1x1 w Pudding

[shadow_claw]

okay

 

Name:

Age:

Gender/Pronouns:

Species:

Sexual Orientation:

Appearance:

Personality:

History:

Weapons:

Abilities:

Other:

 

My Stuff

 

Name: Namina

Age: ??? (looks to be around a young adult, though is much older)

Gender/Pronouns: technically female. She/her preferred, though they/them works too

Species: Nessoue/human Chimera

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Appearance: Human appearance

Chimera Appearance

Personality: Mina is what most would call...reserved. Although she's loud and obnoxiously chatty, she never actually reveals much about herself. When asked about her home life and past, she avoids an actual response. If confronted about this, she gets defensive and angry. With a moral code that doesn't agree with the common human citizen, Namina is both a cutthroat criminal and a guilty humanitarian.

History: Ha, no. Even if I know it, leave it up to the story to be revealed.

Weapons: Mina carries a single weapon on her. Custom-made and jealously guarded, she has a Nessouian commander's weapon. Made of an odd, red-tinted metal, this weapon can change to anything of her desire. Usually, it is a penknife; it remains hidden on her person. In combat, it either takes the form of a laser pistol or a shortsword.

Abilities: Like all Nessoue, Mina is a talente Shape shifter. Unlike a full-blooded Nessoue, however, dark marks remain where her six eyes belong. Scars and wounds carry throughout all her transformations and take extra effort to hide.

Other than this, she is a skilled negotiator, a trained fighter, and an excellent thief.

Other: my precious trash child

 

Name: Vitael

Age: old

Gender/Pronouns: he/him, they/them

Species: Nessoue

Sexual Orientation: honestly, who knows

Appearance: As a Nessouian, Vitael is a tall, bipedial being. Standing around seven feet, most of this height is in his digitigraded legs. He has light, short feathers that are ash in color, save for the long feathers on his ears and tail. Both of those are dyed red. Instead of five fingers, Nessoue have four, which all have soft paw pads on the undersides. Six eyes, four ears, and a long, whip-like tail make him an alert and agile being.

Nessouian eyes are entirely white, making it difficult to track just where they're looking. Although it's often not practiced, some willingly change the color of their eyes.

Being shape-shifters, this is their primary form. They are a species of scientific impossibility, and their abilities are unable to be explained by the Nessoue themselves. The can change everything about themselves without hardy any exertion. Forms closer to their true form are easier to maintain.

Personality: Although a prominent colonizer of planets, Vitael is surprisingly...domestic. He is well-mannered, warm, and friendly, even to enemies. Distinctly Paternal in his actions, he tends to regard native species more as pets or children instead of other intelligent beings.

History: Vitael is a high-ranking officer within the Nessouian Empire. Well, it's not exactly an empire. It's a solar system of planets inhabited by Nessoue.

Generally, they get along well with other beings. Their ability to blend in makes taking control of nearby planets easy, and keeps supplies thriving throughout all of their acquired planets.

However, the Nessoue are at war.

As their influence slowly began to stretch beyond their solar system, a rival species began to attack. Brutal and bloodthirsty, the generally diplomatic Nessoue were stunned.

They were wiped out in the millions. Nessoue and those they had allied with were absolutely obliterated for quite some time.

Weapon experiments began immediately. Their unstable, and highly versatile genes made for easy splicing onto...just about anything. their designs were reversed-engineered to be compatible with weapons.

Vitael took it further than the others. He hadn't meant to get attached to them. A chimera, born of human genes and that of his own, was his first of two. It was swifter, leaner, and hardier to the Lovorn's parasitic attacks.

But it was a child. His child. And he couldn't bear to put it out on the battlefield. No, not it. Her.

But as Vitael raised her, the more she Chimera seemed resistant to the Nessouian lifestyle. Deceiving entire planets into giving Nessoue control...it felt wrong.

He was worried about how much she cared.

She was lonely, grooming to be a diplomat. His decision to make another child was from nothing but wanting his first to be happy.

And then, on the small planet he had chosen to raise his child, the Lovorne attacked. She had grown old, and was practically an adult. All he did was supervise her political decisions.

But then she was taken from him. By the filthy Lovorne themselves.

He had no choice but to flee.

The planet itself was destroyed. Torched to nothing but a Nuclear wasteland. He had lost both children, and was stricken with grief.

Convinced the Lovorne still hid his daughter, Vitael is at war on the front lines hoping to rescue her.

Weapons: A standard Nessouian Chimeric weapon. Much like Mina's, if not exactly the same.

Abilities:

Other:

Edited July 24, 2016 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

It took me a while but I got his sheet finally. I'll edit in a post later tonight if you don't post first.

 

 

Name: Kitzom (Known as James on Earth)

Age: Unknown, appears as an older teenager (Possibly around 19)

Gender/Pronouns: Genderfluid, He/him or they/them

Species: Lovorn are a brood parasitism species by nature. Their appearances, while drastically different than the hosts, are capable of undergoing several morphisms during their life in order to blend into their host planet. In the early years of their intergalactic pursuits, Lovorn used this ability to infiltrate planets and rise to a position of power, before using the rank they have achieved to enslave the host planet. After building up enough of an armada, however, this idea fell out of practice and they opted for a much faster, much more bloodthirsty way to subdue solar systems.

