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 Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 11:38 am
There was no need for him to report to the Queen. There was a hierarchy and considering he already resported to Lina, he was pretty sure Ursula..uh, Beryl, already knew. It was, however, the recent news that had brought him to the doorstep of what use to be the Killingworth household and, as far as other people knew, still was minus the Mr. Killingworth. Ladon knew better, or else he was told. He had to digest a lot lately. His lack of sight and that he would never see the same way ever again, the fact his parents were back to being awake and now odd it felt that he wasn’t as thrilled as he thought he would have, and the deep discussions regarding whether to move or not. This was more from his father, who, taking care of his sister who was still weak from waking up from her coma, felt the hospital and the city were rightly to blame. What was the hardest was that just when he felt the Negaverse needed the leadership of his loyal, valued leaders, leaders they had all looked up since they were "introduced" into the Negaverse, they were gone. It was suppose to be a time to at least be happy that teams were forming together again, a time to consider what members had died or suffered during the trauma that was the widespread epidemic, a time where they would find themselves sticking even tigehter as a group, and yet he was unsure. He had always been faithful to the Negaverse, but it was different now without them.
Even as he was told, he had to see it to believe it and without having no real reason to be here, he used the little kernels of information he got from his encounter with Castor and Princess Chronos as is excuse.
It was pathetic how even the door to the Killingworth household made him feel nostalgic. He had rushed here once, in dire need, to deliver a message from Wiseman. Both Charonoite and Ursula took him in, assured him everything was fine, something would be done, and showed only the softnest tenderness when he felt so fragile. When he needed them, they had been there. To think that something bad could have happened to them, that they were gone, was like saying that no one had been there for them. He didn't like thinking that.
He checked himself. He only wore a t-shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers, along with the unfashionable addiction of white eye patch – one which he adjusted. Breathing deep, he reached up and knocked on the door.
As he withdrew his hand, he just remembered – how did he even address her? Your highness? Beryl? Uh…Mrs. Killingworth? AH!! What the heck did he even say?!
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Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:04 am
The knocking never failed.
It was almost routine by this point, the Killingworth apartment door being knocked on nearly daily now. Beryl was fairly certain that neither former occupant ever received so many visitors before, so she could only assume curiosity had gotten the better of most students, faculty and, irritatingly enough, Negaverse officers. All came under the guise of wanting to check up on the lonely widowed Killingworth. Poor Ms. Killingworth, lost her husband and child. Look at Ms. Killingworth, she doesn't even cry about them anymore - what's wrong with Ms. Killingworth?
Thankfully for Ladon, however, his timing was impeccable. A muffled "Be right there!" could be identified from behind the door, followed by a rustle of what could only be assumed to be various pots and pans. He had little time to think of his addressing because the door soon opened, revealing Ursula Killingworth - or the woman now known as Ursula Killingworth.
A long black skirt brushed against the carpet (as a woman who was born and raised under the belief that women did not wear pants, she was slowly attempting to adjust herself to the ways of the twenty-first century but pants had yet to find themselves in her wardrobe) and her white blouse was covered by a light pink apron. No General-King had witnessed their Queen in anything other than her gown - Zoisite might have dared to laugh at the sight, Jadeite would have been horrified. Or attempted to add it to his own uniform. Either way, it was out of the ordinary for the Queen, who seemed to be finding enjoyment in attempting to adjust herself to living a civilian's life. How long this phase could last, no one could be sure. Did anyone really want to know?
"Ladon?"
Orange eyes stared down at the shorter boy, eyebrows arching. "Yes?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:55 am
If this was Ursula, the one he knew, he would have given her the comfort she might need upon the loss of her husband and her child, but something told him that would not be necessary. If this was Queen Beryl, then, well, he supposed he'd gauge the situation, give his report, and feel his way to figure her out just a bit. It wasn't hard before to figure out Nealite. She had been kind to him, putting their first encounter aside with the whole starseed yanking business, and cared about her team. He hadn't, as far as he could remember, meet the Queen. He had tried proper titles before with Nealite. Your Highness, Queen, and so on. These were mainly ripped off of fantasy books, but Nealite had been against that.
