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 Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 9:48 pm
”Advice?” Sessrumnir frowned, not really knowing what kind of advice Remus was looking for. At least with Olga, she had a specific goal in mind. When he gave advice to his students, it was usually in regards to their school work, and to not be assholes in general. His brother’s request for advice ended up just being a way to try and learn more about him and what he was doing with his life, rather than wanting actual advice.
As a knight giving advice to a senshi…
“Trust your instincts. You were born with them for a reason. If something or someone or a situation doesn’t seem right, then it probably isn’t. Just leave, and don’t worry about being rude.
“Be careful who you trust. You’ll meet senshi and knights who have questionable morals, and you’ll meet Negaverse officers who may truly just be brainwashed or even looking for a way out. The biggest difference is the chaos inside the officer. Chaos is a lot harder to fight, and even if they’re good people, they can’t help it when they’re being controlled. Others are just evil or don’t care they’re being manipulated. Once your free will is gone, that’s it.
“Don’t accept energy or eat starseeds if you can help it,” he continued, realizing it was probably pretty strange for Remus to hear all at once, and pretty dark if he understood the implications. “Senshi can be turned into youma if they eat even just a few starseeds. If you’re corrupted, you’ll more than likely lose part of your memories, if not more.
“Just because someone has more energy or power than you, doesn’t mean they’re better than you or better equipped to face all situations. That doesn’t mean you should be reckless,” he reiterated, “But don’t doubt yourself. I’m sure you have no problem with that, though.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 8:17 am
"Yeah, you know," said Remus, a little grin tugging at his lips. "Advice, that thing people give to be helpful, even if they're sometimes a little too helpful and sometimes don't actually ask before they offer it. But I'm asking, so...yeah, advice."
He let out a little hum of thought as Sessrumnir spoke, Remus nodding as he paced in a slow, absentminded circle around the other. "As you've probably learned, I don't have a problem being rude," he added, flashing a cheeky smile over at the knight.
Trust your instincts. Be careful who you trust.
Remus hadn't realized he'd been rubbing his temple until he found his head throbbing again and hastily lowered his hand. Sessrumnir was straightforward and unhesitant in his portrayal of things, which Remus, surprisingly, appreciated. He was not being treated like a kid, nor like an ignorant brat, which he supposed was progress. Sessrumnir was being level with him.
He made a disgusted face, looking vaguely horrified. "I really don't want to turn into a youma," said Remus, with a shake of his head. "Or lose my memories. I like who I am."
Don't doubt yourself. No, Remus hardly had any issues with a lack of doubt and more issues with too much confidence sometimes. He gave a nod, still pacing slowly around Sessrumnir, hands still in his pockets.
"Thanks," he said, and then there was a beat of silence as Remus considered everything.
"You know," he said casually, looking away. "I appreciate all of this you're telling me, seriously. But you're being...awfully helpful to a guy who told me I was never gonna see him again and left me sitting in an alleyway to wait for a cab."
His gaze flickered onto Sessrumnir's face, waiting, wondering if his instincts - that he had just been told to trust - were right after all.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:36 am
As he spoke his scowl deepened with each step Remus took to circle around him. Sessrumnir in turn stood in one place, his arms lifting to cross over his chest, his eyes following Remus's movements.
And then Remus revealed his thoughts and assumption of who he was. Sessrumnir, having not expected him to figure it out, especially so soon and so easily, tensed. He suddenly regretted his decision to stick around. It was clearly the wrong choice and now Remus had ideas about him.
He could feel his gaze turn icy, his expression hard. He no longer followed Remus's movements, but instead stared blankly ahead. Sessrumnir hadn't realized until just then that he's already crossed the line from indifference to getting too involved with someone he didn't know or really even liked.
For the longest time, he didn't know what to say, but he was sure his silence was answer enough.
"What do you want from me?" he asked instead. His voice had an icy bite to it. He wasn't sure what game Remus was playing, but he didn't like it. He asked for advice and then accused him of being too helpful. "Because if you don't need anything, I think I'll leave now."
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:24 am
He'd guessed, almost wildly, on whether or not the identity was who he thought it was. Hearing it confirmed was like taking a breath of air that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, a puzzle piece already in place where he'd stuck it and actually fitting.
Sessrumnir had tensed; Remus could see it, could see the flash of realization and anger across the knight's face. A part of him wondered whether Sessrumnir would just walk off now, leave him to deal with whatever s**t came at him, but instead there was an icy, stiff silence.
