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 Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 11:49 am
You need to go home.
Are you alright?
The older man's voice rang out but Zippeite's hearing after the various blows to his person made it sound like he was underwater. His second stage level healing kept him conscious where a civilian might've given way to his injuries, but he still wasn't in great shape.
It took a long minute before he realized he had been rescued. His eyes opened, his mental processes sparked and miscalculated before it all finally functioned.
The person leaning over him was another knight. Before he could reason out the logic and the whys of someone rescuing him his very first identifying realization was enemy soldier. The second he fully came to, he let out a hoarse yell that broke into a not very masculine scream and scrambled backwards.
"The ********! Get awa-- ow," He couldn't get to his feet just yet but that didn't stop panicked flailing and yelling. He might've grown a bit in the last few years but he was still very clearly a child.
All of his noise making was enough to draw the attention of a nearby civilian, and Zia would've been very prompt in telling them they were damn lucky it was her as she approached in a light trot, looking at the awkward scene with the screaming and wailing captain and brushing curls behind her ear as she tilted her head, way too casually.
"Uh.. Whatcha dooooin'?"
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 12:07 pm
Camelot watched as the Negaverser reeled back away from him, scooting across the floor in a mad effort to escape a presumed enemy. Camelot hoped he was just thinking the knight that had been wailing on him was still nearby, and not actually afraid of Camelot himself. Though, his aura and presence was probably overwhelming for someone who had already suffered a pretty bad beating at the hands of someone his own level.
"Don't push yourself," Camelot started to say, concern creasing lines in his forehead as he watched the other. He did not get closer, though, in case Zippeite's panic got too far out of hand. He needed the Captain to calm down a little first. "It's alright, I'm here to help you."
When another voice arrived, and it lacked an aura for Camelot to sense in the approach, Camelot jumped and looked up from the Nega in honest surprise. He had not been anticipating a civilian coming over, but when he saw who it was he... was no more relieved than if it had been a stranger. Zia had a habit of getting into trouble, when she wanted to, and she had a bad track record with Negas.
"It's fine," he said, clearing his throat and pretending he was feeling less stressed than he seemed, "I'm just trying to stop a brutal fight, and help this young man to the hospital, if he wanted the help." He looked at Zippeite thoughtfully, hoping Zia would get the hint from his tone and back away.
Something told him his chances were very low.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 12:28 pm
"Jesus ********. ********, s**t, ********," Zippeite babbled unceremoniously, voice cracking here and there.
Zia watched the display with one skeptical eyebrow raised, and then back to Camelot. "He looks like he's so enjoying the help," She said sarcastically. Normally Zia was just as quick to advocate for purification as Camelot, and most Negas she considered tentative talking partners until they proved otherwise. Sure she got stabbed once or twice, but she had a long list of others who had given her information for small tokens of affection and one surly roommate who seriously would not get his damn cats under control for her troubles.
"Ow," Zippeite had previously propped himself up on his elbows and ended up letting himself fall flat on his back with a cloud of dust escaping under him. Still, suspicious golden eyes shot back from the civilian to Camelot, and a defiant scowl crossed his face. "What're you tryin' the pull?" He barked, doing his best to sound tough. The fake quality was more than noticeable.
"You get your buddy to beat on me and-- a-aaah. ********. ********. ******** you, ******** your weird knight groupie, ******** your half naked shirtless buddy, ******** the Negaverse, ******** this night," He called off, trying to push himself up again and just collapsing on his back with a few wheezing coughs.
"...He's a little mouthy," Was Zia's only comment, still not leaving or obliging in any way. She just stuck her hands in her jeans' pockets and rolled on her heels. "Need a car?"
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 12:51 pm
Camelot frowned. Such language. He was not adverse to a few good swears, and had a few moments of unbridled colorful language in his own history, but this was a bit much. He could only imagine how much this would cost a television show to bleep out.
It would sound like an alarm test, one continuous beep.
"I didn't ask him to hurt you," Camelot frowned, moving to help support Zippeite when he fell. Even if the young man did not want his help, Camelot was not going to let him flail around on the ground like an injured, beached fish of some kind. Anyway, Luxor might get more ideas and take advantage of things if Camelot left the Nega alone.
He was going to have to have a talk with that Egyptian Pluto Squire.
"We don't all work together, and some of us have less violent methods of communicating with you Negaverse soldiers than others. I just want to make sure you get somewhere safe, alright? You and I are not so far apart from one another, though you might not see it. I'm not willing to let you die, if I can help stop it."
