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 Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 3:35 pm
Chaonis had healed up as well as he could have hoped, considering how badly he had been wounded. His shoulder closed up and the scar, while ugly, offered him no trouble when he was powered up. Powered down, he felt a little tightness in his arm, and imagined his career as a major league pitcher was probably gone before it started, but that did not trouble him too much as he hated baseball.
He took it in stride. If this was the worst injury he had taken in the long years he had been at this war, he supposed he was one of the lucky ones. His dad had nearly lost his leg, after all, and there were numerous other trips to the hospital that, now that he knew his dad was a knight, suddenly made sense.
Anyway, now that the main threat to them all was finally gone, he supposed he had been taking it easy. Sure, there were still plenty of threats out there, but after nearly dying and almost murdering in the name of love, Chaonis' bar had shifted.
His patience was broader now. His devotion set in stone. He would defend the people he cared about, and fight for the White Moon with everything he had: but he had to draw lines in the sand. Like his father before him, he needed to learn what was the appropriate amount of force and when, and when to let his anger guide him. He needed to use his skills and his strengths for good, not just because he liked looking cool. It was weird, growing up.
Waiting for Navi on the roof of the community center they usually met in, Chaonis felt the flicker of a Chaos energy source nearby, but it vanished before he could focus on it. Maybe it was Navi, but she was being careful? He had not been able to focus on it long enough to even determine what faction it was from.
He decided it was Navi, and waited expectantly for her to appear sooner rather than later.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 4:56 pm
When there had been no immediate fall out for the stunt Navi had pulled with the knight and the senshi, it seemed more and more likely that none would come at all. Eventually she began traveling by mirror again, and that was how she arrived now, stepping through the gilded frame tucked away in the store room in the basement. Immediately she felt him above her, and with a bright, delighted smile she hurried up the numerous steps that would take her to the roof. It had been a few days, their civilian lives getting in the way, but tonight they had both been free. She could hardly wait to see him, to touch him, to drag him down to taste his lips. It had only been three days, but it felt like an eternity to the love drunk senshi. She very nearly flung herself out the door, and Chaonis would find a pair of arms around his shoulders as she draped herself against his back, turning her head to press lips against his temple. "My Prince." She purred it in his ear, arms tightening around him, then let go all at once so she could drop down into his lap. They'd yet to contact a princess, but Navi hadn't abandoned hope. They'd find one, soon, and she could talk to her, ask to join the order in the white moon court. They would be together.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:16 pm
Chaonis felt his heart lift the moment he spotted her, that familiar aura coming to him before she reached the door, but he was happiest to see her. He laughed as she jumped at him, letting her cling to his back for a moment before he caught her they both settled into the hug. He returned her kiss from before, gently kissing her temple but cuddling her as he did so.
"I wish I was a prince," he said thoughtfully, brushing a stray wisp of hair from her face affectionately, "then I'd be able to do something about all this and we wouldn't need anyone to help us. We could just be together, and that would be that."
He sighed, but he smiled despite the seriousness of his words. Even if they weren't on the same team, they were still together, and that was something he could delight in.
"How are you doing? It feels like forever since I saw you last." The Senshi of Danger was having trouble, as well, with being away from her for any extended amount of time. Or, in this case, even short amounts of time. He supposed all the near death experiences they had been facing wore on him.
He never considered himself a clingy person, but here he was. He he could not be happier.
He had no idea that he had caught the attention of a General, who had only powered up for a moment to search for power signatures before powering down to hunt them. She was sitting in a tree now, watching the roof from a distance, but able to see the two senshi together, and knew them immediately.
