Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"I just know a futile battle when I see one, Hana." Razzie grumbled, not at all suprised that she was watched. Damn that skeleton. "Also, Akitsu. You've officially lost any sort of respect I may have had for you. Try anything funny, and I will find a way to torture you." Yep, she was pissed. There was only so much shit Darkstar was willing to put up with, and her mamono was slowly reaching the breaking point. "And for the record - Logan's partner would likely turn you into bone dust if you tried anything. So please, go ahead. I'll be laughing from the sidelines." Yep, definitely close. "Alright Hana, do your thing. Then we can go to Venice... And maybe hit the bar later so I can get drunk and forget everything that happened today."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"I do not care what people think about me. I only care about my life passions." Akitsu said flatly.

Then, Hana jumped into Razzie, giving her an ethereal pair of fox ears and a single fox tail. As well, being so close in contact with Hana brought about a feeling of arousal, making her face flush and her heart beat a little faster, as if this was how Hana felt all the time.

"Ciao," Hana said to Akitsu, before Razzie's body suddenly curled up like an animal, and Razzie ran out of the house like a fox at high speed, faster than she could even run as Hana's presence unlocked some hidden potential inside Razzie. Razzie ran like that while controlled by Hana, and if Razzie complained, Hana would simply note that it was faster this way. Razzie would breeze past many people, one of them happening to be Logan and his lizardkin while he was cleaning up his ranch.

"Master..." his mamono began.

"I saw it too. Forget about it." Logan announced.

Despite moving as fast as a horse, a sudden hand grabbed Razzie's shoulder and stopped her on the spot. There was no pain, yet she was stopped as if she hit a brick wall. "Woah there," announced a familiar voice. "I'm right here." Venice announced, apparently she was looking for Razzie as well. "I understand the reason you are looking for me is the same as why I was coming to you. You have something to say about the Queen of Rose, don't you? I'm listening." Venice announced. She looked calm, but strict. She allowed Razzie to say what she had to about Rachel Alucard, but any nonsense and it was clear to see that Venice's composure would snap and become something dangerous to her.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie took a sharp breath as she felt Hana enter her. It was a weird experience, her body heating up from the alien presence within. She could feel her arousal as it slowly became her own. Thankfully, the ghost didn't wait around Akitsu long enough to allow the skeleton to do or say something. Unfortunately, she also opted to run like an animal. While fast, it was hardly dignified, and Razzie certainly let her partner know. "I know it's faster!" She cried out. "I do not need to go faster! And why did you steer us near those two!" She complained, talking about Logan and his lizardgirl. She really didn't need him considering her even more of a weirdo.

Eventually, Darkstar could feel someone stop her, and was relieved to see that the person who did so was none other than Venice. That relief quickly began to melt away once she noted how serious the woman was. "Alright, one second." The rancher paused to catch her breath and consider her words carefully, calming down. "First of all, she's not a threat. Not in her current state, at least. Anyhow, we've made a deal - she'll be staying with me like Akitsu and Hana, in exchange for a couple things. Like an amulet for walking around in sun, and sleeping quarters." She gave Venice a long glance, wondering whether to continue. The woman seemed to be awfully well-informed, but perhaps... "Also... Not sure if you know this, but I've also learned the real reason why she's out here instead of her castle."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Venice waved her hand at Razzie, "So, you know the reason and you believe that you can handle the situation? Keep in mind, Miss Darkstar, that you will be taking responsibility over Rachel. Are you saying that you'll accept whatever punishment you are found worthy of for any incidents that result from Rachel? If she were to attack a human being, it would be quite a serious matter for the one who claims to be her partner..." Venice warned her of the danger that taking in Rachel would bring.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie sighed. "Yeah, I get it. The consequences would be nothing to laugh about. That being said, right now she's in no condition to attack anyone, and I imagine she'd sooner try to pound Akitsu into bone dust than turn against humans, considering her grudge." And what a grudge it was... A justified one, to boot. Darkstar had a feeling that managing the house would be much harder than stopping Rachel from going after humans. "Though, if you don't mind me asking... If you know the real reason why she's out here, couldn't you have done anything to, I don't know... Help her? Better than letting her roam around, I'd say."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Venice simply laughed at that. "I appreciate your respect towards my ability! However, I can't take care of everything myself, as hard as it may seem to believe. In the end, I can only help those who want help for themselves. Rachel isn't the kind of person who often wishes for others to help her. That's the difference between you and I." Venice winked at Razzie. "She wants *your* help, not mine."

