Rebel Without a Cause [Kendra's Awakening]

A chill crept through the air of the suburbs of Sunlake, the ground still slick and wet with the fresh rain. Grey clouds drifted overhead in lazy intimidation, a faint passing of the downpour of that afternoon taking its leave in a vague sense of a shaking fist. The light of the moon poked out behind these clouds, bathing the streets in a dream-like glow. Yet all was still save for the gentle shaking of trees and intermittent protest of the wind, threatening to bring more condensation on its return trip.

The streets were still, the hamlet asleep as the people of Endymion nestled away from the shivering cold of the night. The lights were out throughout Sunlake as if no one even lived there. The only denizen of the lonely streets was the unshakeable wet chill that hung in the air, chilling to the bone. Threatening the grave.

Kendra frowned, eyes squinting ahead. Really, she should've paid more attention to the weather forecasts and the time. It was late, and she should've been more focused on the time. She had just been so excited to this kind of freedom. No restraints at all, parents powerless to stop her staying outside. Actual friends with her. At least, she considered Cecil and Nadia to be friends. Though, she decided, it would've been a lot better if there was no rain, and if the ominous chill in the air was gone.

"Is it always so... lifeless?" It's hard to see right now." She ignored the ominous chill she kept feeling, chalking it up to being away from home. Still, every instinct in her body was on alert, and Kendra was not one to just get afraid randomly. There had to be something else about the lifeless area that was getting to her. She was not some kind of coward.

Nadia was glad they ran into Cecil when they did. Afterall, night had fallen while she and Kendra were out enjoying a much deserved day-off. Even though she now had Ereshkigal, she didn't want Kendra to be forced to deal with the dangers night presented.

She wondered if this growing anxiety was how Cecil had felt that night not so long ago when he was walking her home. The night she awakened to her power.

Presently, Nadia shared a knowing glance with Cecil. It was quiet, too quiet. Moving a little faster, Nadia took Kendra's hand and picked up her pace. "Everyone goes inside at night, so it gets quiet, yes. We should get home too. It's late and we have some work to do before school in the morning." she said as reassuringly as she could. Night had fallen. She could feel the urge to transform into Nightingale, but she ignored the feeling for now. She didn't want to reveal that side of her to Kendra unless she absolutely had to.

The chance meeting at hand was the best result that could have ever come from Cecil crashing out after a study session. Sure, he still didn't feel entirely at his best, but it meant he managed to meet up with Kendra and Nadia while they were caught out in the night.
He was not having a repeat of last time if he could help it.

Cecil met Nadia's gaze with a frown on his face, and then covered the expression with a more tired one. "I'm...not really sure what you expected anyway. Suzie Q's the only place I can think with anything going on at night. Most people don't want to be out." He shakes his head, eyes flitting out during the motion to see if he'd catch a quick glimpse of something. There wasn't anything in the area so far, but...well, if something wanted to appear, now would be the perfect opportunity for them.

The static and unease in the air was not coincidental. The evening was full of apprehension and a seeping dread of the unknown, the vacant suburbs and whistling wind doing little to ease any fears. But this was not the source of the little voice in the back of their minds telling them that something was out there. Something was out there to find them, to gnaw on their sinew and suck the marrow from them. Two of them had felt this feeling before. One would soon learn the truth.


Slowly the wind would die down and even the rolling clouds would seem to hang, but parted to allow moonlight to show through. It was colder now, they young adults could see their breath turn to fog as it left their bodies. A light, wispy fog began to roll and caress the ground in the newfound frigid atmosphere, bringing with it a cool nipping at the ankles... and a peculiar sound. It was rattling. Like maracas. Or a rattlesnake. The Psyche Terrorists would ease into that familiar feeling that a threat would nearby. Kendra would not be as familiar. Her head would begin split in a light throb not unlike a coming migraine as a faint and high-pitched whine droned in the background.

Kendra wouldn't say she was a very weak person. She would say, personally, she was strong and brave enough to face anything down. She would think she was brave enough to ignore things that would scare her otherwise. "My head feels funny." At that moment, however, she couldn't help but stop to clutch at the left side of her head, nerves completely shot. There was something that was bugging her, and she didn't know what it was.

She thought it would clear up in a few seconds, but it really wasn't getting any better. Was that noise causing it? She couldn't think properly, the pain in her head beginning to take over any coherent thoughts, but she had enough brainpower left to wonder where that whine was coming from. The whole area was lifeless. She wanted to think more about what was happening, but the pain in her head was preventing her from focusing. She couldn't help but wince as she clutched the left side of her more, trying to get rid of the throbbing sensation.

Nadia let go of Kendra's hand. The wind died, the moonlight was like a spear cutting through the darkness. Nadia turned to Cecil, muscles tensing...and she smiled. Despite the fear she should be feeling, and despite the concern she should have for Kendra, Nadia was smiling. A hollow excitement bubbled up in her. Cecil would recognize this smile. It was the smile that crossed her face whenever a sudden new opportunity presented itself - one she couldn't deny herself. She hadn't been expecting to fight tonight. But it seemed like it was going to happen. Now...to determine which direction the noise was coming from. There was little hope of escaping it now...and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Nadia moved, scanning the empty streets for any sign of movement, and making sure Kendra was positioned between herself and Cecil.

