|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:33 am
"GYAH," The not-cat practically shrieked as youma dust exploded in front of her and she shifted forms to her energy leaking nightmare, coughing and examining a hand that was a crushed paw a moment ago. She realized in dismay there was a large gash across her palm.
She'd paid it back with a close range energy shot to the face and the battle was over, but that didn't change the fact it had the nerve. The 20-something personality had grown so jaded at the thought of almost being eaten it was growing to be a mundane chore to avoid it, which is why actually being lazy enough to get hurt was like an insulting wake up call.
"Oh geez," She muttered and half hopped around to grab onto that obnoxious purple robe to put over it. When the Zia personality was in control there wasn't exactly the same sense of decorum the cat had when taking this form. Or the common sense to realize she was leaking energy like a faucet.
Well, she sort of knew, but she was also pretty easily distracted into forgetting about it too.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:05 pm
Camelot paused on the roof top, just before running to leap to the next one. He was glad he had not caught the power signature when he was closer to the edge, or he probably would have fallen off a roof at that point.
He heard a voice nearby as well, and knew he was close. Bouncing down from the roof, he ran a short distance and caught sight of Zia as she was attempting to dab her palm with her robe.
"Are you alright, miss?"
He had not seen a Mauvian in their human-like form for some time, to the point that he was surprised and a little confused by it. The energy signature, the fact that she had ears and a tail, everything. He did not hesitate, though, because he was more concerned that she had been injured than anything else at the moment.
There was something familiar about her...
"You're bleeding...do you need some assistance? Here," he moved closer to her, slinging his shield over his back and ripping a slip of cloth from the red sash around his waist. He offered it to her, holding out one hand with his palm up, so she could place her hand in it.
His smile was warm and gentle, though his nerves were on high alert because her energy signal was so strong, and he was worried something would zero in on them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:13 pm
She snapped up at the other presence, especially when he suddenly offered her a piece of sash for her hand. And he looked really familiar. "...Thanks," She said cautiously, taking the piece of sash and absentmindedly wrapping her hand while her eyes focused on him like He was a confusing puzzle.
So much hostility and then someone with clearly positive intentions was hard to compute. But everything was hard to compute for Zia lately.
"You look familiar," She said dumbly, just blatantly reiterating thoughts. It was all she could think to say. But the knight was a face in a crowd of knights Zirconia stalked to build her little database, and he hadn't been this level back then. "What's your name?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:21 pm
Camelot took a step back once she was done tending to her wound. He bowed politely at her, as a knight was meant to do. It was a habit that had become second nature to him now, after an awkward start for it. He was a knight, and a chivalrous aspect came to him once he discovered and became comfortable with this part of himself.
He felt very suited for his role, and now he owned it.
He was a knight, built to serve, and he was at the service of anyone who needed him. He felt he had just missed the party here, and that was a shame. She had been injured and he was guilty for that. He should have been paying more attention: her signature was not difficult to feel after all.
It was a wonder he hadn't noticed from farther off, and he should have been at her side to help with whatever had hurt her.
"My name is Camelot. Knight of Earth. And you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 4:53 pm
"Camelot..." It was hard to tell if knight names were familiar when they were things so ingrained in pop culture like Valhalla. Though Valhalla was a bit easier to remember what with knowing him for about a decade before knighting up.
Also he bowed and that was... weird. Zirconia might've been more appreciative and curtsied in response but she was from another time and place and Zia was a kid who didn't have her mental babysitter on high alert like she usually did.
After some unfruitful thought, she shifted down, and probably should've done that earlier, but she was being a ditz and still hadn't quite remembered that energy leak problem. But now she wasn't giving off any energy. She was just a kid in a sweater clicking through the screens on her smartphone to get to her spreadsheet. "Oh! That squire with the shield," She said, now that it was all coming back to her. "No photo. I think this was before Zirconia figured out how to use the camera on the phone," She rolled her eyes at the thought of it. They could see each other's memories for crap's sake, but the old cat was stubborn enough to proclaim she could never learn.
"Smile?" She asked, holding up the camera with the intention of adding his headshot to her sheet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:13 pm
Camelot was surprised when she powered down and watched her as she opened took out her phone. He arched an eyebrow at her curiously, thinking she was either going to ignore him completely and call a friend, or maybe she was calling the police
But why would she do that?
He was being paranoid.