When the door was pulled open, he stood rigid, looking up to a face he welcomed and looked up to (and not just literally). It was bizarre to say the least to think you knew someone and not know if you did anymore. The world really had changed since the coma epidemic and now he wasn't sure where he stood and who was leading them now.
"Uh, Ma'am." Thank the stars for simple ways to address a lady. "I wanted to talk about some recent things I found out and if Lina had told you about them. I know that you're probably busy and I didn't know if I was supposed to tell you or if it's just something Lina handles, but I thought I'd come anyways just to be sure." He glanced around the hallway before settling his eyes back to her's. He knew people sometimes said that you could see a person was different through their eyes, but they still looked the same to him. Maybe he hadn't know Ursula enough to notice these things about her. Thinking about it, maybe he really didn’t know her at all. They had only met a few times after all and if everything was true, he wouldn't meet ever again.
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Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:56 am
She paused as she continued staring, as if she were trying to read his mind. She might have been, for all that he knew of the Negaverse Queen.
The hand holding the door moved it outwards, opening it wider as the other hand made a motion for him to step forward. "Well we certainly can't have this sort of conversation out in the hallway, can we?"
The playful words lacked the playful tone - it was more awkward, than anything else. As if she were putting effort into sounding jovial, but lacking the experience to do so.
Once inside, the door was closed and hands dropped down to absentmindedly brush against the bottom of her apron. There was silence between the two of them, at least there was until she stepped forward and pressed one hand on his back, directing him towards the couch. The same couch he'd sat on as Charonite tended to his forehead, the same one he'd sat on when Ursula had attempted to comfort him.
"I was just cleaning up in the kitchen - I've made brownies, if you would like to try one? It's a new recipe I've been experimenting with."
The tone sounded forced once again, but her hand let go of his back as she redirected her path towards the kitchen. She disappeared into the doorway, her voice remaining strong and clear as hands returned to putting away recently cleaned dishes. "I'm not accustomed to Lieutenants reporting, no, but I also know you have had an unfortunate personal run-in with Wiseman, so whatever news you have to offer already intrigues me." A pause, another pot clinked as it was stored away. "If you thought it important enough to reach my ears, then you made the right decision, Wolframite. Now, what is it you wished to discuss?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:31 am
There was a hesitation that he noticed in letting him in, and he felt more uncomfortable and unsure with each second she spent deciding on whether or not to let this conversation happen in the hallway, inside, or not at all. E was all the more worried that he hadn't anything valuable enough to say or offer her in the way of information that excused him being here on her doorstep today. He shouldn't have come. He should have asked Linarite or other Negaversers about what was going on and see what they thought instead of coming here himself. Why did he insist on being here himself? He didn't know Ursula that well enough anyways? Being shown how to take starseeds, a pep talk over tea, it had been all business after all – making sure her troops were okay. Still, there had been such great care in it that he couldn't just say Ursula wasn't a friend to him, or at least someone he greatly cared about. It didn't mean it diminished or softened his respect for her, but all those things pushed him to be here. He just wished things were going more smoothly.
It was with great relief that she let him in, and he scooted inside before a hand ushered him away from lingering by the doorway and further inside her apartment. A hand at his back almost brought him a chill, not because she was cold, but because of how unexpected it was. He rarely had or let anyone invade his personal space.
When the hand slipped away and she moved off to the kitchen, he was left standing rigid in her living room. It was different. He hadn't been here but once, and even then he wasn't in the mindset to take everything in, but he knew it was different. The pillows were diminished, their great flock of bright colors now cut down by only a few. The place seemed to be less cluttered, less personal, and seemed less cozy but more tidy. He usually preferred organization, but he missed the sort of lived-in, relaxed feeling this place had, congested with colors, patterns, and cozy things like throw blankets and other warm things.
He slowly, awkwardly, set himself on the couch before bolting up again when she started to talk. "Oh, no thank you." He didn't feel like brownies, but he used the idea of Ursula cooking as evidence that she might be herself. It was a nice, homey image to think of her baking at her apartment. Still….Ladon looked down the hallway. No sigh of Charonite. Could the man he saw as unbreakable, mastering great skill and power, be gone?
