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 Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:03 pm
He could not remember the last time he had taken someone to his Wonder.
Celsus had brought Thraen along before, to the Surrounding; but at the time, he had not wanted - had been afraid - to bring him to his Wonder, because the thought of facing the Code and everything else again was so daunting that he had done what he did best.
He'd run away.
It was easier, he knew, to run away. Cowardly, and shameful, but easier. And he had kept running, in the hopes that he would be able to outrun all of the things that he had struggled with, all of the pain and the fear and the almost overwhelming sense of inadequacy that made everything so bloody hard all of the time.
Unfortunately, ignoring something did not make it go away, no matter how hard he had tried. He could not stay away from the Wonder forever; he had made a vow, a solemn pledge, and although the idea of going back still sent a sick swoop of anxiety through him, the decision had already been made.
It was not easy to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but he had, and now, here he was.
The moment he set foot in the vast library, Corvus at his side, something shifted inside of him.
It was not so much a wave as it was a small loosening of his chest, which had felt so tight that it was surprising he could even breathe. Celsus put a hand up, his eyes fluttering, pressing fingers against his sternum as he tried to figure out what exactly this meant.
"What the devil - "
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:23 pm
The Eternal Senshi of Vengeance could count the times that she had been to Space, or things connected with it, on one hand. When Celsus had mentioned taking a trip to his Wonder she'd had concerns, certainly, but she wouldn't have let him take the trip alone. When they arrived she had been clinging to his arm and at first she thought that his reaction was because of that. "Stars, I'm sorry, Celsus. I told you that I haven't done this often and I..." She was prepared to continue prattling on, but then she paused on opening her eyes to see him standing with his hand pressed to his chest. "Celsus-- Celsus... Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?" If she'd tried to talk him into something that had turned out to be a terrible idea she was going to be so very cross with herself. "Please be alright..."
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:30 pm
He gave a minute shake of his head, Celsus's eyes flickering slightly. Describing the continual feeling of unwell was hard enough; Celsus had been sick and unsteady for months now, constantly lapsing into periods of manic cleaning and anxiety attacks that had only been stemmed by either Hitch or Rhys stopping by to check on him almost obsessively - and for good reason.
But - now.
It wasn't an all-encompassing sense of health and wellness, but it was as though something had eased in his chest; like something had uncoiled enough to allow him to breath more steadily, giving air to his lungs and small bits of clarity to his mind so that he could see a bit more clearly.
Celsus straightened, turning his head to give Corvus a small smile.
"I'm all right," he said, reaching to pat her hand gently before his fingers fell away again. "It's - it's just...an odd feeling, that's for sure."
The library was vast and filled with a number of various rooms. The one they stood in now was a large one, and the one that Celsus spent the most time in; an office of sorts, octagonal in shape and crammed with all manner of bookshelves, filled to the breaking point. A desk stood almost in the middle and back a ways, and a man stood beside the desk, idly tugging on a lock of pale hair. He looked up, eyebrows raised, a look of placid interest on his face.
"Well, no," said the man lightly. "Welcome to Celsus."
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:14 am
Corvus felt so very out of place standing beside the Knight of Chronos; like she, with all of her midnight blues and raven blacks, was the only shadow in a room filled with sunlight. You don't belong here. Only she did. An invitation had been extended and she had accepted. There was no point at all for any part of her mind to try and speak up against that or deny it, especially not when she should be more interested in the way her companion's demeanor had changed. When she watched him straighten this time it seemed like he rose just a bit higher than he had before-- It was as though an additional weight had been lifted from his shoulders that she hadn't realized he was still carrying. Welcome to Celsus. The Senshi of Vengeance quietly chastised herself for not picking up on the fact that they weren't alone. It wouldn't have been the first time that her lack of observation had lead to trouble... But was there really any need to be defensive when visiting a Wonder? Corvus straightened herself out, taking a moment to smooth gloved hands down over her tiered skirts, as though space travel might have left her unpresentable somehow. She held herself with the poise of someone who had once been accustomed to putting on a pretty face at social gatherings, forced to smile even when facing down sharks least they pick up on a weakness and tear you apart. "So we aren't in Kansas anymore..." Light sarcasm; a girl's best defense.
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:59 pm
It took him a moment longer than Corvus to realize that they were not alone.