Lovorn are usually somewhere between six to ten feet feet tall. The metamorphosis they undergo in life is based upon the species around them, meaning that they adapt to look like the creatures inhabiting their host planet. While internally none of their organ systems or bones change, they may drastically loose all of their fur, may experience sudden changes in skin and eye color and, in some situations, lose all of the sharp teeth that fill their mouth. These processes can be very painful and may take several days to complete. However, after the metamorphosis is complete, a Lovorn can spend around ten to fifteen in that form before they eventually snap back into their natural states. After this point, they must wait several months, possibly even years before being able to morph again. Attempts have been made to try to resist the need to change back including physical force and drugs, but nothing so far has worked and the effects of trying to resist changing back into their basic form is often destructive to the individual.

Sexual Orientation: Ace, Panromantic

Appearance:

In his true form, Kitzom is around five feet tall, which is rather short by both his species’ and Earth's standards. His species is covered in a thick layer of soft, dark blue fur and have large, semi-rounded ears, making them resemble the Earth animal known as the chinchilla. Their eyes are entirely black with no whites, giving them a somewhat sinister appearance. Their teeth are very sharp with large canines, and they have large claws on their feet.

In his morphed Earth form, “James” has longish, ruffled black hair that has a slight blue shine to it. His eyes resemble normal Earth eyes now, but the iris is still black He is the same size in this form but looks very much like a standard human. Having lived among humans for around twelve years now he has almost no accent identifying him as alien. He usually wears a blue sweatshirt and black pants, keeping his clothing minimal to lie low.

Personality: Kitzom is a very unique Lovorn mostly due to his complete lacking bloodthirst. While more than capable of fighting he lacks the same will to dominate other planets that his kind has, though not necessarily morally wrong as it was the culture he was raised on. He’s generally much more submissive than the rest of his kind and much more caring. He regularly forms bonds with other creatures, something seen as unnatural by his species standards, and possesses too much empathy to kill other creatures unless provoked.

History: Kitzom was once a part of the Lovorn empire, acting as a soldier and taking part in dominating several solar systems. He watched the transition from subtle takeovers to all-out warfare and the results sickened him immensely. After some time he ended up separated from the rest of his troops and took that opportunity to leave the empire in a stolen escape pod. It travelled to a solar system not yet contacted by any alien race, where he found himself on Earth. After spending some time studying humans, he slowly worked his way into the society in order to lay low and stay out of the radar of his own kind.

Weapons: Kitzom has a small blade left over from his crashed ship. There isn’t very much that is special about it but it is very strong and difficult to break.

Abilities: Aside from his previously mentioned metamorphosing ability, Kitzom is incredibly agile and a strong fighter, having undergone extensive military training while still a part of his empire. He is capable of fighting with a wide range of weaponry and adapting to many dangerous situations as a Lovorn soldier would, and his fighting style is very distinct in that way.

Other:

 

Name: Sargon

Age: Unknown, adult

Gender/Pronouns: She/hers

Species: Lovorne Commander

Sexual Orientation: Gay as all hell

Appearance:

As a female, rank-holding Lovorne, Sargon has a huge mane of dark blue hair that shows off both her power and protects her neck. Her body is covered in scars from fights but the most noticeable of the lot is a huge scar that blinds her left eye, causing the normally black eye to be milky white. She is taller than normal Lovorne troops, standing at about 9 feet tall, but is the shortest among the other commanders as the rest are significantly taller than her.

Personality:

Sargon is a twisted individual. Knowing her power and place in the Empire has given her a great deal of confidence and the expectation her orders are to be obeyed. She’s petty and more than willing to take revenge, along with being especially callous and aggressive. There aren’t many redeeming qualities that Sargon has and she’s generally just a really horrible person. At best, her undying loyalty for the empire is a somewhat admirable trait.

History:

Commanding troops for the Lovorne are from a special caste. Instead of promoting common soldier to higher ranks, Lovorne commanders are created using the same blood that flows through their leader. From the day they are born they are carefully groomed into military and tactical leaders, loyal to a fault to the empire and some of the few individuals in direct contact with the leader of the Lovorne.

Sargon was such a child. When she was the Lovorne equivalent of ten she was placed in charge of a small troop. Proving her prowess in battle, she was able to expand the number of ships in her fleet, eventually rising to hold one of the largest armadas in the Empire. How she lost her eye is unknown and she has resisted all attempts to replace it with something artificial despite the fact she cannot see from it anymore.

Weapons:

As a commanding officer, Sargon uses no weapon. While trained to use many common weapons of the Lovorne empire, commanders do not regularly use guns or knives, instead relying on their own claws and skills in hand-to-hand combat when fighting.

Abilities:

Sargon is capable of shifting like all Lovorne, but has almost never used this ability as it would require shedding her mane.

Other than that, she is physically much stronger than common soldiers, as well as having better senses overall, notable a sense of smell.

She possess a natural ability to make other Lovorne submit to her will, sort of like a form of brain washing that makes them submissive. Other commanders and strong willed individuals may resist this ability but it is usually absolute.

Other:

Edited July 25, 2016 by pudding

[pudding]

It was hard to believe it had already been twelve years.

