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 Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 4:01 pm
Dated to Sept 15
At precisely eleven-thirty on the Tuesday after he and Eurydike's conversation, Eternal Sailor Kerberos was there. And he was, in a word, giddy. Because he had told Eurydike there was a chance that he might show up in white, but he hadn't thought that it could be true.
Except it was. He wasn't all the way better, not really, but at least he was free. At least there would be no more energy draining or starseed pulling, no more people dead in service of a terrible machine.
He had to walk carefully - his feet (and his everything, really) were even more bare now than before, and in the beginning near-autumn chill, he was shivering in his thoroughly skimpy fuku, but it didn't matter. He was free.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 6:53 pm
Hitch was usually punctual as hell - and he more or less was that night, too, but work had run a little late, and so he'd had to charge right over - transforming into a senshi the second he got the privacy because let's face it, the guy smoked a lot. Being a senshi meant it was a lot harder to get him winded.
In the end, he got there at about 11:31, which frustrated the hell out of him for all of ten seconds as he wheezed a little and caught his breath - but then he realized he had, in his way, fallen back onto his bad old habit of not bothering to pick up on the energy signatures close by.
Just this once though, it was not a bad thing.
Eurydike's eyes widened as he looked Kerberos over, a giant, enthusiastic smile spreading over his face. "Holy s**t. You did it! You actually - Care Bear!" and he was laughing, laughing because he was ******** happy as hell for him as he walked closer, carelessly flinging his arms around him in a bear hug, and - well, also - he pulled back a little, still grasping his arms, "Where the ******** did all your clothes go?! -- Holy s**t, though, Care Bear! You did it!"
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 5:45 pm
Kerberos was laughing delightedly too, and he responded to Eurydike's hug much more enthusiastically than he had before. There was no hesitation, just laughing excitement. "I did it," he said, "with help, but I mean, that was gonna happen anyway." He was still a little in shock. It had been four days, and he was pretty sure it was fair to say that he was never going to be over seeing Cosmos herself. "It was...pretty incredible."
He spread his arms wide, or as wide as he could with Eurydike's hands still on them, making the bells around his wrist jingle faintly. "Apparently my destiny is tiny bootyshorts and freezing my a** off in the winter," he said. "Also, no shoes, because why would I ever have something practical like shoes." But he was laughing even as he said it. It was hard to be anything but excited, when there was someone who was actually happy to see him and see him purified.
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 12:28 am
It was actually pretty amazing, the transition from Kerberos draining him in the park to this - but really, Eurydike owed a lot of it to Tolliver. He never would've been out that night as a senshi if it wasn't for him, and he knew - he knew things would've turned out a hell of a lot differently if it hadn't been for Tolliver helping him sort out some of his s**t.
Even more reason to be grateful for meeting him, because now? Now he had a friend, a brand new, freshly minted friend on the order side, and the lasting repercussions of this were just dawning on him. It seemed silly, probably, but - ********, his experiences as a senshi hadn't exactly been glamorous, and he could count the people he could rely on as Eurydike on one ******** hand.
This was potential. This was someone else he could call if s**t hit the fan.
This was someone else Cinnabar could target if she found out.
He swallowed the premature knot of guilt. This was a happy night, not one to sit there and worry all over again about what ifs. Kerberos had faced enough of those getting here.
"Tell me what happened, " and he didn't quite let Kerberos go right away, mostly because he was still in a little disbelief. He'd heard about purification, basically knew what it entailed - just like he'd felt a corruption at a distance - but this was his first time seeing it, someone on one side and then on the other. The differences were stark, and welcome; just look at him. Everything about him, from his clothes to his smile, seemed so much lighter. "What d'you remember?" and that was the next logical question, eyes wide. "D'you remember me? - I mean, the other me?"
He release him, finally, only to poke at one of the bells with a wry smile. "An' stealth, definitely don't need that - seriously you're the second order guy I've seen with dangly-jingly-bobs, the ******** up with that - " and he laughed with him, clapping him warmly on the shoulder. "Seriously. You look great though, " in general, not like, checking him out or anything.
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Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 11:55 pm
If Eurydike had expressed his fears, Kerberos would have laughed them off - he'd ******** himself thoroughly enough by purifying, having one more person invested in going after him really wasn't that bad. Oh, he was terrified of the Negaverse, but he had a far more dangerous weapon at his disposal than any of their blades. He remembered his Eternal magic, remembered watching it tear through people when he had been an Ascended General - he could definitely handle anyone that wanted to pick a fight with him.