With that, Venice tosses Razzie an amulet, presumably the one she needed for Rachel. "I'll take care of everything else. Don't do anything stupid, okay?" Venice requested of Razzie, before the pale leader of the city vanished in a flash.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie caught the amulet reflexively, pausing for a moment to examine it. Before she could reply to anything Venice said, though, the woman was gone. "How the Hell does she do that?" The girl asked herself. Between how well-informed she was and her ability to be exactly where she needs to be, it was pretty obvious the woman had a lot of tricks and secrets stashed away. "Also, what the Hell did she mean? Why'd Rachel want my help specifically?" Did she have a grudge against Venice? Was it because Darkstar showed a kind of moral standard earlier? She had no idea, and the vampire would likely decline to shed any light on that issue. The rancher sighed. "Well, whatever... Let's get this amulet to Rachel. Then, a drink." She paused. "And Hana? I'd rather relax, so if you let me simply walk back home and to the bar, I'd be thankful."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"Kay," Hana sighed, sounding rather bored, before simply walking back home. Razzie would feel as if her body was a puppet on strings with Hana inside of her. She could move her own limbs with her own power, but it felt tangled, as if two puppeteers were struggling for control of the same doll. It made her spirit and body feel rather disconnected.

They'd pass by Logan's ranch once more, and this time he and his lizardkin partner were sitting together on the grass. She was behind Logan, her arms wrapped around his waist and her chin resting on his shoulder. Hana took interest, so Razzie saw that the lizardkin was sucking on his ear assertively, while Logan himself simply seemed to endure it.

"Looks like his mamono is bothering him." Hana announced, "He might be thankful if you interrupt that lizard~" Hana suggested, seeming to eagerly push Razzie towards Logan.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"Say what?" Razzie muttered, rather worried about the way Hana seemed to push her into what would be, without a doubt, a very awkward situation. She hated awkward - it was a very unpleasant feeling that made her want to scream and punch things at times. The strange sensation of being controlled by someone else didn't help either. In fact, it was quite uncomfortable, not being in full control of yourself. As for the situation she was being pushed into... Well, it didn't look like Logan was particularly uncomfortable with what his partner was doing. The whole thing looked harmless, really.

"Oh Hell no!" Darkstar resisted with all her strenght. "Whatever you're thinking, no. Not gonna happen. I am not crashing that party, thank you very much. If he was bothered by her, he'd tell her that." The girl tried to figure out a way to dissuade Hana. So far, the fox spirit seemed to always do whatever she wanted. Come to think of it... "You just want us to get in his pants, don't you?" She accused, having a feeling that this sort of outcome was exactly what the ghost was trying to achieve.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"A little~" Hana giggled in response to the question about getting into his pants. Regardless, Hana jumped, and Razzie found herself catapulting into what she wanted to avoid. Hana landed Razzie in front of the pair on the grass, and obviously stopped what was happening. The lizard looked about to explode in anger, before Logan suddenly took Razzie's hand.

"Ah, you came for the thing we talked about." Logan said vaguely.

"What thing!?" his mamono questioned.

"Something... For her skeleton. The sun does things to bones after all." Logan explained, before walking off with Razzie on his own accord, while the lizard seemed furious. Once they were alone, he let out a sigh. "Look, you're crazy, and I personally feel threatened being around you, but that was some damn good timing."

"I could tell you weren't happy with what was going on~" Hana said.