Celsus ran his fingers through his hair, jolting a little at the sound of a voice that was neither his, nor his companions. The man standing beside the desk was taller than him, with a head of curly, sandy blond hair and vivid green eyes that could be seen even from this distance.
And even from the fact that his long, sweeping white and gold robes seemed to taper off into wispy, half translucent tendrils, his sandaled feet not even visible, only the floor beneath them. He was currently looking down his patrician nose at them, looking faintly amused.
"Well, this is a surprise, I must say," he said, "It's been a while."
Celsus glanced at Corvus, then at the man, and said, with a slight tremor to his voice that he couldn't quite conceal, "Aurelius. This is Corvus. Corvus, this is my ancestor, Aurelius. The previous Celsus," he added, for clarification's sake. "He's here, sometimes."
"Most of the time," said Aurelius amicably. "A pleasure, Corvus."
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 4:23 pm
"The pleasure is mine, Aurelius." Her smile was genuine but cautious, tone polite and even. She had somehow thought that visiting a Knight's Wonder would be similar to a Senshi's home world. There seemed to be no death or destruction here, however. "If I'd known that you were planning on introducing me to family I might have powdered my nose, Celsus," she murmured softly, corner of her mouth turning up into the slightest smirk. "If the two of you have things to discuss I could explore on my own for a bit... Unless you'd like me to stay?" The last bit was added on just so he would know that she had no intentions of going anywhere or leaving him on his own as long as he needed her-- Which should be obvious enough, considering he was her ride back home. None the less....
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Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 9:01 pm
Celsus gave Aurelius a weak smile, but his attention was more on Corvus and her low voice, his head inclining automatically towards hers so that he could actually hear her a bit more clearly. Her offer was kind; he felt a warmth soothing across his chest.
"I beg your pardon," he said, with a slight smile. "I didn't realize he'd be here. But no - please stay, it is my wish that you remain, I think I could rather use a friend at the moment."
Even if friends was still such a foreign concept to him at all. Celsus took a breath, his gaze going back to Aurelius, who was standing there quite at ease, looking curiously at the pair of them. He didn't seem at all surprised at their presence, nor at their little discussion.
"Don't worry, I am a friend," said Aurelius, with an easy smile. "Celsus can attest to that. I sincerely do welcome you here, did you want to take a walk?"
"In my Wonder?" said Celsus, amused in spite of himself, and Aurelius laughed.
"Yes, in your Wonder. Why don't we all take a stroll and Celsus - you can tell me why you're here. It's been a long time."
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:55 pm
"I hope you'll forgive me for saying this, but... He sounds an awful lot like my grandmother. 'Let's go for a walk, Dolly, and you can tell me all about your day...'" Her voice was nothing like her grandmother's, even when she was making an attempt to imitate her. It had been too long since she'd heard the elder Carden's voice... She missed her dearly and the sting seemed fresh for a brief moment. Instead of letting herself be distracted by that she stepped closer to Celsus again, slipping her arm through his as though they were just about to take a walk through the park back in Destiny City. "You'd better listen to him. From my experience, our elders generally know what's best. Mind you, I'm rather out of practice when it comes to getting advice from my elders, but..." She shrugged lightly, bumping her shoulder against his.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:49 pm
Celsus gave a snort of laughter even as Aurelius was rolling his eyes.
"Well, I am several hundred years old," he said in a deadpan voice, raising an arm and gesturing for the two of them to follow, a gold armband wrapped around his wrist. "I could talk like that, if you wanted; like a grandmother passing their grandchild sweets."
"Please, no," said Celsus with a sigh. He'd gone slightly rigid at Corvus' touch, as he always did when it came to physical contact these days; but slowly he began to relax, calming his heartbeat, even as his chest still felt as though it was about to burst at any moment now.
Relax.
Celsus led Corvus over to the door and pushed it open, since Aurelius couldn't.
"Tell me," said the older man, sweeping past in a gust of translucent robes, the colors a faded similarity to the ones Celsus had on his own uniform. "What has been happening recently? Corvus, do tell me about yourself as well."
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:10 pm
When she felt Celsus tense her lips pressed together and she almost let go, would have if he'd remained tense but then he started to relax and so did she. It was easy enough to continue chastising herself, however, mentally reminding herself that she knew how on edge the Knight of Celsus had been and she should have known better than to press further than-- "Hm?" Aurelius addressed her. She'd heard her name, but she'd been so lost in fussing at herself that she had tuned out the conversation and now her face was lightly flushed. "Oh, I'm not all that interesting... And Celsus tells far better stories than I do. I've been known to ramble..."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:14 am
Outside the office, the hallways of the library were grand, wide, and laid with a glossy hardwood floor that gleamed in the bright light of the candles. Doors lined the way Aurelius led them down, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his draping Chronos robes, looking quite relaxed.
