Welcome to Gaia! ::

In another life the negaverse agent Labyrinthite was a knight of Saturn, Crims. While his given name is Tarren, the squire prefers to be called Crims and will introduce himself as such. A bit cocky and self-assured he was a mischievous teen who didn't do too well with boundaries or restrictions. A descendant of a long line of knights, he actually resents his title and the limitations given to him by the dual-nature of Saturn knights. Adventurous, curious and charismatic Crims has a tendency to push the boundaries of the social norm.

Knight

[=] - Prodigal Knight (Hvergelmir, Knight of Cosmos)
[=] - Across the Sand Dunes (Zoji La, Squire of Uranus)
[x] - Plz to be my Date (Elu, Senshi of Dragonflies // Altais, Senshi of Shockwaves)
[=] - The Gala of Osum (Ahe // Various)

Squire

[x] - Deals on the Iridian Market (Iris, Senshi of Rainbows)
[x] - The Main Attraction (Iris, Senshi of Rainbows)
[=] - Night on the Town, Maybe (Iris, Senshi of Rainbows)
[x] - Beach Days (Ahe, Senshi of Southern Lights )

Page

[x] - Of Balls and Tight Ropes (Iris, Senshi of Rainbows)
[=] - Fists to the Ground (Mont Blanc, Page of Saturn)
[x] - Shadows on the Street (Iris, Senshi of Rainbows)

Solos

[x] - Captivated (Elu/Past!Denebola) [1666 words]
[x] - A Rebel Made King (Past!Iris, Past!Denebola, Past!Proustite) [2683 words]
[x] - Letters to Ahe: #1 [685 words]
[x] - Letters to Ahe: A Letter to His Heart [1033 words]
[x] - Letters to Ahe: To be Given in Person [1034 words]
[x] - May We Meet Again [3539 words]

SOLO: Dedication Part: I [2273 Words]

Chase sighs, running a hand through his hair, as he talked quickly on the phone. His stood, back to his roommate, with a phone pressed against his ear and his free hand pressed against his temple, fingers tangled in the pink of his hair. His expression is a frustrated one and it’s easy to tell that he’s irritated. Talking to his father is never easy, he avoids doing it when he can.

“No, no,” he says exasperated trying to get in a quick word before his father starts talking over him. “No, I understand,” he stresses tugging on his hair. He grimaces as his father yells at him over the phone, his voice so loud even his roommate can understand bits and pieces of the conversation. “Dad, plea-” He’s cut off before he even gets to finish. He nearly groans in frustration when he’s reprimanded for his word choice.

His roommate, Tommy, opens his mouth to speak or give him some excuse so he can leave but Chase just shoots him this look that says, ‘I’m sorry, don’t abandon me’ and Tommy doesn’t have the heart to leave. He knows how strict, how difficult his father can be so he keeps quiet and watches his friend struggle.

It’s not fun for either of them.

“Alright! I got it!” Chase snaps having reached his breaking point in the conversation. “I get it. I freaking get it!” He’s nearly shouting but he’s so fed up he can’t control himself. He regrets it right after he says it, especially when his father starts ripping him a new one. Tommy can vaguely hear the words Mr. Black is scream, “How DARE you talk to me like that! Have you forgotten the deal we made?”

Chase immediately shuts up and stays quiet which only further irritates Mr. Black. “CHASE! YOU ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!” Tommy can hear that quite clearly. Chase’s father is the kind of guy you can’t please no matter what. He’s quiet a second too long and all Tommy hears is “CHASE.” He’s never felt so bad for his roommate before.

“I apologize,” Chase replies weakly, defeat written across his face. “I...I wasn’t thinking, father I--” He’s cut off before he gets to finish again but this time the irritation doesn’t cross his features, he’s tired and doesn’t want to fight anymore. “I’ll be there first thing in the morning, early.” His father starts speaking before he can get another word and he resigns to the fact that he no longer gets a say. “Yes,” he replies tugging on his hair again. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he mumbles pulling the phone from his face quickly, hitting the end call button the second he can.

He turns towards Tommy, a weary expression on his face, and smiles weakly at him. “Sorry bro, dad’s been on me about business and all that,” he explained, though no explanation was needed. Tommy was well aware of what Chase’s father wanted.

