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 Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:49 am
He had tried desperately to go home and get some sleep. Finally, their search was over. Everyone had been recovered, though some...some it had been too late for. For that the Senshi would pay, but he promised himself that tonight he'd get some sleep and regain his strength.
But as he laid there in bed, tossing and turning throughout the night it was clear that sleep wasn't going to come. Instead, Demetri Wright spent that night, the next day....thinking. Thinking about everything that had happened.
General King Marthozite was dead. Dioptase and her lieutenants were gone as well. Tanzanite had died....only to be reborn as a General Queen. There was the BMC, torn apart and shown the true fury of the Negaverse. The former captive officers needed time to recover. He kept hearing Tanzanite's command to bring Lyra to her in his mind. Bits and pieces of the battle flashed back at him.
Just. EVERYTHING. Demy's mind wouldn't stop racing, wouldn't stop replaying that same horrible image over over and over in his mind. Primase, torn to pieces right before his eyes.
Rest would not find him, not that night, not the next day. Any bit of rest he found was quickly broken by a nightmare involving more blood than he thought he could handle. A bit of him had wondered, bitterly, if this was all still some horrible illusion of Tartaros. If he'd 'wake' back up and find himself back in the forest at Rosalind's side, the crow laughing at them as their lives played on in this horrible nightmare world. Maybe somewhere out there, Demetri Wright still lay in a hospital bed gripped by a coma.
Finally it reached a point where Demy could stand it no longer. The guilt, the uncertainty, his thoughts were threatening to tear away the courage he had built back up from his time as a runaway. This was not something he was willing to let happen. So, swallowing his fear he set out to do something about it.
First he'd have to find Zink and explain to him. He had sprung far too many hasty decisions to Zinkenite in the past and this time he deserved to know ahead of time. The call went out over his communicator, and Scheelite stepped out to find the one that he believed had always guided him well in the past.
He just had to hope Zink would understand.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:11 am
The call was short, but Zink sounded bleary and tired. Perhaps he hadn't been sleeping any better than Scheelite, hard to say but whatever was going on he made time... he appeared not a few feet from the Distressed captain not minutes after they agreed on a location.
"What's on your mind Scheelite..." He asked, his voice even but tired, his eyes were heavy lidded and the normal spark that was in them remained so diminished it might have been gone.
The Battle with the BMC had been kind to none of them, some certainly worse than others, some would remain a memory, a quiet shrine on the hill to be respected for their bravery, their sacrifice.
Even Zink had begun working to learn not only the song, but the lyrics to that quiet defiant tune that had helped to unify them in the face of such great and terrible events.
"Talk, you look like hell."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:22 pm
Scheelite paced back and forth a moment, the anxiety he felt clearly seen at the hurried moments. But, eventually he took a deep breath and sat himself on a bench. The blonde patted the seat next to him, flashed a small smile at the General before him, and then simply looked away.
"A...lot of things. You doing okay? You look about as thrilled as I am to be here...I'm sorry man, if I'm yanking you away from your own troubled thoughts."
One hand went up to rub at his bandaged neck. His other wounds would heal away over time, even the burns from Requiem's coffin of fire that had wound their way up his arms. But the one on his neck that traced it's way down towards his chest would take longer. Perhaps it'd never fully heal, a scar to permanently mark the moment that Primase had lost her life.
His failure.
"...What was behind your door?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:30 pm
"Uranophane...." he answered glancing downward, as though at his feet lay some pool of memory...the expression on his face said it was not a good one, though at least she had survived. "And rat's... they left her for the rats. It's a god damned miracle they didn't..." He stopped himself from continuing.
Scheelite didn't need to know the particular favored dining habits of scavengers. Things that they considered tender tasty treats would have probably made the blond throw up, pass out... or both. Especially with that look in his eyes already.
He paused a long moment before settling stiffly onto the bench with a wince that he covered by glancing away.
"...It's fine... it's my job, I'm here for the people who need me."
If he told himself enough times, that that was the truth...maybe one day he'd believe it too. "what was behind yours?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:46 pm
Uranophane had been behind Zink's door. Left for rats. And here these Senshi dared call -them- the monsters! The Negaverse might kill, might harm and destroy...but they certainly wouldn't leave someone alive to be consumed by -rats-.
At least his fellow captain was alive. She was worse for wear, but Scheelite had seen her out in the field during the Black Phoenix's flight. Uranophane would recover, she was strong. She was alive.
"Primase was behind my door."
Maybe Zinkenite could see where this was going. Primase had been killed, brought out of the building in pieces. But Scheelite hardly spoke of what had happened in that room, so it was possible to have thought she was dead before he even arrived. But Scheelite continued on before that thought could settle too well.
"She was alive Zink. She looked rough but she was alive. I was so close to saving her...and...a-and you know what happened? There was a Senshi there...and she made this...windstorm or something in the room. And if that wasn't bad enough there was glass flying around. I tried to get to her Zink, I tried! But the glass was flying and..."
His story stopped a moment as a single sob choked off the words. Scheelite was shaking in his seat, but he was trying to do Zink the small favor of not clinging to him and bawling. Not today. He had to be strong. Or...at least pretend to be.
"She...she clapped her hands together...and all the glass flew into the middle and Primase was...s-sliced apart. It was like SAW Zink, but in real life and oh god Zink she didn't even scream! She just accepted it, humming the whole while..."
Schee stopped speaking, slipping instead into the humming of the tune that was now heard from him so often. It was both a comfort, and a curse as it reminded him of what had happened. He wasn't going to let it be forgotten though. Ever. That had been his silent promise to Primase as she was murdered before his eyes.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:03 pm
"...the glass." he said, the dawning realization of where that glass they had seen slide across the floor had gone. The nearly deadly mirror trap had provided the instruments for her Death...