Her luck, unlike his, was turning around.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:32 pm
The bright smile faded into something serious and almost sad as he confessed wanting to be an actual prince. It had hr lifting a hand, the backs of bare knuckles stroking along his cheek as she looked up into those dark eyes. It was a wish she could share with him, and as he sighed she tipped her head up, brushing lips against the edge of his jaw. "Busy, she offered somberly, fingers curling along his neck. "Too busy. Classes picking up again, it doesn't leave me much free time." It had crossed her mind a time or two, abandoning her studies, but in the end she just couldn't do it. No matter what else she was, she still held onto those same dreams she'd had before being corrupted. Her life was this, this war, these stolen moments with the man she loved, but it was also music. The hand on his neck drifted down to run lightly over the shoulder that now carried a thick scar. "How are you?" How was his arm? Was it still tight? Did it ever bother him? If he was clingy then so was she, cuddled up against his chest, one arm wrapped around his side, the other on his shoulder. She'd tucked her legs up close to him, sharing their warmth. Like every time before, she just wanted this moment to stretch on forever.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:58 pm
"I'm going to go back to school. I know that doesn't mean anything, because I can't tell you who I am, but I... I dunno, it sounds stupid. Even in my head. I don't want to hear it out loud but. Eh, whatever. I want to be a better person. So I guess s**t like a job and school... I need to do that kind of stuff. Then if we can just be normal for a little while, I won't be..."
A complete disappointment to her. The promise of being able to know each other, however distant that fantasy might be, made him want to be something worth knowing. Right now, he knew he wasn't. He had made sure not to be anything, because he always feared and hated responsibility. It was the first time in his life that he really began to regret slacking off so much.
That feeling would pass, surely, as he was always a confident guy and couldn't be down on himself for long, but as it stood, he knew he was flawed.
Holding on to her, he smiled contentedly and let all those worries slip away for a bit. Why bother with all that when he could just be happy right now, and enjoy that? Whatever happened would happen, and right now, he just wanted to be with the girl he loved.
"I'm alright," he said, instinctively rolling his shoulder a bit, "healing pretty good. When I'm powered up I hardly feel it at all. Doctors say it's amazing I'm healing so fast, but I guess they don't really get the whole Senshi thing. Not going to explain it to them, either."
Gently stood, balanced on a tree branch. She had seen enough of their cuddling. Powering up, she vanished almost as soon as she was in uniform, reappearing next to the duo and putting her hand on Navi's shoulder. She looked at Chaonis with a devilish, ghoulish grin, then vanished with Navi in tow, reappearing not too far way, using the element of surprise in her favor, with Navi now firmly in her grip, spear pointed at her neck as Painite stood behind her, arms draped around her almost languidly, except in how tight her hold was.
"Miss me?" she cooed, though her voice, low as it was, curled in the air like a dangerous growl.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:17 pm
She played the tips of her fingers up along the side of his neck as he spoke about school and his intentions to go back. It was a telling sort of admission, but she took the self improvement from his words and left any underlying meaning they might have carried. Another kiss, this time the soft brush a lips against his mouth. News that his shoulder was healing well was a relief, but she chuckled at the mention of senshi powers and the added boost to their healing. "They were surprised by my neck as well." She'd had to go in early to get the stitches removed, least they heal into the skin. It was a lovely little scene, so serene and comfortable, but it didn't last. Foolish to have hoped it would. Navi blinked as she felt that flicker of chaos in the dark, head turning to gaze out around them, then a hand was closing on her shoulder. One second comfortable on Chaonis' lap, the next she was being held tightly against a body behind her and a blade was pressed up against the side of her neck. Then that voice, sickly sweet and cold as a winter's day, and a shudder ran through the Dark mirror's body, dread knotting her stomach and squeezing her chest. It was suddenly hard to breath, she was choking on fear, and the sound of her own pulse in her ears was almost deafening. No, this wasn't right! She was supposed to be dead! Camelot had promised. He'd promised! Why wasn't she dead! "Chaonis!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:31 pm
Chaonis hardly knew how to respond. He had seen her face for that brief moment, grinning at him like a Cheshire cat, though far more wicked and deadly than any fairy tale. Then it was gone, and Navi was too. It was like being pulled from a dream, but not to wake up. Only to be plunged into a terrible nightmare. He stood up, on his feet before his brain could really process what was happening.
The chaos aura from before, he slowly realized, had been Painite, not Navi. He should have trusted his instincts: he knew it had not felt right, but he ignored it! He chose to put them all in danger, and now he was facing the result of his willingness to be lazy, to not ask questions, to just assume things were what they should be. There was always danger.
He, of anyone, should know that. For many reasons.
"Painite!?"
Camelot, Royal Knight of Earth, protector of the innocent and dutiful father of Chaonis himself, had promised that Painite was gone forever, that they were finally safe. He promised that she would not hurt anyone, ever again, and that he had taken this life by choice, to defend his family and protect his own. Was that all a lie, to make them feel better? Had he not been able to do it? He was a soft hearted old fool sometimes, after all, and always thought he could see the good in others. What if he had let her go? Told her to behave herself, and trusted that she would?
