The Hollow Legion, Take 219 // Sherlock Holmes

Feet dangling over the second-storey of the Mourningwood Fort, Scarlet hummed a tune under her breath as she watched the commotion down below. Blue wisps floated around, transforming into Hollow Men the moment they touched the ground. Grunting as they shuffled around, every so often the ringleader would give a deafening roar, whether to assert dominance over his lackeys or in an attempt to try and scare Scarlet was anyone's guess. The undead creatures stumbled around, growling in annoyance as they tried to find some prey to rip into shreds just for the sake of it. Scarlet grinned at their futile efforts. Dumb things would never make it up the stairs. For the life of her she couldn't understand why the idiot creatures simply didn't climb the stairs to her, but maybe that came from having no brains in those empty skulls - logic wasn't to be found.

Lazily the redhead aimed at another skeleton, and seconds later it went flying into pieces. A stray rib flew into the head of a nearby skeleton, and Scarlet smirked as the latter's head landed at his feet with a thunk. Target practice and a comedic show. A fine way to spend the evening in Scarlet's books. Even finer would have been target practice followed with a bit of flirting with some handsome fellow, but one couldn't win at everything.

Several more shots flew across the Fort, taking out the rest of the undead creatures, except for the biggest Hollow Man, acting as tonight's commander. The leader stumbled around alone, confused as to why he was suddenly on his own when before he'd had an undead army to control. The redhead assassin grinned as his lone cries pierced the still air, ringing across the empty Fort. Pulling her rucksack towards her and rummaging in it for a small flask, she attached it to the belt on her thigh, before straightening up. With a running start, she leapt from the ledge and dropped down to the fort floor, bracing herself as she landed. Her grin turned into a smirk as she straightened up, eyeing the giant skeleton up. Time to get the party started.

STATUS``: active
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: sorry for the shortness; i'm kinda off my game with starters and replies lately
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO

Grinning from ear to ear, Scarlet sauntered up behind the creature. "Oi, Bonesy! Over here!" she called out, eyes glittering in excitement. It had been much too long since her last practice round against the Hollow Men and oh how she'd missed this! The creature turned, confused, and upon seeing her gave a deafening roar. Thundering towards Scarlet, he roared again and lunged towards her with his swords. Sidestepping out of the way, she turned to watch him crash into the stone floor from the speed. Drawing her own sword, the redhead tsked at him, mockingly shaking her head. "Come now, you know that won't work with me."

She wasn't sure if Hollow Men understood the human language, but as if he had, the skeleton lumbered up and running forwards lunged at her once more. The sound of metal connecting resounded through the fort as Scarlet managed to parry his attack, just in time. A second longer and she would have been left without an arm. Her eyes took on a steely glint; the game was on. The two circled each other for a long moment, before the creature attacked again, but the female managed to dodge his attack. Leaping back, Scarlet lined up her sword with his head and jumped forward, thrusting the sword forward in hope that it would connect with the skeleton's head. But as she flew up towards him, he smashed her sword down so instead of in his head, the blade jammed right up to the hilt between his ribs, leaving Scarlet dangling from it.

Grunting, she tried to pull it out, but the weapon didn't budge. Great. Again she wrenched at it but to no avail. She was stuck hanging from the ribs of a giant skeleton. Now there's something that didn't happen every day, even to her. From behind she heard a voice, addressing her. She turned her head briefly to look over, only to find a handsome fellow watching her. Well now, he was certainly a nice surprise, wherever he'd come from. The redhead flashed him a playful grin, swinging as she did so and kicking the Hollow Man's arm away as he tried to grab her. "Not at all. By all means feel free to join the fun. The more the merrier!" Twisting her body like a cat to propel herself up as she gave an almighty swing, she landed sitting around the skeleton's neck, one leg dangling from each shoulder. "If you're short of weaponry, I have a pistol I can lend you. Or you can have the sword, but you're gonna have to get that out yourself," she added with a grin, giving a pointed look at the jammed weapon.