"Yeah, well... Mamono go rogue when you don't give them what they want... At least mine do." Logan sighed.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie sighed. Credit where it was due, it seemed that Hana was a lot better at understanding and indentifying this sort of thing than her rancher. Oh well, not like she ever was the social type."Oy. I'm nowhere near as crazy as some other people I'm living with, you know." She replied dryly. "Though to be entirely honest, I'd say the two of us here might be the closest thing to a voice of reason in the household, and that is a sad thought indeed." Much as she hated to admit it, Darkstar had a feeling that her summary was very much accurate. It was only a matter of time before her ranch became... Well, whatever it'd turn into, it sure as Hell wouldn't be a place for sane people.

Still, it seemed like Logan was more preoccupied with his own troubles than his distant cousin's apparent insanity. "Anyway, you having a lot of trouble with them?" She jerked her thumb in the general direction of his ranch, to show that she was talking about his mamono now. "I mean, she seemed a little forward, but it didn't look that bad to me. I mean, at least she doesn't go through your underwear, right?" Unlike a certain skeleton she knew... This thought gave Razzie a pause. "Well, I hope she doesn't. I mean, I've been living with mamono for about a week and I've already seen how screwed in the head they can be. Some offense, Hana." Even though she was most likely the only level headed mamono in house, she was by no means what one would call normal.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"No, she isn't the underwear one." Logan revealed. "But I do have one. Whenever I bathe, I can pretty much be assured that my old set has been completely sniffed. It stopped bothering me after... Two years. Maybe in two years you'll be fine too." Logan announced, though it was clear he wasn't intending for that to be comforting. Logan goes on to tell Razzie all of his troubles if she allows it. His bed was always covered in roses and a mature dark elf was always waiting naked on it. His shower was occupied by a slime so he always has a partner to molest him while he tries to get clean. He has a mimic who pretends to be his underwear, and waits until he's in public to begin stroking him. A naked ghost lives in his wardrobe. An ant likes to dig holes in his yard, especially where he likes to plant his garden. An ant arachne likes to make webs all over his flowers as well. A mouse takes one bite of each of his personal food items in hopes of having an indirect kiss.

"And I used to have a kitsune spirit who would go around and possess random women who'd end up attacking me in bed. Seems she's your problem now." He pointed at Hana's ears and tail sticking out from Razzie.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

As she listened to Logan's tale, Razzie's expression slowly began to change. It started with cautious curiosity, moving to amusement, bewilderment, mortification, and finally settling on horror as she seemed to realize she could very well end up in a similiar situation. "Dear god." She finally got out. "No wonder you go drinking with the oni." Right now, their brew was probably the only stuff potent enough to block that piece of information out of memory. Darkstar had a grim vision of her own future - it was highly likely that her own alcohol intake would triple at least, unless she found another way to cope.

"I'm not even gonna ask how you deal with that... I fear there's not enough booze in the world to help out with this." She shook her head. She only hoped that Hana would refrain from using Razzie as a vessel whenever she was in the mood and who was she kidding? Of course she would. Same how Akitsu would remain a panty-obsessed fetishist, and Rachel would... Come to think of it, Rachel showed no signs of being as screwed up as those two? "Oi, Logan... You wouldn't happen to know anything about vampires, do ya? You know, whether they are... Like the rest." Hells below, she did not need her newest guest doing weird things too.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"Ever heard of a tsundere?" Logan inquired. "It's a term popular with those zippangu people. It's a characteristic that describes someone who acts cold and harsh to the person they like on the outside, but has some lovey dovey inside. Well, from what I've seen, vampires are mostly tsundere. From my experience, they're the kind of people who will make a cake for you on your birthday, and then throw it at your face because they can't stand showing affection."

"That sounds like Razzie." Hana replied.

