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Post by Vladimir Soukup on Aug 26, 2013 22:25:51 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,100%,true][atrb=cellPadding,15px,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0px,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/11uul8l.jpg]Go for it. I'll give you the first shot. Tahno sat calmly at a desk in one of the smaller offices in the Karakura headquarters of the Consecro, looking over a report recently filed by the Guardian in charge here. As he read, he sighed. He’d come to Japan in the pursuit of some beautiful koi to add to his menagerie at home. He’d found some other, far more exotic potential pets whilst here and he rather wanted them. But he’d then received a call from Karakura about one of their proxies rapidly spiraling out of control. As the closest Obelisk, his help was being enlisted in dealing with the issue. He hadn’t been particularly interested, thinking that perhaps it would be better for someone like Patience to handle it. But when he’d received the case file on this John Stone, he could understand why they were anxious to have someone deal with it quickly.
Young Mr. Stone had…issues. He could go from calm, cool and collected to a wild rage-beast in the span of a heartbeat. Tahno shook his head. He had always felt uneasy with Sigil users, for this very reason. He knew from his hunts that artifacts were incredibly dangerous and to be handled with extreme care. To just let someone tap into that kind of power, even with the proper training, was a frightening prospect. It made him grateful that he was born with his power. And this “Rage” Sigil was particularly troubling. Its effects sounded remarkably like what he envisioned as the Sin of Wrath. Why the Consecro would allow such an artifact out in the open was baffling to Tahno. But it was not his place to make such decisions and the deed had already been done. Now it was just a matter of cleaning up the mess.
Stone’s previous caretaker had been flung aside in a violent burst of fury not too long ago. The man was now in a hospital, still recovering from the injuries. Needless to say, the young Guardian had no desire to return to his position. This left Stone without proper supervision when out on missions – a necessity, considering his Sigil’s singular abilities. And that was what they were asking of Tahno. No one else in the Karakura area wanted to deal with a person like Stone. From the fearful way the boy had been described – not to mention the unflattering language used in the file – Tahno suspected he was seen more as a monster than as a young man going through an incredibly trying time. It was a pity, but also understandable. People feared what could be neither controlled nor easily understood. And Stone was a bit of both.
Tahno sighed again. Taking on a “protégé” would complicate things for him at the moment. He would either need to station himself here in Karakura to keep an eye on Stone or force the boy to relocate once again. Not to mention he would have to go out on nearly every mission with the boy in order to keep Rage under control. The nice thing about being an Obelisk was the ability to set your own routine when it came to missions and patrols. He could pick and choose his assignments as he saw fit. Stone, as a Proxy, didn’t have that luxury. And whatever the boy was sent on would invariably be quite dull work for Tahno. But he supposed it couldn’t really be helped. Someone needed to keep an eye on the boy, perhaps even counsel him and train him to stay in control when using Rage. Patience would probably have been ideal for it, but Chastity wasn’t an impatient individual. And the Obelisk didn’t like the idea of abandoning someone who was probably frustrated and angry at how he was being treated by an organization that was supposed to support him. He tossed the file onto the desk in front of him and glanced up at the clock. It was almost 1’o’clock, which meant Stone would probably be there any moment for their little introductory meeting. He leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head as he waited for the Proxy to arrive.
tagged ~ John Stone words ~ 689 stats ~ HAN: 15; REI: 20; HAK: 20; SEI: 20; BUK: 20; HOH: 15 credits ~ post template by vitriol of on the edge. |
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Post by John Stone on Aug 30, 2013 17:58:35 GMT -5
While not the most powerful person in the COnsecro, among the more mundane members, he was quite a force to behold. Time after time, he had taken to dispatching Hollows with his bare hands, and whatever parts of the environment he could beat his foe into a bloody pulp with. And, on occasion, he had even stood on equal footing with low-level Arrancar. However, while he would have been greatly respected for his power under normal circumstances, his tendency to lose control when actually able to fight pretty much rendered respect for him impossible. While he was tolerated, he was by no means accepted.
Naturally, John had no say in the matter at all. Indeed, he was only informed that he would be getting a new minder soon – not that he wanted one. His reasoning was that he wouldn’t need one, if the Consecro just left him alone. However, with such power at their disposal, and with him being seen as expendable, it wasn’t likely that they’d let him go any time soon. If someone had bothered to ask him what he wanted, he’d just say that he wanted out, and that had basically been all he wanted for most of the time he spent working with the organisation.
