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 Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 5:06 pm
"You used to be an Eternal?" Brielle perked up slightly on hearing that. At the very least, there was a sympathetic glint in her eyes. While it wasn't like she hadn't been interested in the rest of what he was saying, he'd been right in that neither of them could truly understand what the other had been through. Losing power, on the other hand, was something that she was all too familiar with. "I did too," she said, voice softening a bit from the formal tone she'd been carrying. "With all that Chaos being shoved in and out of my starseed in such short order, I was weakened for a while. I assumed it was permanent." She paused, inhaled, let that moment of vulnerability hang in the air for a few moments before she added, "But then a few weeks ago, I met a cat who was said I'd recovered. I'm back to Eternal. I imagine you can recover, too." Obviously, the situation was a bit different if the Chaos was affecting his world rather than him, directly, but she didn't see why that couldn't be rectified. "As for the Chaos I helped face, it manifested physically? There was this possessed skeleton I helped destroy, and a corrupted flower beast. I supposed if the Chaos on your own world is more scattered, it might be harder to chase it away, but," she shrugged, the threat of being destroyed obviously not putting her off too much, "We could try."
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 10:23 am
Another we.
If Earth should be known for anything, Devyn was thinking maybe it should be the willingness of its defenders to help each other. For too long he’d been handling this by himself, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to save his world alone.
Maybe he wasn’t meant to.
He didn’t know what the offer entailed, but he nodded. He’d take any help he could get. He knew that the darkness, the shadows, stretched far beyond anything he could overtake. He didn’t know how many people were out there and still needed help.
He hadn’t given up. He wasn’t going to. Just because he hadn’t seen them didn’t mean they weren’t still out there, waiting to be saved.
“Then, you give me hope. I was an Eternal when I first arrived on Earth. I don’t know how long it’s been that way. Too long,” he shrugged. “But, I was alone when I first started to lose my power. I ran into a Mauvian recently who was able to help me restore some power. He says it’s too dangerous to try and push me back to Eternal again, so I have to work at it.”
He already looked healthier than he had when he’d first met Brielle; he wasn’t so pale, and he’d been eating. Rebuilding his strength. He had a ways to go yet, but he was taking that very seriously, too.
He hadn’t understood why he’d lost the strength, but if it was a byproduct of the Chaos she’d faced that took her power, maybe that was his struggle, too.
“I need that strength back if I’m going to push away any Chaos. It’s widespread. Covers the world in shadow and storm. If it has a physical body, I’ve never seen it, never touched it. It fears the light, though. The shadows always scatter. Even if you penetrate them, it’s smothering. Like a sick pollution. Smoke, thick enough to choke on. If it has some physical form, I need to figure out how to find it. My world won’t die like this. I will save it. And I am infinitely grateful for the help Earth has given me already. I hate to ask for any help.” He was prideful, but the well-being of his own world was worth more than that. “But I hope to be able to repay all that I am given. It’ll be easier when I have my full strength back. I am impatient,” he confessed, “But hopeful.”
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 5:49 pm
There were a lot of things that people said about Cybele. She was strong, resilient, loyal. She was a warrior. She was a huntress. She was an inspiration. She'd never been told that she gave someone hope. Her story was a tragedy, a warning. She was only an inspiration because she'd come through the worst case scenario. Her life was the thing that everyone else fought to prevent from happening to them. The thought that she could perhaps still be an example of something positive had the blood rushing quickly to Brielle's cheeks. She took a bite of food while she composed herself, then said, "If you've already regained some of your strength, then it's only a matter of time. Then you'll be better set up to face whatever it is back on your world, I'm sure." The fact that there was no physical manifestation did make things complicated. Brielle didn't exactly like monsters, but it did make things a bit simpler when you could just punch something until it returned to dust. "Then we could bring up lights, perhaps? See if that scares something out of the shadows?" She went quiet for a moment after that. There was still a twinge of awkwardness to the conversation, like she was somehow walking on thin ice. "Just a suggestion, though. You'd know the situation best."
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 11:35 am
Only a matter of time still felt so far away, but he nodded.
He was trying so hard not to rush anything. He knew that recklessness now might as well have been a death sentence. He hadn’t made it this long just to throw it all away.
That we though, that was dangerous.
He didn’t let any silence turn awkward, maybe because he didn’t have the capacity to feel such things or because he was just so old it was beyond him.
He was used to the silence. It was pleasant to have someone to talk to; he took none of it for granted.