“You’re putting up with that all because of some chick?” Tommy asks because Chase has fallen for girls hard before but never this hard, or this fast. His roommate avoids his father like plague, for good reason too. The man is crazy and waaaaay too involved in his son’s life, Tommy figures it’s just because he wants a bright future for his kid but come on, no need to be this psycho.

“She’s special,” Chase replies easily, rolling his shoulders back in a simple shrug. “I really, really like her,” he explains because, hey, it’s true he’s pretty much head over heels for the girl. He loves seeing the way skin at the edge of her eyes crinkles when she smiles or laugh. He loves watching her expression change when he surprises her with something.

“You say that about all the girls you date,” Tommy points out earning a scowl from Chase.

“It’s different this time, seriously. There’s just something about her,” he sighs unable to find the words that express his feelings. “I just, I dunno want to make her happy, to see her smiling and laughing and not looking so lonely and sad like she does.”

Tommy’s worried because it both sounds and doesn’t sound like Chase is in it for the right reason but he figures it’s not his place to say. “Whatever dude, you must really like, or even love her to sell your soul to that devil,” he tells him pointedly folding his arms beneath his head and flopping down on his bed.

“I know,” his response is short but curt and it’s obvious that the conversation is over. Tommy doesn’t mind because he’s tired and Chase is agitated which means he’s definitely done talking.

Chase glances at his watch, brow furrowing as he realizes the time. “I gotta run,” he says quickly snatching his coat off a chair, pulling it on hastily.

“Wait, I thought we were gonna catch a movie.” It’s not a question but a statement, it’s the whole reason he stuck around as long as he did.

He frowns, running a hand through his hair again. It’s his nervous habit, or his stressed one, or maybe both. He’s not sure. “Shoot,” he grumbles glancing at his watch again then back over at Tommy. “It’s just, I...” he trails off because he hates making excuses and he has to be honest, he totally double booked himself. He was going to try and surpass his energy quota for the week but he supposes missing one night would be fine. He’s slacked off before, it wouldn’t hurt too much now and it wasn’t like he had plans to patrol with anyone.

Still...

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. We’ll just go another night,” there’s a bitterness in Tommy’s words that Chase doesn’t miss. This is the fourth time he’s bailed on him and he’s sorry but being an agent of Earth isn’t exactly easy. Not that he can tell his friend that, because being a superhero, or rather an anti-hero, is kinda a big deal and keeping a secret identity is an even bigger deal. Especially since it’s widely frowned upon to reveal your secret in his hidden world.

That and Chase isn’t too sure he’s willing to let anyone in his ‘civilian life’ know any of his secrets, not any like this. Plus they probably wouldn’t be too happy about it. Especially his parents. But whatever, it’s not like he has plans to tell them anyway.

“No, I just didn’t plan well, sorry Tommy,” he apologizes offering the other teen a lopsided smile. “The other stuff can wait,” he tries to assure him but Tommy’s already pissed and doesn’t want to go anymore.

“No, it’s fine. I have other stuff to do anyway,” he snaps. He doesn’t mean to but it definitely comes out much harsher than he intends, but it doesn’t even seem to phase Chase. In fact it’s like it just bounces off of him.

“Tommy.” Chase says the other boy’s name in a tone much like his father’s when he’s scolding him. A tone that says, ‘stop screwing around.’ “Seriously, let’s go,” he insists, the smile gone and a frown on his face. He’s screwed up and he knows it, now he’s trying to make amends and the other kid’s not letting him. “Grab your coat, it’s my treat,” he orders grabbing Tommy’s jacket off the desk and tossing it at him. It lands right on his face.

“No,” he grumbles shoving it off of him. “I don’t want to go.” He’s serious and he wants his friend to know that. “Mood’s ruined. Leave me alone.” He’s being a baby and he knows it, but he doesn’t care. Chase shouldn’t have been bailing on him in the first place.

“You’re being a baby,” he points out folding his arms over his chest. “Put your coat on and let’s go. You’re wasting time,” his tone is irritated, he wants to go. They’re wasting time fighting. He waves at him with his hand as he starts towards the door. “Come on. Let’s go,” he says it like someone would to a dog their trying to get to go outside.