 

Earth certainly had been a surprise. While finding an occupied planet where he could blend in was easy enough, he had never really found a planet quite like it before. The host species were interesting in themselves. They lacked any kind of clear survival adaptions that was usually a constant on other planets. No fur except useless lumps of it on their heads, no claws to speak of, they couldn’t run fast or swim well and they couldn’t even tolerate their own kind. But their perseverance was unusual. They could outlast nearly any species like some kind of pack animal and were capable of very advanced communication considering how limited in scope their tribes seemed to be. They were highly inefficient but argued about their inefficiency all the same and couldn’t seem to figure out the best way to rule was to simply allow the strong to do so. Weakness was not only tolerated but excused and ailments that would cause any Lovorn to be put down within days ran rampant. They ate things that were toxic to all other species on their planet and kept some species to serve as pets with no clear function other than to exist.

 

It made no sense and neither did the planet they lived on.

 

It had already been twelve years but every day the Earth baffled him more and more. He knew only vaguely of Earthly customs and constantly avoided creating primary groups or forming bonding relationships with humans. He didn’t need his cover blown by failing to pick up on the subtle human social cues. But it was strange how they longed to make…’friends’ with him. The desire to have a relationship with peers made no sense. Were they attempting to form some kind of primitive pack with him? For what function? The lack of understanding he had even now made him frustrated. How many planets had he seen fall to his kind’s careful actions and understanding of species? Why couldn’t he figure out just one?

 

Sighing, he gripped the primitive Earth drink in his hand known as coffee, staring down at the insensible container it resided in. The bitter drink was the closest thing he had found to a food on his own home and was remarkably nostalgic for him, and very enjoyable considering he could actually drink it. He was constantly wary of trying any of Earth’s foods as he had no idea what strange toxins humans shoved into their food on a daily basis. Plain meat was fine. The eggs of birds were fine. But when the foods were not animal, they became more dangerous. He was a carnivore. Change his external skin but nothing on the inside changed. He had to be careful about what he consumed.

 

Closing his eyes, he leaned against the wall of a human building and slowly sipped from the cup. It was the early hours of the morning so not many humans were out and about. What lazy creatures they were to not rise with the sun. Of course, Lovorn were naturally nocturnal but they had long since changed their sleeping schedules to accommodate shifts required for military activity. Besides, night had no meaning in space. It was all relative.

[shadow_claw]

She hated this planet's measurement of time.

 

She had never been able to learn it. So, with that in mind, she didn't know a lot of things. For example: her age, how long she had been on this planet, how long it had been since she had lat eaten.

 

She could assume it had been quite some time.

 

She had never felt hunger before. Not really. All she had to do was give a soft noise a discontent and her father would be rushing to see what was the matter.

 

It had been hard to learn how to do things on her own.

 

The first time she had made her own meal, it was the flesh of her captor. She tore into it mercilessly, ripping away the warm food and gobbling it down before it could stain her fur. She had been starving. They had trusted her to be submissive. They had been wrong.

 

She had gotten better at it since then. She knew what cooking was. And commerce. And much more than those concepts. But she enjoyed raw meat much more than anything else. It was food in it's purest sense.

Food. She was hungry. Very hungry. So many raw fleshthings to eat around here, only had to catch one.

 

---

 

Mina shook herself from her feral thoughts, shivering as she snapped back into reality. She had shifted into a violent state of mind some time after being taken captive. It had kept her alive. Now, it was bothersome. She was supposed to be hiding, and that meant blending in as best as possible.

 

Her facial markings made that difficult. Four almond-shaped marks framed her emerald eyes. It stood out to anyone. She couldn't hide them as much as she tried. Most who asked, she shrugged off. Others, she lied and called them tattoos.

 

These hidden eyes attempted to surface as something moved nearby. A man. With a drink. That meant he had money of some sort. Although she had first hunted down and eaten anything she could catch, it was easier to steal currency and buy meat at a deli. Nessoue were omnivorous, but Meat kept her going much longer than plants.

 

As she slipped through the alley, she was careful to be quiet. Until she was close enough to be seen. Then, she sprung. The reddish blade in her hand sprang to life and she lunged forward. She had to grab him, steal his money, and run before he did anything. Like yell for help. She hated that. It made things very difficult. One arm around the torso. Blade poised to slice open the man's soft neck. It was easy.

 

"Scream and you'll bathe in your own blood." She snarled. No, really. Snarled. It hardly sounded like English and was more like a feral chatter. In a way, that made it even scarier.

[pudding]

Every muscle in his body stiffened as a cold blade was pressed against his neck. Time seemed to slow down around him as his fingers dug into the coffee cup slightly, threatening to break it. He wasn't inherently a violent person. Sure the rest of his kind were bloodthirsty enough but he didn't fight for the sake of domination or proving himself as the better. He fought for survival. He fought for himself.

 

But he knew when not to all the same.

 

Forcing his grip on the cup to relax before he did break it and hot liquid went everywhere, he lifted his chin slightly. That accent sounded unnaturally familiar but he couldn't quite place it. Still, it sent shivers running up and down his spine. "I'm not going to scream," He replied, his voice barely a whisper. There was a knife against his throat. He had to be calm and deescalate the situation before the knife went into his throat. This was really where the difference between himself and the rest of his kind arose. Any other Lovorn would have taken the risk to try to grab the offending arm and sweep the assailant out from under their feet. Lovorn didn't negotiate unless they were the ones setting out the terms. They certainly didn't crack under one puny threat, especially if that threat was physical damage.

 

Clearly, he was no Lovorn. This was why he was no longer a part of the Empire.