He had enough time to awkwardly smile, looking nervous and confused and far from the powerful knight he had become. But he let her take his picture and then tilted his head at her in confusion.
"What are you doing?" he asked, blinking. He was not sure he was cut out to be a model. "Zirconia?" He thought about the cat and had an ah ha moment, realizing the purple was what was so familiar. But then, referring to her like that made it seem like this wasn't Zirconia.
So he was confused again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:28 pm
"Taking your picture," Zia said as the camera noise went off. "Don't worry, I'm not going to sell it to the paper or anything." She turned the phone around to show a spreadsheet with pokedex like profiles on the knight information Zirconia had collected so far, and turned it right back around to fiddle with it.
"You talked to Zirc for a while, right? Fluffy purple cat? I wasn't paying amazing attention, she was running the show," And her memories were muddled as all ******** but that wasn't important right now. And then she stood on her toes as if trying the impossible feat of gaining enough height to see over his shoulder. "Your shield's different," She stated and rolled on her heels, half expecting him to tell her no at her next question.
"Can I see it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:40 pm
He smiled and nodded his head, looking at the senshidex she was building. It was impressive that someone was collecting information, and he felt a thrill for it if only because he deeply believed that having information available to each other was one of the key ways they could help one another and stay strong. Information was vital in this war, when soldiers could awaken at any moment.
"I was talking to her... you were there?"
He was still not quite putting it together that they were the same being, with two identities. It just made his brain feel a bit mushy, and he decided to go along with things until they cleared up a bit more. It usually worked.
The tall knight watched her as she tried to peek over his shoulder, but he imagined she was not going to get close without some help from him. He nodded and brought his shield forward, smiling.
"Here it is. The Terra Viridis Crystal is inside it, you can see it peeking through the dragon's eye." The shield was tall and looked very sturdy. It had straps on the back that allowed him to grip and attach it to his arm in various ways.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 5:51 pm
"Heh... ha, yeah, it's complicated. Shield first!" She demanded, but entirely unseriously. She even seemed excited. Seeing the way weapons evolved turned out to be the more interesting factor of her little project. She leaned forward with a fascinated, "Ooo..." At the updated shield, and lightly air traced over the designs before she got to the crystal.
"You have a crystal?" She almost squawked.
"Like, a crystal power crystal rainbow crystal holy s**t, where did you get this?!" She had almost devolved entirely into babble and grabbed both sides of it like she needed to hold it still. "Jeez..." She stared at it with obvious envy, though she had long given up on trying to steal a power crystal. That was years ago, when Zirconia was her only education in knowing what the hell was going on and they thought it might've been an option to getting the parallel soul back home. Still, there was something special about power crystals.
She cleared her throat and stood up straight with her hands folded behind her back so he wouldn't take her crystal-lust as some kind of kleptomania.
"Oh, anyway, Zirconia." Yes, subject changes were good. "Well, she's a parallel cat, you know? Like Ares was a parallel senshi before she went all 'whoo I am the evil space Jesus' on everyone?" She waited to see if he knew what she was talking about, but if he didn't, she could just elaborate later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:08 pm
"I got it from a squirrel in a hospital room," he said, thinking back. He remembered he had been there with Kyndall, before she had learned about his identity. Was it before? It seemed like so long ago, he could not really recall. It had been before he powered up, as well, when he was a Page.
He let her hold his shield, not taking it away as she tugged it closer for a better look. The crystal was there, shimmering with its own life beneath the curves of the dragon.
It was not going to be coming out of that shield any time soon, that much was clear. So even trying to steal it would not have gone very well. He smiled at her, a little less warily once her hands were behind her back, and relaxed a bit.
He nodded his head, vaguely familiar with the story behind the Dark Mirror queen, though Zia's version of it was much more concise and interesting. "I didn't realize there was a cat, as well." He had met a parallel before, or so he had been able to put together later. He had been similar to a knight, but he had not been seen for some time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:13 pm
"Mm, we were supposed to bring Laocoon and Ares home. Or find a way somehow. Nehelenia killed herself to stop the coma epidemic," With Zirconia being quiet, Zia had no problem saying that for the sake of education and without a hint of tears on the verge or anything of the sort. "Anyway, Zirconia's starseed needed a body. I bought the queen lunch so I guess I'm the lucky duck who gets a space cat in my head," She said with a roll of the eyes.