"Oh god, what happened?" Kerberos exhaled. "Cliffs notes. I went to go talk to Hver, and I told her about Caledonia - and I was...sure she would just turn me away, I mean, he was a Cosmos Knight, like her - and she didn't, she...kept pressing, she wouldn't," he stopped, briefly. "She wouldn't give up on me." Like Eurydike hadn't - like so many people hadn't. In the end, he was the only one who had given up on himself. "She took me to her Wonder, and called Cosmos. And Cosmos...she told me that I was strong, and brave, for wanting to get free." He didn't feel like either of those things, he never had, but that was okay. "And she purified me, and I...was like this."
The subject of his memories made him scuff his foot, briefly, against the ground. "I...don't remember much. I know you were...um," and this was where it got terribly awkward. "I remember the kiss in the park? And that that was you? But a lot of what happened when I was powered down is gone, now. Pretty much everything, actually." That was the worst part, not knowing who he used to be - and having such massive gaps in his memory.
He did laugh a little, about his utter lack of stealth. "I don't think I was ever stealthy, I mean, I was in a dress and covered in harem jewelry." He waved a hand, lightly. "Of course I look great, I get better and better looking the less I'm wearing."
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:20 am
Eurydike listened intently as Kerberos regaled him with the story of his purification with baited breath. Like, seriously. He didn't know what went into a purification, really. He'd felt a corruption once, out of sight, but that was the closest he'd ever come. "She sounds like a good friend, your Hver, " he murmured, shifting from one foot to the other, flicking his piercing once between his teeth as he smiled. "Cosmos got it right Care Bear. ********, talkin' to you last time, that's like - I'm sorry for callin' you a coward then, like - you're not. I'm so ********' happy you finally did ********' right by yourself."
He talked like they'd known each other for longer than they had. But for all Eurydike's gruffness, he got invested in people real fast. Kerberos, especially, seemed to ******** need it.
His cheeks burned intensely at the mention of the kiss in the park, clearing his throat roughly and fidgeting again, sighing and rolling his eyes. "Of course that you didn't ********' forget, " he grunted with a low snort of a laugh. Then flashed him a warm smile, glancing around once before he powered down in a flash of light. "No big Care Bear. Logan Hitchcock - call me Hitch. Everyone does. We didn't have a ton of history or nothin'. We were kinda fresh friends, so like, this ain't any big drawback for us. - do I still call you Alex, or...?"
He couldn't help it; he snickered hard behind his hand. "Modest b*****d aren't you? Can't even ********' argue with you though. This ********' suits you more than the dress did, " he remarked, plucking idly at some of the transparent material.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:03 pm
"She's amazing," Kerberos said, and there was a distinct warm affection in his voice. Hvergelmir was the first one who had extended a hand and made him feel like he had a chance, and that was even after what she had seen him become. He shook his head, firmly. "No, you were right, then," he said. "I was being a coward. I was running from my problems - first with drinking, and then with...I don't know." Sex with people he shouldn't have been sleeping with came to mind, but he didn't want to share that.
"It just...took a push to get me to come around and do something." He fiddled, absently, with the bells on his wrist - that should have been enough on its own, but it wasn't, instead he'd let himself get tangled in...things, and wallowing in grief. He at least had the decency to look embarrassed about the kiss, partially because it was obvious Eurydike - Hitch was. "No, it's, ah, Keiran - I don't remember my old name, was it Alex?" He looked genuinely interested. Jenna hand probably known him in both forms, but she'd lost her memory of who he used to be, and Laney had never known. "Like I said, that's all gone."
He was reluctant, for the moment, to power down - Kerberos still felt more comfortable than Keiran, because at least he could remember being Kerberos. "Look, I can't help it if I know I'm gorgeous. I wonder what I would've looked like if I'd started Order - less clothes, or more?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 9:26 pm
"Sure sounds like it, " Eurydike murmured, and then shook his head, clapping the other senshi on the shoulder. "Don't even now, I mean - s**t, you did it, that's - that's no small thing you did there. Be proud of yourself Care Bear, seriously."