"My Head Feels Funny."

At that, Nadia turned, remembering the pulse that wracked her own brain when she had awakened. Could it be...?

"Kendra? ...It'll be okay, just stay close to us, alright?" She said reassuringly over her shoulder to Kendra. No time to worry about that. Nadia turned back to keep vigil as they made slower progress, making sure that whatever it was wouldn't sneak up on them...hopefully. She was itching to become Nightingale. But there was still a chance this conflict may not happen...and what if Kendra turned her in as a psyche Terrorist? She'd like to think that wouldn't happen, but after the scare during her own awakening with encountering Maria, she was loathe to take the risk. No, she'd wait until the last possible moment, until the demon - if there really was one close by - appeared to attack them.

There was something around here. There was another goddamn demon in the streets when he was out with someone vulnerable to them, and once more he'd have to face off against them. All it'd take now was for Kendra to be-

"You have got to be fucking kidding me..."

Alright, so maybe Kendra was a potential persona user in the wings. Just another complication to the night, it seemed! Got to have plenty of those!
"Trust me on this one...it's important you don't run off." He casts his gaze over the area, looking for the telltale signs of demonic presence. "I'm sure that pain in your head is going to go very, very soon."

The silence continued on, painting the night with an eerie quiet. Except for the rattling. It began to drown out footsteps and the crunch of leaves, the sound resonated over the empty streets as if it were all around them. And then the chanting began. Even to the Psyche Terrorists these were little more than whispers, incomprehensible hisses in the ears that coupled with the maracas. Kendra's headache would worsen, the pain increasing in intensity as if someone where putting a cordless drill through her skull. She would not hear the whispers or the threatening rattle. Only more static and a high-pitched whine.

As the trio continued they would pass a nearby park, the shade of the trees hiding figure among the black.



The nearer they drew the louder the rhythmic shaking and chanting whispers would become, the rattling like soft rain sticks but violently overpowering. The darkness cloaked its form but its movements were graceful in the shadow. Graceful and menacing. The figure danced and twirled under the black of the canopy, paying no heed to those who would witness it. Kendra would see a faint outline of shadows, a twisted mess of writhing dark flapping in the nonexistent wind like a bedsheet on a line, hard to make out, hard to understand. But she was beginning to hear the chanting voices through the static. And the pain in her head increased.

Kendra looked at Cecil and Nadia, confused and, still, in great pain. Something was wrong with the whole scenario. She was being treated like some little kid. Still, the pain she was feeling combined with the confusion outweighed her anger, for now, so Kendra was compliant. She reached for Nadia's hand, wanting some kind of comfort while her head throbbed. She wasn't sure how things could get any worse, the noise already overriding most of her thoughts. It couldn't get any-

"Shit!" She hadn't meant to say anything, but the sudden increase of pain in her head took her by surprise. She jerked her free hand, the one reaching for Nadia's hand, away, moving it so she clutched her head with both hands. She had never had a migraine this bad before.

She was beginning to think she might end up bursting into tears at this rate, the pain blocking out most of the things around her. She was barely aware of whatever it was moving ahead. She couldn't make it out, an outline of some kind of... floating bedsheet? She was sure the pain was screwing with her now, because she didn't know how anything it could be. Fear began to ebb its way into her heart, though she refused to let it completely overtake her. She was not a child, dammit!

The next surge of pain caused Kendra to let out a hiss of pain and caused her to increase the pressure her hands were applying to her head. She was sure there were tears in her eyes, though the pain made her keep them closed. She thought she might be able to hear voices through whatever the static-y noise was, but she couldn't focus long enough to be sure. All Kendra could do was clutch her head, eyes closed, while standing between Cecil and Nadia.

Nadia tensed up again as they continued on their way. The rattling became louder, and now there were whispers in the dark. She still didn't see the demon...not until she did It was only a vague shape dancing in the darkness, but it was there. It hadn't made move to attack them yet, if that was it's intention but --

"Shit" Nadia looked back to see Kendra gripping her head with both hands. Had Nadia's awakening been that painful? Maybe this was something else? some kind of mental attack that wasn't affecting her ans Cecil because they were Psyche Terrorists. Nadia put a hand on Kendra's back, and looked at Cecil for silent instruction. He was still the most accustomed to dealing with nightly phenomenon.

The sounds became louder and more distinct, and as the demon came into view Cecil practically glared in its direction, resisting the temptation to curse once more as the pain Kendra suffered became almost crippling to her. Shifting around so he could block any move the creature would attempt to make, he looked back to see Nadia looking at him for an indication of the next move.

It would have appeared that Kendra would be able to join them in their fight if it came to it, but he had no intentions of forcing her into a fight to find out.

"Get her out of here, as quickly as you can." He stands defensively between the pair and the demon, ready to ward it off the moment the need arises. "Don't get closer, don't waste time...just get her away."

