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 Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:13 am
Princess didn’t seem to mind her tail being sat on. Probably because it was Devyn. Definitely because it was Devyn. But she did try to continue wiggling it even after he had it contained.
Sessrumnir was quick with his sandwich too, eating about half in the time it took Devyn to express his own issues with sleeplessness. After all, he did have to keep up his strength if he was going to stay on par with Devyn’s energy -- according to Devyn.
“We can figure something out for you. If it’s too quiet, then maybe playing music in the background would help you get to sleep. Or just white noise. Ah, I know you don’t like water, but there are other noises,” he explained, hoping that it would give Devyn something to think about. “Wind through leaves for example. Or rustling grass. Nocturnal animal or insect noises. Or just a low hum that electronics give off.”
He looked like he could have continued with the list, but didn’t want to overwhelm Devyn with too much. As for him getting credit, Michael just shrugged. It wasn’t as though anyone was checking in on him. And that was his own doing. Peter did what he could, but needed his space, too. His mother was with Chris and the children.
“I wouldn’t call it credit, but a couple of my coworkers have a kid that they bring over in the afternoons. He’s a sweet kid and always seems excited to see me, so that’s something I look forward to. Sometimes I think that’s my only real motivation for continuing to teach. Which sounds pretty silly. All of that to spend a half hour listening to a kid chat about his day?” Michael hummed and laughed softly at himself.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:49 am
Though Devyn couldn’t exactly speak for the low hum of electronics, the other sounds seemed pleasant enough. While his mouth was full, he nodded, grateful as always for Michael’s considerate suggestions. His expertise was appreciated, and to be honest, Devyn was willing to try anything.
He’d always liked the idea of being able to sleep with the window open and enjoy the sounds of the outside world, it just wasn’t always practical. Not when people wanted you dead, and not when shadows were dragging people into the darkness.
“It doesn't sound silly,” Devyn finally said; he had only a bite left of his sandwich and he offered it to Princess when he flopped against her. “Sounds like you’ve got a young friend who looks up to you. Sometimes, kids are easier to be around. You don’t have to worry about them judging you or stabbing you in the back. I mean, kids can be judgey, but they’re kids, what do they know. Although, to be honest, I was never particularly good with them. Tried to kill the one we adopted.”
He was quiet for a few seconds, and then propped himself up so he was able to look at Michael while still resting against Princess.
“No matter how I correct that statement, it sounds horrible in that context. He started it.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:16 am
Princess had no problem with Devyn flopping onto her. In fact, she looked like she had prepared for it because she scooted back a little to give him more room. Apparently, Sessrumnir guessed, it was something they did with her often back during Percy’s time as a Knight.
However, he couldn’t help but cringe a little when Devyn mentioned trying to kill the kid they adopted.
“I thought killing kids doesn’t sit right with you. Or is that why it doesn’t?” he wondered, trying to understand any reason why Devyn would have wanted to kill a kid that they’d adopted. “Was this before you adopted them? Or after? I mean, I guess it doesn’t matter, but… Maybe I should just ask Percy for some memories.”
The last part was just a bit of a joke, and he hoped that Devyn realized that he wasn’t judging him on his past actions. He himself had things from his past he wasn’t proud of, and didn’t want to be judged for. But Devyn brought it up, so he was going to get a little bit of grief for it, even if it was playful.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:44 am
“If you do, he’ll only show you how perfect and precious and wonderful he was,” Alastor grumbled, but there was an underlying fondness in his voice that indicated this wasn’t exactly a point of contention.
“No, I wanted to throw him in jail. He was, technically speaking, responsible for a lot of deaths. And also, technically speaking, had next to no blood on his hands. I didn’t know he was a kid at first, he was–”
He sighed, obviously exasperated, and looked at Princess as if she should back him up. “It was before we adopted him. Although, I did want to throttle him for a while afterwards. I fell into a trap. Stupidly. Was cutting through a forest that should have been empty. And this sick kid had the audacity to cast,” another vague gesture, “Blood magic on me. Old artifact, old magic. He caused a lot of trouble for me. I couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t do anything. My body was like a puppet and he knew how to pull the strings. I shouldn’t be telling you this story, it’s really unflattering. And this kid lived with us afterwards, Michael. Under my own roof. He used me to carry out his vengeance. Percy had to come to Alastor and track me down after I went missing. And he did a good job, I know it wasn’t easy. But, ah.”
Alastor had to make himself more comfortable, for this very long story that he was working very hard to keep short. “I was mad at the time. When the spell broke, all I could think about was how furious I was. More than a month, I lost.”
Lost all that time with Percy. Lost all that time he should have been working.
