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 Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:52 pm
In the darkness, it was hard to tell how far she had run, where she had run to, or even where she was. Her arm hurt, and a couple of her fingers were swollen; not from the youma, but from shutting a gate on her hand trying to get away. Turns out it wasn't smart to try to patrol when she was such a new Senshi, alone. There was a youma waiting for her around one particular corner, and it was not a pretty one. Nothing like the tiny dog youma she'd fought the first time she transformed.
Sailor Hercules' chains jingled as she ran, her ribs aching. It was a dead end, she was stupid enough to run into a dead end. "This is the kind of stuff they do in horror movies," she complained at herself, rolling her eyes. She pulled her hair free from where it was pinned between her back and the brick wall she stood in front of, and then scanned the alley. No way out but forward. She wouldn't stand there uselessly as this thing attacked her. She had already used one of her gems, earlier; as soon as she saw it while in her Henshin form, she'd called out her attack and thrown the gem. It did hardly anything; it seemed, more than anything else, to merely enrage the youma.
She took a deep breath, the adrenaline she loved so much fueling her, and called out, "Hera's Affection!" She reached up, took the jewel copy of her tiara's ornament and pitched it at the hulking Youma, straight at what she assumed was its face-area. Well, she hoped it was. In any case, that seemed to enrage it more, and though it was distracted as she darted towards it and tried to slip around it, it swiped at her in its wild flailing. Hercules covered her mouth with her good hand, suppressing the pained sound that wanted to be released, and ran as fast as she could. She could hear the Youma chasing behind her.
The only thing she could do was run. And she thought she felt ... or saw... someone who could help. She was somewhere near the library, and she thought she was hallucinating, because he looked a little like he was a knight of the round table. "Maybe King Arthur will stop by to save me. I could use a little Excalibur right now," Hercules mumbled.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:07 pm
Not King Arthur, but at least something close enough. A knight, and one that bore the name of Arthur's kingdom. The Squire of Earth could not stay away, not after he saw, and felt, a senshi running nearby. In danger. A youma chasing her. He was physically incapable of turning away from any one of these things, and all three combined sealed his fate. He had to help her.
She was in trouble.
He leaped from the library and landed near enough to hear her mumbling, looking at her. He hoped for a moment that she wouldn't be disappointed that he wasn't there wielding Excalibur. Actually, he had no sword at all. Just a shield.
Not taking too long to worry about that, he lunged for the youma, imagining they would have time for introductions after. He slammed into it shield first, blocking the swing of its claws as it swung at the senshi. His feet slipped backwards as the youma pushed against the shield, but the knight held his ground as best he could to keep it from getting at the senshi.
"What did you do to make it so angry with you?" he called, his voice strained from the effort to keep them separated.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:15 am
Hercules wasn't entirely big on this being rescued idea, but pride would have to come after safety; some things, she was learning, she really could not accomplish alone. Including defeating a youma which was very angry and very large, apparently. "Cut its face up with some shards of crystal, I suspect," she replied to the knight. He was the first one she had seen, ever, and she certainly wasn't disappointed. It did feel a little weird, though: was she the senshi of time-travel, now? Because he certainly looked out of place. Hercules winced discreetly as the shield blocked the claws raking towards her, and she took a few steps back, her chais jingling again.
"I think I might be kind of useless. Any instructions, Sir Knight?" she asked, addressing him that way half in jest, and half out of necessity. Introductions were difficult when a youma was trying to maul one of the participants, and the other was keeping it at bay. "Sailor Hercules, senshi of apparently useless shards. I guess he doesn't like the stinging pain of the good side," her voice remained fairly flat, though she was joking, and in fact a little of it was at her own expense. "Like I said, I'd do something, but I'm fairly useless; obviously Hera's Affection just makes it mad."
Being this weak was going to have to stop, and soon. She couldn't just let him stand there, blocking the irritated Youma. But she had yet to formally train, and she realized now it was a little stupid to expect all the youma to have been tiny and weak like the dog one she fought when she was awakened. Solo-patrol was going to have to wait a while. Still, perhaps this knight would have some idea of what she could do to help him...?
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:23 am
"I guess I would be pretty angry, too," he said reasonably. He would not like his face cut up with anything, least of all crystal shards, so he could at least imagine why the thing now wanted to rip her face off in return for her attack. Not that it made him any more inclined to let it get to her, of course. He held his ground.
He groaned, straining against the youma's weight and the way it kept beating its claws against the shield.
"Camelot," he said through grit teeth and a set jaw, "squire of Earth. Ah. Well, I could strike it with my shield, but it's a little occupied at the moment. Is there anything around you might be able to use?"
He could probably just let it run for her, using her as bait so he could free his shield and get an attack in, but he was not that kind of a fighter and wouldn't even suggest it. He also wasn't feeling any kind of reaction from his crystal, embedded in the shield, which meant it was not keen on joining in on the fight.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:19 am
Sailor Hercules quirked an eyebrow, though she knew he wouldn't see it. "The difference between you two is that you didn't try to kill me," she replied. "So unless you're about to try, I'm not about to throw shards in your face." Hercules did feel remotely bad that Camelot now had to strain under the weight of the youma, however.
