a deep breath, pulling his ribbon off of his belt and frowning as it unraveled into the thick pool of blood. It would be much more difficult to swing around while wet...and he wouldn't be able to use the hover function of his shoes here, either...this didn't seem too good. Still, he pressed forward, beginning to wade through the thick liquid, moving forward through the murky dark in the direction that he'd heard that voice earlier--and soon enough, saw quite the large form coming into view ahead. Someone that big would be difficult to take on...he knew that he was going to need a plan--but as soon as Orane came close enough to the figure to actually make out more than their silhouette, he stopped in his tracks, his arms falling limply by his sides as he stared at Buddi. So then...that voice had been...
"...You're..." his voice came out quietly--but it seemed louder simply due to the contrast to the quiet around them. He sounded as unsure as he felt--this couldn't be real. It had to be an illusion. What reason would Jolyne have to lie? Even if Buddi had survived the Don's onslaught somehow, what reason would he have to join Vulture Team of all things? Orane couldn't help himself--he stood there, dumbfounded and unmoving. "...alive...?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orane's Theme - Divenire

**Emu Queen** Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:27 pm

ＢＵＤＤＩ
ＪｅｒｅｍｉａｈＣａｒｒａｗａｙ（？）

『 just like an amnesiac, trying to get my senses back
laughing with a mouth of blood
from a little spill I took 』

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The metal of his buzz axe rattled on the silence as his arms trembled, stance ready and alert as he prepared himself for any kind of attack. He felt light and heavy all at once, his overly sensitive senses triggered extensively by his surroundings and suspicions-- and the abrupt noise of something dropping into the thick liquid around him from afar only served to alert him further. He whipped in that direction, breath growing heavier and heavier as his anxiety built, and he waited for his opponent to show himself-- herself-- itself. He wasn`t sure- he also wasn`t sure how exactly he was going to... well, fight-- with an ocean of blood pooling up to his knees. As that thought dawned on him, his paranoia peaked- he could die here. He could die here without amounting to much at all- he could die a criminal, and no one could so much as find his body. He didn`t want to die a criminal...
As a petite silhouette finally appeared in the distance, Buddi suddenly froze- not in realization, but in expectation. His impaired vision couldn`t make out the figure just yet- he noted subtle hints of dark and bright colors, blotched together to form... something. He glared, attention honed-- but slowly, almost tentatively- this figure revealed himself, and needless to say-- Buddi lowered his weapon.
His eyes stretched open wide in shock, and his throat fell dry and tight, unwilling to release words. He`d... seen Orane`s grave. Heard about the body. Heard how he died. Him and Pugsy had been searching for 'Atticus' since then...
Yet-- before him stood Orane.
Dressed far differently than the mutant could remember, yes-- but... there was no mistaking it. Orane was ingrained into Buddi`s very limited memory as one of the first humans he had truly interacted with- the first, with his sister, to reach out to him to begin with...
He`d been through the Inquisitor Tower- and he had any and all reason to believe that the Orane before him was another petty illusion, like the Inquisitor used on them all way back when. This could easily be someone mocking his late friend, someone hoping to rile his emotions to get the better of him and kill him-- but, like a fly drawn to a bright light, Buddi dropped his weapon- and advanced forward quickly.
He didn`t seen to really mind the splashing of blood about him as he moved, and as soon as he was close enough to Orane-- he threw his arms around the smaller male, clinging tightly-- but still being--well, cautious enough to not suffocate the pinkette. He didn`t say anything, not yet- he simply held onto him, almost as if he assumed that should he let go, Orane would be whisked away yet again. He didn`t so much as wonder how Orane ended up here, or why-- he was much too focused on the overwhelming guilt suddenly lifting off his heavy shoulders. Orane was here... he`d made it, after all this time-- Buddi`s failure felt obsolete suddenly...
"...Y-Yeah- I think so..." Buddi finally stuttered back after some time, his voice still hoarse and quiet. He didn`t bother to ask Orane the same thing- scared of the possibility of not liking whatever his answer should be. "...Where are we--?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________
⊰ Buddi`s Theme - Laughing With a Mouth of Blood ⊱

