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 Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 6:14 am
Christopher sighed as a raindrop hit his nose, and he warily glanced up at the sky. It had been sunny a few hours ago, but of course another rain seemed to be on its way through. It was starting to get late in the afternoon by the time Annabel Lee had decided she wanted to go outside, although it didn't help that Chris had wanted to get out of the apartment, as well. Either way, it wasn't as though they were very far from home — just at a nearby park so his dog could get a little exercise before being cooped up for the rest of the night.
"Come on, Anna," he told the medium sized, fluffy dog as they continued to walk down the sidewalk, his hand subconsciously gripping a bit tighter to the leash, hoping the sky wouldn't open up and dump water on them. Although he didn't mind giving Annabel a bath, he would rather do that in the comfort of his own home... er, apartment.
It had already been a long week, and Chris was happy that it was almost the weekend. Finishing up his first year at DCU had been more challenging than he'd expected, but he supposed he deserved the struggle for wanting to do everything possible all in one go. Baseball, honors, taking care of his dog, having his own apartment, keeping up with volunteering at the animal shelter... and then there was the whole... magical powers thing... whatever that was... He was just glad that his mother liked coming by his apartment to watch after Anna when he was in class, sometimes. That, and make him food. He'd never complain about going home with something ready to go into the oven waiting for him. Spoiled rotten with a mommy complex? Probably, but when he was putting as much effort into everything else in his life, he wasn't really going to try and correct that. At least for now.
A growl from the small Finnish Spitz broke him from his thoughts, not even realizing that his dog had come to a complete stop beside him. "What is it?" he asked her, looking in the direction she was for a few moments before rolling his eyes. "No, you're not chasing squirrels," he grumbled, tugging on her pink leopard print leash (yes, his mother picked it out) to try and get her to continue walking. But she just continued to growl, hackles raised, staring at something he couldn't see, just beyond a clump of bushes and a few trees.
Chris stared at the spot for a few moments, before trying to get her to follow him again, which made her bark and growl louder. Was there something there...?
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:28 am
Tony was out giving Dogby a little walk. She was getting bigger, which meant she had more energy for walks than she had before. Most of the time he couldn't even make it home with her before she was whining at him to pick her up, but today, at the very least, it seemed she wanted to walk around for hours.
Not run, mind, but walk. She was not in a hurry to get anywhere on her stumpy little corgi legs.
It was getting later, and the weather was beginning to turn. Tony sighed, looking up at the bleary sky with a similarly bleary expression. He had been a little overzealous in his examination of his new status as a Page, and spent every hour he could afford while not at work powered up. Except when he was asleep. Or walking his dog.
He was walking along the sidewalk when he heard the growl first, then saw the person ahead of him. The dog they were walking was angry at something, and Tony looked down to see Dogby whimpering and backing up. She was not quite as brave as most dogs. Or any dogs, really. But he knew that look. If there was another dog in that bush, Dogby would be all over it even if it was growling. She thought all dogs were her friends, as were all humans. But she had learned that youma were not nice.
Ever.
Trusting his instincts, Tony ducked into the trees and tied Dogby quickly to a bush, telling her to stay hidden. Soon enough, Camelot stepped out of the bush and, in his best 'protector of the innocent' voice he called.
"Uhmmm. I... I would stay away from that bush for a second."
And then, of course, a youma erupted from the brush like a bat out of hell.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 5:03 am
See, Chris was doing the exact opposite. He was staying unpowered as often as possible instead of running around like a super hero or whatever the hell they were. Even after reassurances and semi-explanations, he wasn't convinced that he'd been the right guy for the job. That, and he couldn't stay powered up all the time — he had exams and practice and... his whole list of life drama that wasn't really so much drama as it was responsibilities and commitments he'd made prior to this whole new... thing.
A sinking feeling in Chris's gut was telling him very quickly that it wasn't a squirrel in the bush, but something much more dangerous and potentially lethal. He was just about to take a step backwards when he heard a voice telling him to do just that. He glanced over long enough to sputter at the sight of yet another person with magical powers, apparently, and then curse in surprise as the youma sprang out of the bush.