John though it poetic, how the Consecro controlled him, but struggled to contain the monster they themselves had created from him. They thought that a minder would do him good – he scoffed at the idea. They had attempted to subdue him, without deadly intent. John, not held back by any such order in his enraged state, beat them black and blue. What he thought he really needed was a therapist – or, at the very least, a puppy. Something or someone to keep him from exploding at a moment’s notce. Nobody but his parents seemed to care what happened to him, and while this did not matter much to him, it gave the impression that he could just let loose and fight as he pleased. Not the best impression to make on loosely-sealed power-in-a-tin.
If he was perfectly honest, Joh had no strong opinon of the Obelisks. They had not spoken to him, he had rarely even seen them. He knew nothing of them, apart from the fact that they were the Consecro’s finest, and any details beyond that were fuzzier than a dog dipped in hair growth serum. However, from what he had heard, one was to be his minder. This made him rather bitter – not because he had a disdain for them, though. It was because he believed that the wrong approach was still being taken – he didn’t want someone to beat him down, he wanted someone to help him up. Still he did manage to hide this before he entered to meet with Tahno.
After a few sharp knocks, he stated, "I'm coming in, sir."
Stone entered, and bowed, though no more than was polite. Out of habit, he stood to attention, as if preparing to be reprimanded for losing control. Which, in a lot of cases, was exactly what he had been made to do.
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Post by Vladimir Soukup on Sept 12, 2013 23:34:14 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,100%,true][atrb=cellPadding,15px,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0px,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/11uul8l.jpg]Go for it. I'll give you the first shot. Tahno began to doze off while waiting for Stone to arrive. He enjoyed traveling to exotic locales, but the jetlag always hit him hard. It wasn’t bad when he kept moving. It was when he stopped for a moment to breathe that it would come crashing down on him. And he did feel rather tired. His eyes drifted shut and his mind wandered to strange and fascinating places he had visited while still a Proxy. He climbed the slopes of the Alps and swam to the depths of sunken Alexandria. He missed those days sometimes. There was a certain thrill to travel that didn’t quite compare to the comforts of his home. He could only ignore the wanderlust for so long before having to disappear for a while.
As he dug through the forests of South America, he was jerked awake by a series of sharp knocks. He shook his head to wake himself as the boy he’d come to meet opened the door and stepped into the room. There was a brief bow – more out of politeness than respect – before Stone stood at attention. While Tahno could appreciate the formality, the stance was too stiff and angry. “You can relax, Mr. Stone. My name is Tahno Soukup and I am not here to lecture you. I have more important things to do with my time than reprimand a boy for something he has no control over.” He gestured towards the chair that stood just in front of Stone. “Please take a seat.”
He waited patiently until the boy had settled stiffly and warily into the chair. Tahno had a long haul ahead of him with this kid – he could feel it. As the boy sat, he took a moment to observe Stone. A little shorter and slimmer than Tahno was, Stone kinda screamed average. From his loose-fitting clothes to his well-worn shoes – even his obnoxiously untamed hair – was just...average. And that was probably just how Stone liked it. No one paid much attention to you if you were average. You were just kinda there. He could understand that. With a small sigh, he leaned forward and opened the file on the desk. “You seem to be a rather troublesome individual, Stone. Countless documented incidents where you indiscriminately attacked anyone around you, regardless of innocence or allegiance. A lot of unnecessary casualties. It is not a very flattering depiction of you at all.”
He glanced up, marveling at the placidity of the boy. He doubted much fazed Stone. If it did, that would mean even less control over an already dangerous power. It was a bit saddening, really. Tahno chose to be calm and collected. His life and the lives of his comrades didn't necessarily depend on him staying in control. To suppress so much out of necessity was disquieting. “I do not think it is a fair depiction of you, Stone. Sigils are dangerous artifacts. It can take a lifetime to learn how to control them. But I do not think you will need that long.” He closed the file and clasped his hands over it. “I think what you will need is a little patience, a little perseverance, and someone willing to help you out rather than bully you into submission. I would like to be that person, God willing.”
tagged ~ John Stone words ~ 552 stats ~ HAN: 15; REI: 20; HAK: 20; SEI: 20; BUK: 20; HOH: 15 credits ~ post template by vitriol of on the edge. |
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Post by John Stone on Sept 13, 2013 20:17:09 GMT -5
Tahno’s words were not new to John. They were usually just niceties mentioned on the off chance it would save his guardian for the week, when he turned on them before they could flee. Needless to say, it worked about as well as one would expect – it didn’t. However, Stone had long since passed the point at which this annoyed him, and like many other things said to him – praise and insults alike – he simply acknowledged it without any discernible reaction taking place. He sat down upon being asked to, though more out of habit of following orders than actually wanting to sit down.
