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 Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:45 pm
There was a youma nearby, and another knight too, a small one. A Page. Lupu hurried towards the feeling and glowered at the youma, pleased that he had gotten there before the page. It was an ugly creature, made of what seemed to be all teeth. Like a cactus covered in shark teeth.
It wasn’t too difficult to dust, not when he used his bow along with a few good kicks from his heel, and when he looked up and saw the page, the Squire of Saturn grinned. “Hey! Come to bash in the monster too? Sorry I took the pleasure from you. Cosmos page?”
He couldn’t help the grin on his face and held out a hand, watching as the dust shimmered for a moment and then vanished into the night. Into…wherever banished youma went. He knew Evan wouldn’t be happy that he went and dusted a youma…but he had tried to talk to it first. A little. Kind of.
…A youma that ugly…it couldn’t still be human. There had been no sanity in its eyes.
“I’m Lupu. Squire of Saturn. It’s nice to meet you. I haven’t met anyone new lately! It’s nice. Not that I don’t love my normal crowd but…you know. New bonds and all that.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:53 pm
Nalanda startled when he was being spoken to, and seemed a bit visibly nervous to have someone so strong addressing him. He didn't know if there was proper etiquette or a more appropriate protocol, so instead he just tried to stand up straight.
"Just wanted to make sure everyone was all right. But...it looks like you've got it all handled. Thank you," he said, sounding genuinely grateful. "...I am, ah. Nalanda. of Cosmos, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Theoretically, at least. Soleiyu had told him that there were Knights whose powers hailed from different realms, and Saturn seemed pretty straightforward.
"You're only the second I've met," he confessed, figuring there was no point in lying. "And the first I met when we awakened together. And a Mauvian, who was gracious enough to answer our questions." He took his hand and shook. "...Though, I have to admit, you're much better at taking care of those things than we were..."
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:10 pm
Lupu gave a little grin, squeezing the hand before dropping it. “So, Nalanda…you clearly have the bravery down, if I’m only the second knight you’ve met, then obviously you haven’t been doing this long…and, I have a lot handled, and you’ll get there. With the taking care of things. I’ve been around the block…a few times by now and…it just comes with practice.”
He looked the male over and gave nod of approval.
“Still. I’m impressed that you decided to come out alone! What’s your weapon? Did you get anything that’s…that’s even halfway useful?” He held out his bow. “If it isn’t useful now…it will be when you grow a bit. And then you’ll be able to use your magic too. Mine…mine is actually pretty scary.”
Lupu gave a wry smile, remembering his brother and how he had reacted. “Ah. But…Saturn is a pretty scary place from what I’ve heard.” Which…was nothing but. Nalanda didn’t need to know that.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:21 pm
Nalanda seemed surprised that Lupu had a bow, and he felt suddenly very inadequate. "Oh, ah--no. Mine's just..."
He summoned it a bit reluctantly, presenting the plumed quill in the palm of his hand. "I don't really know what I could do with this. Outside of trying to stab someone, of course, but...you'd have to get in pretty close, and...to be honest, I'm sure I've got ballpoint pens that might do a little bit more damage."
He looked at the bow again. "...I don't know much about any sort of magic, but it sounds like something I should aspire for. How...would I go about getting stronger? ...It feels like, given the danger of everything...it would be wise to try and get stronger as quickly as possible..."
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:51 am
Lupu gave a sympathetic nod. “Yeah…that…that’s kind of useless. But…it’ll get better. Trust me. Things always get better.” He grinned and let his bow fade away. “We could spar, if you wanted. I spar with my brother a lot, he’s also a knight but…” He let out a laugh. “…Half the time our sparring is just us more or less half joking to kill each other. Ah but…not really. We’re much better than we used to be but.”
He held up his hands. “What do you say, Nalanda? Want a fighting lesson?”
It really never made much sense why people fresh in this war only got joke weapons. They were the weakest that they could be…and they started out with nothing more than a feather quill or something else equally dumb…and they were expected to survive…what a joke!
“I won’t be too harsh, I promise. But…we can spar every so often if you want. I’m always here to help people who are new.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:22 pm
Nalanda had always heard that things get better. That they always got better.
Except when they got worse, but he supposed that once you hit rock bottom there was only really one way to go.
He wasn't at rock bottom--and he didn't want to sink any lower than he was now. He wanted to get better. Even if that meant agreeing to spar. "I've never done that before," he admitted, not wanting to beat around the bush.
"And I'm really, really not a good fighter. I've dealt with a youma, and run into one Negaverse Agent. But we didn't really fight. I--I would be grateful for any lessons." He swallowed. "I hope you won't think less of me if I ask that you go very easy on me. I'm a doctor, I need to make sure I can function. And I have weak lungs, so please avoid my chest. Everything in there is already working hard enough so I don't think I'm ready for much else, yet..."
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 4:18 pm
A doctor? Well, that…was a very useful profession. Especially in a war like this one. Lupu grinned. “Then, I’ll avoid your hands and your chest, that’s not a problem for me. What do you know? Do you have any fighting skills?” He seemed pleased regardless, smiling at the male. “…You could always…I don’t know. Be a field medic out here? Find someone who has good fighting skills…or even hang out with me and my group. Get yourself some first aid supplies and put them into subspace…”
Lupu shrugged, stretching for a moment, looking thoughtful. “You don’t need to know how to fight to survive, but it helps. Of course it helps…how about we work on foot work today? I think that kicks can be stronger than punches without much effort…and a lot of times, some of the best ways to dust youma is to step on them. Hard. The sweet spot is using the very edge of your heel…and stomping down like you were crushing a cockroach.”