"Where do you all come from?!" he yelped, both at the other person and the youma, quickly snatching up his dog and stumbling backwards before she decided to attack the — funny... 'bat out of hell' was exactly what it looked like, too. Thank goodness it seemed to have trouble flying under the canopy of trees. Not that the trees were extremely short, but branches got in the way after going vertical for a bit.
Well, crap, what now?? The youma let out an angry screech, before attempting to dive bomb the both of them in the little space it had. The others who had been out and about had all disappeared when the weather started getting bad, and whoever was still around were definitely staying away from the monster then, so... Was he supposed to let the old man handle it, or what...?
A barking Annabel still in his arms, Chris closed his eyes as he summoned the power he had, changing from his regular clothing to the unnecessarily furry getup of Valhalla. Just in time to duck out of the way, too, compass securely in his hand, the chain wrapped around his fingers.
Oh, was he not supposed to do that? Whatever... now the other guy had some help, right? This is what they were for. Or something like that.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 9:30 am
Camelot had, at least, tried to warn him. It was a bad situation, the young man had already been too close to the bush, and Camelot hoped the dog, at least, wasn't going to pay for being curious about the creature hiding nearby.
He could only imagine what that would be like, if it were Dogby sniffing around where she shouldn't have been.
Luckily, the young man picked up his dog and get them away from the youma. Camelot charged forward, running closer to see the youma was flying, and ugly. He frowned, wondering for a moment how he might kill it, but he couldn't really let the civilian see his doubt.
Except he wasn't a civilian.
Staring, Camelot was surprised when the random, helpless stranger turned out to be a random, less helpless person like himself. A Knight, Tony had learned from a couple of sources in passing, not a senshi or a nega, but certainly not a bad guy. If he could trust anyone, it would be another knight, would it not? In a way, they were bound to one another by some invisible string.
All for one?
Before he had time to say anything, the youma circled and dove at them. Camelot put himself between Chris and the monster, letting it sink its claws into the shield and get stuck in the old wood. For now, it held. Grunting against the weight of the monster, ducking under its free claw as it swung at him, he tried to push it back into the air.
It felt like it was sitting on his arm, and his legs buckled under the weight.
"Do you have anything to hit it with? Take it down to the ground?" He asked, working on the 'keep the claws away from human skin' part of the fight at the moment.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 4:18 pm
He would definitely protect his dog before himself, so the other knight had no need to worry about Annabel.
Valhalla stumbled backwards as the youma tried to attack, thinking that he'd actually be hit, but the other knight jumped forward to protect him. He sputtered in surprise as the creature dug its claws into the shield the man was carrying. "Well, that's a lot more useful than a compass!" Jeez, how come he got a lame thing but the other guy got a shield?
Annabel continued to bark and growl as the monster got closer, obviously trying to get down so she could try to protect him. But she wasn't even two feet high, so whatever damage she could do, he doubted it would be much against a flying monster.
He sputtered again when the older man asked if he had anything to take the monster down. Oh yeah, he had plenty of things to take it down with. Not. "I have a compass! I don't think that's going to--" he started, but realized that now was probably a bad time to complain. Instead, Valhalla straightened up, taking a few more steps backwards, away from the monster.
"One second!" he shouted, quickly moving over to a nearby tree so he could put Anna down and tie her leash to it, as much as she hated it. And then, with a running start, ran towards the monster on the side where its claws were stuck, ramming its body with his shoulder and grabbing onto a wing as his weight took them both down.
"It's on the ground!" he decided to announce in his panic, "What now?!" Because he certainly didn't know what to do. The monster let out a screech as it was brought down, but it was only for a few moments, before it righted itself and took a swipe at Valhalla. His arm shot up to block the attack, thankful he had some kind of guard on his forearms, but he was starting to wonder why he always seemed to end up on the ground during these things...? Or at least he had the first time, too.
"How do you kill them??" Because that would be nice to know.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:02 pm
Camelot grunted when Valhalla said something about a compass. he might have been able to offer more conversation than that if he weren't wrapped up in trying to keep the bat like youma from ripping his face off.
He was very fond of his face. He did not much like the idea of being parted with it now.
Dogby, in the bushes a little way away, heard the noises of the battle and the barking of the other dog. Her keen instincts kicked in and she did what she always did in times of great struggle and strife. She hid under the bushes, whimpering and trying to make herself as small as possible, wishing her master would come back and get her.