“I didn’t want to be a murderer and he used me to do his dirty work. A kid! Young. I mean, fourteen or something. Too young to be thinking about murder. But. Percy had a bleeding heart. He’d spent some time in the village, watching over me. The kid was using a disguise, an ancient deity. Bird costume, I hate birds. Percy didn’t know it was the kid until afterwards, but. You know, he’d had time to grow fond of him.”
The distant past didn’t feel so far away when Devyn could still tell stories like this. No matter how abbreviated he had to make them. Maybe he’d give Michael the full story sometime. It was easier to talk about Marius than it was Percy, but.
He was gone, too. They all were.
“Villefort was wiped off the map. Just a little town, in the middle of a sick bog. Cut off from society and resources, because it was easier to let them die than help them. And it wasn’t a small group of people who could have helped them, it was a list. People who could just sit by and let a whole town die. Who denied them access, and aid. And a kid, who watched his neighbors die. His friends. His family. A kid who carved his own tombstone because no one else had the strength to do it. Who could have left the village when he was healthy, but he didn’t. Stuck around to take care of everyone, and found the bloodthirsty Sailor Alastor from all the old stories, wandering around in his forest.”
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “A kid who was tired of the wrong people dying of a sickness no one would help them cure. Percy got sick while he was there, had to have a blood transfusion. So the kid gave his own to save Percy, even though he knew it might kill him. But that was it, you know? He wanted a cure. He wanted to save his town. He was willing to infect the whole world with it because he was so sure a cure could be found, he just couldn’t get anyone to help him. And you know, it wasn’t that hard. I didn’t have to do anything but bleed for it, Percy and Madison–he was my doctor at the time, he came with us–figured it out.”
A wistful sigh before he continued, “The kid was smart. Resourceful. Went on to become mayor of Arista, you know. Which–oh, you don’t know what that is. They’d elected the same mayor for nearly forty years. My friend. This is a long story, Michael, I’m so sorry. I’m not doing it any justice. The point is. Percy saw the good in him. Saw a desperate kid who was willing to fight tooth and nail to protect the people he cared about. There were five of us that went to Villefort. And all four of them were willing to stake their reputations on convincing my Council that Marius shouldn’t be executed. Pretty sure they’d conspired to smuggle him away if things went wrong. But, he had a fair trial, and justice won out. And, because he had such good defense–he kept a paper trail, you know. Of all the crimes against everyone he had me take care of. The laws of Alastor are complicated, to say the least. He knew what he was doing. He was clever. He didn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. And he got a lot of corruption out of the picture. Still resent him for making me do his dirty work, but.”
By the end, Devyn was even smiling, just a bit. “He was a good kid. I know he grew up, but. I guess he’ll always be that kid. He did a lot of good things with his life. But Percy was his favorite, so. Can’t blame him. I did try to kill him. Once. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad I didn’t. I think you’d have liked him, honestly. And I’m not just saying that. He was sharp. Crafty, compassionate. Left Arista even stronger than when he inherited. And he made sure Villefort got put back on the maps. Got that whole forest cleared out and habitable. Although, I haven’t seen either in years. Villefort’s quite a bit farther away. With the Chaos how it is, I haven’t been able to make it over there. I need to, though.”
There was a lot he needed to do.
“Percy was always soft on Marius. I’m sure you’ll get some memories. He was worth knowing, though. We might have had a rough start, but. If I were in his shoes, I can’t really say I wouldn’t have done the same thing. Alastor had a lot of corruption way back when. It’s hard to judge him without considering the position he was in. But, yes. Before I knew all that, I did try to kill him. But, I suspect the children in your life are a little less extreme, though.”
Hopefully they didn’t have to be as extreme.
“Maybe I’ll have more luck with people here on Earth now that no one’s telling stories about how I kidnap children and drink their blood, or something.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:53 am
Sessrumnir listened to the story as Alastor told it. He was interested, of course. He wanted to know more about whatever Alastor was willing to share. And he made sure to tuck the information away to think about later. From old magic that could turn a strong Senshi into a puppet, to bird costumes, to blood transfusions. He felt as though he was missing a large part of the story, but was grateful for the explanation Devyn gave in such a small amount of time.
“You didn’t give him a hard time because you were jealous about Percy being soft on him, I hope,” Michael very gently teased. Devyn seemed like he was in a good enough mood. He didn’t want to do or say anything that would upset him.
He knew it must have been a very difficult time for Devyn. A month being taken from him?
“If it makes you feel any better, I would have probably been very angry about it, too. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I was in your shoes. But I’m glad you didn’t kill him and got to adopt him instead. I’m going to guess that was Percy’s idea?”
Hopefully Devyn had a say in it, too. He didn’t know Percy well enough to know that he wouldn’t have guilted Devyn into doing something he didn’t want to do. Especially if this kid -- Marius -- had controlled him for so long.