 

"Just tell me what you want," he added. He couldn't see the blade since it was pressed against his neck and in his blindspot as a result, but it was probably just a standard Earth knife. If he could reach the knife hidden under his sweatshirt without her noticing, he could probably fight back long enough to escape. Against Earthlings, he didn't doubt his own abilities to disarm. Sure he might cut her arm or give her a little bit of damage, but it wouldn't be anything fatal. He'd have to keep his eyes open for a chance to fight back.

[shadow_claw]

Good. This was going well. Namina took in a breath through her nose slowly. The scent that assaulted her made her stiffen. The blade dug tighter into her captive's throat.

 

She knew that smell. It made her heart race and chest tighten. Although masked, there was no doubt in her mind that this man was not a man. He was Lovorne.

 

Eyes gave way from odd markings and claws pushed themselves forward. Although she struggled against it, the stress was too much to hold back a change.

 

It wasn't really a full reversion; it was more of a middle point. She had grown taller by a few inches, her face had elongated to form a slight muzzle. Flat human teeth became sharper and more feral. Her ears now stuck out on either side of her face and were trimmed with long, soft feathers. A short nub of a tail poked from her jeans.

 

Namina grit her teeth. She was too stressed to hide her form. She felt safer in her birth form and she knew it. Why was there Lovorne here? And more importantly, why hadn't he attacked? If there was a Lovorne invasion, the entire planet would be in ruins.

 

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you." She spat. This was no longer a game for money; she was angry. Frightened. Confused. Everything told her to kill this man but she had reasons not to.

 

Why wasn't he fighting back?

[pudding]

So that plan had failed miserably. Trying his best to hold still despite the knife digging into his throat, Kitzom slowly took a breath. It was fine. He just needed to reevaluate his options. If this stranger was after his life, he couldn't afford to negotiate. If his life was endanger he would be forced to fight for it. He hadn't flown across the galaxy to escape the Lovorne empire, only to die at the hands of some inferior Earthling.

 

It was going to be a pain in the ass trying to fight in this shape. Humans really weren't designed for combat, were they? Well, the only thing he could do was try to make reasonable sacrifices to compensate for this current form's inefficiency.

 

Of course, he'd have to talk his way into a better situation where he could actually fight. With an arm around his torso and a knife against his throat, there weren't many actions he could make that wouldn't lead to his throat getting slashed open.

 

"Relax," He whispered, trying to keep his voice level. Maybe he could call for help to scare her off. No, it was too early. There wouldn't be enough people around to actually do anything. "You don't need to kill me, I'm complying. Just tell me what you want." Deescalate the situation first. Wait for her to make a mistake. Disable her and then flee before she had time to recover. He had to keep his wits about him if he was going to do this properly. Hopefully his assailant would at least act rationally and not just decide to gut him right here. He didn't want to end up dead. And if she did a poor job of it, it was going to be difficult explaining to the hospital why his blood was purple.

[shadow_claw]

A primal growl rumbled in the back of her throat. She couldn't hold it back. She was frightened and angry. Forcing herself to suck in a few breaths, her form slowly retreated back to normal. No tail. Only two eyes. Good. It gave her a chance to see just what she was up against. This man looked...poorly concealed, actually. It was a wonder she hadn't noticed before.

 

"How many more of you are there?" She asked softly. Her voice was a soft hiss, her teeth bared as she whispered. "Are you a scout? What are you searching for?" The more she spoke, the angrier she got. This was her base! Her safe haven! She would tear every Lovrone soldier to shreds before she had to leave.

 

---

 

There was someone searching for her; but he was not Lovrone.

 

Although his current home was a grand, powerful warship, he was unhappy. He had Nessouian soldiers at his disposal, and Lovorne prisoners below. He was a commander, and was very good at it.

 

But he was lonely.

 

"I know she's there. Where is the Chimera!" A gray hand slammed against a force field, teeth bared in rage. Pure white eyes blazed with a star's fury. The massive blue creature that sat captive sneered, the majority of its shape hidden in the cell's shade. The tall, gray alien stepped back with a sigh, smoothing back his long ears.

 

"You were the head in the Biological Weaponry department. You know the whereabouts of this Chimera." He continued, calmer this time.

 

The creature in the cell smiled, showing a full set of sharp teeth in the process. It lumbered forward to press almost against the force field. There, the truth about its body was revealed. Horribly scarred, a set of four claw marks raked across its eyes. Black eyes were white with scar tissue. The rest of the creature's body was maimed with the same sets of gashes. Its left arm had been torn entirely off. Only a stump remained.

 

"You see, Commander; We don't have it. It was a horrible thing; a bloodthirsty monster." Its smile widened as it took a breath.

"That beast ran off after killing everyone. Everyone but I, that is."

Edited July 24, 2016 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

How many more? What was she talking about?

 

Wait. Wait, wait. He hadn’t been able to place that accent at first but it suddenly dawned on him, combined with her words. She was a Nessoue! It had been so long he hadn’t recognized their filthy accent at first but now it was clear. Well, there went any chance of negotiations. Nessoue despised his kind and the feelings were very much returned. And this one had the upper hand on him by a significant amount. Maybe screaming would be the best course of action he could take in this situation.

 

“I’m not a scout,” He snapped back, his body tensing up again. He had long since abandoned the empire at this point. Meeting one of his own kind would probably yield the same results as meeting a Nessoue. There were no Lovorne dissenters. Such a thing didn’t exist prior to him. The pride that Lovorne felt for their cause ran rampant through the ranks. Any proper soldier wouldn’t hesitate to correct that mistake in him. He was defective.