Losing a Nega, he'd learned long ago, was like losing a Knight. They were two sides of the same coin, and he had seen it more than enough to know that every Nega was worth trying to help. He looked at Zia, shaking his head.
"I think we're alright, if you don't mind..." he didn't want her getting caught up and hurt because of anything that happened here.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 1:28 pm
Zippeite listened, sort of. He stared at Camelot with his ongoing glare, hate unmitigated, and then, after a silent moment, he summoned his weapon to his hands, holding it in front of him like a defensive barrier.
Zia tensed, although she didn't know what she'd do. Summon Iris? It wasn't like she had any useful powers in the moment.
But luckily it was only for a split second. In a leap of faith and trust which was admittedly in large part due to the fact Camelot was looking like his only hope of surviving the night, he banished to supspace, leaving his hands empty.
Knights don't work in a group. Knights don't have bosses. He had been told this already, but he needed a reminder. One free agent was not connected to the other. "Why'd you save me?"
Zia was observing, but her brow knitted when she saw the glowing staff, and she folded one arm over her torso and watched with a frown, content to fade into the background for now. Something about the weapon and how specific it was tugged at the back of her brain but she could put her finger on it.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 1:51 pm
"I already told you. Knights and the Negaverse are connected. If you were not corrupted by Chaos, you would be a Squire. If I were corrupted, I would be a General King. We're the others shadow, what we might become, through corruption or purification. I'm not willing to see you being killed, and I did not see you doing anything to warrant the kind of aggression that knight was showing you. That kind of rage is blind, and fighting like that is just going to destroy families and make friends disappear, without any real necessity to it."
Camelot was moving as far away from killing the enemy as he could. He knew that some were dangerous, and not so kind about sparing lives as he was, but he would never stand idly by and let anyone be killed if he could prevent it. There had to be another way to win this war, and it was not through the destruction of any side that he saw an end to this struggle. Balance, and peace, needed to be found.
Though that seemed the much harder option.
"Just let me help you, alright? No ulterior motives, and I will not kick you while you're down. You're safe."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 3:13 pm
"This is that purification talk again, isn't it?" Zippeite said with a drawn out groan of exasperation. "I've already heard this." Although it had never been put to him in such a way. It was something to think on, and his expression betrayed the fact that something had gotten through. Some uncertainty had softened by the explanation.
"...Okay," He said cautiously. Having to listen to preachy philosophy seemed like a small price to pay for assistance. At least until he was suddenly hit with a textbook from Zia's messenger back, expertly thrown from across their small distance.
It was a good aim, the spine of the thing hit him right in the forehead and sent him back down to the ground again, but he was already less worn down than when this conversation started. "The ******** is wrong with you, you crazy b***h?!"
"Purple hair, glowing stick weapon, gold eyes; You're the a*****e that beat on Hypnos, aren't you?!" She yelled back in indignation.
"I dunno what the ******** a Hypnos is."
"A small senshi, with sleep magic."
It didn't take long for Zippeite figure it out. He had been hunting her since she knocked him out in an alleyway. He'd done a number on her face once, but it wasn't enough. He wanted total revenge. "Oh. Yeah, and when I find the little b***h I'm gonna finish what I started!" He was in full on rage mode again, waving his arms and voice cracking and squeaking at all pitches and lashing out in rebellion with no thought to his actions.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 3:58 pm
Camelot shook his head and sighed. He knew that even mentioning the word was enough to set some Negas off, but he had only been trying to explain why they were similar, and not start a lesson on why the Nega needed to purify. Though, really, he wanted to start on that topic next, if this one had gone over a bit better.
He had to gauge his chances. Leave information but not push too hard. It was a delicate balance and, unfortunately, it shifted between each Nega and there was no way of knowing what level to start at each time.
When the textbook came out of no where, Camelot jumped and looked at Zia in surprise.
"What are you...?" his words were cut off by the much more, and somewhat understandably so, furious question delivered by Zippeite. No one liked books being thrown at them, especially not textbooks.
Well. At least Zia did exactly what Camelot thought she would, which meant he was getting pretty good at reading people and being able to predict them.
Unfortunately, it also meant things were escalating much more quickly than he would have liked.
"Hey!" He grabbed Zippeite and made sure he was very firmly pinned. The Templar rarely used his strength, but keeping the Nega from ripping Zia's head off was his first concern. He might get smacked by the random flailing, but he was not too concerned about it. He looked at her and lifted his other hand, pointing at her.