STATUS``: active
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: i would say i'm sorry for scarlet's antics, but i am not in the slightest xD
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO

Scarlet was just about to shoot back a witty remark when a surprised squeal left her lips as the Hollow Man suddenly bent over double, shaking his head like a drenched dog, trying to shake her off. Laughing, she threw her hands around his head, clinging tight. Oh, such fun! She almost felt like a child again, except this particular ride was infinitely more dangerous than anything in her youth. Finally as she started to feel dizziness tugging at her, she pushed off of the skeleton and leapt forward, landing a few paces away from the stranger. She gave an unsteady wobble, and threw her arms out in an effort to steady herself.

Finally she turned to the dark-haired man and shot him another playful grin. "And with that very graceful descent, I should introduce myself. Such bad manners to give a stranger a gun without knowing his name," she joked, eyes twinkling. She gave a backwards nod towards the skeleton who was still shaking his head, not having realized that Scarlet was off him. "That's Benedict. Or Bonesy. I don't think he much cares what you call him," she dead-panned with a shrug. "As for me, I'm Scarlet Frost. And you are...?" Her smile returned and she cocked her head to the side, giving him a subtle once over. He was definitely more attractive close up than from her vantage point atop a skeleton. If he managed to be a good shot on top of being a pretty face, that would be the icing on the cake. Being handsome was all well and good, but if one had the brains of a Hobbe, then Scarlet wouldn't stick around for very long. She might be considered a lowlife thanks to her choice of job, but her mother had managed to bring her up somewhat sophisticated; Scarlet was extremely fussy with who she acquainted herself with.

STATUS``: active
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: i would say i'm surprised that she's flirting while a hollow man wants to kill her, but again, i'm totally not xD also yes, she did just name a giant skeleton after bbc's sherlock. because why not? xD
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO

"Brilliant to meet you, Sherlock," she replied, her playful smile not leaving her lips. "You're not in aristocratic circles, so I guess I'll just have to forgive your rough manners then," she teased with a soft laugh. "Though I think Bonesy might get a bit offended if you forget your manners around him," she joked teasingly. "He wishes he lived up in the castle and was a noble. Instead he lives in this crumbling place and fights me every week." She laughed again, running a hand through her hair to brush it away from her eyes.

She had two holsters attached to either side of her waist. From one she withdrew her reserve pistol and handed it to him by the butt, fingers gently grazing against his in the exchange. The other she took out and examined it, a loving look flitting through her eyes as she looked at her beloved gun. The Ice Maiden was a gun she'd had created for her once she'd decided that she'd wanted to go into the assassin business instead of being just a mere mercenary. A lot of men who had stood in her way had been liquidated with this exact weapon. Plus a few others who hadn't stood in her way but had been brazen enough to make inappropriate remarks. It was her baby and she wouldn't allow anyone else to use the weapon.

"It would be my pleasure," she purred, gently biting her bottom lip for a second before turning her attention back to the Hollow Man. She bit back a grin. Looks like wishes did come true after all. She'd been hoping for someone handsome to share in her target practice. Blue wisps were flying from Benedict's eyes, flying every which way all over the fort. As soon as they landed, more Hollow Men appeared, though they were much smaller than their fearsome-but-unintelligent leader. "Quite simply the rules of the game are to kill everything and not to die. Easy." She turned and shot him a smile. "If you get injured, get yourself upstairs. They haven't learned how to climb yet. I've got some potions in my bag. Or," here her smile took on a flirty edge, "give a shout and I might just let you share some of mine," she said, nodding to the flask attached to her thigh. Roars were beginning to fill the fort, bouncing off the stone walls. "Y'ready?"