"Please hurry!" Camelot yelped. He wasn't sure how many more seconds he or his shield had, if he were perfectly honest. He shut his eyes tightly and pushed back against the youma with all the strength he could muster. Maybe he could throw it from the shield and free his arm before it got ripped off.
He was very worried about something getting ripped off, at the very least.
Then the youma was pulled away from him and Camelot stumbled, catching himself before he face planted and getting his bearings. He saw the other knight on the youma, running over to help.
"We destroy it!" he answered with a puff of air, winded. He needed a lot more practice before the work outs of fighting became easier to bear and sustain. He grabbed his already splintered and pitiful looking shield, a chunk of it missing, getting there when the youma was on its feet once more. He tackled it to the floor again.
How do you kill it? What a strange question.
"Any way you can!" Camelot replied, smashing his breaking shield into the youma's head in an effort to defeat it. "They'll burst into dust if you defeat them: they're not true creatures. They are just here to, ah," he dodged out of the way of a clawed hand swinging at him, "just hurt and kill humans. We have to stop these things by any means necessary!"
Not the best place or time for a lesson in anything, but there it was.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 6:38 pm
Valhalla could hear Annabel barking up a storm, obviously feeling the need to protect him, but was unable to, being tied to the tree. Thank goodness, too, because Valhalla definitely didn't want his dog to get hurt in a mess like this.
He sputtered as the other Knight took the youma down, looking around frantically for something to kill it with. Hey, he thought that his question of how to kill it was a pretty good question! How the heck was he supposed to kill it with no weapon??
"How are we supposed to kill it with no weapon??" he sputtered, before figuring the only way to beat it was to... let someone else who was obviously more experienced do it.
Jumping forward, Chris tackled the creature as well, wincing as it let out an angry roar. "Well, kill it, already!" he shouted, but not at the older man... it was just a stressful situation here! And they were now both on top of a struggling youma, Valhalla holding its wings and legs to keep it from getting up, as the other man whacked at its head. This was working, right?? They were going to be able to kill it this way, right?? Wrestle it down to the ground and hold it there like a crocodile or something like that and just... kill it?
"You okay up there?" Valhalla asked, letting out an 'oof' as a wing struggled, trying to break free, and managing to jab him in the stomach, and then side swipe his face before he could get it under control again.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 8:10 pm
Camelot, despite his wild flailing and penchant to lecture, was not as experienced in powered up youma killing as he seemed. In fact, as Camelot, he had killed very few youma. As a civilian, though, he had assisted in a number of kills, and was riding on both levels of experience to help him now.
Plus, he had a wooden shield to beat the thing with. Almost as helpful as his cane, though he missed the metal pole a bit more at the moment.
Especially when the wood made an ominous splintering sound.
When the other knight yelled at him to kill it his first instinct was to panic a bit and try to listen to him. He'd be upset about the other yelling at him later, once they had the youma blowing away on the wind. At least the monster couldn't struggle as much as it had been with both knights working against it.
"Yeah," he managed to reply, though he was breathless and he nearly got sent tumbling from the youma when its flailing wing, which had just hit Valhalla in the gut, slammed him in the head. He ignored the hit as best he could, though there were stars springing up in front of his eyes and blocking his vision a bit. He let his arms do the work, keeping up the motions of the attack, the wing under Valhalla's control again anyway. Finally the shield shattered but the youma did, as well, bursting into dust and leaving the two knights on the floor.
"Ahh!" Camelot yelped, toppling sideways. He laid on the floor for a long moment, catching his breath. "See?" He panted, looking over at Valhalla, "nothing to it."
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 6:30 am
Regardless of his skill level, Camelot was a lot better suited for monster killing than the younger knight. Heck, the only other monster he'd run into was when he was awakened... and even then he was saved by a talking cat to ended up being his best friend. He still didn't exactly understand how she was a cat and his childhood friend at the same time, but she was... Heck, Valhalla hadn't even met anyone else who had magical powers... except for Zee, but she didn't count.
Valhalla let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a grimace and a yelp as the monster burst and he was left to land practically on his face, had he not been able to catch himself with his forearms. Ah... a second time he was grateful for the guards on his arms. Even though he didn't have a weapon — unless the compass tucked under his belt was his compass... lame... — he at least had something to protect himself, at least by a little.