John, in turn, looked over what he could see of the Obelisk, attempting to garner something of his personality from his appearance. And, while he certainly stood out, Tahno did not seem to have any particularly outstanding traits that allowed some sort of insight. John did not dwell on this, however – he had the feeling a mission would come up sooner or later, and when he was inevitably forced to unleash his more violent side, and he was sure the man would show whatever true colours he had when that happened. This notion did not particularly upset John – he merely accepted it as a fact of life.
“With all due respect, sir,” John began, “I have ascertained that complete control over my Sigil is impossible.”
The sheer frankness of the statement made it seem like it was rehearsed – as if he had made the statement a thousand times. He had, more or less, and was prepared to do so a thousand times more. “Consider it like a gun. You can direct the gun, as you can me. However, once you have done so, the bullet acts of its own volition. You cannot control the bullet, only show it where to go, and even then it’s not guaranteed to do what you want it to.”
“I have already achieved as much ‘control’ over my Sigil as humanly possible. I simply need a minder who will be able to subdue me quickly and efficiently, should I not revert back to my human form when the mission is finished.”
To hear such words coming from a boy his age was, frankly, a little alarming. He was practically asking Tahno to beat him to a pulp, if he didn’t collapse from mental and/or physical exhaustion first. He knew the Obelisk would be more than capable of doing so, and with relative ease. And what was even worse, was that he said this all with a completely straight face, and without a hint of hesitation.
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Post by Vladimir Soukup on Nov 3, 2013 6:29:01 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,100%,true][atrb=cellPadding,15px,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0px,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/11uul8l.jpg]Go for it. I'll give you the first shot. When the Proxy replied, Tahno couldn’t help but feel deeply saddened. Stone easily compared himself to a gun – mindless, violent and incapable of controlling the outcome of his use. Tahno supposed that was one way of looking at Stone’s situation. But he also firmly believed it was the wrong way of looking at it. Had they seriously conditioned this boy to view himself in such an unfavorable light? It was unconscionable that this had been allowed to happen. It was one thing to think of yourself as a weapon for the Consecro – indeed, to think it was the only value you had to offer. That was Tahno’s opinion of himself, after all. But he was not a mindless tool and neither was Stone. Tahno shook his head. He had been right to think he had a lot of work ahead of him. And the first step was to work on Stone’s self-image.
Tahno sighed. “No offense, Stone, but it is a mistake to think of yourself as just a gun to be aimed and your Sigil a bullet to be fired. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of Sigils. It shows an ignorance that is understandable, but unacceptable.” He leaned forward and looked Stone in the eye. “Your Sigil is not just some mindless weapon. It feels and it understands the world around it, same as you.” His tone, which had been melancholic and understanding, became stern. This was a serious issue to the Fullbringer. He had hunted down Sigils for several years now and had come to understand quite a few things about them, both from observing their use and from interacting with the items on his hunts. He pointed at Stone. “It chose you, Stone, out of thousands of individuals over the course of centuries. It patiently waited for you to show up. And when you did, it chose you because you alone could understand it and you alone could wield it.”
He leaned back in his chair and spread his hands, as if he was trying to encompass the entire world. “This is true of all Sigils, regardless of what their power is. They may not be sentient like you and I, but they are not mindless or senseless. It is crucial that you understand this or else Rage will never fully acknowledge you as its wielder.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at Stone. It was a little exasperating that he had to explain this to a Sigil wielder. Were the instructors not making these things clear during training? How did the Consecro expect these trainees to fully control the Sigils if they didn’t know and understand this most basic truth about their weapons? Tahno didn’t even use Sigils and he knew this! That was beyond aggravating. But the worst part of all this had nothing to do with Sigils and everything to do with Stone’s view of himself. “Furthermore, it is foolish to think of yourself as a mindless weapon. Regardless of what anyone else has said, you are not some monster who just needs a minder to beat you into submission when you get out of line. You are a thinking feeling human being who is responsible for all of his actions, even when lost in tumultuous emotion. Inner turmoil does not absolve you of what has happened any more than my uncle’s abuse absolves me of murdering him.” He tilted his head slightly. “So we are going to work on your relationship with Rage until it is you who is in control, not Rage. Understood?”
