Li's eyes widened when Kal spoke, and she immediately realized the mistake she had made. Could she fix it in time? Or was the damage already done? She was quick to try to save it. "No! Absolutely not! I...You...no no no, I wouldn't! You were so scared...And you had every right to be! Imperia ripped your eye out! I'd be terrified if they had done that to me." She stood, slowly walking closer, a pleading look on her face. She wanted - no, needed - for Kal to understand.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: shoulda called this thread "The Aaliyah Messed Up Hour: Part 2"

As the hybrid continued to speak, to save what...ever it was they had, Kal began to grow disbelieving. Li was just trying to say what she wanted to hear! She probably would have killed her if she actually looked so ready to fight. As Li stood up and began to walk closer, Kal backed away, a frown on her face, and her head shaking slightly. She didn't speak anymore, letting the hybrid do all the talking, though it was clear from her expression that Kal wasn't believing a word she was saying.

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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Li could tell Kal wasn't buying it. The realization only caused her desperation to increase. "I wouldn't have killed you! I wouldn't kill anyone! Of course I wouldn't!" She continued to plead, trying to prove that she would never kill anyone, but by this point she knew it was useless. But she couldn't stop! She had to convince her! And she'd do it any way she can!

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: here

With every word the hybrid uttered, Kal's disbelief grew. By this point, she was absolutely convinced Li would have killed her if she looked ready to fight, and not so terrified. The thought angered her. As Li continued to plead, she only grew angrier, until her tail started lashing, and her claws scratched lines in the stone.

She had stopped backing away, and now faced her fully, the beginnings of a snarl on her face. "Alright, so you wouldn't have killed me. But what if someone else had looked ready to fight? What if someone else was angry, and fully prepared to give you a fight to the death? Would you have killed them? Would you have killed anyone else, just to make Imperia proud of you?"

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ooc: shit's goin down guys
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Li grew silent as Kal began to speak, and she lowered her ears completely, waiting for the cat to stop. She needed for her to stop! Flashes of the badger she had killed came to mind, and her eyes widened. The words spilled out before she could stop them. "I'd never kill them! I'll never kill anyone! Not again!" The words rang clear in the air, and she froze. She had been trying to not let the fact that she had killed before slip, but the thought just kept coming. She'd never be able to forget it. It would always be a part of her.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: let's, like, forget that Kal knows Li's killed bc Li kinda said it in the thread Li saved Kal in. it's been almost a year or so since then mk Kal forgot ig

Kal stopped, eyes wide. She'd...killed before? So it was very likely that she would have killed someone if they were prepared to fight! But she wasn't even thinking about that right now. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak. "You...You've killed before?" Faintly, perhaps, she could recall hearing that. Had Li admitted it when going again Imperia, when she was still there? She couldn't remember. It had been so long since that happened. She had tried to forget about it as much as possible.

After the initial shock wore off, it was soon replaced once more with anger, and she took a bold step forward, claws still out, eye narrowed. "You've killed before. Ha! I'm surprised anyone could ever trust you. I'm surprised I ever trusted you. It was all a ruse, wasn't it? You were going to act all innocent, refuse to kill me, only to come find me later and kill me then!" She chuckled bitterly.

"No one will trust you. You've killed. Now that I know it, it's obvious. You've got a look that just screams 'I've killed someone!' And who's to say you wouldn't do it again? Given the chance, I'm sure you'd take it in a heartbeat. How do you even live with yourself? Are you proud? Proud of killing? I bet you are. Of course you would be. You make me sick."

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ooc: ok uh....that's all i've, like, got planned for now so. stay tuned for more in...some time ig idk
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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Li was shaking. She hadn't meant to let slip that she had killed! It was supposed to be something Kal wouldn't know! She hoped the smaller cat would leave it at that, and be stuck in shock, but of course that would be too good to be true. With each word, her ears lowered and she shrunk into herself.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up..," repeated in her head like a mantra, and she suddenly longed for silence. For that cat to just stop. Talking. Her eyes were closed, and she had started whispering the words aloud.

At the final sentence the cat uttered, something within Li snapped. "Shut up!" In a flurry of fur, she leaped toward Kallista and pinned her down, growling. "I know what I did! I have to live with that every day! Yes, I could have killed you. Maybe I would have attacked if you didn't look so pathetic. Why? Because Imperia would have made me! I wouldn't have been given a choice! Just be grateful I didn't attack you!" Her claws were digging into the cat's shoulders, she was snarling, and her tail was lashing.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: "would be too good to be true" wow it's almost like her writer wants to see her suffer or something smh

Kallista probably should have expected it. She pissed off someone clearly capable of doing her harm, but dammit, she couldn't live in fear forever! So when Li pinned her, growling, she growled right back. She wouldn't be intimidated by the cat, even if she was much larger. Her claws were digging into her shoulders, and she winced slightly. But she had to do something back. She could use a spell, something she hasn't used in a long time. Not since Todd cowered away from her. And if she ever did use it, it was never near Todd.

She tried to call upon her magic, to bring that static, but nothing came. She growled in frustration and glared up at Li, scowling now. She made no attempt to get out from under the cat, instead waiting for a time she could catch her off guard. But before then, she decided to play with her a little. "Oh, so you want to fight me? Fine. Get off me and fight me! Or will you stay like a coward?"

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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Li continued to growl, eyes narrowed. She didn't stop to think, not even for a second. She was angry, and wanted to make it known. But when Kal spoke, she grunted. Fight her? She'll gladly fight her! "I'll gladly fight you." She got up, and walked enough of a distance away to let the other get up.

"Care to go first? You might need the advantage," she snorted.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: here

Kallista grunted as Li got off. She got up as well and faced her, tail tip flicking. When Li suggested she go first, she grunted. "Please. I think you'll need the advantage. So go on, Attack me first. We'll see how you do." Her tail tip continued to flick as she watched. She'd have to be smart about this - Li could go first, and depending on what they tried to do, she'd likely try to dodge. But she couldn't always do that, unfortunately. She'd just have to wait and see.

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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...