Somewhere In Between [Complete]

[twisting-edge.livejournal.com]

Character(s): Ivy
Content: Ivy takes the time to collect her thoughts over a cup of tea at the Cafe Ersesat, but winds up delving a bit too far into her subconscious...
Setting: N3, Muspelheim area
Time: Mid-Afternoon
Warnings: Violence and a little bit of language

The atmosphere of the place was faux comfortable, but tea was an attraction she scarcely could have afforded to pass. Fortunately for the remotely troubled mind of Lady Valentine, Cafe Ersesat was tending to a very small amount of customers in the hour she had endeavored to grace the public with her presence. She had endured trivial social pleasantries and offered the minimal amount of words to both server and cashier, opting to sit in a delightfully secluded corner away from the blond-haired, blue-eyed natives.

The steady rise and fall of her general person proved the only sure sign that she was, in fact, alive. Her facial expression had been carefully guarded by the white hood of a newly acquired cloak which had remained drawn about her person despite her presence indoors. No one had questioned her intentions as she had sat in the booth, occasionally sipping at the steaming brew. Despite the lengthy amount of time she had been there up to date, she had needed only a single refill. She had asked for nothing and accepted the offering silently.

Somewhere along the way, everything had become as nothing to her. Time had lost its significance because it no longer held any meaning. The depths of the mind had opened themselves to the alchemist and she had began her journey accordingly.

Answers to numerous questions had been acquired by use of the journal system, but the most crucial pieces of an apparent puzzle were elusive...and not only to herself, but to those who had been in "Paixao" longer than she. As far as she could tell, the place was a world of monotony, but the linguistic origin of the name continued to apply its own unique brand of havoc to her memory. Massive domes serving as a faux sky, a place where the living and the dead were drawn from their different worlds regardless of the time - it was a strange concept, a reality that might even have proved frightening had she been capable of fear.

In the midst of this, her thoughts were turned towards more personal matters...like Soul Edge and its counterpart, Soul Calibur, which she had discovered in the missing text. If this was not a nightmare, then it might be possible for Soul Edge to arrive in Paixao - a far from pleasant thought; however, because she did not feel the familiar presence of the cursed sword, her concern was promptly beheaded by other thoughts.

After all, if it happened to appear in Paixao, she would be the first to know...and it would be that much easier to destroy it. If not...

One thing at a time.

The steaming brew was gently lifted to her lips to drown a sigh. Her movements did not stop there. She shifted slightly before returning to her previous stillness.

Nothing was everything.

A smirk decimated the neutral expression hidden beneath the white hood. Nothing was virtually all she knew of her new playmate. All she could rely on were educated guesses concerning his pleasant words. He did not need information and claimed to fight with "the most accurate shots in space" out of all of his colleagues. Although her new acquaintance did appear to have quite the mouth and a few peculiar tastes, he knew much more than he let on.

It was the statement concerning his lack of a soul that had caused her to pause when she had first considered her playmate. Mention of "colleagues" had only served to remind her of that Raven-girl's mention of an "Organization"...and of the eyeless creatures she had identified as "Nobodies". The man certainly knew more than he was letting on; although, she doubted he would be willing to give up whatever information he possessed.

At the very least, he merited a very thorough investigation. She did not know him and could not be sure what sort of person he was; though, he certainly had provided some very strong indications. Perhaps that was why she was sitting on the edge of her seat. Investigations could be so dull, but this one...she was actually looking forward to it, to seeing just how good a fighter this man was. It was an odd occurence, for work and pleasure did not always mix.

The thrill of a good fight was priceless. Such thoughts stimulated the mind and body so that it was difficult to sit still. Years spent locked in battle against her soul adversary had turned violence into an appealing game that was as graceful as any dance when performed properly, but the very thought was dangerous...glorious, the beauty of chaos! The screams of the fallen! And the copper-scented crimson splashes of the paint, their life's blood, strewn over the ground...

..A little too much.

A healthy tip was placed upon the table. She stood and turned towards the double doors, having already seen to the outrageous bill. There was nothing else to be done in that place...except grow impatience and further deplete her resources.