“Dude, quit it, I said no,” Tommy snaps sitting up as he throws his jacket at his roommate. He pretends like his phone buzzes so he can check it and make up some excuse to ditch Chase. He was excited for the movie but now he just wants to be alone, or at least away from the pink haired teen. “Melanie wants me, I’m going to see her so don’t worry about it,” he says standing and snatching his jacket back, tugging it on before yanking the door open. “Catch you later,” he practically snarls as he slams it behind him without waiting for an answer.

“Tommy!” Chase cries just as the door shuts.

He doesn’t bother to chase after the boy, he’s probably long gone by now. Instead he moves over to the bed and takes a seat, sighing and he pushed his hand through locks. “Damn,” he murmurs as his amber eyes sweep across his dorm room. He’s messed up, he knows it, and it’ll be hard rooming with Tommy for the rest of the year. It’s mainly because Tommy holds grudges like a scorned woman, and Chase can’t blame him for being upset, because if the rolls were reversed he’d probably be upset too. Maybe not as upset, or wouldn’t show it if he was, but still.

Now Chase is going to be spending the rest of the year begging for the guy’s forgiveness, talk about an ego-blow. He’s not sure he can put up with both his father and Tommy being angry. Of course his dad is always angry but still.

He glances at his phone nonchalantly, the illuminated numbers 9:47 making him squint before he tossed his phone to the side. Rubbing his face with his hand he stood, strolling over to the desk to grab his wallet before he turned and walked to the window. Shoving his wallet in his pocket Chase opens the window, removes the screen and slithers out before closing it, replacing the screen and heading off.

Once he’s off of school ground he digs through his wallet until he finds his fake id. Fingering it thoughtfully for a moment considering his decision. He doesn’t use the id often, its mostly for those rare occasions where the guys want to hit a club to hit on older girls. Tonight he has a different purpose for it, tonight he’s using it to get in the bar and get him a couple of drinks. He didn’t look 21 but he looked close enough and most of the bartenders didn’t care because he always tipped well, better when he was wasted. So they always let it slide, especially since he rarely drove himself and when he did, he never drank enough to cause a problem. When he did drink too much a redheaded girl usually came to pick him up, or one of his friends usually Tommy.

Whenever he would call Fiona, because Tommy wouldn’t answer, he’d never remember doing so until she showed up and hauled him home involuntarily. He was sure that it was the bartenders that called her, not him but he never complained because he appreciated her willingness to help him out. They were old friends due to their father’s working together for years. He wouldn’t realize the damage their friendship would inevitably bring him.

He reaches the bar, flashes his id and take a seat. He orders a mixed cocktail, a shot here and there and even some plain old beer. It wasn’t long before he is blathering away about his problems, his life soon reaching the point where his speech was nothing but slurred words. It was then that they call in Fiona. She arrives within twenty minutes, fully dressed but looking tired.

“Come on Chase, let’s get you back to your dorm,” she coos taking one of his arms and draping it over her shoulder, hoisting him up with a surprising bout of strength.

“Noooo, I duh wanna,” Chase whines squirming beneath her. She wraps other arm around his waist, keeping a firm grim on the hand around her shoulders.

“Come on Chase, this isn’t a discussion,” she tells him sternly yanking him forward, clicking her tongue against the roof against the roof of her mouth in a disappointed fashion. He was never a pleasant drunk.

“Why duh ya come an git me?” He asks leaning against her, letting most of his weight rest on her.

“Because we’re friends and because your father asked me to look out for you,” she replies softly frowning at him. “I never go back on my word Chase, you know that. Now be quiet. I don’t really have the patience to deal with your drunkenness.” Surprisingly he complies stumbling as she practically carries him to the cab, giving the driver Azure’s address and takes him back to his bedroom.

“Fee?”

“Yes, Chase?”

“Thanks.”

“Of course,” she replies just before taking her leave.

Chase knows he’ll regret his actions in the morning but for the moment, he doesn’t care. He's stressed and drinking relieved it. When he wakes, at the blaring sound of his alarm, his pounding head tells him how much he’s pay.

His father was none too pleased that his son arrived to work hungover. None too pleased at all.

