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 Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:53 pm
Cybele's gaze remained on the civilians while Athalia dealt with his injury. She'd never been good at the patching people up part of things, and deep down, she was grateful that he seemed to be handling it well. Still, she'd do what she could to help him in other ways. She made her way over and picked up the nearest figure, a woman in some sort of worn clothing, and slung her across her shoulders with seemingly little effort. She felt the woman breathe and gently shift against her back, and her own breath went a little easier at that. "I can take care of them," she said, trying to think. There was a half-boarded up door on one of the warehouses nearby. Most youma wouldn't bother going through that. It would give them a bit of protection while they slept this off. "You shouldn't have to try to carry anything else, tonight." Her voice was just a little softer, at that. Then, she was back to the professional tone. "Did she take any starseeds or just energy?" She was thinking about the pink-haired Captain, of course, although she didn't have the heart to tell Athalia that he probably hadn't done much to stop her, not when he'd fought his hardest and gotten such a nasty wound. "Was the one back there her target, too?" She nodded towards the alleyway. "Do you know if they're still alive?" Arranging medical care or tracking down a lost starseed might have to become her priority for the night, if they were.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:32 pm
"The dead one is a senshi, Cybele," Athalia replied smoothly and shook his head.
"The arrival of Sylvite had not been anticipated," he added and inspected his handiwork. All in all his palm looked suitably tended to for now, but he'd see to it that it was adequately stitched up and given the time to heal. Nevertheless with his hand stabilised he did strive towards the deceased male and turned him over to examine his face. By all accounts there was nothing special about him, noting inherently unique, and nothing would imply that he had fallen on hard times that would lead to this.
"She found me after I had removed the thread," he pointed out and glanced back over his shoulder towards her. He'd been caught out, he'd already had one fight and Sylvite had then started another. It really should have come at no surprise that he hadn't performed well, but he was mindful of the fact that now that he knew they did call for help it would be beneficial for him to expect it would come.
"Beyond causing considerable damage to me, she didn't do anything else," he motioned to his own victim. "He was the one who did the damage," he stated and released a sigh. "But their starseeds are intact, given he had been enjoying himself a little too much when I arrived though I would be sceptical as to whether or not that would have been true if he'd been given much longer to play," he admitted.
He was more relaxed by what he had done than most probably would have been, but it seemed that when it was necessary, Athalia found strength in his convictions and did what he needed to do without regret.
Cybele's view on such things though... Well he wasn't entirely sure.
"Interestingly I was unaware we changed back after we expired so that is at least beneficial in the grand scheme of things," he conceded after a moment and shook his head.
"I would be grateful if you would look after them though, they may not be from the finest walks of life but that doesn't necessarily mean they deserve to be treated like food," he pointed out.
"One I've had this wound closed I can work out how to attend to the rest if I need to," he added and motioned to the fallen man. "I don't expect anyone to take on that particular responsibility given the gravity of it," he finished.
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Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 5:57 pm
Cybele was making her way over to get the woman to shelter while they talked, and so her back was turned when the information came together. Senshi. Causing damage. Dead.Oh.There was no surprise in her eyes as she walked back to him, the woman safely deposited. There was no malice. It was something softer. There was concern, of course. Her brows were still pressing together, but along with that there was also a deeper understanding than he might have known. "You did the right thing," she said, and that was in the practiced tone of something that she had told herself over and over again until she had accepted it. "These people are safe because of you." That came out softer, and she managed a smile, although a small one. It wasn't a good situation, over all, and she wasn't going to pretend that it was, but if this senshi was as unhinged as Athalia said, and a Captain had shown up afterwards, this was as good of an outcome as they could have asked for. She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, careful that it wasn't the arm that had taken damage. "Are you all right, Athalia? Truly?" She wasn't hiding the concern in her voice, now. "You took a life and a knife to the hand in one night. That's a lot." There was a slight pause, and then she added, with that same strange understanding, "First kill?" Not that it should have mattered. It wasn't the kind of thing that should get easier over time, but sometimes it seemed to.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:48 pm
"Unfortunately not, but similar circumstances all the same," Athalia's expression may have been grim, but Cybele may have taken comfort in the fact that he didn't seem to be exhibiting signs of extreme stress. Whatever situation Athalia had been in previously that may have resulted in the same difficult choices being made would remain an unknown,but it had at least prepared him to deal with what had been necessary.
...Although that wasn't to say that once all was said and done he wouldn't look back on it with some form of sorrow. While he had needed to do what he did, that didn't mean that he was completely immune to the effects. Corrupt, warped and otherwise lacking in decency... They were all qualities the senshi had possessed and yet there was still a chance that somewhere out there they may have had a family and friends. While the senshi had made their choice, Athalia had also ripped that very same person away from those that cared about them.
There were times when doing the right thing could almost seem villainous in itself.
"Other than the hand though," he sighed and gave Cybele a small smile. "I'm tired," he admitted and shook his head. "It has turned out to be a much longer night than normal and I given how quiet it tends to be I hadn't really counted on it taking such a dramatic turn."
He could put a brave face on it all he wanted, but that wouldn't have served any purpose and Cybele wasn't born yesterday. He could reassure her of some things, but it was impolite to lie about the others.
"It does make things feel a lot more real," he finished. Up until now it had been mere spats in a park, fisticuffs and largely unimpressive and unsatisfactory encounters. Tonight it had taken a much more serious turn and he would come away from it with several learnings.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:48 pm
Cybele couldn't help raising an eyebrow just a bit at his answer, before her expression returned to a more practiced sympathetic one. He hadn't been a senshi long at all to start turning to the drastic measures, but she wasn't going to pry and she certainly wasn't going to scold. Neither would be right when he was injured and she had a far more questionable kill on her own hands. She simply nodded. "It's war," she said. "Not in all the ways you'd think of, but in many of them. It can be quiet for months sometimes, but when things get serious, it happens fast." Sometimes, a youma hunt turned into stumbling into corpses and people bleeding from stab wounds. "I won't keep you any longer," she said, taking a step away back towards the remaining victims. "Go rest, and get your hand looked at, but if you need anything, even just to talk," her own expression was still a bit grim but she managed a small smile. "Call me, all right?" He seemed to be taking things decently well, but she would never want someone to have to deal with such things alone.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 6:49 pm
He had been expecting a lecture if he'd been honest. He wasn't sure why, but there had been something in him that had been under the impression that Cybele would have been the type. He had been proven wrong in those moments, even if she may have wanted to (something he remained unaware of), she chose to make a statement that he agreed with - they were at war and sometimes, things didn't always go to plan.
Whether or not she would demand answers at a later date remained to be seen, but for the time being he genuinely believed that she remained concerned only for his well being and that of the victims around them. She had her priorities straight and for that, she had his respect.
"I will," he promised with a firm nod as he elevated his arm and took a few step backwards.
"Thank you, Cybele," he added once more and cleared his throat. "I won't pretend you didn't save my life today," he pointed out. With that said, he turned on his heel and began to walk into the shadows of the otherwise abandoned warehouse. With Cybele here to at least ensure they were placed in more sheltered parts of the premises they would at least be safe for now. Neither of them could guarantee their safety in the future but for this evening they would be fine.
With his major concerns attended to, the only thing left was to attend to his own wounds and it was with that in mind that the man got to a reasonable distance away and powered down. He'd find an excuse for his hand on the way to the emergency room, but he most certainly wouldn't be arriving in costume, he didn't need anymore questions then he was about to receive already.
And he was dreading the ones he would get when he walked in to work in the afternoon too...
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