"Nothing," said Remus. "Nothing except for you to accept that I'm a part of this too."
He exhaled a breath, scuffing the toe of his boot into the ground before glancing up at the other again.
"I was being serious, asking for advice," said Remus finally. "I was thrown into this, I wasn't told anything except the bare minimum and then expected to just...do whatever I could." He waved a hand. "You actually helping me was a surprise, but I wasn't lying when I said I thought you knew what you were doing and could help me."
His shoulders rose and fell in a half shrug. Remus's gaze was steady as he looked at Sessrumnir.
"I know we don't really know each other, 'cept for a few run-ins where you've already saved my a** twice," he said, smiling slightly. "But I could use a bit of direction."
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:55 am
If anything, Sessrumnir hated how sincere Remus sounded. Passed the jokes and laughter, he really seemed as though he wanted the guidance that he was asking for. He hated it because he didn't want to get involved, but he supposed be already was. There was always the danger of everything going to hell, but no one really knew until it happened.
He hated that Remus, despite being obnoxious and loud and too light hearted and trusting, really did seem to be trying to do something with the powers that he'd suddenly been given. And he hated it because it made everything so much more dangerous for him. Sessrumnir was known for trying to talk people out of getting involved with the whole magic business, and was often harsh and purposefully cruel with his words to them, especially if they showed any sort of hesitation or reservation in what they were doing. But Remus had already proved difficult to talk down since it seemed his mind was made up in regards to his place in the war.
"You'd be better off just not powering up. Of quitting while you're still alive," he tried, anyway. "One day you'll get in over your head, like tonight, and no one will be there to help you."
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:22 pm
He felt the wall between them, put there by Sessrumnir for whatever reasons were inside of his head. Remus stood on the other side of it, hands still tucked into his pockets, regarding him with an uncharacteristically quiet expression on his face.
"I can't do that," he said now, at last, and there was a rueful smile on his face. "I know how this ends. I know my smart mouth and inability to shut up most of the time will get me into trouble and it'll be my own fault and there won't be anyone to come save my a**."
He shrugged again, a shoulder rising and falling, and a light breeze rifled through the air. Remus's head was throbbing but he didn't walk away.
"But I can't walk away from it. And I'd still like your guidance if you feel up to giving it. Even though I have a smart mouth, I won't give up your identity, even though you probably think I would forget, but that's not the sort of s**t you just forget."
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 4:59 pm
Sessrumnir watched Remus, surprised by how subdued he seemed for the moment. Annoyed by how ready he was to throw his life away for something he didn’t even understand. Angry that Remus knew very well all of his own faults and that he was incapable of changing who he was in order to keep himself safe. Concerned about his injures. Sympathetic towards his resolve.
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, concerned about a lot of things, but for the moment he’d forgotten that Remus knew who he was until Remus promised not to give it away.
“I’m not sure how much guidance I can give,” he admitted, his voice losing some of its hard edge in the face of Remus’s sincerity. It wasn’t as though Sessrumnir had learned what he knew from any one person. It was years of experience and failing and trying different things for him to get to where he was. Of course, he was also convinced that he had a higher survival rate due to his life experience and physique.
“There are others who would be better. I know more about how to be a knight than a senshi. It might be better for you to find another senshi who can show you what to do,” he said quietly, not necessarily dismissing the request, but instead giving Remus a chance to back out before either of them became even more invested than they should be with near complete strangers.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:48 pm
Both Sessrumnir and his civilian counterpart were not easy to read. The flashes of anger and annoyance were clear enough, but everything else - his dismissive nature, his attempts at putting up walls - none of it was explained, everything buried.
Remus thought he heard the slightest shift in the knight's voice, but it could have been his imagination. He lifted his brows, giving him a vaguely surprised look, then let out a small laugh, shaking his head; which in hindsight, felt like a mistake, given his injury.
"Yeah, maybe," Remus said, giving another shrug. "What can I say, I dig a guy in uniform."
His tone was teasing, lighthearted, but it sobered up a minute later.
"I'd rather get help from someone who both knows what he's doing and isn't gonna sugarcoat any s**t," he said, running a hand through his messy hair, and felt drying blood sticking to his fingers, which he ignored. "You keep it straightforward, you don't pussyfoot around things. And yeah, you've tried kicking me to the curb twice now, but I still think you're pretty cool."