SOLO: Dedication: Losing the Fight [676 Words]

Fiona comes up behind him as he's staring blankly ahead. "Come on, let's go inside," she tells him, touching his arm gingerly. "I know this has been a bad night for you," she pauses unsure of how to continue. "You'll get through it," she sounds so positive that he almost believes her. Yet something inside of him tells him it's not going to be okay. He's got this sickening feeling on the pit of his stomach that he can't shake, the kind that lets you know that somethings wrong and it's not something you can fix.

He only hopes that feeling is wrong.

"I messed up, didn't I?" he asks quietly not bothering to glance at his companion as he speaks. "God," he hisses angry. He's angry at his father but mostly he's angry at himself because he didn't do a good enough job.

He's a sucky boyfriend and tonight is only further proof.

"A little yes," she replies softly. She looks away, worried what his expression will read when she does look at him. "But I do not think that this is something she will fault you for," she tries to comfort him. She's not sure, she only briefly saw the girl's expression before she fled. She looked hurt, but she couldn't tell if it was because of him, his father or something else. She's sure it's all three. "I think something else was bothering her first..." she trails off chewing on her bottom lip. "She was troubled to begin with," she states. This is something she is certain of, it's the only thing she's certain of tonight.

"I know," he mumbles while she leads him inside. He saw it, he saw everything. "I only made it worse," it's a statement, a fact and far from a question. He knew from the minute he got the automatic voicemail's instead of a ring. She would not be talking to him soon, he can't say he blames her. He would want to talk to him either.

He hates that he ******** up because he was serious about this relationship. More serious than he's ever been about anything but he only hopes he didn't do permanent damage. He's convinced that if he can just talk to her that he can fix things.

He's good at swaying people to his side.

He takes a seat on the chair beside his desk and Fiona closes the door behind them. She can't say she understands how he feels because she's never been in the same position. As far as she can remember, she's always been the one to end things because a boyfriend screwed up. She's never felt too badly about it before, excluding Kam but the situation was entirely different, so she doesn't even pretend to understand what her friend is going through. "I wish I knew how to help, or comfort you Chase but I don't know how to."

He's silent at first because he's spacing out, not paying attention to what she has to say so when she says his name, his head snaps up and he blinks. "It's fine," he tells her automatically. He has no clue what she said to him, "I don't expect you to," he assures her assuming it'll work as an answer to whatever she did say. It’s true though, he doesn’t expect anything from anyone anymore. They all expect something from him. It’s probably why he blew up at Tommy a few nights ago, or why he has been short with his father. It’s not excuse though and he’s aware of it. “You should go,” it’s a request.

“Chase, I don’t think--” He cuts her off.

“Please, Fee. I want to be alone,” he begs. She sighs, nods and opens the door.

“I’ll see you around?”

“Sure,” he replies though he’s not sure if she will see him around. Probably. It’s unlikely that he’d tell anyone at the bar what happened tonight so when he shows up, gets drunk and can’t take himself home they’ll call Fiona, just like they always do.

Solo: Dedication: A New Direction [1,151 words]

Chase expects finding a job, no two jobs, to be harder than it was. He’s surprised with how easily the Eagle Canyon Country Club hired him on, especially after they learned he had been offered a golfing scholarship at DCU. He’s just a caddy for now but they’ve expressed interest in possibly allowing him to teach younger golfers the basics, they say it’ll be a while before anything is solidified. He doesn’t mind because he’s just happy he got the job. The hours are nice too, 8am to 5pm leaving his nights open for whatever he wants, which is a second job.

Finding a second job is easier than he expects too, he stumbles upon this quaint little coffee shop cafe that’s designed to cater to the night owls of Destiny City. It’s called Just Add Coffee and it has some of the best coffee he’s ever had but what surprises him most about the place is just how good their milkshakes and frozen drinks are. They’re by far the best he’s ever had.

It’s run by two older gentleman, brothers, who are currently struggling to find some help and when Chase hands them his resume they sit him down for a quick interview. The questions come quickly, so do his answers and for the first time, Chase is really, really glad that he’s very charismatic because he finds that he really, really wants this job. The old men sit back in the chair, studying him and he plays with his hands nervously beneath the table, suddenly one of them claps his hands together and smiles so broadly at him that all of his nerves melt away.