The fact he was gone only made him reach out for any excuse for Ursula being as strange as she was. Her tone lacked something, and he put it down to trauma. It had to be. She wasn't gone. Was she? What threw him off was that she spoke about Wiseman like she hadn't been there. She had met him in this very living room, sat with him, and yet she spoke as if she heard about this from someone else. It only swayed his thoughts back and forth – Ursula or Someone else.
"It's about the mission Team Enterprise was assigned." He called out, wondering if he should enter the kitchen or stay put. Yelling across the room was something he was taught never to do. If you want to speak to someone, go to them. Or so he was raised. "I ran into Chronos, the princess, and she was being escorted by Castor." How much did she know about him missing his eye and the battle that happened? "She didn't have any of her Zodiac guard with her."
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:27 am
Whether or not she was offended at him declining her offer, she didn't say. Instead, the pots and pans stopped their clinking and she reappeared from the kitchen entrance, the apron now nowhere in sight. Her half-smile was strained, her hair gently pushed behind her shoulder as she made her way towards the couch where he sat.
"I recall Chronos. Pesky little cousin of the Moon Princess - I doubt Charonite ever told any of you that fact."
She settled in beside him, mindful to watch her skirt as she took her seat upon the couch. She did anything but slouch, sitting up as straight as any proper lady had ever been taught to sit.
"As she had no guards with her, I can safely assume you've taken care of both her and Castor, then?"
Hands folded themselves and fell into her lap. Despite the obvious difference in his appearance, she didn't seem phased at all by his eyepatch. She pressed further, "You've come to tell me that the Zodiac Princess is dead and that you've finally rid the Negaverse of Castor? Please tell me you didn't let them escape, Wolframite."
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 1:33 pm
More evidence mounted against the idea that Ursula was the same. In fact, she seemed like a completely different person. Appearances aide, she sat up straight and while he liked that she was being proper, he missed the more relaxed, easy way that Ursula had once held herself. The fact she was so professional and impersonal caused him to sit up straighter in return, having set his hands on his knees and now holding them tightly as if to keep him from sprinting out of the door.
With Charonite gone – was he gone – really gone? – the way she talked about Chaornite, the tone she used, made it sound as if he had been a poor, horrible man for not telling them that Chronos was a cousin of the Moon Princess. While she didn't spat out the words, it was the way it jabbed at the image of Charonite. An image that Ladon highly respected and felt even more pressed to defend now that he wasn't around.
He hadn't expected her question and he felt a fevered chill race down him. Had the air conditioning kicked in or was that the heating? Someone needed to open a window. The air was thin. With his one eye, he was left staring at her, wide-eyed and gapping. "Uh.." She didn’t know and had expected him, as a Lieutenant, to have taken out both Castor and the princess?! Was that what high demands she had on him? OH, he knew he shouldn't have listened to Linarite!!!! She had said it was lucky he just survived, but he really should have felt bad about all of this!
"I- I .." What did he do?! " I really tried. I didn't expect Castor to be different than other senshi. I never met him before. I thought he was just like any of the others and I could take him on. I even had backup, but it didn't matter. We surprised them and I went to try to kill them, but he wound up using a ice punch that I hadn't ever experienced before. It was more powerful than I ever saw – felt." Should he point out the eye? It seemed she wasn't aware of it. How could she NOT?! She had seen him with 2 normal eyes before. It wasn't like he just fell down a flight of stairs or anything.
He was left between wondering what to say and somewhat pointing to his missing eye. "I'm…I'm sorry." He shot his eye back down, gripping his hands together in a tight fist in his lap. This sucked! This more than sucked! He wanted to rewind back from now and decide to have never come here. She wanted good news. Of course she wanted good news!! Charonite was gone! Some Negas who had been in comas had died. Who knew if any senshi were dead? What did she want with more bad news? "They were too powerful and…they got away." He didn't dare glance up at her. "I know that's not what you wanted to here. I'm sorry for showing up. I thought you'd want to know that she wasn't with her guard and was with Castor. I'm sorry for bothering you." This was not Ursula – but he half expected her to laugh, pat him on the shoulder, and tell him not to be so nervous. That she wasn't here to blame him. Something inside him told him that this wasn't going to happen.