 

“There aren’t any more here, just me. The empire hasn’t set its sight on this cluster yet. It’s too underdeveloped.” Telling the truth was probably his only option here. “I’m not a part of the empire. I’m trying to hide from them here.” Was this planet already controlled by the Nessoue? It was possible but at what point had they claimed this cluster for their own rule? How dumb had he been to land on a planet that was already occupied? And here he had thought he had been clever by picking such an underdeveloped planet in the middle of a galaxy nobody cared about.

 

“I didn’t know this planet was already occupied. But I promise you I am telling the truth."

[shadow_claw]

A long, long time passed before she finally acted. Or it felt that way. She couldn't remember how to measure time. She lifted the blade from his neck, hesitated, and then returned it to its hidden sheath.

"A...deserter?" She asked, slowly releasing her grip on the stranger. If he had been a true soldier, she would have already been in a violent grapple. He seemed more ready to run than anything. She let go of him entirely, choosing instead to stalk out of the alley. Pausing, she turned back to look at him. Emerald eyes studied the man for only a few seconds, before she rolled her eyes and looked away.

 

"Don't follow me."

This was all she said before slipping into the crowd of humans, invisible among them. Sort of. In all reality, she was rather tall for a human. But she blended in well enough. Her first mugging for the day didn't go well. She'd just have to pick pockets.

[pudding]

It seemed like an eternity before he was finally released. Heaving out a sigh of relief, Kitzom watched as the disguised Nessoue walked out of the alleyway with an ominous warning. It was only after she left did he turn away from the front of the alley and cough loudly, lifting a hand to his throat. Glancing down at his fingertips, he scowled at the purple blood staining his fingers before running both of his hands through his hair.

 

Okay, calm down. Reset. Breathe.

 

He was on a Nessoue controlled planet. There was no other explanation other than those filthy creatures managed to take it over before he landed. Why they hadn't approached him earlier made no sense and why they had targeted this planet was equally confusing, but there was no other explanation. With the possibility of an alien being around any corner, it was clear he had to leave immediately. He could take his chances on another planet somewhere else. Most of the universe was already conquered by some side but there had to be at least one planet he could visit. One place that contained enough life that he would at least be able to survive.

 

Or maybe he should just give up now and turn himself over. If he went back to his own empire now, his life might be spared. It had been twelve years, they might have just forgotten about him. He could blend into the ranks again. Swallow his own bile as they conquered planets and killed the non compliant natives.

 

He didn't have that many choices here. Zipping his sweatshirt up as far as it could go to cover the cut across his neck, he quickly stepped out of the alleyway and started towards his apartment as he tried to think. Still, it was hard to do so when all he could focus on was the fact he was no longer safe.

 

Why had she spared him anyway?

[shadow_claw]

They had made an agreement, the day they had escaped.

She would spare them. She would allow them to run away with her. She could tell they were different. Maybe it was how kind they had treated her. They had encouraged her to esacpe, even if it meant their death.

 

She killed them all and took the ship for her own. All the bodies had been dragged into the airlock and let loose into the nothingness known as space.

 

It was just them two.

 

And when she thought they were safe from danger, she landed on a strange planet and crashed the ship into the ocean. No going back. It was then they agreed: they would go their seperate ways on this planet.

 

Orion named themselves after the constellation on this plane. One of a great hunter. The story touched them. Perhaps being named after someone so strong would make them brave.

 

They kept in contact every once in a while. Meeting in the shadows, making sure they were safe. Orion never understood why she cared so much. They had gotten a job, had an apartment. Mina...didn't. She just couldn't blend in that much. She wouldn't let herself.

 

Rion was thinking about all this as they strolled down town. They had been working at the local coffee shop for quite some time now. Coffee was nice. It made them jittery, but the smell was soothing. Their co-workers knew and appreciated them there. It was nice.

 

They had been watching from the window as Mina stormed out of the alley, shortly followed by a rather traumatized regular. Oh no had Mina robbed them?

They began untying their apron, leaving it on the counter.

"I'll be right back."

This was all they said until they sprinted out the door towards the dark-haired stranger.

"Hey! Yeah...James was it? Are you alright? I know that girl...she-"

They stopped dead at the small streak of purple across the man's neck. Soft black eyes went wide, and they began to shake.

"I...I-I didn't...I wasn't here."

As soon as they appeared, they retreated back into the store. Oh no. How hadn't Mina seen it? He was...

No. They had to calm down. Think of a quiet way to get to safety. If there was one...there had to be more.

Edited July 24, 2016 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

Kitzom stopped as his fake name was called out, turning towards the noise. Oh, it was one of the workers at the coffee shop. He'd been going there for a long time now since they always seemed to brew a good cup. Of course, a long time was more like a year or so. After all, his disguise had its failings. Lovorne did not age nearly as rapidly as humans. And his age group was expected to undergo rapid transformations that he simply couldn't replicate. So every four years he moved around. Kept the money he had made working here and there and moved a city over. Started over fresh. It was why he never got attached. How long had he been in this city now? Three years or so? He'd have to start heading back North to where he had originally landed. Hopefully his ship wouldn't require too many repairs before it would be ready to fly again.

 

"Orion," He rasped, remembering the worker's name by pure chance, his hand instinctively moving to cover his neck again. However, at the response, his eyes quickly widened and he backed away. That wasn't a normal human response. Was he one of them too? Even the worker at the coffee shop was a damn Nessoue. Without even realizing he had stepped foot in a nest of them. Tossing the coffee he had been holding into a trash can, he quickly lifted his hood up to cover the back of his head and began to run. He had been spared twice now, he didn't need to press his luck. He had to escape now.