The ethereal figured continued to shake and rattle in the nightly fog, the chanting and rain sticks picking up in frequency to a fever pitch. It's movements held a sort of wild fluidity to them, twisting and twirling like a ribbon in the wind, graceful yet violent. But when one called out the whispers and rattling did stop. The figure stood straight up, appearing as some robed intruder in the dark. The eyes could not be seen but they could know that it was staring. And when Cecil stepped forward to protect his group the menacing being crouched and leaped into the trees above. The rattling picked up faster, faster, they could hear flapping but the air was not so clear. It became clouded with feathers raining down as the shadowed figure darted about above them before landing gracefully behind them. The chanting resumed as the feathery figure stood.


These words Kendra could make out through the static and the demon would begin to become clear. The pain, as sever as it was before, was starting to hit its peak. And something inside her mind was whispering to her. It wanted to be free. It wanted to be realized and accepted. She only had to let it become true. From the shadow of the trees more beings would climb from the ground, the rattling would commence again as well as some whooping shrieks as two skeletal monsters would dance to cut off their original path. Surrounding them. There was no escape.


From an unseen alleyway a shotgun would sail through the open sky, clattering to the ground in the middle of the trio. It was already loaded with shells. A voice would echo out through the battleground.
"Stand up for your freedom. Show her the way."

OOC:

Kendra continued to clutch at her head, squeezing her eyes shut to try and block out the pain. She was doubled-over slightly, the pain still greatly impacting her. She had to admit, however, she could probably open her eyes if she wanted. So she did, hoping to see a reassuring sight.

Y̸͍̬̟̗̖͇o̫̰̬u̞̹̩̰̰ ̥͚͓t̥̠̲̫̝̜͜r͓̪̫͓͕e͚̻̦͓̞ͅa̘d͎ ̬̠̬͖̺̥o̡̤͇͙͉n̞̪͘ ̶̱̣̙͇͖̲͈s̛͈a̢̪c̴͈͚͚̠r͍̜̼͔͙̻é̖̫̥d̫̰͚̤́ ̰g̺̗̟r͖͠o͢un̴̲d̥̺͓̣̹͞.̸͍̹͕̟


The sight before her was not reassuring, and was in fact terrifying. The thing before her was unfamiliar and Kendra wanted to flee, wanted to run until the pain left her head and-

Is that really what you're going to do with thy freedom? Run?

Kendra wasn't sure who said that, this voice seeming new, but she knew that wasn't what she wanted to do. She wasn't going to just run back home and throw away everything she'd done. She was going to stay.

That's it! Fight alongside thy allies! Fight for thy freedom! Break thy chains!

Kendra wasn't sure when the shackles appeared, but she knew she hated them. She moved her arms apart with a violent jerk, the motion feeling right to her. She had been wearing shackles for far too long. The chain link snapped, and the shackles fell.

I am Thou, Thou art I

The mask that appeared on her face was simple, a golden domino mask. However, the two cold, white pieces of metal Kendra felt pressed against her forehead were not. They resembled horns of sorts. Her outfit had changed as well, a mixture between that of royalty and that of warriors, the cape billowing behind her a perfect mash-up of the two.

"The only bones joining this burial ground are yours!" Kendra cried out, the rush of her new sense of power fueling her. She picked up the shotgun, though she was unsure of what exactly she was meant to do now.

Nadia had moved to pull Kendra along, but Cecil stood there, his back to them, and told her to go on without him. She hesitated. Could she do that? A welling of fear bubbled up in her throat. Could she leave Cecil here? What if he died? What would she do? crawl back into the hole she'd been living in before they met? Keep going on and experiencing more things? She didn't know. couldn't  fathom the change in her life, even after only knowing him a short while. She couldn't leave him.

Luckily, it seemed she wouldn't have to. The creature burst out in a rain of feathers, landing behind them. Nadia turned, and as she did so, it seemed two more of the creatures were crawling off to cut off their escape. There was nothing left to do but fight now. And she was glad that she wouldn't have to defy Cecil. She knew he was just looking out for her and Kendra...but running off to danger and death like that alone...she couldn't let him do that. They'd talk about that, later.

But now...A shotgun was flying through the air, landing at Kendra's feet. The girl's body wracked with pain and then...She changed. So she was a Persona User after all. A "Psyche Terrorist" just like they were.

"The only bones joining this burial ground are yours!"

"Well said." Nadia replied. As she strode forward, stepping in front of Kendra, Nadia reached up with her hand. In a flutter of feathers, a muted masquerade mask appeared between thumb and forefinger, and as she placed the mask on her face, her clothes were changed in a burst of black feathers as well. Nightingale had emerged.

Nightingale looked back at Kendra with a wink and a smile that was quite a bit wider and more playful than Nadia's typical small ones. It was almost a grin, and maybe a little sadistic? "Welcome to our flock of misfits, little one." She chided, and faced the creature. She'd let Cecil worry about the two behind them for now. She would focus on this one, and keep Kendra between them, if that was possible.