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Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 1:41 pm
One hand reached out, cold hands gently patting over his folded ones as an even colder voice spoke. "Apologizing will not kill Princess Chronos, Ladon. Saying sorry will not magically force Castor's star seed to yank its own self out of his body." The hand stilled. "Don't apologize to me, Wolframite; apologies won't win this war."
Now it was her turn for her hands to fold themselves in her lap, the perfectly-trimmed nails gently brushing against the soft fabric of her skirt.
"We have no proof that this incident is anything but a fluke. If it hadn't been for your botched attempt at killing them, she could very well still be traveling without guardians. I presume, however, that she's grown more cautious after your encounter."
The voice remained harsh, as though the guilt continued to reside in his failed attempt and not in the fact that it was a mere Lieutenant against the powers of a Princess and Super senshi.
Eyes drifted in his direction, narrowing. "Nevertheless, Castor has been a thorn in our side for too long now, for all ranks of my army it seems. As much as I would like to assume Charonite had trained my Lieutenants to fight the magic of the senshi, it appears that skill alone is still unable to best a senshi."
She paused at that, as though she were studying the young man who refused to meet her, eye to eye.
Then, more quietly, she asked, "Would you like another chance at Castor, Ladon? A more... even fight?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:08 am
She was right, and they both knew it. That didn't mean he didn't feel it was warranted, but what else could he say at a time like this? He came here with no news aside that he had failed, and expected what? That she would be proud that he had a small scrap of information that, as she pointed out, could have just been a random occurrence and should not be held as a definite change in their enemies' patrolling patterns. The more she pointed out clear and simple logic, the more he felt lower for not seeing them that easily and thus proving what little he knew about fight, about tactics, about war. These things were more for those who read this material, had a mind for it. He wasn't a strategist. He didn't write in a little book like Zink and plot attacks. Maybe that was partly the reason why he failed. Falling off a roof down to an enemy with some backup wasn't enough and didn’t ensure victory. He needed to wise up.
"Sorry. I just feel that it's something I should say. I know it doesn't change anything, and I admit that I'm responsible for not helping kill him. I'm sorry for taking up your time when I don't have anything good to report." He very rarely did. When did he ever come with good news? He was the one that told Charonite and Ursula about Wiseman's massacre, that the Doom Tree was about, and was here now to tell him that Castor and Chronos got away. He felt sorry that he was given an opportunity in being a Negaverser, power to fight, and was making very little use with it aside from a handful of starseeds.
The hands leaving his fists didn't improve his mood either. She had also insulted Charonite, and he felt bad for bringing the idea that his former leader was incompetent. "Charonite taught us a lot." He whispered, but dared not go any further than that.
The last question caused him to look up, if not barely meeting her eyes. He had no idea what she meant, but he knew one thing. He wanted to meet Castor again. "I'd like nothing more than that. I want to get rid of him. Not only for my eye, but for being such a problem. If I get another chance, I promise I'll train as hard as I can to fight him." He would work all the muscles and push the limits of his Negaverser powers just to match up to a grain of what Castor was. Youma. Traps. Backup. Anything he could do so that he could kill him.
The one eye held her's as he breathed deep. "I want him dead, and I want to be the one to do it."
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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 10:25 am
One hand slowly rose to caress the side of his cheek. The feeling was far from comforting, cold fingers of a heartless woman. Had it been Ursula sitting next to him, perhaps he would have found comfort and assurance by her words and actions. The knowledge that she too had tried and failed to kill Castor more than once, that she too had vowed to be the one to kill Castor.
But this was not Ursula before him. Ursula's appearance, yes, but the comforting soul of the woman he once knew and respected now lay dormant within a crystal for all to see. This was Beryl facing him, Beryl touching him, Beryl that was questioning him.
"Then you will have the power to do so."
The voice was nothing more than a whisper, the chilly fingers drifting down from his face and onto his chest. Fingers slid within his chest cavity without a sound, without resistance and it only took seconds before he would be able to feel those same cold fingers wrap around his precious star seed.