 

Every Earthling became a threat. He didn't know who could be a Nessoue in disguise. He didn't know why they didn't just jump him already. They had the upper hand in numbers, clearly. He was just one Lovorne. Were they afraid of him? Sure Lovorne were natural fighters but quantity outweighed quality in combat situations. There was no way he would ever be able to beat an entire planet full of Nessoue.

 

It took longer than he thought to escape back into his apartment. Locking the door behind him, he took a moment to breathe, resting his back against the door. Right, packing. Quickly running to his bed, he pushed the thin, metal frame away, revealing a compact box with alien script on the outside. Placing it on the table nearby, he began to pace around the apartment. He needed enough money to make his way back up to where his ship had landed and enough food for the journey there and out of this star system. He needed nonperishables for sure, no doubt the food in the ship had long since gone bad.

 

And tools, he'd need those too. There wasn't enough time. He needed more time to prepare before he was ready to leave. But it was too dangerous now.

 

"!" he swore, punching the closest wall out of stress. His fist went right through, smashing through one of the support beams with easy and crashing through the other side. Swearing more now and slipping back into his original language, he pried his fist out of the wall, glaring at the hole he had left. He needed to calm down. He needed to calm down and focus on getting out, not breaking down until the Nessoue decided to make the first move and drive him out.

[shadow_claw]

Oh, this was all useless! These prisoners knew nothing about her! He would have to find a live one, one on the battlefield. Yes, that would work.

 

Out of habit- perhaps sentiment-the commander watched Earth quite a bit. It was those humans he based his little girl off. They were just so...social. So compassionate. He found it alluring. And, watching on thousands of feeds, he watched the little hairless beings scuttle about the world. They were amusing, but watching them hurt. His little girl, his Mina, was lost somewhere in space.

 

She wasn't a monster. She wasn't.

 

He missed her so much.

 

---

 

She didn't trust him. Not one bit. Not at all. As the Lovorne darted awa, she watched him run. And them, dragging Orion along, she followed him. Up a window and into his apartment.

 

That didn't make sense. It looked like he had been here for quite some time. Why? Had he assumed a human's residence here by killing them? No, she would have noticed.

 

"Mina..." Orion glanced about anxiously, edging closer and closer to the window each moment.

"I won't be here long. Something just doesn't add up."

"He's Lovorn; I'm sure of it. But...he's been buying coffee for three years now. Maybe he really is a deserter?"

[pudding]

The outsides may have changed. Huge, sound-sensitive ears degraded into useless hunks that couldn't even move. But the internal mechanisms didn't change. And a soldier's keen senses never faded.

 

Jerking upright, he paused, hand grasping the alien case that had been hiding under his bed. He could hear something. Were they here for him? Had they just pretended to let him off the hook only to catch him when he was unaware? He knew he couldn't trust those Nessoue. They were all liars and thieves. He shouldn't trust one as far as he could throw it.

 

Which wasn't that far considering how small he was.

 

His grip on the case tightened as he grabbed a pile of cash off the counter, backing towards the door to the apartment. He had to get out and run. A confined space like this was favorable for combat against a few, yes. But it was no fortress and wouldn't hold out forever. If troops were coming from him, he needed to get a head start now. He couldn't trace exactly where the sounds were coming from. A window might be a better option. Should he wait for them to enter or just risk having to possibly crash through a few soldiers to make it into the clear? Hissing, he scowled before turning towards the door and unlocking it, getting ready to draw his knife. He'd have to fight his way out. He wouldn't kill them. He just needed to get out.

[shadow_claw]

Orion glanced about anxiously as Mina dug around, chewing slowly on their lip. Mina peeled back the blanket on the unmade bed, sniffed it, and set it back down. Yup. This was definitely his. She then crouched to look under the bed. There, a small, shiny object sat just under reach. Naturally, she did what anyone would do. She flopped down on her stomach and shimmied under the bed

 

"Mina!" Orion gasped softly, practically bristling with worry. "Get out from under-" They stopped dead as they heard footsteps. "Oh no."

"What?"

"He's here! He's coming this way!"

"I'm almost done. If I just...I can't quite reach this thing."

"I'm not going back. I can't. Mina I can't go back to the other Lovorne!"

[pudding]

Opening the door, Kitzom stared for a moment at the two intruders that had breached his bedroom. The girl from before and the coffee shop worker. He knew it. They were both Nessoue. His fingers curled into fists as he dropped the case he had been holding and kicked it into the corner, instead drawing his knife from his sweatshirt. They had invaded his home. It was already too late and they were at his door and he'd need to make sure he could actually get out of here. He couldn't afford to be taken hostage by the Nessoue. He had heard horror stories about what they did to their prisoners and he knew it would be better to take his own life than end up in one of their prisons.

 

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly. It was too much for one day. He couldn't even catch one break. But his arm holding the knife was steady as he tilted it sideways, widening his stance and bringing his second hand behind the knife, palm facing the two. It was a well known Lovorne combat stance, a preparation to fight and anticipation of a kill. Like the rattling of a snake's tail or the hiss of a cat, it was a sign of threat. He knew how to use the knife and he would.

 

Of course normally, a soldier would strike within a few seconds of adopting the pose, choosing to engage rather than simply scare off. But he didn't. If he could just scare them off, that would be enough. He just needed a small head start. Enough to pack his belongings and get out.