He groaned, a hand moving to his stomach to hold where he'd been sucker punched, before turning over to sit up. "I hate my life," he grumbled casually. Of course, whoever knew him would know that he really didn't hate his life. He just liked to complain sometimes.
"Are you okay?" he asked the older man, coughing lightly as he breathed, trying to catch his breath after all that. He certainly hoped things like this wouldn't start happening on a daily basis. After a few moments, though, and glancing around to make sure there was no one around, he closed his eyes to power down, the strange viking-like outfit turning back to a sky blue polo and khaki shorts. Zia had told him to be careful with his powered form, since apparently others could sense him when he was like that.
Sure, it helped in fighting monsters, but he wasn't a fan of fur.
Chris pushed himself to his feet, turning to offer a hand to help the other knight up. "Thanks for the help..." Since... he didn't think he would have been able to do that by himself.
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 7:03 pm
Camelot rubbed the back of his head, wincing in pain. It wasn't bleeding, at least, but it certainly smarted. That bat youma had not been the nicest thing he had ever run into. It was different, too, knowing he was the one that other people were counting on to help them.
Instead of being the one the youma chased, the one that needed help when he was all alone while walking home, he was the random terrorist that arrived from no where to do some saving. That was a lot of responsibility, even for a man like him, who was already fairly dedicated to the idea of helping people.
He looked over at the other knight, who confessed to hating his life. He offered a laugh, shaking his head slowly. To be honest, he couldn't blame the guy, even if he might not agree.
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm a bit... dusty, but that's par for the course," not that he had ever played golf in his life. He watched as the other powered down, glancing around nervously before doing the same.
So far, he hadn't been too good about keeping his identity secret, but it was also true that he walked away both times knowing the other person he had run into's identity as well. So it wasn't like anyone had an unfair advantage over him, right?
"Not a problem. If you ever need it again, I'd be more than happy to help. I might not be... the most experienced... at all this, but I think you and I are both the same. Knights, or whatever they call us. We should help one another, right?" He smiled, offering his hand. "Anthony Darrow, by the way. Camelot."
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:09 pm
Chris shrugged lightly, taking the hand that was offered to him to shake, "Christopher Gallo. Valhalla..." he introduced himself with a small smile as well, but wary of what had just happened. It had been the second monster in a few days... and he was really hoping that his new habit for finding monsters wasn't going to get worse.
"I'm new at this, too... So don't worry about--..." he paused as he released the man's hand, staring at him for a few long moments. "You work at the library, don't you?" It had to be the same guy! He hadn't really had a conversation with him before, but he'd asked for help finding a book or two in the past several years of his academic career. Wow, so the librarian was a Knight, too? Small world...
Before he could say anything else, though, a bark and a whine from his dog caught his attention, and he quickly glanced over his shoulder before jogging over to her to untie her from the tree, scooping her up into his arms as a way of apology for leaving her like that. "Sorry, Anna..." he mumbled to her, letting her rest her paws and head on his shoulder as he made his way back over to the other man.
"So... you've fought these before...?" he asked, curiously, not knowing much about the creatures, but he figured he was going to have to learn, sometime.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:31 pm
Tony knew all too well how it felt to be constantly running into monsters. Before he had become Camelot he had been run into them so often he thought he was some kind of magnet. Like he was a particularly delicious human being to them, or something.
The honor had not been flattering. Also, not true, as he was learning. Youma were simply all over the place.
He laughed when he was recognized, nodding his head. "I do, as the head librarian. Always there, behind the desk. With the Corg... oh!" He had almost forgotten about Dogby. She was still in her bush, no doubt, hiding until he came back to give her the all clear. He moved to find his dog, though he didn't want to seem rude. He glanced back at Chris, to indicate that he was still in the conversation.
He found Dogby and picked her up, letting her nuzzle against him as he carried her back to Chris and his dog, Anna. He offered a chuckle, shaking his head.
"I feel bad, dragging her into these kinds of things. Can't even go on a walk without something like this happening. But I like to think that if I wasn't here, something bad would have happened. I mean, maybe not this time, since you're a knight too and could have handled it... but do you know what I mean? If we don't respond to these kind of situations, no one will. And then people get hurt."