"She was Very Brave..." he said not knowing what else to say to him, after all what else was there. "...I am sure she was...grateful to know you tried."
He nearly said we tried, but for a twist of fate it might have been him opening that door. "She didn't give them what they wanted... and fear...fear is a poor substitute for respect."
His voice was quiet... Primase... she had respect, in her life and in her death she had earned it. But that couldn't sooth the wounds of the hear and now, how unfortunate that he did not know what would.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:12 pm
"I went through the glass..."
He gestured to his neck, still looking away.
"I went through it and I killed that Senshi. She...won't be around to do that to anyone else."
Scheelite fell back to his humming, not saying anything else for a few minutes. He was quite grateful for Zinkenite's words and his presence, but even now the horrible replay was going through his head.
Blood...so much blood. Sliced to -ribbons-...
"General Zinkenite."
Well, that was strange. His full name? Title?
"If I came up to you...and said I didn't want to fight anymore, what would you do? I don't mean leave the Negaverse...I never want to do that! But...there has to be some way of serving that doesn't mean I have to go out every night and hunt down Senshi to kill. There has to be -something- I can do that...s-spares me this, right?"
It was selfish, he knew it was. But Scheelite was holding onto a fragile strand of sanity and he desperately hoped that this course of action could come true.
"I would still guard...still asist...still go into battle if needed. By I..I can't be an active hunter any more...I just can't."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:35 pm
He stared at Scheelite for a long time, how strange it was to be so tired, to be so utterly drained and broken that he had nothing to say...
Nothing to give to make those words better, not even a hint of sage advice. Hell the distancing from using his title...made it all the stranger. He felt like he was sitting in the rubble of what had, just days before been a solid and understandable world, and someone had just asked him where a good eatery was.
"...I don't know...captain Scheelite, are you asking me that?" He shook his head tiredly and looked out into the world wishing he could read the answers in the stars.
"...I would speak to the General Queens about it... I would speak to Tanzinite... she knows best of all of them what you saw... what we did..."
"... I don't know... I just don't know..." He shook his head and felt a knife twist inside. Lina... looking at Schee he could imagine that as a path for him... a way out, a path to a new life, it might even be good for him.
God...
He could never utter it aloud though, he couldn't even tell him who he had seen.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:45 pm
"I...want to ask Tanzanite. No disrespect to the other General Queens but she knows the best. I really want to talk to her...but I wanted to ask you first."
Schee finally brought his gaze back from it's distant look to look back at Zinkenite. And there...the slightest of smiles rested on his lips.
"You...are my general. My partner. My best friend. I wanted you to know first, before I go to ask someone who can grant me permission to not fight like that anymore. Blood never mixed well with glowsticks, ya know?"
He had at least learned his lesson about doing first and asking Zink later.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:53 pm
"She knows -this- battle the best...she knows YOU the best of them..." he corrected carefully. "They are each... what they are, for very particular reasons, and they have all earned it, that we can be sure of..." He shook his head quietly and glanced at Scheelite for a moment before leaning carefully back against the bench.
"If anyone will listen, it will be her." he agreed. "She's fond of you I think... like you said, family."
He tipped his head back and glanced at the stars.
"Once upon a time...they said heros found their place there... how... ironic."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:03 pm
"..oh! Oh man I know, I totally do. Sorry! They're all very brave and know a lot . I just...for this thing, and for me...Tanz knows the best."
He paused, rubbing at his neck again before forcing himself to sit back and try to relax.
"You think so? I...hope so. Tanz is family, as is everyone! I...I think Tanz was missing that. Maybe some of us still are...but I think we proved that our family can overcome anything that's thrown at us."
Scheelite tilted his own head back, eying the stars above.
"I think new stars are born for heroes. Ones free of the...taint...of the past."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:07 pm
"Perhaps..." he replied, still staring upward.
All he could think though was that...he didn't want to be a star, so far away, so alien and strange. He just waned answers...that was all anyone ever wanted wasn't it? Answers...
Someday... someday couldn't he just have the answers to the questions, and go backwards to figure out the questions instead of the other way around.
"... I think you'd come back as a glowstick though." He teased, almost reactionary, no...it was reactionary but he had to do something. A brave face, a calm face... he had to be the strong one because he was needed... so he would be...
Oh to be as strong, as confidant, and as sure of the answers as everyone else seemed to be... but maybe it was a mask for the whole world.... maybe no one had the answers in the end....
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:27 pm
"Some sort of super awesome glowstick! One that lasted forever...bright green. Maybe blue? I dunno! So many colors are awesome."
Scheelite lifted an arm, tracing the sky with a finger. In his mind he was connecting the dots, forming some sort of picture out of the stars up above. Whatever it was....well who knew. But it seemed to be keeping his mind occupied and off of other more dangerous thoughts.
"You know....it was kinda cool being a youma. And being carried by that giant Phoenix! Speaking of...."
He brought his arm back down, digging around in a pocket of his uniform a moment before bringing out one dark feather and holding it out for Zink to see.
"Present from the Phoenix. Neat, yeah?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:29 pm
"Very neat..." He concurred and ran a finger through the soft edge of it, it was beautiful in a strange way.
"I thought you might stay a Yoma..." He admitted, too tired to add any inflection to that admission though. It was just a statement of fact.
"Glad you didn't... somehow feeding you birdseed seemed rather an odd fate."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:33 pm
"Even if I had stayed a Youma, I'd stay by your side. ...Birdseed wouldn't have been cool though, unless maybe it was birdseed tacos?"
Scheelite snickered just a bit, running his own finger along the Phoenix feather.
"Nah...I knew I was safe. The Phoenix wouldn't have turned us into Youma and left us like that...Tanzanite cares for us all too much to do that."
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