"But anyway... Um..." She suddenly looked highly unamused at the squirrel story, assuming he was just messing with her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:52 pm
"That was before I became Camelot," he said thoughtfully. He had been in that coma, he had gone to the realm called Camelot though now the memories were all fuzzy. But he had gained friends from it, and, oddly, a son. Nate had arrived in the city while that was going on, and started living at Tony's place before Tony woke up. So when he did finally go home, there was a teenager waiting for him.
They had not gotten along since then.
"I see... so you have Zirconia, the cat, inside you, and she can come forward when she needs to? I met her before, but I had no idea she was different to a normal guardian cat." He shook his head in wonder. Now he was learning, which he always liked.
And he had been serious about the squirrel.
"That must be strange. How do you two coexist?" He was asking a lot of questions, and he was pretty sure she was trying to get some on him. He blushed a bit. "If you have any questions for me, I am glad to answer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:04 pm
"Yeah I didn't know what the hell was going on then either," Zia shrugged. "Not until the end, at least." The coexisting question was a ponderous one. They had to to survive, she was told, but had their rough patches.
"I was told we had to work together to become one or we'll both stop existing," She said with a frown. "It was my first brush with the supernatural so I just shut up and let her drive. But with all the s**t going down she's trying to hide so I guess I have to remember what's it's like to be a functioning human again. If we don't agree it can be kind of a fight to see who gets control, but..." Her frown changed to a cringe. "Forcing it is really unpleasant so we both avoid that. But basically all our memories are jumbled up and I can use her powers, so that's cool. Well, not the memories thing. I forgot how to use an oven yesterday, but I know what a space cauldron is. I mean it was just for a minute But... not the best trade off."
It was only her 23 years versus Zirconia's hundred! It wasn't easy maintaining who you were in that mess.
She refused to believe the bit about the squirrel. If squirrels brought you power crystals, her life would be so much easier.
"Well... um... I don't know," She said at the opportunity to ask him questions. She already knew how knights worked. Though one thing really blew her mind. "How did you manage to keep it up this long?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:44 pm
Camelot was fascinated by her, really, and he blinked at her in wonder. What was it like, having two beings in one body? He understood, at least distantly, that her memory situation was not ideal and more than a little strange.
He frowned and tried to imagine it, but he couldn't.
"I can imagine it's not... the best trade off, I mean. I think that would be difficult for me, but I have a lot of respect for you, and you are an incredible person, for taking this on and for handling it so well. At least, as far as I can tell. You seem very giving." He smiled warmly at her, nodding his head. Like she needed his approval, really, but he still wanted her to know that he was impressed.
Her question made him pause.
"Well, I suppose I felt like I've always been in this war... even before I became a knight. I was close to the senshi, and I knew a lot of things, more than, I think, a lot of civilians in the same place as me did. I believe in a cause, and I work to find peace and an end to this war as best I can. I think I'm just a knight, in my soul, if that doesn't sound too lame. I was made to serve and aid others."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:56 pm
Zia's arms went limp and she stared at him like he was an alien. Ironically he was the only one of the pair that could claim Earth magic but still, he might as well have grown a third arm.
"I... what?"
She had to shake her head before she could stand up straight and put her hands on her hips over her baggy hoodie. "Yeah well I'm gonna stop you right there because I am in like," She held up her hands in various gestures because words just weren't enough to describe this volume, "MASSIVE regret over the whole thing. I'm just a kid, I shouldn't have memories of entire wars in my head! Not even including this one. I--..." She frowned suddenly and acted like she had been interrupted. "I'm not saying that, I--... Ugh," She groaned and sighed like a child forced into doing chores and held up her fingers in fake quotation marks. "Proper, civilized wars like when people actually met on a battlefield." Ever since Zirconia managed to rattle around in her head enough to make her nauseous, that had been a lingering threat whenever she wanted to make a comment but wasn't 'driving', as Zia phrased it.
"Aaaanyway," She made a motion to highlight her backpedaling. "Dude, are you kidding me? After everything that's happened so far? How do you like... muster up the motivation to get out there and risk your neck to protect people? Especially when you never know when they're just going to leave you for a little power dangled in front of their face or ask for help just so they can pay you back by dissecting a fourteen year old nega right in front of your face?!" She paused, trying to figure out where she was going with this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