“They don’t like the light. I’ve been admiring the spotlights in Destiny City. And your infinite flow of energy. We don’t have such things back on Alastor. We had magic, but our technology pales in comparison to what you’ve been able to harness here on Earth.
“I’m concerned that bringing anyone to my world will end poorly. I won’t risk blood on my hands. Not from people who have come to help me.” He said it with a heavy heart and tapped his index and middle finger on the table as he contemplated. “Not right now, at least. I’d like to set up some resources first. A little extra defense. I’m stronger up there, but I can’t say the same for everyone else. But lights are a good idea. As long as they’re weatherproof, too. I should pester a Mauvian to see if there’s anything they can suggest or work up. If I could cover the whole Hall with lights,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“I’d feel much better about taking anyone else up there with me. I’d know it was safe, then.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 6:48 pm
All right, so he didn't want her up on his planet right now. That was fine. The offer was open, but Brielle was hardly going to be pushy about it when he clearly knew the dangers that were present on his world better than she ever could. Anyway, while she was willing to face Chaotic shadows that called out to people, it was hardly something that sounded fun, and she sat back and nodded while he talked about Earth spotlights. "You could bring spotlights up, probably," she said. "You'd need a generator to run it if there isn't any electricity up on you planet to run it, but you can buy those, too." He'd gotten an in with the Gallos. They'd probably give him money for a project like that. Perhaps lighting up a room, or a building. Of course, even their coffers would run dry if they tried artificially lighting an entire planet, but perhaps they could get enough lighting to hunt down the source of the shadows. There was always, Cybele had found, a source. "But, it's just a suggestion. The Mauvians would probably know better, it's true. I'm sure they've got some tricks up their sleeves." Even if they couldn't quite upgrade him, yet.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:46 pm
Devyn nodded, and despite the weight of the conversation it seemed like his hunger won out. He had the ability to somehow manage to look dignified while scarfing down a burger, and the whole thing was gone before he’d probably even had the chance to taste it.
He didn’t seem to miss the flavor, he just needed the energy.
And for this hunger to go away.
“I’ll ask about it. I’m desperate, eso any suggestion is worth trying. I’ll stay optimistic. Earth seems to have an abundance of hope.” He’d borrow a bit of it, if he could, and repay it in plenty if he could manage.
“I am fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time. I don’t know how I could have accomplished any of this if it weren’t for Michael.” He wouldn’t have had information, or resources–he wouldn’t have met Soleiyu, or Brielle.
There was a long list of things he had yet to achieve and goals he was still too far from reaching, but he was trying. Every step now was in the right direction.
“I appreciate your ideas. When I’ve got things a little more under control, I hope I can borrow your expertise again. I don’t know how much help I’ll need, but I imagine I’ll be rather indebted by the end of it all.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 1:04 pm
Brielle wasn't sure if there was much more she could say right now with how little she knew about the situation on Devyn's world, so she went back to slightly awkward silence as he turned to his food again. No, not awkward, she decided, as she took a few bites from her own food. It was a more comfortable silence now. Some of the nerves that she'd brought into this conversation had fallen away as Devyn had clarified things about himself, and although she still found him hard to read, logically she knew that it wasn't a reason to be uncomfortable. He'd shared a meal with her, after all. He was talking about trying to stay optimistic, trying to hope. "I'm glad you have Michael," she said, which wasn't a lie. She still wasn't entirely sure what to make of the oldest Gallo brother, but if he was helping someone like Devyn adjust to things like Earth and the loss of his husband, then it meant he was living up to some of the compliments Momma would always shower on him when Brielle asked about him. "I won't keep you any longer," she said, shifting to stand again. "I just wanted to say hello, and make sure things are all right. You can get in touch with me, though, if you need any help, or if you make any progress with you world's situation."
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:30 pm
Devyn watched as she stood, and he rose with her. He wiped his hand off on his pants, just to make sure he hadn’t any sort of mess to share, and offered his hand to hers.
“I appreciate it, Brielle. Really. I’ve enjoyed this conversation. I’ve still got some things to figure out, but I’m grateful for that offer. And, I look forward to talking with you again.”
He smiled in earnest, and even if he did have a lot of things he had yet to learn, and too many things to process and think on for now, he seemed genuine in his gratitude.
“If you ever need anything, if there’s anything I can help you with, let me know. I’ll keep you updated about my world, and I’ll let you know when I get started on anything. Or when I have a plan.”
He was taking this seriously. He was being careful.
He knew he wasn’t ready, yet.
But, he would be.
And he trusted that he could count on her when he was.
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