“Congratulations Chase, you are the new barista/server of Just Add Coffee!” He exclaims happily strolling over to the boy and clasping his hand on his shoulder. “Since you have another job, your general shift will be 6 pm to 1am okay?” He asks and gets a quick nod as his answer. “Schedule comes out every friday at noon so keep yourself posted kay?”

“Got it, thank you. I really look forward to working here,” he tells them sincerely as they lead him into the back to show him how things work. He’s got a week of training before he’ll be left on his own but he’s totally okay with that because he’s got two jobs and he’s already found a nice, simple middle-class apartment that’s just perfect for him. He gave in and went with the three bedroom despite not having any roommates but he figures that he’ll start looking for one roommate and save the third bedroom for anyone that needs a quick place to crash.

It’s a couple weeks later, after he’s moved all the furniture that he likes to his new apartment, it’s decorated solely in white and black, when he’s at work serving customers their pastries and coffee refills when he sees a girl he vaguely knows walk in and posts a flyer on the bulletin board for local news and what not. He studies her for a couple minutes, even as she orders a drink and takes her leave. Curious he strolls over to see the flyer she brought in. He unpins it and takes a second to read, the first thing that catches his eyes is Roommate wanted! and he’s suddenly aware of how perfect it is. He scans the rest of it, pulls one of the little strips with the girl’s number and puts it in his pocket.

He calls her the next day, “Hey, Vanessa?” He asks as coolly as he can. “This is Chase, Chase Black,” he pauses to let her consider his name and respond. “I saw that you’re looking for a roommate and well, I have a three bedroom apartment all to myself and I need a roommate,” he begins to explain fiddling with the bottom of his jacket as he presses the phone in between his ear and shoulder. He swallows as he sums up everything he wants to say in one sentence, “Do you want to check the apartment and become my roommate?” He holds his breath as he awaits her answer. It’s basically a yes and he’s thrilled. He gives her the address and she agrees to come over at about eleven.

Things have gone so smoothly for him since he made his decision. He’s taking a new direction with his life and he can honestly say it’s pretty much the best decision he’s ever made. Still, he’s waiting for something to blow up in his face because he’s sure his father’s figured out that he’s moved especially since his old phone number is now disconnected. Oh man, when his father does eventually find him, it won’t be pretty but frankly the boy doesn’t care. The old man has ruined enough of his life, he’s done putting up with it. He’s got better things to do.

Things go well and Vanessa likes the apartment well enough that she agrees to move in with him. He’s got the next day off and promises her he’ll help her move in and get settled. But while he’s got some free time he uses it to go to a new bank, open a new account and deposit all of the money he withdrew earlier that week. The teller is surprised but doesn’t ask question, something the teen is thankful of.

When he gets back home he finds that girl’s number and decides to give her a call. She’s delighted that he actually fulfilled his promise and meets him for a late coffee date at his work and he finds that while she’s cute and funny he’s just not interested in her. It doesn’t stop him from kissing her though, nor does it stop him from promising he’ll be in contact even though he knows he probably won’t ever call her again.

Instead of heading back to the apartment he decides to power up in an alley and start collecting energy again. He wants to be on top of it.

It’s because of his work filled days and negaverse filled nights that he begins to develop insomnia but he doesn’t even notice. Instead he’s too busy trying to keep himself occupied even as he starts thinking about his lack of any formal training. It’s then that he decides that he wants to approach the pink haired general Tanzanite pointed out for training and it’s also then that he decides he wants to seek training from the General-Queen herself.

It’ll be brutal and he’ll probably get the living daylights kicked out of him but he doesn’t care. He just wants something to focus on and he’s decided that it will be the negaverse, at least in the dark hours of the night. Soon enough it will be come his top priority.

Solo Roleplay
Self-Destruction [1,054 words]

It is one of those rare nights when Chase isn’t patrolling right after work. Instead he’s at the gym running on the treadmill, listening to the songs of various hardcore bands. The current song is Issues by Escape the Fate, a song painfully fitting the theme of his life.

These issues pin me to the floor, these issue are my overlord.

The words pound in his ears as he ups the resistance on the machine. His feet pound against the tread as he picks up his face careful to regulate his breathing as he stares ahead, amber eyes slanted in a mixture between a glare and a simple look of determination.

The hounds of hell, they cry. That’s how they get to me.