tagged ~ John Stone words ~ 600 stats ~ HAN: 15; REI: 20; HAK: 20; SEI: 20; BUK: 20; HOH: 15 credits ~ post template by vitriol of on the edge. |
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Post by John Stone on Nov 4, 2013 20:48:44 GMT -5
As per usual, John simply stared at Tahno, his unassuming gaze unnerving, considering the heavy subject material. His expression did not change once - there was nothing. Not even a slight twitch. He was repeating what made sense to him - that he was a weapon, deployed at the Consecro's whim. Just like the bullet of a gun - aimed, and allowed to wreak havoc. While he registered Tahno's words, they made little sense to him. Whether it was the conditioning, or his logic - undhindered by sentimentality - there seemed to be no convincing him that he was anything more than a human weapon.
"I am afraid I must disagree with you, sir."
The flat, emotionless tone with which John spoke would actually seem fairly chilling, to the right people. Not the tone itself, mind, but what it implied. That a sweet young boy, who wanted nothing more than to be happy, was subjected to horrendous torture, until he became a hollow shell. And the way he spoke about himself - it seemed as though he couldn't believe there was any good left in him. He seemed to only believe in his talent for destruction, and believe he held little ability in anything else.
"My Sigil is not the bullet to be fired. It is merely the catalyst in the process. I am the bullet. I am fired towards the target, with the intent to harm. I am a weapon, sir. That is my purpose. I believe I was sent here to discuss what you being my minder entailed. Your purpose is to restrain me when I am out of control. If necessary, you are to incapacitate me. In certain circumstances, you will be permitted to kill me."
Now it was John's turn to use some semblance of body language. He understood crossing his arms would show some form of defiance - maybe confidence. Nevertheless, he did it, and continued to address his new minder.
"Furthermore, it did not choose me. It leapt at me out of desperation. The Sigil is a curse upon whoever wields it. And anyone can wield it - all that is needed is life-threatening situation, or a plentiful supply of anger. It did not wait patiently for me. It waited, not at all patiently, for someone foolish enough to allow it out of whatever prison it was stored in."
This was, in all essence, the truth. Anyone could wield Rage, and a lot of people were sure it was only drawn to John due to how bitter he felt with things. He was not chosen specifically, so people believed - he was just unlucky.
"It should also be noted that I do not wield Rage. Rage is - quite literally - a part of me. I am wielded by Rage. Rage allows me to maintain consciousness, until certain stimuli are put into play. In turn, the Consecro wields me. I am the weapon, sir. Not Rage. Rage will never acknowledge me as its wielder, as I am the one being wielded. I already understand it perfectly well - it hungers for rage and fear, and responds to it destructively."
Though not an expert on Sigils as a whole, it seemed as though John had a deep (if it could be called that) understanding of his Sigil already.
"And therein lies the problem. Rage cannot be controlled. Rage relies on me losing control. Does the gun control the bullet? No. It directs it. It shows it where to hit, and the bullet hits there. I am shown what I need to destroy. I transform, and I destroy. I am not in control of myself. I am subject to the whims of more powerful beings than I. To attempt any more control than by forcing me to submit is foolish."
John spoke with absolute conviction - strange, seeing as he never changed from anything but a flat, unrevealing tone.
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Post by Vladimir Soukup on Nov 22, 2013 0:50:01 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,100%,true][atrb=cellPadding,15px,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0px,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/11uul8l.jpg]Go for it. I'll give you the first shot. Tahno waited for a simple affirmative as he looked at John. When he had become a Guardian and been given control of a post, he had become accustomed to near-unquestioning obedience. When he handed out orders or expressed a wish, people heeded him. He had long-since earned and commanded the respect that came with being a veteran, despite his relative youth. So it was quite a surprise when Stone not only disagreed, but proceeded to tell Tahno how their relationship was going to work. The Obelisk strove to not stare in disbelief at the young boy standing across from him. It was a difficult task, but he managed somehow. Were he a lesser man, he might have backhanded Stone for the presumptuous attitude. Fortunately, he was not such a man - not to mention it probably would have triggered Rage, if what Stone said was true. So he let Stone ramble on about the nature of Rage, how Stone was the bullet, and how Stone had no real control over the Sigil. The boy even had the temerity to cross his arms as he spoke.