In the blink of an eye, Logan was five steps further away from Razzie. It didn't even seem like a conscious movement, as if his avoidance of types he views as troublesome has developed into a skill. "Everyone's messed in the head in some manner... It's just a manner of how, why, and how extreme their case is."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie's eye twitched as she watched Logan distance himself from her. "Thanks, Hana." Shem muttered, clearly irritated. "And thanks for the vote of confidence, Logan. For the record, I'm just easily annoyed." She added, ready to defend herself. 'Tsundere, my ass. I've never been hiding any feelings I've got... Prolly why people got such low opinion of me at times.' "Thanks for the tip, though. Altough I doubt Rachel finds me attractive." There was a hint of doubt here, but Darkstar was still convinced of that. Just because she accepted an offer didn't mean the vampire was into her. And besides, it didn't have to be romantic love, right? "And while I might be messed up, if I liked you I would have told you so. Besides, you don't seem to be an example of normalcy yourself."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"If I was normal, I wouldn't have become a Rancher," Logan stated simply. "Matter of fact, Ranching is the least normal job you could pick... A legal one anyways... Though the same goes for you. If you were really against this business, you wouldn't stay. There's other livings you can make in this city, it doesn't have to be dealing with ranching. Whatever that reason is, it's probably going to change too. The reason I first came here was to visit my... Well, technically, 'our' great grandmother. Envy. But, after a while I simply found out that even though dealing with mamono is a damn pain... I can't exactly see myself doing anything else."

"So you're a tsundere too, like Razzie." Hana announced, which drew a sickened expression from Logan. "Hmm... Two tsunderes don't mix well. Perhaps I made a mistake in trying to get you two to have sex."

"No... Just, no..." Logan sighed.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie facepalmed at Hana's interjection. She wondered if she'd ever learn to understand how mamono think, and dearly hoped such a day wouldn't come. "Dear gods why?" She asked the heavens with a sigh. "Hana, just stop. Please. Don't bring that up ever again, and I will be thankful. Honestly." Darkstar did mean that. There was only so much shit she was willing to put up with when both cranky and sober.

"Moving on to an easier topic... Envy?" The girl repeated, intrigued. "I think I've heard something about a demon called that, a cardinal sin. Are we really related to her?" That was actually quite the news to her. With how big and convoluted the complete family tree got, she stopped paying attention any further than close family and maybe her grandparents. And she couldn't really recall her mom and dad talking about the previous generations much. 'Come to think of it... I wonder why.'

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Hana merely chuckled at her words, but didn't reply. Meanwhile, Logan nodded. "How else would you explain your magical hair? It's really diluted, but it's Envy's hair that's the reason your hair isn't normal."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

Razzie opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. She got that hair in an accident... Right? Come to think of it, she didn't exactly remember what happened. She was a little kid, and she seemed to dimly recall meeting some nondescript mamono, or maybe a magician, and then... Whoosh, he/she does a trick, it goes awry. Maybe though that surge was small, it was enough to unlock some dormant magic Darkstar inherited? Curious. She'd have to test that theory sometime. And who knows, maybe exposing herself to a slightly bigger amount of magic would have some other interesting effects?

"Perhaps I should pay her a visit then... Prolly not today though." She slapped herself on the forehead. "Damn, almost forgot. I gotta hurry back and get the amulet to Rachel. And probably stop Akitsu from doing something stupid." The rancher sighed. "I've tried sending her to a scholar, hoping she could be taught, but... You can probably imagine how it went with that simple brain of hers."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Darkstar's Ranch (Cross Grave)

"Good luck with that," Logan replied, not seeming to have an interest in making Razzie stick around. "Though, a Rancher has more freedom than you might think. As you go on... Your mamono, as you'll find, won't be up to taking on the bigger and badder mamono out there. So you need to be thinking about evolution, which mamono go through as they reach their limits. Each mamono has their limits as dictated by their race. Going beyond those limits is something you'll have to do eventually, if you hope to even dream about reaching the big leagues... Though I'm not one to talk really. Rank C is pretty much where everyone gets stuck." he sighed.