 

"Step away from my bed. There isn't anything in here for you so just leave me alone."

[shadow_claw]

As the door burst open, Orion screamed. Or, well, yelped. They bounced away from the door. hands raised in an effort to protect themself. But the stranger didn't attack. In a panic, sobs came violently from the scrawny alien. Tears soon poured from their eyes as they desperately pleaded for their life.

"Please no! NO! I can't go back! I won't! W-We can leave! We're leaving right now!"

Mina gave a short cry of triumph as her hand wrapped around her prize. The shiny object crumpled in her hands. This was no technology! It was a burrito wrapper!

"What the ?"

"MINA!" Orion sobbed, wiping at their face to clear their vision. "Please! I don't wanna go back to them! Please just get out and go!"

"Fine, fine, I'll just-" She shuffled to back out of the bed, only to find that she was stuck quite snugly.

"Rion."

"Wh-what?"

"I'm stuck."

 

Unlike Orion, she seemed surprisingly calm in this situation. She had already decided this was the only Lovorne, and that he was telling the truth. They would both be dead otherwise.

"Look, we're...We're the only ones here. Rion isn't even Nessoue. They're Lovorne too. I just..." She sighed. "I can explain, just help me out."

[pudding]

Kitzom tensed up slight at the strange reaction given by the first Nessoue. What was it doing? Was that meant to be some kind of deceit to make him lower his guard? Crocodile tears would not work here. Not when they had already broken into his home. Couldn't they see he was just trying to leave? He didn't want to resort to violence. He didn't want to have to hurt anyone.

 

Wait.

 

They were the only ones?

 

"What do you mean you're the only ones here?" Kitzom asked, his eyes narrowing as he moved his gaze to Orion. A Lovorne? That was impossible. He had to be some kind of a scout. But why was he acting like that? Lovorne did not cry. It was impossible! Some said that their tear ducts had been removed long ago. They had no use for them. "Who are you two? How long have you been on this planet?" He paused, bringing the knife closer to his second hand, ready for a fight. The muscles in his body tensed and untensed in turn, an instinctual processes to make sure he was still in fighting condition.

 

Like the system check for a computer.

 

"How many more of you are coming here? I'm not coming any closer until I get some answers. Why are a Lovorne and a Nessoue working together? Just how defective is that soldier?"

Edited July 25, 2016 by pudding

[shadow_claw]

"Not a soldier. An experiment." Namina corrected, crinkling the aluminium she had found into a ball.

"I was a prisoner of a Lovorne ship. I broke out and, with Rion's help, we fled as far as the escape pod's fuel would let us. So now we're here." The bed itself rose and fell slightly as she shrugged. Oh, what a flawless liar she was. Though, it was partially true. Telling the truth in this situation was both dangerous and ridiculous. There's no way a Lovorne would believe she killed an entire ship's worth of soldiers.

 

"See, Rion's a perfected model. Sorta. They can hold their disguised forms as long as they want. Or something like that. Is it really that special for you Lovorne? I can do that-"

She paused as an idea struck her. Her form shrunk, disappearing entirely under the bed. A small isopod creature scuttled out of the bed, before expanding back into a human form. A naked Namina stood, her back to the hostile Lovorne. She gathered her clothes and began to re-dress.

 

"See? Easy." She remarked as she slid her panties back on. Although she appeared casual, she was straining quite a bit to hide some imoerfections. Surgery scars, done many a time by Lovorne and once by her father, marked her body. A bead of sweat rolled down her face. Once her clothes were back on, however, she stopped hiding them. There was no need; they were already covered up.

 

As she turned to face the other alien, her eyes narrowed. Was he really that ready to fight? A hand drifted momentarily to her hidden weapon. No, that would only make things worse.

"I don't reccomend you attacking. A limp noodle could fight back more than Rion, but if you really wanna see purple blood, go ahead. But just know that you'll have to get past me before you even touch them. And I really don't want to make a mess by splattering you all over this nice apartment."

[pudding]

He hadn't heard about any experiments like that. Sure his data was well over twelve years old at this point but a perfect model had never successfully been created. They always fell apart. The urge to sustain a natural form was too strong. Of course, it could very well just be a secret or some kind of relic. The new empire looked down on shapeshifting. Their natural forms were perfect. They no longer had to shift to invade planets. They were strong. Their reach was vast and powerful.

 

They were perfect they way they were. The need to revert was just proving that fact. Their bodies wanted to go back to the shape they new was proper.

 

"Don't threaten me, Nessoue," Kitzom snapped, his grip on the knife tightening as he rotated it slightly downwards now. It had been a while but the stances were still engrained in his memory. A soldier never forgot what they had learned. "You're the ones who broke into my apartment. You're the one who attacked me first. I'm just trying to live peacefully on a planet removed from the fighting. If this isn't already an inhabited planet, I'm not leaving. You cannot take this place away from me and you certainly can't threaten me in my own nest." Besides, they both knew a Lovorne could easily handle a Nessoue. Nessoue may be better at disguising themselves overall, but they just weren't built for combat like Lovorne were.

 

They lacked the basic bloodthirst needed for battle. They were too afraid to use underhanded tactics to disarm an opponent.

 

They were too flimsy and nice.

 

Even a defective soldier like him could take a few dozen down by himself before he fell. "Both of you should just leave before I'm forced to do something drastic."