He moved close, stepping forward with his foot. “Show me how much damage you can do, Nalanda. Either stomp on my foot, kick my shin, whatever.”
Reaching out, Lupu grabbed the male, pinning his arms to his side. “Do what you have to in order to get free!”
…Not practical but…perhaps it would be effective teaching. He certainly didn’t want to do the brawl he had planned on. Not after the Page’s requests.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 4:48 pm
Though he stiffened, Nalanda didn't seem to have an immediate response. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked like his brain had to jump through a few hoops just to get here. And then, it clicked, on his face. Wherever his mind had taken him, he returned to the present, to the here and now.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, with little confidence in his voice. "I'm--I'm probably much better playing field medic," he confessed, as he tried to adjust to this position and come to terms with the fact that he was about to lash out and try to hurt someone. "--But I want to make sure I can handle things if someone needs my help. I don't want to be dead weight. I don't want to be anybody's victim."
He said the words almost nervously--and yet, there was a determination.
"I'm really sorry, Lupu," he said, visibly apologetic--and slammed the heel of his foot down on his toes, using his smaller form to try and slip from his arms.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:05 pm
Good. There was some strength in his step, and even though Lupu had been braced for it, the amount of force behind it almost surprised him, his arms releasing without his permission. “Ah! Very good. If you can get a good stomp in like that…sometimes you really get lucky, and Agents or Corrupt Senshi don’t have any shoes on…”
He was grinning and reached down, rubbing at his toe, seeming almost amused. “…I can’t see you being a victim if you use tricks like that. Maybe start doing some exercises to strengthen your legs? Ride a bike or go to a gym? If you have good footwork, if you can dodge attacks…sometimes that’s almost as good as fighting yourself, you know. And if your lungs are weak…perhaps physical activity would help them too?”
Lupu waved his hand airily. “Don’t worry about it. That was the point, Nalanda. You were supposed to inflict pain. Don’t apologize when you’re sparring unless you do some real injury, but even then…both parties know the risk.” He looked thoughtful and his eyes slid around, before he powered down, holding his hand out again. “Call me Tobias. I would love if we could do this again? If you ever need help, I can give you my number too.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:38 pm
"I'm sorry," he said again, and though he had freed himself, he was wringing his hands nervously. When Lupu powered down, he felt he should and, instinctively, slipped from Nalanda to Priam. He was dressed in a slightly oversized sweater and a cozy looking outfit. He was worried that he might have actually done some damage, if Lupu was ready to be done, so he held out his hand quickly to shake.
"I really don't like fighting. I get very nervous. I've started some self defense classes--the lungs, it's--it's just a seasonal changing right now, I'll be fine again in a few weeks. I'll be better when it's spring. I'm awful when there's a chill in the air. My name is Priam--I really do appreciate all the time you've taken to help me. I would like to do this again. Maybe--maybe next time you can teach me how you fight? That way I don't have to hurt you. I should, though. I should go to the gym. Biking sounds nice. I've just--I've just gotten two dogs, so I'll get back in the habit of walking again, too."
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 7:20 pm
Tobias nodded, pulling out his phone and holding it over to Priam, the contacts page open. “I would like that, Priam, yeah. I’m glad that you’ve started self defense classes, that can be really helpful!” He seemed quite happy and took his phone back when Priam had put his number in. “I’d love to teach you how I fight next time…and if you’re up for it, I can show you my magic too…it…ah. It’s a bit intense, so just be ready for it.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It damn near gave my brother a panic attack, but…it’s good to see what others can do.”
He grinned, hearing about the dogs. “My boyfriend has a great dog, if you ever want to go walking together, give me a call okay? He and I need to start getting out more and he’s always down for new friends who are…involved in all of this. He’s a great guy. If you’re ever hungry, hit up his food truck too, near the South Branch Library. It’s there almost every day.”
Tobias laughed. “…I promise I don’t get paid to say stuff like that, but his food is the best.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 7:44 pm
Priam had to consider if he was ready to feel magic. He had seen Soleiyu, and youma, but they both felt like magical creatures more so than magic--and he found himself almost pining to know if there was any truth to the storybooks he'd read.
Were there magical knights in the past? Was it all an invention of someone's mind, or was there some truth to it?
He swallowed, almost eager to go through the texts and see if there wasn't something he might be able to pick over.
"I'd like to learn," he said honestly, and though the idea of having a panic attack was not appealing, he thought that he might be able to handle it if he knew what he was agreeing too.
There was only one way to find out--and maybe it was good to experience that with someone who wanted to help you rather than hurt you.
"So I think...all of that might be a very good idea. I'd like that," he decided, and smiled. "Send me a text message so I have your number, too. I'll text you tomorrow and maybe we can figure something out. Ah--and thank you, for helping with the youma." He flashed a soft smile. "I feel better knowing that it's taken care of. I won't power up alone, so I'm just going to head home and get settled, but--I will text you soon," he promised, and raised his hand in a little wave before hurrying back home.
It wasn't how he expected his night would end, but for all the bad that could have come of it, he wound up more hopeful than before.
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