Akikazemoon Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:23 pm

Orane Riviere
Forget-Me-Not
-------------------------------------
"Second chances don't just come around every day...this time, I'll be strong--for everyone's sake."
-------------------------------------

Orane blinked in surprise as Buddi began making his way towards him, and before he knew it, the man's large arms were wrapped around him in a hug. There was...no way that this was an illusion. It was way too solid, too real--and slowly, Orane raised his own arms up, tightly wrapping his much smaller arms around Buddi's waist to return the hug.
"If you want the truth, I'm pretty sure that we're in an illusion...one of the girls in the faction has the power to summon up things with her mind..." he replied to Buddi's question, then quickly added after a moment, "Oh--but--I promise that I'm real. At least...I'm pretty sure that I am. I still don't really understand why I'm back again and all...b-but I'm more surprised about you...I was told that you and Isaac died..." Could this mean that Isaac was alive, too? Orane saw no reason why Barbara would include Buddi in this illusion--it wouldn't have anything to do with their fight against Vulture. Meaning that Buddi, standing before him right now, was real--flesh and blood, and alive. As this truth became apparent, he felt a warm wave of relief wave through him. He let out a sigh, then rested his forehead against Buddi's chest, speaking quietly, "I was really worried...that even though I'd somehow managed to come back, that I'd never get to see you again...I thought that I was the only one of us left, and...e-even though I'd gotten to come back and all...it was a bit frightening..." He took in another breath--taking a moment to compose himself after realizing that his voice had become a bit shaky. "Sorry...guess that this isn't the best way to meet up again, huh...?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orane's Theme - Divenire

**Emu Queen** Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:43 pm

ＢＵＤＤＩ
ＪｅｒｅｍｉａｈＣａｒｒａｗａｙ（？）

『 just like an amnesiac, trying to get my senses back
laughing with a mouth of blood
from a little spill I took 』

__________________________________________________________________________________________

As happy as he was to have his hug returned- Orane`s explanation as to where exactly they were earned a hidden disgusted look from the mutant. Buddi gave the room another once-over, frowning- he was familiar with psychics, of course-- from spending most of his life under the imprisonment of Black Dragon, to working with David Kruger almost immediately following. Still the fact that this girl had chosen this particular string of images to eat his guard away was unnerving at best...
Buddi listened calmly as Orane spoke, still trying to register this whole situation. He had clarified that he wasn`t an illusion... the other illusions he had encountered were no where near so-- real. When the pinkette`s voice seemed to grow a touch shakier, probably due to nerves- Buddi`s hold on him grew just a bit tighter, hoping to provide a gentle spurt of support. He had mentioned coming back- and those words ended up rolling about in Buddi`s brain, until his head felt notably heavier than before. He heard of others coming back before... the fact that Orane was one of the few to be resurrected supplied him with a dim slimmer of hope. Perhaps it was his own insanity that made it so easy to accept the fact that Orane had supposedly risen from the grave- but, no matter the explanation, Buddi felt happier than he had in ages. Maybe this was his second chance-- a second chance to protect his friends. He had changed since Orane died... he was smarter, stronger-- and this time, he`d be sure Orane was here to stay.
"Ah, well--...yeah, this could have gone better..." Buddi murmured in response, his hug beginning to soften- but, it was fairly clear that he wasn`t ready to let go. He almost didn`t want to risk it... "Isaac and me are still alive, yeah... somehow. Pugsy found spots for us in Vulture Team-- oh, and Pugsy`s alive too. And so`s...Ivy? ...I think so, at least..." He actually wasn`t quite sure- the last time he had seen Pugsy and Ivy, it was back when Black Dragon attacked them at the Crater. He`d been fading in and out of consciousness since then-- he knew Isaac had made it out alive, but those two were still ambiguous. He didn`t really want to voice his uncertainty to Orane- but, he didn`t want to lie to him either... "...So, wait- you`re... working for the new Inquisitor...?" He tilted his head down there, wanting to get a good look at the pinkette`s face. "Do you want me to join you guys...?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________
⊰ Buddi`s Theme - Laughing With a Mouth of Blood ⊱