Tahno sighed as Stone finally finished. He was going to have to invest in aspirin or something. There were going to be a lot of headaches and a lot of headbutting over this in the future. He could just feel it. But hopefully the headaches and frustration would be worth it in the end. He just needed to get Stone to understand that he wasn’t a bullet – he wasn’t the tool. “To think that true control comes from forcing submission is not only naïve, it is asinine. I have already stated what being your minder will entail, Stone.” His tone was firm and his words unrelenting. “Regardless of what you believe to be my purpose as your minder, you do not dictate my duties. That is for me to decide, at my discretion. And regardless of what you have been led to believe, your purpose is not to be some mindless thing tossed unthinkingly at a target. This tactic is unconscionable and it baffles me to think that the Consecro has simply allowed this to continue unchecked for this long.”
He leaned forward and looked directly into Stone’s placid eyes, his own gaze confident and unwavering. “You will be training with me and we will follow a regimen that I will be putting together in the near future. As stated before, the purpose will be to turn control over from Rage to you. You will continue to be sent into battle on occasion, but not in the near future. As your minder, I will be present for every mission. However, I will not incapacitate you except as a last resort. And I most certainly will not kill you. That is the path we are taking together and I will hear no further argument from you on the matter.” Placing his hands on the desk, he pushed himself to his feet and stretched his back. After he cracked his neck, he picked up the file and walked around the desk. He stopped beside Stone and looked down at the boy. “If there’s nothing else, I think I would like to get some lunch. What do you like to eat?”
tagged ~ John Stone words ~ 543 stats ~ HAN: 15; REI: 15; HAK: 20; SEI: 21; BUK: 21; HOH: 20 credits ~ post template by vitriol of on the edge. |
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Post by John Stone on Nov 23, 2013 19:06:27 GMT -5
John, while not surprised that Tahno had taken such a tone towards him, reacted nevertheless. Instinctively, he gripped the sides of the chair, and his expression hardened, as if bracing himself for something. His body tensed, and it took all he had to look the Obelisk in the eye. Mentally, he chided himself - he had broken protocol, by arguing back. Once his superiors caught wind of this, as they inevitably did, he would suffer for it. It didn't matter if Tahno was tolerant enough not to hit him across the room - it didn't matter if he gave direct orders to not have anything done to John. The boy had gone against what those in charge of him wanted from him, and they would rectify that post-haste.
To some, it would seem as though John had visibly shrunk back in his seat. This was essentially his equivalent of cowering before someone - in other words, he was bracing himself for a thorough beating. This was not the case, however, and he was quite surprised at this. He was actually expecting Tahno to break something of his - be it his nose, some fingers, maybe he'd have snapped a rib. But all that had happened was Tahno took a firmer tone with him. He would not even have transformed, if such a thing had happened. He knew not to transform in such an area, and while there were some things he couldn't help but react to, he knew not to do anything but stand there and take punishment from a superior.
As much as he wished to argue, John held his tongue - he was not dealing with the Obelisk of Patience, and even Tahno's kindness could not extend to him, if John did not cooperate. However, he was not so much cooperating with him, as he was submitting to the Obelisk. During a brief lapse in concentration, he had dared to question someone of a higher rank than him, and he knew he was to suffer for it. Maybe not at Tahno's hands, but once his minder had taken his eyes off of him, John would suddenly have urgent matters to attend to, and officials would take him to the underground area not even Obelisks were allowed into without prior written permission.
John stood to attention once Tahno was beside him, and awaited orders. While he could interpret the suggestion to get lunch as an order, he had been asked to offer his opinion on where to eat. There were two problems with this. The first was that he had no idea what any food sold outside was like any more - he knew where they were and what they were, but he knew only the taste of rations, and if the need arose, whatever he could find in the field. As such, he replied with an expectedly monotone answer.
"My opinion is irrelevant and non-existent, sir. Decisions such as that are left to the superior assigned to me at the time."
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