"Nonsense, my dear, you seem quite interesting," said Aurelius, with a glance over his shoulder, a friendly smile on his face. "Celsus doesn't bring many people here, and it's been some years as it is. There's nothing wrong with rambling, this entire place - " He waved a gold bracleted hand. " - is full of long-winded stories, after all. It is a library of sorts."
Celsus could feel his heart beating in his chest, still feeling too tight.
"Corvus is one of my teammates now," he said, "She's kept track of me for the past few months."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:49 am
"Keeping track makes it sound like I was following you about... When, if we're being honest, I think I spent more time waiting for you to come around." Her tone was teasing as she gave him a gentle nudge, attempting to keep Celsus from putting himself down over anything the events of the past months had brought about. "I've offered Celsus what support I can, as a friend... He's rather stubborn. Is that an aspect of the knighthood, Aurelius, or is that something unique to him?" Again, tones light, using skills practiced in socializing to try and make everything seem normal; comfortable. "I'm honored that he's deemed me worthy of visiting."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 11:07 am
Celsus gave Corvus a sideways glance, lips quirking up into a small smile.
"You weren't skulking about, you were merely keeping me from doing anything drastic, for which I am quite grateful, I must admit," he said, as Aurelius slowed his pace to walk beside them both, rather than in front of them. "You and the others, after all. And yes, well..." Celsus grimaced. "It did rather take a while for me to do that."
Aurelius seemed somewhat pleased with the assessment, even if there were traces of worry in his eyes as well. "It is indeed an aspect of the knighthood," he said, unable to fully hide the amusement from his voice. "Everyone who has been a knight of Celsus is stubborn, though it seems this Celsus is much more so than I ever was."
"I beg your pardon?" said Celsus, flashing him a look, and Aurelius laughed aloud.
"I jest. You're rather like me in some ways. Don't fret, my dear Knight, you have done well, no matter what."
Celsus swallowed hard, the old feelings rising up again.
"Aurelius, I...is the...Code...still here?"
Aurelius's gaze was calm. "It is. Why?"
"Ah...no reason." He felt the fear coiling in his stomach. "Last time...the last time I was here..."
Celsus trailed off, his cheeks flushing.
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 11:44 am
"Of course there were others, Celsus. There are people who care about you... I just don't know that any of the others came prepared to appeal to your sweet tooth in an attempt to bribe you to stay put for a bit." She caught that small smile and tried to build on it, taking a bit of her own amusement at the banter between the two Knights. It was only when Celsus began to stammer that she paused, hand sliding from his arm down until she could let their fingers twine. "Whatever it is, Celsus, it's fine-- It will be fine. Just take a deep breath and say whatever you need to. I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to."
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:37 pm
Corvus was given a wan smile, because he knew what she was talking about in regards to his sweet tooth, and because he also knew that she was trying to keep his spirits up, even if she didn't fully understand his hesitations in being at his Wonder in the first place.
Aurelius had slowed his pace, half turning to regard his descendant curiously, and Celsus took a breath, feeling Corvus's fingers slide through his own with both a reassuring and nervewracking gentleness.
"The - the Code," he said at length. "It's - the last time I was here, it...talked to me. It told me that I was...inadequate."
The word made him wince, even now, after all this time. Celsus felt the flush of embarrassment touch his cheeks, of frustration, but he kept going, determined not to let it drag him down. It felt oddly easier to breathe here; as though he'd just surfaced after being underwater for a long time.
Aurelius' brows had drawn together. "Why on earth would you believe it? You are not inadequate."
"Aurelius," started Celsus, exasperated, but the man was shaking his head.
"I jest, my young friend. But you should know that you are neither inadequate, nor anything else to the negative. You are a descendant of mine, so that means that you are automatically worthy of high regard. Whether or not the Code is still here - yes, I do believe it is. We can talk to it, if you like."
Celsus did not want to; in fact it was the very last thing on earth (or off earth) that he felt like doing - but there was no actual getting around it. He took a deep breath.
"All right."
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