Akikazemoon Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:03 pm

Orane Riviere
Forget-Me-Not
-------------------------------------
"Second chances don't just come around every day...this time, I'll be strong--for everyone's sake."
-------------------------------------

Suffice to say, hearing that his remaining friends were alive was definitely a relief--however, it was at that moment that he realized that Jolyne must have lied to him. Either that, or she hadn't known...but somehow, he still felt hurt, even if it had been an accident. Still, he decided to ignore that feeling for now--now was a time to feel happy. His friends were alive...they were really, truly alive...
And then came the question of why he was working for Jolyne. That was a good question...he still didn't see Jolyne as a proper Inquisitor, to tell the truth. At least not right now. At this point, David Krueger was the only person that came to mind at the name 'The Inquisitor.' Saying 'the new Inquisitor'...it just didn't seem like it sat right. Maybe it was easier for Buddi because he had been alive the entire time, but...
"Well, she brought me back to life...and at the time I thought that you all were dead, so I didn't really have anywhere else to go...I didn't exactly like being forced to work looking like this, but--" And then came the question as to whether he wanted Buddi to join them. It had felt just...so abrupt. He was so willing to leave Vulture...and Orane knew that he probably would be, too, if the news of the Inquisitor's return had reached him, had he been on Vulture. However...this version of the Inquisitor's faction just...didn't feel real to him. What had been real was long gone now--as evidenced by the corpses that had risen from the red liquid around them. As much as it hurt to admit, that was gone--and it was time to move on. "...I...I think that I'd rather join you, really..." He felt somewhat guilty as he replied, thinking about Barbara, Jolyne, Kylie, and all the others that he had come to work with for his short time in the faction--but knowing that all of his old friends that were still alive had gathered together into one faction...it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. "This version of the faction isn't anything like our old one...s-so...really, at this point, I think I'd rather go with you..." To be honest, Orane was surprised that Buddi and Isaac had joined Vulture Team, considering how determinedly they had been fighting Vulture before...but he trusted Buddi, and he trusted that Pugsy had gotten him and Isaac good spots in the faction. "I mean...if you don't mind...?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orane's Theme - Divenire

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Thu Aug 07, 2014 5:03 pm

ＢＵＤＤＩ
ＪｅｒｅｍｉａｈＣａｒｒａｗａｙ（？）

『 just like an amnesiac, trying to get my senses back
laughing with a mouth of blood
from a little spill I took 』

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Buddi nodded, somberly and slowly to let Orane know that he was ever attentively listening- and as the pinkette called attention to what the... 'new Inquisitor' had apparently forced him to wear, he paused, grimacing a bit under his mask. He hadn`t so much as noticed that-- he had kind of been a bit distracted due to his friend come back from the dead and all-- but now that it had been pointed out, he was admittedly a bit peeved about it. He had noted that the sudden change of Orane`s gendered clothing came soon after Renate`s death-- and while he didn`t know the whole significance of that change, it was probably safe to assume that it meant something...
Either way, as Orane approached his answer to Buddi`s question-- the mutant waited with bated breath, peering down at the shorter of the two apprehensively. He did, in truth, like Vulture Team... it hadn`t been too long ago that he had berated and destroyed a psychic projection of David Kruger, fully establishing himself as an officer of Vulture-- but, right now, in the very face of someone who`s death he considered one of his own biggest failures-- that didn`t matter. He refused to fight against Orane- and if that meant fighting all his other allies, then so be it. The new Inquisitor would never be David, sure-- but still...
Luckily enough- Orane`s answer surprised him. He couldn`t help but grin ear-to-ear, his hug growing tighter yet again-- before he finally pulled away, keeping his hands on Orane`s shoulders.
"O-Of course not...! Vulture Team is... they`re really something- and they`re really nice, so I`m sure they`ll be okay with taking you in... and--"
Before he could continue, the nightmare of an illusion surrounding the duo flashed a blinding white- their reality burned bright before their very eyes, before disappearing entirely. A moment later- they would appear within the Playboy Mansion.

(EXIT BUDDI AND ORANE)

__________________________________________________________________________________________
⊰ Buddi`s Theme - Laughing With a Mouth of Blood ⊱

Sponsored content

Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower

Re: Endless Night // The Inquisitor Tower