"You go home. You're not helping, and you're just going to get yourself hurt. What are you thinking? Do you just like to go around antagonizing people that can, and will, kill you without remorse? And you," he looked at the Nega, "stop struggling, you're not going to get away from me. Calm down before you hurt yourself."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 4:34 pm
"What?!" Zia practically screeched, her rage and indignation being redirected at Camelot.
She gestured her outstretch and open palm towards Zippeite. "He hurts children, he kills people! This one isn't worth saving!"
She was completely ignoring the fact that Realgar had too, but she had befriended him, took him in without judgement. Mariposite likely did too, depending on how long he had been in the Negaverse and whether or not he had pulled starseeds. But the difference was they hadn't hurt people she knew. And when they did she had already known them well enough to think objectively and mediate.
She called for peace for them, but not for Zippeite, and Zippeite didn't want her peace.
"Who the ******** cares?!" Zippeite spat back at her from behind Camelot's protection. "No one cares; You're a civilian. Knight groupie b***h whore or not. Just because you mingle with collaborators doesn't mean you aren't a peace of cattle to be harvested for energy or starseeds!"
Zia's face flushed red with indignation and rage as she looked between their faces. "Some people aren't worth help."
Zippeite seemed calmer, physically at least, but he was still yapping and snarling, and this time his venom was turned to Camelot. "It's a violation of the natural order of things. Enemy," He pointed to the templar, "Aggressor," He pointed to himself, "And resources for harvest," The last gesture was for Zia.
"Purification is a violation of the system, and so is helping me."
He didn't know why, maybe he was just angry and eager to get his fate reconciled and over with. He was uncomfortable with this discussion already and half expected his rescuer to abandon him if he got bad enough, and it seemed like the solution was to be as bad as possible and reject him first, without getting his hopes up.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 5:30 pm
"Zia! There is no one not worth trying to help."
His tone was angry, but not overly so. Instead, it was heavy with a very serious order. He wanted her to know that he believed this fairly simple idea so deeply, he was not willing to accept hatred to overwhelm his perception. He knew that some Negaverse soldiers did kill, and some took great delight in it, but that never meant they were completely lost. He had seen the worst and the best in them, and he would not lose faith that any of them could be helped, if they so chose to be. And he would never close the door on any of them.
Forcing them to think they were hopeless was not going to help the cause of the White Moon: purification required their own brands of sacrifice, and that included the need for revenge.
"Chaos makes anyone do terrible things, and while that does not mean they won't be held accountable for their actions, it also does not mean we can shut them out and decide that anyone is beyond helping. If a Negaverse soldier that has killed and hurt others wanted, needed to purify, I would help them. The only time anything is lost to Chaos is when their starseeds break, or they become Youma and Order can no longer reach them."
He looked down at Zippeite, pushing down on him.
"Your attitude isn't helping, and while you don't see anything wrong with the way Chaos is corrupting you, that doesn't mean it's not happening. Chaos is eating you from the inside out, letting you believe that hurting children and innocent people is okay. Fun, even. Somehow justified because some force, some ancient grudge, tells you it's okay. The only thing waiting for you at the end of that path is darkness. You'll lose yourself, entirely to it, and all you'll ever have been is a pawn. There is no system here. There are fewer rules than you realize. We're all in this war just trying to survive, trying to find some way to win, but eventually you'll see there is no winning. Not the way things stand now. You need help, and I will help you. She needs help, and I will help her. Those at the rules I've set for myself. You can accept that, or I can call that knight back here, and let him finish what he started."
Of course, Camelot would never do that, but daddy was angry.
"Now, both of you need to stop this arguing. Zia, I'm asking you, please will you just go home?"
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 6:00 pm
Zia was far from being emotionally stable enough to stay composed and debate. Instead she looked incredulous, and then her hands balled into fists as she sneered.
"No, Camelot," She argued defiantly, "Some people are just evil, and sometimes evil is drawn to more evil. And sometimes people do worse things than can be absolved by purification. Where's the justice in that?"
And why is there no justice in this universe?
She paused. She almost wanted to ask where her justice was, but that realization also opened her eyes to the fact that this was not about Zippeite. It was bigger than one foul mouthed little boy in the dirt. She shook her head and waved them both off like lost causes as she turned to go find someone to vent to, cool off with. Someone who was more in line with her ruthless point of view than Camelot or her brother and would accept her indignant outage.