Keiran. "Nice name. - did anyone help you with that, or like, you look it up or somethin'? - what's that like, the whole gettin' a new name thing?" he asked with a curious tilt of his head, because it wasn't really something he'd considered all that much. "Yeah, Alex. - I didn't know you too well either, I - kinda only met you the one time, " he admitted, feeling a little bad about it. Most of what he'd gotten had been about an ex-boyfriend situation he wasn't about to go reminding Kerberos of if he'd forgotten about it. Hopefully he had.
He rolled his eyes and snickered at the clothes comment. Oh. But! "Then it's re-introduction time!"
First, he felt to see if there were any powered auras nearby, or anyone - but seeing as it was safe, well -
Moments later, he was standing there in his usual flannel, jeans, and combat boats, arms crossed over his chest as though that somehow made him look taller than he was. "Logan Hitchcock - just Hitch, if you don't mind. 20 years old. I play drums an' work in a piece of s**t deli. Nothin' too excitin', but - oh! An' I got a boyfriend. He's more excitin' than me, to be honest. Not wrapped up in this powered s**t though."
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:48 pm
Kerberos did muster up a smile - a slightly awkward one, but a smile nonetheless - at Eurydike's insistence. It was the same thing Hver had said, the same thing Cosmos had said. Maybe it had been a little brave, getting out hadn't exactly been easy, but it was hard to see himself as having any kind of courage.
"I, um, sort of stumbled upon it." He said, which was true enough. He'd found the name, and it had...felt right. "It's not too bad, I mean, I didn't remember the old one, and I can't exactly call myself Kerberos all the time."
And this time, he let go of being Kerberos. Keiran looked a lot like Alex - wearing a hoodie that was definitely too big for him, hair pulled into a messy ponytail. He shoved his hands into the hoodie pockets, but did respond to Hitch's introduction with a genuine smile.
"I don't know a lot about myself," Keiran said, "but congratulations on the boyfriend. I hope he stays out of all this." He didn't need to say why. He was sure Hitch knew about Luka, if they'd talked at all.
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 1:28 am
"Well, yeah. S'why you're Care Bear, " he explained rather non-nonchalantly with a lopsided, roguish grin. "Granted, I mean, it'd probably be hard to swing jobs an' s**t with a name like that, so I forgive you. Keiran's cool."
Really, stunningly like Alex, and he didn't know why it surprised him as much as it did. How far this whole glamour bullshit thing went exactly, he didn't know - granted he'd come face to face with Tolliver like this and if he didn't even recognize Hitch...
"Who the ******** congratulates someone on a boyfriend?" he teased lightly, leaning over to elbow him playfully in the side - although -
He grew somber, though, at that last part - and no, Keiran didn't need to say anything, but - "Gonna be honest here, Kei, was really hopin' you didn't remember that bit."
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:30 am
Keiran had to laugh, just a little. "Yeah, I really can't put that on job applications," he said. Not that he had so far put anything at all on any job applications, because it was really hard to do that when you didn't have a lot of the basic stuff to legally exist.
He rolled his eyes, obviously dramatically. "I try to be nice, and look at what it gets me." He said, and then he huffed.
He couldn't maintain it for long. He broke eye contact, stared at his feet. "The worst part is that I don't even remember any of the good parts. I don't...actually remember him. Just...just that terrible moment." The agonizing realization, desperately pleading with him to run - and then watching him turned into Caledonite. "That's almost not fair."
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 3:52 pm
"See? Shouldn't waste your time being nice to a loser like me, " Hitch joked with a wry smile. Even if it was a joke though - eh, anyway. Rabbit holes that weren't really worth traversing, let the joke lay as it was.
That did sound like s**t. "I'm sorry." Did he have much comforting to offer beyond that? - no. No, because ******** if he knew what to say to someone grieving. He was still struggling with his own every day damn. The best he could really do was offer a hug, and as he went through with the motion, it didn't feel like enough. "You're right. It's not."
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 9:54 pm
Keiran shook his head, brushing off the dismissal. Hitch was absolutely not a loser - much less of one than Keiran might be himself, certainly.
He exhaled when Hitch pulled him into a hug, squeezing briefly, and then he stepped back. "It's...I mean, there's nothing I can do now except try to do better." He shrugged. "Or fix it, maybe, but I don't think he wants to come back."
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