STATUS``: active
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: i am dying from laughter. i can't breath. they're about to get torn to shreds and she's flirting xD although, in her defense, i would totally flirt with RDJ in the face of danger too xD
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO

"Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you tonight to the spectacular weekly match of Scarlet Frost vs Benedict the Hollow Man and his lackies. Tonight Miss Scarlet has a guest with her, so please give a very warm welcome to the charming Mr Sherlock Holmes," she narrated loudly so it could be heard through the entire fort, side-stepping a skeleton that came running towards her. The skeleton crowd roared, baying for blood, and Scarlet turned back to Sherlock with a grin. "I think they like you. So much that they can't wait to tear you apart. It's the only sort of welcome they're capable of."

Pulling out her pistol, she aimed at a skeleton's head and shot him clean through the center of his skull. She didn't even bother with attacking Bonesy, because the moment he died, there would be no more Hollow Men for them to fight, and it was much too early in the evening to let such a thing occur. It wouldn't be until she noticed one of them was beginning to tire or they became utterly overrun with skeletons that she would think of ending the game. Part of her wanted to show off, of course, to Sherlock. She enjoyed what she did and she liked showing off her skill-set to entertain those around her. It was one of the reasons she had been so keen to go to the Crucible and compete - a chance to show off, to kill things, and to get money. Had she failed to pass all eight rounds, she wouldn't be standing here flirting and shooting, but she'd made it.

Turning, she shot a Hollow Man that was attempting to creep up behind Sherlock, before aiming at a skeleton halfway across the fort. Hollow-Men-killing wasn't the greatest of challenges (at least not until they got completely overrun; at that point it became a whole different game) but it was fun. She smiled to herself as she pulled the trigger and watched the skull go flying. She was quite glad she found someone (albeit inadvertently) to share in this hobby of hers.  

STATUS``: active
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: ---
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO

"Oh they love theatrics around newcomers. They're complete show-offs," she shot back, ducking as a Hollow Man thundered towards her and knocked his feet from out under him. Quickly jumping up, she rammed her foot right into his skull, wincing slightly at the sound of bone shattering under the force. Two skeletons were coming towards her and she pulled the trigger, aiming for the left one. But the bullet didn't come and only too late did Scarlet realize she'd already run out of bullets. Damn it! I really need to stop being so trigger-happy...! The undead trio were almost up to her and she wouldn't be able to reload in time. Bending down and  wrenching two ribs from the skeleton whose head she'd just smashed in, she held them in front of her like two swords. As one skeleton crept up behind her, wrapping a bony arm around her neck, she gave a disgusted yell and elbowed him in the ribs, the force sending him stumbling back. Making a face, she suppressed a shiver. There were few things that disgusted her, but having anything undead touch her neck was one of them, though why it had such an effect on her, she'd never been able to understand.

Running towards the other two skeletons, Scarlet gave an almighty swing as she came up level with them, sending the top halves of their bodies flying to the other side of the fort. She watched them land before throwing the makeshift bone-swords down and giving a shiver, rubbing her neck where the bone had touched. Nose scrunched, she pulled a spare magazine from its secured place on her belt and slid it into her pistol. That done, she surveyed the fight around her. So far, so good. She couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her lips as she watched Sherlock. He was a natural at this. A worthy skeleton-fighting ally indeed. Attractive AND knows how to fight. Now there's a killer combo...!

Scooping up the ribs she'd used moments earlier, she jogged back to Sherlock, just in time to hear him remark about dancing. "Ooh, careful now, you might make me jealous," she teased, giving Sherlock a grin as she turned and smashed the butt of her gun into a skeleton that was attempting to creep up on them. "I might have to kill the skeletons and steal the dance." She smirked slightly at the thought. Maybe after they were through with this, she might do just that - invite him out for a dance. It had been a very long while since she'd last danced.

So engaged was she with fighting the minions, that Scarlet had forgotten all about their leader, Scarlet's precious sword still wedged in between his ribs. Her eyes widened as he gave a deafening roar, spinning around as more and more wisps flew from his eyes. Faster and faster he spun, stumbling slightly from the vertigo. So he'd decided to pull out the show-stopper then. Obviously they were dispatching with his goons too well if he was going to try and overwhelm them this quickly into the battle.