Zippeite watched her go with his mouth twisted up in it's own defiant little pout. "I don't understand people," He ended up scoffing. "Why's a ********' civilian got her panties in a wad over an alien like a senshi?"
And then he cast narrowed eyes to Camelot. "I know what Chaos does. I got my own reasons. What I don't know is why guys like you, knights, collaborate with senshi too. If we're really two sides of the same coin, you're earthlings like us. Why you workin' invading aliens?"
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 7:15 pm
Camelot would have to talk privately with Zia after this was all done, and he could have a chance. He moved away from Zippeite once Zia was out of sight, not wanting to let him get the jump on her. He watched the Nega and shook his head, tempering his anger with patience he had learned the hard way over so many years.
"They're no more alien than you are. The powers that give them strength might be from other planets or connected to the stars, but those people you're killing and hurting are human beings, like you."
He folded his arms over his chest, frowning at the other and shaking his head slowly.
"And where do you think Chaos originates? What makes you so certain that you're any more entitled to this planet than they are? It's not a turf war. It's not anything you're told to believe. This war is just an excuse to destroy each other. No one really knows why they're fighting. Even the Negaverse, that pretends it's so unified, has no idea. But I'm not here to give you a lecture, you seem to have already heard it all. Do you think you can get yourself home, or to a hospital, or do you need some help?"
He was still set on that, after all. That was why he'd gotten involved in the first place.
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 1:38 pm
“It doesn’t matter,” Zippeite snorted. He didn’t have any sarcastic comments or arguments. At this point, he didn’t know what to believe anymore. He just submitted to Camelot’s hold and laid there, staring at the stars and frowning petulantly.
He didn’t answer right away, but he at least looked like he was thinking. And when he did finally speak up, it wasn’t relative to the topic of needing help at all.
“You sound like you’re more in denial than anything,” He said finally, his shoulders shifting a little before the pain it caused in his torso put a stop to that. “If you’re so sensitive to all the killing and the destruction… the ******** you want someone like me on your team for? Unless you just put on blinders and pretend it’s all peachy and not that bad.”
He felt like he had to test it, for some reason. Camelot had made nice sounding claims in his defense, but in his experience, such things had limits.
If it was too good to be true it probably was, and purification was firmly held aloft in that categorization.
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:50 pm
"I'm in denial?" Camelot looked down at the Nega and shook his head. "No, I'm just not under the influence of a corruptive force. You don't understand, because you can't see past it. But this is not the only way you can be. This is not the only thing you need to know. Violence and darkness is the Chaos way, but all that means is you are a pawn for it. Chaos uses you like a puppet, and the terrible things you are capable of under its control are not entirely your own decision. I don't believe anyone is beyond purification, if they chose to seek that path. And I will help anyone, no matter what they've done."
It was an easy thing to say, but he had never been faced with having to help someone who had done something truly terrible to him. The people he had lost, he had lost to Chaos, and he knew them from before they were corrupted. He would always have that love for them. Facing a Negaverse soldier, seeing them hurt or kill someone he cared for, and then having to help them... it seemed like it would be a very difficult thing for anyone to do. But he would do it, in his heart he knew that.
"Chaos is a poison, and the longer you let it eat away at your starseed and your mind, the more you will lose yourself to it. The worse your actions will become, and the more lost you think you are. The further from Order you will fall, but never, not until your starseed is completely black and you become some sort of monster, will I believe you are beyond help. You are not my enemy, and you never will be. You don't have to believe me, but it will remain true. And if you do ever face a time when you see Chaos for what it really is, I'll be there to help you."
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 2:15 pm
Zippeite lay flat on his back, his brow brought to a petulant frown as he looked up at the stars and did his best to attempt looking completely undeterred and unaffected y what Camelot was telling up until he mentioned being totally consumed by Chaos and turning into a monster.
It was a really simple 2 + 2 moment in his head, but that was a big ‘duh’ reveal he didn’t really want. “That’s not what happens,” He said defiantly in a huff. “When we get that much Chaos it’s like a big powerful thing and we can beat anyone and nothing can stand in our way. It’s a huge deal, it’s a big prize.”
His defensiveness was indicative that he knew something, there in the back of his mind, although he really didn’t want to. Because if it was so great, and that amount of power was what they were striving for, then why was Bazzite so broken? Why was Acanthite full of holes in her skin? Questions that mentally rose and tried, very hard, to push deep down within himself. He wanted his idealized truth back.
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