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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Sept 30, 2006 23:35:20 GMT
Jenova...
"I never want to hear that name again!"
Ami pounced, firing the Tears of Heaven with deadly speed and accuracy. I'm not giving this woman... this thing... whatever it is... a chance to hurt me or my friends.
Her eyes tried to blur with tears of frustration, but she jammed her eyes shut and held them back. Can't I taste freedom for just one day? JUST ONE DAY, that's all I ask! I'm the last of my line... and I'm tired of remembering that!
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Sept 30, 2006 23:43:05 GMT
Gdosimirj screamed as one of the bullets splashed onto her left arm. She dropped quickly, putting up a considerably weak force shield. "STOP! I MEAN YOU NO HARM!" She knew that the green glimmer of the shield would only spur Amnesty on further, and the very thought of using Jenova's powers made her sick to her stomach, but it was her only chance.
"Please... I'm no warrior, and I'm unarmed. I made the most fatal, idiotic mistake anybody can make, but if there is anybody on this planet who can help me, it's you! Just hear me out!"
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Sept 30, 2006 23:49:55 GMT
Ami kept shooting, trying to weaken the shield, and when that failed, she began swinging at it with the shafts of her guns, trying to break it down. "No! I did that once and I was betrayed... my trust was repaid by an attempt to destroy everything I love!" A memory of Vi, with the flaming manifestation of Sephiroth's spirit superimposed over her, flashed into Ami's mind. "You have until this sheild gives out to explain yourself!" Ami threatened with gritted teeth. "And if I don't like or believe what I hear... I'm going to kill you." Ami wanted to retch. But she had to protect the world from her legacy, a legacy she could no longer afford to believe was extinct.
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Oct 1, 2006 0:04:16 GMT
Gdosimirj dropped her eyes to her lap, strangely subdued. "I should let you kill me for that very reason. My life isn't worth the chance Jenova might have to somehow revive herself." She glanced up with fire in her eyes. "But you have to be rational about this! You know and I know that if you kill me now, whatever Jenova put into me will go directly to the Lifestream, and that will start the cycle all over again. There has to be a better way to stop her once and for all!"
The force shield was about four strikes from giving away. Gdosimirj gasped, breathless with a vision, and screamed out a message. "Kadaj says your love gave him a second chance and that you should do the same for me!" Time stopped as the shield gave away. She dropped her arms, not bothering to shield herself any longer. "It's your choice now," she whispered, closing her eyes.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 1, 2006 0:09:48 GMT
Ami stopped short and gasped. "What--" The message sank in. "He spoke to you?"
She regained her guard. "Okay, so maybe he did. But I want proof. Three questions. Answer correctly, and you get to live. First, how many points for a hairclip? Second, how many total for a gut tackle? Third, why did he leave home?" Ami waited, tensed to attack. She could never get those right without his help.
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Oct 1, 2006 0:19:26 GMT
Gdosimirj's eyes flashed a brilliant green as her thick accent vanished. "Two for a hairclip. Four for the gut tackle, minus one for unsportsmanlike tactics, which comes out to three. And... I didn't want to watch you die." She stood and put her hand on Amnesty's shoulder. "This one has had it harder than most, Ami. Give her a chance." Gdosimirj blinked, her eyes returning to normal. She stumbled backwards, dropping to to ground with a wheezing cough. Groaning, she spat some blood onto the sand, then glanced up at Ami weakly, speaking once again in her thick accent. "What did he say...?" She trailed off, then slumped onto the sand.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 1, 2006 0:22:34 GMT
Ami realized her jaw was hanging open. "The right answer," she choked out. Good G**... she really CAN speak to him!
She knelt and helped the stranger back to her feet. "He also told me you've had a hard go of it... what does that mean?"