The hood was drawn further down before she forcibly pushed the doors of the Cafe Ersesat open and stepped out into the alien world once again. The air was a little too thin, a little too thick, and while it should have been refreshing, it caused her stomach to twist. It sickened her. The more she thought about it, the worse it became. It was a thorn in her side and mind, grating upon her nerves with renewed zeal.

She needed to get away from...everything, everyone. Thinking about those screams, the pleasure of watching them writhe...

No! White, one of the colors of death, whipped behind her as she broke from her place upon the concrete and into a full run. It didn't matter where, so long as she could rid herself of the mounting tension within. If she could just keep running, she could kill the urge with weariness, drive those damnable thoughts away by losing consciousness.

Whether it was herself or the influence of Soul Edge upon her, she did not care. Those thoughts, those wicked thoughts were...so true, so very true, even if she didn't want to believe them, to believe that she had silently spoken them in her mind, felt them, lived them...and that was where the anger was born, the pure and utter loathing of herself, of her person, of Soul Edge. She could never get away, no matter how far or fast she ran, but she could try.

It followed her still, even to Paixao.

The clicking of heels came to an end as she halted, having turned into a fairly wide alleyway to catch her breath. She placed a hand upon the cold stone, a dead end, and leaned against it, eyes turned to the ground. Each gasp allowed an almost pained inhalation of noxious air which strained the lungs. Her body and mind were tired of everything and nothing. Deciphering texts, Soul Calibur, Soul Edge...

The silence that hung over the place responded to her rushed thoughts, thoughts that were interupted by a sudden, vaguely familiar sound from behind. Slowly, Ivy turned to investigate the source, but what she found were a number of eyeless creatures, all swaying in an unusual manner in an unusual v-formation. Her neutral expression slowly turned to a broad smile, then melted away into laughter. The accompanying tone was a slight of lost marbles, a break in the control usually exercised and it was all very...amusing. These creatures, these... Nobodies.

"Let me see," the woman said, shifting the weight of her cloak aside behind her to draw her trusted Valentine, "who wants to die first?"

The creatures replied by advancing upon their prey, giving them the appearance of a crowd of lazy medusas as they swam through the air towards her. Whatever their appearance, it did not deter the woman's backwards turn. The snakesword fell into linked fragments once again, hissing in reply as its mistress secured her grasp upon the hilt.

Spirited steps were taken to close some of the distance between them. Valentine performed a horizontal intercept, throwing several of the pestilent creatures back. Ivy retreated a few steps and brought her beloved to her once more, crouching low and pushing off from the ground to meet the retaliatory wave head on.

A pair of sharpened points were thrown ahead to meet her, but missed as she ducked and swung her weight so that her feet made contact with the wall. She pushed off again, sliding to the creature's front. Eyeless heads began to turn this way and that, as though in confusion, ducking down in confusion even as their comrade was sliced in two and dissipated into nothing. A fine point found her exposed shoulder, the cloak having been rolled behind her to allow proper movements. Her elbow promptly met its face, sending it back enough to allow her to place a heel where its eyes should have been.

Apparently, they were eager to play with her, almost as much as she was them.

Valentine seized the neck of one of the confused beasts at the farthest end and drew it into its confused comrades, resulting in something of a bowling pin scatter. The sharpest edge was sent into the head of one of the creatures, leaving three remaining...none of which seemed intent upon remaining on the ground.

The hooded figure jumped back to avoid a pair of oncoming points, but her back made contact with the wall resulting in a flinch. Ivy forced her feet to give way; another pair of points found the wall rather than her head. A swift kick to the middle sent the creature flying and gave her ample time to rise and draw the energy to charge. Valentine lashed out mercilessly, piercing one of the assailants as the heel of her boot found its mark in the head of another of the downtrodden creatures.

Ivy stopped then, looking down at the creature. She tilted her head, watching it squirm beneath her for a few moments until it lost her interest. A brief spin upon her heel ended it.

Pathetic. The white-haired woman rolled her shoulders casually, but paused, looking up sharply from the ground. Hovering about halfway down the alley was a single Nobody.


The Nobody rushed outside the alley, but not nearly fast enough. It squeaked as the twisting edge wrapped about its middle and drew it back into the darkness.

Moments later, Ivy quietly stepped out of the alley and into the open air again.
A single droplet of red fell to the ground...

It would not be the last.