An affinity with shards meant that it was the broken pieces of glass which Hercules noticed first, on the ground. They were difficult to see; hardly glinting, transparent except for some spiderweb cracks on a few pieces. She picked up what appeared to be the most stable, and gripped it as tightly as she could without ripping through her glove. "This will do," she said. She knew that moving fast was a necessity; if she got close to it but failed to attack fast enough, it would likely come after her instantly, and she would be close enough to slash, that time.
As quickly as she could, which was basically one of her only strengths with her current level of power, she darted in to the youma and shoved the glass shard deep into its side, taking a few quick steps back as it howled and reaffirmed its desire to wipe Hercules off the face of this planet, and any other planet for that matter. "I think I distracted it," she said, then a mumbled Woops and a bit of running in circles. "I wonder who would get tired first: me, or it?" she managed to huff out between breaths, cradling her damaged arm against her chest to minimize the pain of running.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:44 pm
Camelot had no idea there was glass on the ground. Mostly because he hadn't been looking, and also he was wearing thick, armored boots that did not lend themselves to feeling what he was stepping on. he could be standing on top of a small person and he would never notice through the feel of his boots alone.
He saw her pick something up, though, out of the corner of his eyes.
"Don't cut yourself," he warned on instinct, as if she really needed to be reminded that glass was sharp and she could hurt herself if she weren't careful.
The youma suddenly pulled back and Camelot stumbled forward as it roared. He looked up at it as it bellowed in pain and flailed, and then at Hercules with an approving grin. He nodded his head, impressed, though she was probably a bit too busy running around and trying not to get killed to notice. He focused on that, telling himself to pay attention to the fight.
Lunging forward, he swung his shield at the youma, which didn't seem to notice him, slamming it into its already injured side. That certainly stopped its attack on Hercules, though Camelot was doing his best to smash the glass into the thing deeper and hopefully turn it to dust.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:39 pm
Hercules probably would not have seen the glass, but she was looking for a weapon, and to her, working with shards made the most sense, so... well, that was how the youma ended up with a rather uncomfortable-looking piece of glass wedged into its side. Sailor Hercules couldn't help but laugh when he warned her not to cut herself. He seemed to have a very mature and protective nature, which contrasted rather well with Hercules' own flighty sense of the world around her.
"Even if I cut myself, it'll just heal; besides, my arm already hurts like a--" Hercules cut herself off, humming with pain as she had tried to wave her hand at him. The swelling was not improving.
After she had stabbed the youma, she did seem to see the flash of a smile out of her peripheral vision, which, in turn, made her grin widely; she didn't know for sure, but maybe he was pleased with her. It was the least she could do, after he slammed his huge shield up against the youma to keep it from tearing her to shreds.
As soon as Camelot stopped the youma's rampage, Hercules slowed to a stop, one hand resting against her stomach as she tried to recover her breathing. Going to the boxing facility she'd found a while back had helped her cardio, but it didn't exactly prepare her for fleeing from a youma.
That looked like it was finished; didn't it? It wasn't some kind of super-charged youma, as far as Hercules knew, and she had used both her Hera's Affection on it already... but the youma seemed to keep moving. Sailor Hercules, in frustration, kicked it in the leg with her rather lovely white boots. That seemed to interrupt its anger with confusion, and Camelot had already whacked the hell out of it... it seemed like the youma's rage was what had kept it going, and Hercules paused briefly as it crumbled to dust. Finally certain it was dead, Hercules whooped with joy.
"Two bites, or three?" Hercules asked, once she'd fully caught her breath. She walked over to Camelot and clapped him on the shoulder-- well, actually, as high up as she could reach in her heeled boots, on her toes. "I'm guessing it would have only taken him two bites to eat me whole. Glad we didn't have to find out."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:48 am
Camelot would have given her a look if she had continued and used some kind of bad language. It was the parent in him. He could not help himself, for the most part, though none of his efforts actually worked on his real son.
When the youma turned to dust, Camelot breathed a sigh of relief. And tried not to breath in any youma dust with it. That stuff was disgusting and he did not want to taste it. He'd had quiet enough already, over his time in Destiny City.
He looked at the senshi, smiling at her and nodding his head.
"I think you're right," he laughed, "but good job, getting that glass in it. That's what did it, certainly. You said you hurt your arm? Are you okay?" he slipped from congratulations to worry rather effortlessly, smiling at her and tilting his head. She looked like she had not been enjoying herself before his arrival,and he was concerned now that her arm was hurt badly. He reached his hand carefully, so she might offer him her arm so he could take a look at it.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:58 pm
The look probably wouldn't have bothered Hercules, even if she had said something. She likely wouldn't, as her Crystal Academy facade was so deeply rooted to her consciousness that even when her more natural personality roared its abrasive head she could keep it in check. Mostly. She would have very little to say about the attitudes of parents, either, as she was distant from her own and definitely not old enough to consider that a possibility. Even if she was too old for Crystal (in her opinion, by far too many years; was about time to get the hell out of there).