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Oct 1, 2006 0:30:45 GMT
She coughed a little more, wiping a thin trickle of blood from her nose. "All in good time, friend. But let's just say that I've tasted the bitter taste of betrayal too." She looked back into Amnesty's eyes strangely. "You're a paradox of nature, I hope you understand. I know that you were supposedly infused with the template's weaknesses, but you must be one of the strongest beings I know. I'm of the firm belief that you're the only being who has ever been so closely affiliated with Jenova and not become brainwashed. If there's anything I know about Jenova, it is that she is the most manipulative creature I can name, and if there's anything I regret, it's that I am one of the wretched beings who was affilated with her not by genes, as you and your brothers were... but by choice."
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 1, 2006 0:35:03 GMT
Ami noticed the chains around her neck. "You were one of her priestesses." Ami returned Sunset's gaze and began walking her back towards Gunmetal. "I was manipulated by her, too... if it hadn't been for my friends, she could have killed us all, thanks to my blundering." Ami stopped. "How did you find me? And exactly how do you think I can help you?"
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Oct 1, 2006 0:48:45 GMT
She smiled sadly. "Once again, your first question is easier to answer than the second. As one of Jenova's most powerful wizards, I was imbued with Oracular powers- visions, dreams, messages, and the like. Mostly, my visions come spontaneously and are related with any events having to do with Jenova. But I learned to control my dreams through years of meditations. I can see through the eyes of most living beings on the planet if I so choose during my sleep cycle. It took a great deal of energy, but my efforts led me here."
Upon reaching Gunmetal, she leaned against it and continued. "The answer to the second question is that I have no idea. All I know is that you were bound to Jenova in a far more practical way than I am, and somehow you managed to separate yourself from her influence. I know that you are the only being I know of who has done this, and thus, I had to find you."
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 1, 2006 0:54:12 GMT
Ami shook her head. "I don't see how you could be bound to Jenova. I mean, we killed her. Sealed her up in stone. I don't know how much more dead a person can be... I thought her entire legacy was extinct."
She thought of Rude and the Sacrifice. "There may be a way to break your bond, but it isn't perfected yet."
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Oct 1, 2006 1:01:38 GMT
She shook her head. "It wouldn't work. I know this already. It's that contraption Reno and Rude were working on, no? Yes?" She decided to explain herself for knowing what Amnesty was taling about. "I saw the plans Rude drew up for it while I was searching for you. Clever design, but no dice."
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 1, 2006 1:03:24 GMT
Ami blinked. "How do you know it wouldn't work? It's worth a shot anyway... and... how do you know their names?"
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Post by Gdosimirj Sunset on Oct 1, 2006 1:16:13 GMT
She gave an ironic half grin. "Because I designed the original splicer." She chuckled, which dissolved into a cough. "I don't think you quite grasp how entrenched I was in Jenova's religion. I didn't found it, but I was with Shinra when it was founded. The beliefs of my clan held me back from getting involved for a short time, but I was too young, restless, rebellious, power hungry, and frankly, stupid to keep from getting involved for long. When I first entered the cult, they spoke of a new age of peace and cleansing and harmony. I so despised the human race for its corruption that I was swept up with the illusion, never quite grasping that any religion which focuses on genocide as a goal couldn't possibly be any less corrupted than the race it seeks to destroy."
She sighed. "Long story short, they needed someone with technical know how, as well as a flair for the enigmatic. I would still be proud of the design... elegant, yet powerful... if I weren't so ashamed of it. What I did for the cult boosted me to heights I didn't know anywhere else. I was admired. I was bestowed with honors beyond even those who had years of experience. Magical honors." She scoffed. "Honors, indeed. I was more brainwashed than anybody else in there. And I paid the ultimate price for my stupidity."
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 1, 2006 1:24:07 GMT
With Shinra... so that explains how you know R and R. Sheesh, Shinra is really starting to p**s me off.
"Ultimate price?" Ami shook her head and glanced downward. "I don't think you know the definition of 'ultimate price' --or 'brainwashed', to be fair-- unless you knew my brothers." She looked up sharply. "You didn't, did you?" She waved the question off. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. But what does 'ultimate price' mean to you?"
Ami got her bag out of Gunmetal's compartment and got out some gauze for Sunset's nose. She offered it and went digging into her bag for a cold pack to slow the bleeding.
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