[shadow_claw]

"Mmmm...that wasn't a threat."

"M-Mina-"

"-Too late Rion! If this guy wants a fight, then he's gonna get a fight!"

Watching a Nessoue change was beautiful. Like a ripple in a pond, their forms were distorted and smoothed over gracefully. By the time everything settled, Namina was tall, feathered, and generally scary-looking.

"Mina..." Orion whimpered, covering their eyes with their hands.

"It doesn't matter if he sees me like this; He'll be dead here soon."

 

Although she looked much like a Nessoue, she was significantly shorter. By a few inches, in fact.Otherwise, she looked completely normal. Six blank, white eyes burned into Kitzom, her long tail lashing behind her.

"Thing is: that wasn't a threat. I'm the best weapon against the Lovorne. I'm your biggest nightmare. Maybe when I'm done here, I'll feel bad enough to mercy-kill you."

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small red blade. It morphed into a shortsword, its reddish metal glinting in the light. Growling, She lunged forward. As she did so, her tail shot out to try to grab his legs. She was going to tear him apart. It'd been so long since she'd tasted Lovorne blood. It would feel good to taste it again.

[pudding]

A normal Lovorne would have taken the challenge in stride. Steadied his stance, twisted his arm slightly before planting a solid kick at the chest of the assailant. A normal Lovorne would have been quick to go for the throat, biting right through the feathers that covered the Nessoue's throat. They would have attacked in stride and enjoyed it.

 

Kitzom took one look at the creature barreling towards him and immediately skipped backwards, slamming the door to the bedroom shut and locking it in one quick movement. Flipping his knife into the air and catching it in his other hand, he retreated across the apartment, making his way to the open apartment area. Tight spaces were not fit for Lovorne fighting. He needed wider area to properly attack. He wasn't going to be dumb and just jump into a fight when he could try to fix it to his advantage.

 

It had been twelve years since he killed anything. More than that since he fought against an intelligent creature. He was going to be rusty, that was for sure. But if he was going down, he was going to make sure these two met the same fate. Even if it meant calling the empire to this planet with an emergency beacon, he wasn't going to let a Nessoue run amok on a planet and attack him for no good reason. The filthy monster was going down one way or another.

[shadow_claw]

Tail flicking back and forth, Mina watched with amusement as the alien scrambled out of his own bedroom. Snorting, her form rippled back into that of a human's. Soft, dark hair spilled whereywhere around her. Hm. She must have lost her hair band somewhere. Oh well.

"That showed him." She remarked with a soft chuckle. Stalking calmly towards the window, she offered a hand to her friend and smiled.

"I...I wish you wouldn't be so aggressive." Orion whispered, acceptibf the help up. The two of them climbed out the apartment via the window, and shimmied down the nearby gutter. Maybe that would keep the Deserter from bothering them further.

"I'm just putting up for you and myself, Rion. You know how Lovorne are. They're horrible, ruthless things. I had to be sure this guy wasn't the same as the others." The two of them walked down the street, bodies close to one another. They weren't romantically interested in one another, but being in a cell for so long bonded them. The pair were like siblings, or perhaos Platonic mates. Everything they did was gentle and caring to one another.

"How could you tell it wasn't an act?" Orion asked softly. She smiled in response, pushing her bangs from her face.

"He ran away. A standard Lovorne wouls have tried to go for soft spots. The stomach. The eyes. The throat. Instead, he realized he was at the disadvantage and fled."

"The Lovorne may be powerful, Rion, but their only form of vision is Hindsight. None of them ever think things through."

[pudding]

While the door didn't immediately break down, it didn't take long before Kitzom did. It was just too much for him, honestly. Even if this place wasn't a nest this place was compromised. His home was compromised. If a coffee worker was actually an alien, there was no telling who else might be. Nessoue and Lovorne could hide anywhere. They clearly had no issues about breaking into his home. If they didn't leave, the next time they showed up they might just kill him anyway. He was the enemy. There was no reason for them to leave him alive as it was.

 

He needed his ship back.

 

He needed to get off planet and find some other planet that was still neutral. He was running out of time anyway. It wasn't the first time he had been forced to leave a place he called home, but this was the first time due to other aliens. He thought he had been in the clear. He thought he could just lay low the entire time and have the war pass him by.

 

Maybe that was just a fools dream. Both empires were in an arms race to expand. They'd hit Earth eventually and they wouldn't hesitate to overthrow it when they did arrive. It was what his kind did. They had to expand and they had no regard for the creatures they crushed along the way. Maybe it was high time he just ended it all. There wouldn't be any more places to hide soon enough. They would come one way or another and the Earth would burn.

 

Maybe he should just end it now. He was tired. It had been over twelve, long years now. He just wanted to be able to fall asleep without looking over his shoulder to make sure there wasn't anyone standing behind him.

 

Lifting his knife to his mouth, he flipped it over, exposing the hilt of the blade. He quietly unscrewed the bottom of the hilt, revealing a small, blue button that had previously been hidden from view. After a moment of hesitation, he pressed a finger down on the button, closing his eyes as he did so and flinched away. There was no sound to indicate anything had happened, but it didn't change the fact something had happened. Immediately after pressing the button a broadcast was sent out. It reached the ends of the solar system in seconds and extended out past the boarders of the Milky Way in minutes. After about ten minutes, the signal was received by a ship, which immediately began to veer off course.

 

It was headed towards Earth.