Chaonis should have ended things himself, as he almost had. Camelot stopped him. Camelot took the chance from him, but promised the job was done. Camelot had lied.
"Let her go, you b***h!" Chaonis heard himself screaming, and he realized he was already moving toward them. Painite moving to draw the blade of her spear across Navi's neck, drawing blood across a sharp, angry red line, made him stop. It was not deep enough to hurt her seriously, but it was a very clear warning. Painite had no reason to be careful here, beyond her own satisfaction. And there were many, many ways to hurt someone. Navi was just the first stop.
"Look at you two lovebirds! So cute. So sweet. All that hope and all those dreams. Bet you thought you'd never see me again, hm? Look at all that terror. I can almost smell it on you both. Such surprise. Yes, I'm still here. Still kicking." She yanked on Navi's arm cruelly, wrenching it behind her back hard enough to strain the shoulder and cause pain. "So much left to do. Come on, my little friend. Let's go have some fun. Your boyfriend can come and find you, if he's brave enough."
Chaonis found her rambling to be unnerving not just because of what she was saying, but because she was even more unhinged than she had been before. He could see in the way she moved, the way she acted, that something was further broken in her mind. Wherever she had been, whatever she had been doing all this time, had not been good for her. Or them. And then, just like that, she was gone. Teleported away, with Navi in tow. It was sudden, and jarring, and Chaonis felt their auras vanish from the immediate area.
"NO!!!!!!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:44 pm
This wasn't real, it couldn't be. Painite was dead, they were supposed to be safe. The same words of denial kept circulating through Navi's mind wildly as she watched Chaonis jerk to his feet and start stalking towards them. "A-ah!" Pain, sharp and immediate against her throat as the blade bit into her skin, and she froze, eyes going wide. This was bad. Navi couldn't do anything, the blade of the spear was pressed too tightly, and the general need only press a little harder to finish it. Even Chaonis was helpless, any move he made towards them, and Painite carved it into the skin of her captive. It was a living nightmare. The arm that had been looped around her moved, and she felt strong fingers on her wrist before her warm as being viciously twisted behind her back. It tore a scream from Navi's lips, made her jerk against that blade, and that only opened the cut on her neck wider. A handful of seconds to lock eyes with the man she loved, her own too wide, terrified. Then they were gone.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:06 pm
Painite took Navi away from the community center. Away from the city itself. She had to teleport a few times, and for the first time in a long while, she ended up feeling winded from how draining the successive teleportations were on her body. It was worth it, though, to get out of range of that senshi's ability to feel her, while she came up with the next part of her plan. Merlinite would come for her when she called, he was at the ready as ordered, but first she needed to secure her prize and find a good place to keep her.
She let Navi go once they reappeared in the middle of a wooded area, looking at the Dark Mirror Senshi and smiling. She shook her head, delighting in the fact that she had managed to get something so close to the heart of someone she hated. And once she broke Navi, she would break Chaonis through her. Then, through him, get to the heart of Camelot. It was all falling into place for her.
It was intoxicating, and she felt giddy from the excitement.
Or maybe that was the head rush from how drained her energy was.
"I hope you like nature, because you're going to be seeing a lot of it. You know. When you WAKE UP." She lunged at Navi on those last few words, bringing her fists up, clenched together, and swinging them down for the back of Navi's head. It took one more teleportation to get a good attack in, because it was hard for her enemies to block her when they could not really follow her movements, but she managed it and landed the heavy, brutal hit in an effort to crumple the senshi.
Stumbling back, Painite leaned against a tree, slipping down to the floor as her legs wobbled under her. Fumbling with it once she summoned it to her hand, she used her communication crystal to call to Merlinite, and tell him where she was.
He would bring the supplies, and together they would make sure their new guest was comfortable.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:12 pm
She didn't get a good look at where they were going or where they ended up. Painite released her, and Navi stumbled once before taking off blindly at a sprint, the general's voice taunting her.
A blow to the head cut her escape short, and the dark mirror senshi dropped like a puppet with it's strings cut. Then everything was black.
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