“Did you go along with it because of Percy?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. It was important. He’d felt pressured into things he didn’t want to do, but because he cared for the other person, he let his own feelings get manipulated because he thought that was all he was good for. If he didn’t agree, it would make the other upset, and he didn’t want that.
He would have to ask Devyn to clarify about kidnapping children and drinking their blood at some point as well.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 11:02 am
“Oh, of course I gave him a bit of a hard time because I was jealous,” he said, again with a huff. He was too casual about it, so he probably wasn’t completely serious. “I wasn’t used to sharing Percy. And after all of that, I didn’t want to. But,” another sigh, “After it was all over, I have to give him credit for trying to make it up to me. He came from a little village that had been cut off from the world. The last stories he’d been told were about the old Sailor Alastor. He thought he was dealing with a tyrant. He didn’t know that I’d have tried to help him if I’d known. I mean, I probably wouldn't have killed everyone if I’d had a say in it, but he had the paper trail to make sure their crimes were exposed. He worked hard. But he was just a kid. I don’t think kids should have to think about dying. And, he was pretty bad off. The bond he made let him tap into my strength. He’d have died long before Percy found us if he hadn’t. But, death never seemed to scare him. I suppose when you live with it for so long, when you know it’s coming for you…”
His voice trailed off only briefly and he shrugged.
Marius was too young to have had to think about those things. And Percy was too young, too.
“I did go along with it because of Percy,” he admitted after a contemplative moment. “He didn’t force me into it or anything. There was no ultimatum, ‘him or me’. Percy wasn’t like that. And I trusted Percy, sometimes more than I trusted myself. He saw a side of Marius that I didn’t. And I wasn’t totally myself for so long that I–”
He hadn’t forgotten who he was. He just didn’t like how much he’d had in common with the past lives he was trying to avoid.
“Well, whenever I had any doubts, I’d just ask myself what Percy would do, anyway. He made me a softer person, and I needed that. He spent a lot of time learning who Marius was. We’d talked about kids, a family. He had a big family and I,” a pause, “Didn’t. And Marius wasn’t exactly a kid, not a young one. Perce and I both knew that we had priorities that might not be fair to a kid. They wouldn’t understand why we were gone for so long, or why we had to do things. If we’d had the chance to retire, we might have adopted more. But we had too much going on to really think about it.”
He’d thought they’d have more time to figure it out, more time to have a chance.
“Marius wasn’t something we planned, just something that happened. And it worked out well. He carried a heavy burden for the rest of his life, but. He lived a good one. Percy was an excellent judge of character. And I trusted him, and I don’t regret it. If Marius and I hadn’t figured out how to get along, he would have gone to stay in Arista full time so we could have someone looking out for him to make sure he stayed on the right track. But, I liked having him around. Even if we butted heads. He was a good kid. Grew up to be a good man. I wish I’d spent more time with him, but after Percy…”
His silence wasn’t indicative of a bad mood; he didn’t look like he was struggling, but it was clear that there were some things Devyn just hadn’t had a chance to figure out. He hadn’t talked about these things with anyone before, so sometimes it just took a little bit of time to figure out the words.
“I wasn’t myself. I didn’t know how to cope. I didn’t know how to grieve. I was angry. I was hurting. I felt like I let him down. I didn’t know how to be myself without Percy. I should have given Marius more credit, though. He was always checking in with me. He was a good kid.”
He nodded now, firmer in this. “A really good kid. Always up to something, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re clever. And he had more sarcasm than any person should be born with. Troublemaker. But for a good cause. Usually.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:25 pm
It was a lot to take in, but the more Devyn told him, the more Sessrumnir found that he wanted to know. Then again, he was interested in books and stories, so hearing things first hand was just as good, if not better.
And he didn’t know why, but he felt a sense of relief to hear that Devyn had enough trust in Percy to do something and not regret. He couldn’t say the same for himself, but maybe he didn’t have the right people to trust.
It was probably why it took him so long to actually trust anyone. Devyn being the exception, of course. He didn’t think he’d opened up faster to anyone in his life. It was still a little disconcerting, feeling as though his heart was being exposed.
He blamed the starseed. It was easier than admitting that Devyn was just that easy to trust and talk to.
“He sounds like he was a good kid,” Michael agreed as he absently pet Princess’ fur as he listened to Devyn talk. “Reminds me a little of Elliott, actually. Being clever and sarcastic. I don’t think his parents would appreciate him being too much of a troublemaker though,” he said with a smile of his own as he stared across the room. “It’s that age, though. They learn more about who they are and what they want to do with their lives. I’m sorry Marius had to live through almost dying in order to save people. I’m sorry that you were used against your will.”
There was a part of him that wanted to try and draw out as many memories as he could, but he doubted it worked that way. He couldn’t see things he wanted to see. It likely had to do with, once again, his starseed calling the shots.