In any case, none of that applied to Sailor Hercules. As far as Presley was concerned, her henshin form was free of the weight of her civilian form. Except as a civilian, she usually didn't take on angry youma who could maul her. She covered her mouth when the youma turned to dust, and returned his smile when it had settled.
"Thanks. And thanks for keeping it from tearing me to pieces. I appreciate that," she said, grinning wide. It was, perhaps, the only time when Hercules or Presley could smile so genuinely. Even if she was pretty sure that most of its defeat had to do with bashing it with that shield, and Hercules' damage had only created little fissures in the youma's strength by which Camelot could defeat it... she would still take what thanks she could get.
"I'll be fine, I just need to never move my arm again," she joked, clearly enjoying hyperbole. Naturally, right before she ran into him, she had been a wreck: pretty afraid, injured, and not entirely certain she could make it away in one piece... but now, post-victory, those fears were distant. Still, she offered her arm up so that he could see. It was mostly only a little swollen around the fingers, a couple raked cuts on her arm. Nothing too serious. Hercules looked at them like they were just impressive stage makeup. As soon as the adrenaline wore off, she'd probably see them differently.
And when that point came, she'd probably be out of henshin, laying in her hammock and watching horror movies to pretend her arm didn't hurt. "Probably shouldn't patrol around alone so much, do you think?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 12:30 pm
Camelot smiled and nodded his head, which was more like a little bow than a nod. He was glad she was alright, and that neither of them had ended up as ribbons from the youma.
That would have put a damper on things.
He was worried about her arm, though. It looked like it was really hurting her, and he hoped she hadn't broken anything. He would escort her to the hospital if she wanted him to, or even try and help her himself. Of course, he was far from a doctor. From the looks of it, though, it didn't seem like it was broken, just irritated from the fight. He didn't doubt it hurt, though.
"It might not be a good idea," he said, with a laugh, "I get into a lot of trouble when I patrol alone." Though he still did it. "I think if you could find someone to patrol with it might save you some injuries. And if you ever need help from me, I usually patrol around the library and the surrounding blocks."
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 9:51 am
Camelot was more formal than Hercules was used to, and certainly more of a father-figure than she had ever encountered. It was strange, really, for her to have been basically saved by a stranger who seemed so noble. Or by any stranger, really; was the world of senshi and knights so much kinder than the one she experienced as a civilian, or was it merely that she'd had the good fortune of meeting others who would get her back when she needed it?
Hercules didn't care for ribbons in the best of times, she certainly wouldn't want to be flesh-ribbons. Something out of a gore film, really. She turned her arm gently before offering it to Camelot to inspect, still admiring the way the cuts looked. She would certainly use this later, to model special effects makeup.
"I'm pretty sure I could wiggle my fingers, if I wanted to... but I don't think I want to try," she admitted, with a half-smile which boardered on pained.
"Yeah, less patrolling alone, more group-patrols... until I'm stronger, at least." Hercules cradled her arm against her chest. She could take care of the damage alone, and if she couldn't, she'd find someone at work who could. One of the full piercers had medical training, and he would probably leave the studio to pursue his paramedic interest soon. Convenient.
All of a sudden, thinking of work in the morning, Hercules realized how tired she was. Being afraid, even if it had worn off, had taken its toll. "I should probably head home... I could use some aspirin and my hammock right now." Hercules kept her injured arm against her chest as she reached up with her good hand to grip Camelot's arm. "Thanks for the help, you know? If I'm ever in trouble around the library again, I know who to find."
[[Sorry this tag took me SO LONG ; A; I'm coming back to my tags now OTL But did you want to wrap this RP up?]]
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:42 pm
Camelot looked very nervous by her answer, and certainly did not like the idea that she couldn't wiggle her fingers without pain. Or maybe she was just saying she could, and really there was bad damage. That sat heavily on him, as if it were his fault for not being there early enough to help her.
His guilty face was reminiscent of a certain Corgi he knew, except his ears didn't droop pathetically like hers did.
"Alright, if you think you can take care of that arm yourself... rest will do you good. I would like to see you again, some time soon, to see how you're doing. Or I'll never sleep right, worrying." He could admit that he had a bit of an over-protective nature when it came to senshi. He wanted to play parent to all of them, and some did not want or need that help.
But that wouldn't stop him from offering.
He smiled at her and nodded.
"You're very welcome. Be careful on the way home, Lady Hercules." He smiled warmly, though his eyes sparked with a private joke. He was acting more and more like the knights he had idolized growing up. If he was a knight, he should treat those he served with respect, and the senshi were among those he served. He nodded his head just low enough to count as a little bow.
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