He breathes out as his fists tighten and he pushes himself even harder. He’s let too many things get under his skin lately, he’s letting his focus falter, break. His regulated breathing breaks into short breaths like a cramp is about to ripple through his body, when it does it only shows in his expression. His lips push together in a thin line as he tries not to grit his teeth, his breaths are short and forced like it’s hard to breathe, his brow crinkles as he tries to push through the pain and his gaze is no longer focused upon the wall ahead of him. Instead it’s not focused on anything as his eyes dart about trying to distract himself from the pain.

Inject my head with lies, the pain’s astonishing.

While the cramp is bad, he’s getting past it and the pain is nothing like the pain he felt when Kaia broke up with him. Or, even worse, the pain he felt when he found that she had left him for more reasons than she had chosen to share with him. She had left him for someone else and the pain that rippled through his heart was worse than he could have ever imagined. It was the first time anyone had managed to hurt him in that way, he doubted he would let it happen again.

Like a brick or a stone, slowly crushing my bones. Sending me to my grave and it’s such a fake, this life I’ve made. I’m going insane.

With those lyrics his thoughts flashed to the changes in his life that he had made so he could set up that first date, to have the privilege and the means in which to take her on many like it. He reflects on the changes he made in order to offer her the metaphorical moon and the stars that stood beside it. She had been his brightest star and he had only wished to be the light in her darkness.

The terrible thing about darkness was that it was always waiting for the light to flicker so it could swallow it whole.

It was ironic, humorous even to see how shallow and fake that life had been. He had always had this fake projection of himself that he had offered to his father, that he had always presented in order to win the approval of his father. When his father had him right where he wanted it still wasn’t enough.

These issues pin me to the floor, these issues are my overlord. I feel so dominated. These issues, they choke me like a noose.

His issues, his lifestyle had been choking him, dominating him and controlling every move he made. Now wasn’t so different except he didn’t feel overwhelmed and barely able to breath. No, the moves he made now were of his own freewill though he received a push from the negaverse and the chaos entity that they served.

Still, he found Tanzanite to be an overlord he respected and looked up to. He would not hesitate to follow her blindly, she had his respect and his loyalty. Though it was not an idea he found pleasant, he would face death if she so commanded, or if his general commanded. Especially if Metallia wished it so, she already owned his life.

They choke me like a noose. They choke me like a noose.

The words repeated themselves as the song tapers off and plays another song. He slows, then stops and steps off the machine. He takes a minute to catch his breath before he drops to the ground and begins to do push-ups. He doesn’t falter as the hits twenty then thirty. He doesn’t stop until he hits a hundred even if his muscles are screaming at him.

He’s gotten better at pushing his limits.

He rests for maybe ten-seconds before he rolls onto his back and begins to do sit ups. He hits two hundred and he moves on to the weight rack. His exercises are sporadic and a bit random, three reps of fifteen here, three reps of twenty there. When he moves to the bench press he’s been at the gym for just over an hour and a half. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving soon. It’s his routine, if he’s not patrolling then he’s at the gym for at least two hours, three if he can really push himself.

It also helps him sleep at night, wearing himself out in such a manner.

Chase is benching more weight than he probably should without a spotter because his worn arms are struggling under the weight of the bar. His face is reddening as he continues to push himself, he’s barely hit the twenty-five mark when his arms tremble and he nearly drops the bar on himself. Luckily he manages to lift it one last time to place it back. He sits up, disgruntled by his inability to carry on. He feels like he reached his limit far too quickly but he is already pushing himself much harder than he should.

His body is weary, barely keeping up the demands he keeps placing upon it. He’s running himself ragged and getting just the minimum amount of sleep that he can get away with. The bags under his eyes are becoming more prominent, someone is bound to notice soon. His frame is scrawny for a boy constantly training or working out, he doesn’t eat as much as he should. He claims to simply forget or that he just doesn’t have enough time to eat three meals a day when questioned about it.

Not that anyone really asks him about it.

He’d brush their concerns away as if they didn’t exist, he’s pretty good at avoiding things when he wants. He picks up the towel off the ground and wipes his brow before patting it along his neck. He puts the weights up and decides to call it a night, his morning is going to be busy. He should probably try to get some sleep.

For once Chase lets himself turn in early.