Just like he was definitely going to blame his starseed for not realizing that he was no longer brushing his fingers lightly through Princess’ fur, but instead was brushing back Devyn’s bangs. He was sure his cheeks were flushed before he could jerk his hand away and cross his arms over his chest in an attempt at keeping them to himself. An apology was mumbled and he didn’t look to see Devyn’s expression but he could have said something sooner if he didn’t want his hair messed with.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:43 pm
Devyn had nice hair. Whether he was Sailor Alastor or Devyn DeLunne, it was soft. It was smooth. Michael must have already known this; he’d already tied his hair up for him. Devyn hadn’t really been thinking about it when he’d shown Michael his back then, and he hadn’t really thought about his fingers in his bangs, now.
There was a fleeting thought–that he liked it–but the gesture didn’t seem out of place or unwelcome.
Actually, if he’d kept it up, Devyn might have fallen asleep on Princess just like that.
“Why are you apologizing? That’s one of my favorite things.” Oh–wait, was it weird? He felt suddenly like he’d forgotten social etiquette because–well, he really hadn’t thought about Michael doing it at all. It just felt nice. Natural. Maybe he’d been thinking about Percy too much. (Such a thing was not possible, actually.)
Maybe Percy had left more of himself in the halls of Sessrumnir than Devyn realized.
“Actually, I’ve been a bit spoiled, recently. Princess and I both have.” He ran his fingers through her fur once more.
“When was the last time you let anyone do anything with your hair? Let me play with it for a minute. So we’re even.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 7:31 pm
Sessrumnir snorted softly in amusement, glad that Devyn didn’t seem too weirded out by it. He’d been petting Princess, whose fur was soft but obviously textured differently from Devyn’s hair. So why did it feel so natural to just pet his hair?
No, that was too much. He was grateful that Devyn didn’t mind it, but he couldn’t help but laugh, maybe a bit awkwardly, at Devyn’s request to play with his hair.
His hair certainly wasn’t as long as Devyn’s. It was longer than how he used to wear it, years ago. A bit more shaggy like Chris, but more styled like Peter’s. Well, it used to be better styled. Now it was just in need of a cut.
“I’m okay,” he declined, but he said it in such a half hearted way that he had to clear his throat and reiterate. “My hair is too short to play with. Besides, we should probably be figuring out where to sleep if we’ll be staying the night. I never found where Percy’s bedroom was,” he admitted, knowing that Devyn wouldn’t be able to resist talking about Percy.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 7:52 pm
Alastor only made a humming sound at the rejection, but he didn’t seem personally slighted by it and instead gave Princess his full attention and massaged the fur on her head and behind her ears. Michael was missing out, but that didn’t mean she had to.
And, anyway, he had centuries to make up for.
“Well, short hair doesn’t deter me, but I can wait for you to grow it out more if that’s what you need.”
Teasing, playful. Easy about it, because it wasn’t anything to be awkward about it. Just because Devyn liked his hair played with didn’t mean Michael did. “I can sleep anywhere. Used to be able to fall asleep under the tree. Could fall asleep here, if I had to.”
He might not even sleep much. There were plenty of hallways to sweep, still. And yet, he was tired. He felt it deeply, more so here than on Earth. Maybe it was just because it was Sessrumnir.
“But I can show you where Percy’s bedroom is.” Was. “It’s probably still locked.” Or, at least, he hoped it was. “I don’t entirely know how Sessrumnir’s magic works, but you might be able to unlock it if you focus on it. Magic runs through everything here. Or maybe Princess will break down the door for us. She’s very strong.”
The idea of Percy’s room had made his heart speed a bit, not uncomfortably, but with an emotion he couldn’t place. Nervousness, maybe. Anxious. Guilt. Happy, hopeful. He was just going to have to get used to not understanding his feelings anymore.
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:33 pm
Michael laughed again, a little less awkwardly than before, because waiting until his hair grew out? Devyn must have been trying hard to make sure he didn’t feel bad for his mess up.
Even though he could trust Devyn, it was much too personal. They barely knew each other. They were both grieving still. Both suffered loss in different ways. And for Michael it was easier to be alone than admit that he might actually be lonely.
“She is very strong. She’s helped me out of many dangerous situations,” he agreed, petting her and giving her even more attention on top of what Devyn was giving her -- to her absolute delight, of course.
“Alright, when you’re ready, you can show me Percy’s room.” He was curious. Of all the places he’d explored, he hadn’t discovered anything overly personal about his past life. Maybe because Percy didn’t want him to. Or maybe he was nervous about finding more than he wanted to know. It was a little easier with Devyn there, knowing that he was probably anxious about it too. Not that he wanted Devyn to be anxious, but he at least wasn’t alone.
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