The wisps landed, spawning more creatures. Their roars were getting louder and louder, and Scarlet momentarily scrunched her nose as they echoed off the stone walls. It sounded like The Crucible, except somehow so much worse. At least at in the arena you had people cheering for you; out here all you got was skeletons baying for your blood. The noise was getting to her in a way it usually didn't and the redhead frowned, giving her head an imperceptible shake to clear it. Get it together, Frost! You've been in the Crucible and won. You can handle some pitiful skeletons! Except they weren't pitiful. The fort was filling up with hordes of Hollow Men, all yelling and brandishing weapons. She sidled up to Sherlock, frowning as she noticed blood. She unclipped her flask and passed it to him. "Take a sip. It should fix you right up. You're going to need all your strentgh for this wave." A confident grin settled on her features. "Let's get the party started, shall we?"  

STATUS``: active quest
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: don't apologize for harming Sherly because I totally plan on hurting Scarlet pretty badly in this next wave. Apologies for the length, don't feel you have to match it (this seems to have become my motto lately xD), Scarlet Muse just got a tad carried away. Also using your colour for speech because I can't see mine any more xD And decided to turn this into a quest because why not make some money at the end? xD
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO

Taking the flask back from Sherlock and attaching it securely to her thigh once again, Scarlet drew her weapon. Her gun wasn't going to be the most useful of weapons now that the horde had decided to expand, but she wasn't exactly spoiled for choice with weaponry. She chewed the inside of her lip for a moment, thinking, before holstering her gun and taking up the makeshift rib swords. Force and brute strength would be the key here; there was no point in wasting precious bullets when the numbers of undead were so numerous. The Hollow Man leader roared and his lackeys joined in, roaring again and again until the noise was absolutely deafening. Scarlet almost scrunched her eyes up tight against the noise and an annoyed frown creased her features. "Can you shut the hell up!?!" she yelled, roundhouse kicking a still-roaring skeleton that came running towards her in the face. She gritted her teeth against the noise; this was why she preferred assassinations - they, at least, were quiet. Even the Crucible crowd didn't make as much noise as this lot, and that in itself was an achievement.

The first wave of skeletons came running towards her, encircling her and separating her from Sherlock. She cut-kicked at the skeleton closest to her, attempting to create some space between her and it. The skeleton stumbled back, confused, before rejoining the ranks. The circle was beginning to get smaller as the skeletons came closer towards her. Letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, Scarlet crescent-kicked at the group in front of her, the force of the kick successfully taking off the heads off of half the group. For a few seconds the skeletons continued to run forward, but without their heads they were useless and Scarlet pushed through them, sending them crumpling to the ground. Leaning down and picking up two skulls, she smashed a skeleton close to her with one of the skulls and his neighbour with the other, knocking their heads clean off. Running backwards as the horde rushed at her, she threw one of the skulls at an approaching skeleton, the skull going right through his ribs and severing his spine. With one last roar as protest, he crumpled to the ground.

Having won this brief moment of peace, Scarlet looked around, her eyes scanning the fort for Sherlock. She had to watch out for him, had to make sure that he didn't die. Hearing a low grunt behind her, she spun around, knocking off the head of a creeping skeleton with her forearm. The clatter of his sword upon the stone floor was drowned out by the roars, but Scarlet had seen it drop. Picking it up, she took a moment to examine it before sheathing it and resuming her search for Sherlock, jogging around the fort and dodging sword-swings as she did so. Where in Avo's name is he?!  

STATUS``: active quest
TAGGED``: sherlock holmes
OUTFIT``: this
NOTES``: she will get hurt eventually. just not yet. though feel free to control Bonesy for a bit and have him injure her
LYRICS``: seven devils by florence and the machine
CREDIT``: made by TAYLYNOSAURUS REX! of caution 2.0. with a zillion and one edits by CALYPSO