Remus wasn't entirely sure why he kept trying; Sessrumnir clearly wanted him far, far away from himself - but he was nothing if not stubborn.
"Besides," said Remus, "I think you probably know more than you think you do."
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:26 pm
The stubbornness was definitely annoying, and his teasing comments had Sessrumnir frowning again. As if he wasn’t already frowning. Just more so. The stubbornness also came as a somewhat surprising reprieve. The knight was well aware that most people came to the decision of not wanting to be in his company after the first time he told them off, but for Remus this was at least the third.
Part of him wondered if that was because they’d already sort of helped each other out during the battle not too long ago in Negaspace.
“Fine,” he said after another long hesitation. “Under one condition,” he added, knowing that this would most likely be the deciding factor for both himself and Remus. He could offer guidance and mentoring as much as he liked, but for someone to actually listen to him was another thing.
“If something happens and I say that you have to go to the hospital, not suggesting that you should go, but that you have to go, you’ll do it. I'll even cover the bills.”
Based on their previous encounters, Sessrumnir was sure that Remus would decide to seek out someone else, after all. Stubborn himself, he knew the best way to break that trend was an ultimatum. That same part of him that wondered about their camaraderie during the fight against the negaverse, was also already missing Remus’s light hearted, teasing humor.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:55 pm
Sessrumnir really needed to do something about those scowls of his, Remus decided; and also decided, in a related thought, that he would see if he could do anything about turning them the other way. He'd needled Michael on their first meeting, teased Sessrumnir in Negaspace, and now needed to figure out a strategy that would work here and now, after he knew they were the same person.
The "fine" took him by surprise. Remus's eyes widened for a minute, taken aback by the agreement because he'd half expected Sessrumnir to tell him to ******** off.
Still, the condition...
Remus grimaced. "I hate the damn hospital," he said with a sigh. "But fine. All right, if you tell me I need to go to the hospital, I'll go. I promise," he added, with a pointed look in the knight's direction, both hands held up in a gesture of submission.
He dropped them a second later and slid them back into his pockets. There was a beat of silence, and then he said, "Thanks."
Another beat of silence and -
"Does this mean we get to play doctor?"
There was a glint of mischief in his eyes, Remus fighting a smile.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:06 pm
The agreement was definitely a surprise. After how much he insisted that he would not go to the hospital, the fact that he actually agreed rendered Sessrumnir speechless. But it was for the best. If Remus was going to hang around him, he better go to the hospital when told.
If he were honest, Sessrumnir hated the hospital too. He avoided it at all costs, so the fact that he suggested for anyone else to go was rather hypocritical of him. It was also why he carried around medical supplies whenever possible.
And then came that teasing again, and Sessrumnir’s eyes narrowed in warning.
“No,” he said with a grunt of disdain.
And, as if to change the subject, “You should be getting home. You’ll probably need to take something for the pain you’ll be in.” He didn’t envy Remus. He got beaten up a lot more than he had. And yet… “You did good,” he added, saying it as if it were an afterthought. “If you need me, you can call. Your phone should send me a message,” he explained, figuring it was about time for them to part ways.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:36 pm
The smile that Remus had been attempting unsuccessfully to quash was now a full blown grin, his eyes glinting with mischief. Sessrumnir's flat answer and pointed expression only made the grin grow larger, because there was nothing that Remus liked more than to tease someone who was as scowly as the knight was.
"Fine, fine," he said airily, waving a hand. "I see how it is."
He felt marginally better now, maybe not physically, about everything that had happened. In spite of his reluctance, Sessrumnir had at least not continued to push him away or try to ditch him in another alleyway. Maybe they weren't exactly the best of friends, but acquaintances was still better than nothing.
"Thanks," said Remus, and gave a mock salute to him. "Does the phone also send emotes? 'Cause I've got a shitton I could use..."
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:43 pm
He should have expected as much, and Sessrumnir rolled his eyes in response. Still, there were worse people than Remus. He supposed. He wondered if he would regret his offer to help where he could. He tried not regretting it right away, at least.
“Figure it out. You’re the senshi. Knights don’t get stuff like that,” he shook his head and lowered his arms from where they were crossed over his chest as he turned to walk away, still shaking his head. “Don’t try to fight another youma or officer. Go straight home,” he ordered, lifting a hand as if to wave over his shoulder, although it probably seemed more like a gesture of dismissal.
“If you abuse the messages, I’ll kick your a**,” was his last warning before turning the corner to be on his way.
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