Her eyes locked with his as her grip tightened. Lips remained poised in a straight line as the power began to transfer from the dark Queen into her minion, the young star seed now absorbing energy of Chaos itself. The pain was terrible - his chest felt as though it were ready to explode, his veins were on fire. The power would continue to course through his body several more minutes, intensifying the agony, until finally she released her hold of his life force and removed her hand from within his chest, leaving behind a changed Ladon - no -Wolframite.
It was only then that she smiled, moving over to adjust a newly formed bow (bow?) on his side as she spoke.
"Despite your shortcomings in regards to the senshi, you have served me well during my reign on Earth. Your loyalty remains unquestionable and should you continue to serve me dutifully, without further shortcomings of course, you will be further rewarded in time."
Her hand returned to her lap and she nodded her head curtly.
"I trust you will have no issues with Castor now, Captain?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 1:21 pm
The hand at his cheek put him on edge, and he stiffened under it. He had never been one for touching, as he was very rarely given the sort of close affection and rarely had anyone, as a child, to share it with. Growing up with a nice bubble, there were only a few people he wished would be kind to him. Nealite had been one. She had been soft, gentle, and it was his respect for her that didn't make any soft touch or brush of his hair in any way threatening, but simply an assurance that things were okay and would be better.
He felt nothing of this type, and while Ursula was here in form, he wished she was actually here beside him instead of the mirror image of her. It was almost a crime, really, that he was in an apartment, but not the cozy one he remembered, with a person that looked like the one that he looked up to and felt comfort in, yet only felt an instinctual fear that told him that all was not well in the world of Wolframite.
But he did not run, and duty and the leash of respect kept him put, and the lure of curiosity, of an unanswered question to what might be or become. Lingered enough to keep him from jerking back. He was a pawn, and the Queen was free to move, to touch, to do what she would with her chess pieces, be they knight or pawn. He doubted he was a knight as he didn't feel like it at the moment.
He didn't look away from her gaze, but felt the hand trail from his smooth, unshaven (no need) face down to press against his chest. The thudthudthud spitting out like rapid fire against his chest. Like a bucket or Arctic waters being dumped atop him, in him, injected into his system, the ice chill of her touch moved in. You could feel the finger brush something that he had never seen, but knew was there, that had once been touched before to make him the Wolframite that was addressed to only a select few. Remember that day, way back when, when Charonite made you? And now where was he? The power of hers was no different and just as painful, and he gritted his teeth, pressed tight his eyes, and curled in. The empty space of his insides, the dark nothingness that all starseeds lingered in, like in a black pool, and he felt fingertips, invading, brushing, toying, before gripping the hard shard. His starseed, which was already corrupted, but was now being flooded with that raw, unfiltered power, and to which he gasped hard. Vision ripped, nerves screamed before exploding like bursted pipes, and ever thing that could feel felt only pain and cried out for MERCY MERCY MERCY!
But the Negaverse wasn't for mercy just as much as it wasn't for sorries, and he remained held in place before she removed her hand, and all that was left was the lingering drain, the dullness, and the cold that even a hot bath and warm bed wouldn't cure.
Sagged and curled in, he set his hands about his body and gasped, before watching her devil-sweet expression reach out and adjust a new bow. Aching, he removed one hand, and noticed he was in uniform, but not in his uniform. Not the same uniform. It was hard to think of the possibility of what had happened, was happening, and was now done, but she was there, sugar-sweet, to answer for him.
"Captain?" he whispered, daring not to believe such a thing. When did mistakes like his get rewards? His eye moved up and saw the smile. Ursula might have been the type to kid around with him, but not this woman.
He had been promoted, just like that. One would think he would be jumping, but he lacked all energy for that. Fearing it wasn't true, he didn't even dare smile. For some reason, even a promotion by Beryl didn't feel like one and was somehow dangerous in some sense. In short, with this, you have no excuse to why you are screwing up. There is only success expected of you now.
A burden wasn't lifted, and he was left looking back at his uniform, and then at the Queen.
But there was a silver lining, and she pointed it out. He could go after Castor with more confidence now. A jump in power, but he was catching up to the Eternal Senshi. Next time, he could do damage. Next time, he could fight. Next time – Well, she had given him a next time.
"No, my Queen. I'll take care of him." He met her gaze. "I won't be saying sorry anymore."
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