He was rambling, and he sighed, cuddling Dogby to try and comfort her. She was trying to lick his face.
"I have. Even before I became Camelot. Unfortunately they all seem to be different, in look and what they can do... so far experience hasn't been too helpful."
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:03 am
"Same," Chris agreed, glancing down at the dog in his arms, before shifting lightly on his feet and looking around to make sure they were still alone. He definitely didn't want to get hurt, but it was difficult to protect her with her eagerness to run out and attack the monster...
"Why are we like this...?" he asked, hoping the older man would have some answers since he was apparently the same thing, more or less. Chris didn't mind the rambling since he tended to do that from time to time as well... and he didn't mean to change the subject, but curiosity was digging in to him. "I've... been told there's some kind of war going on... between different groups... But... I don't think I want to be a part of it." Maybe it was dangerous to be honest about something like that. Who knew if this man was going to start scolding him for not picking the 'right' side, too.
"Are we just supposed to run around, fighting monsters and making sure people don't get hurt...?" he wondered, before shaking his head lightly. "Sorry... I'm not trying to sound bitter or anything like that. I just... want to know what I'm supposed to be doing, now. I can't exactly use all my time to run around, fighting monsters... I still have a life, even if I'm... Valhalla..." he said, trailing off. It was a lot to think about, and knowing that there were more out there just like him, well... he was curious and frustrated and trying to get everything straightened out for his own thought process.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:34 am
Tony looked at Chris, looking thoughtful when the younger man asked why they were now knights. He wasn't sure he had the answer to it, often pondering it himself. Or maybe in a different light. He offered a reassuring smile.
"I don't know how we became like this. What... suddenly changed to give me this power to become Camelot, so I can't explain why you are now Valhalla... but I think I understand what I'm going to do with it."
He scratched at his goatee thoughtfully, Dogby still cuddling against him in his other arm.
"For me, protecting people is the most important thing I could ever hope to accomplish, now that I have the ability to do so. So yes, I'm going to be chasing monsters until I can't any more. And you're right, there is a war going on. Between Senshi and the Negaverse. Two sides, each fighting for their own beliefs, for this planet and for their personal rights to survive. While my instincts tell me the senshi are the good guys, I can't... sit back and watch them kill each other."
He sighed softly, looking down at Dogby. Even animals were caught up in the fighting, and it just needed to end. He scratched her ear and she whimpered.
"I think my duty is to help see an end to the fighting. I don't know if that's really why I was... awakened, or however it is they explain it. But I'm here now. I have these powers. I might as well do something that feels right. I think that's what you need to do. You don't have to fight in a war you don't want to, you don't believe in. You fight, or you don't, because you feel that's what you need to do. Find your own meaning in your abilities, and you'll come to understand who Valhalla is."
It was sagely advice from a man who had only just become Camelot himself, and was learning as he went along. But that was the thing with advice. It was so much easier to give to someone else than to develop for oneself, and often times it was exactly what the person delivering it needed to hear. In a way, Tony was explaining to himself the exact same reassurances, and steeling his own resolve in the process.
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:30 am
Chris nodded in understanding, knowing that it was difficult to explain why they were like this. He didn't get much help from the Guardian who'd been there when he turned into Valhalla, either, so... it was no wonder no one really knew.
"It would probably help if people actually knew what they were up against," Chris said with a casual shrug, petting Annabel as he held her in his arms. "I've only heard stories... I didn't think there were really monsters until, well... recently," he admitted, glancing back to where the monster they'd just killed had disappeared.
"I don't want to get involved in the fighting," he said suddenly, looking up at the older gentleman. "When I... turned into Valhalla, I was told that I either fight and kill, or watch those I care for be killed and then die, as well. I won't kill anyone...
"But I can protect people, right...?" he wondered, glancing down at the dog again. "I've only met you, so I don't know how bad the fighting is, but... I think I want to see an end to it, too."
He didn't know how to accomplish that, or even why he was jumping into something he knew so little about. But if it meant saving people's lives, then he was all for it.
With all their talking and fighting monsters, he hadn't even noticed the wind picking up until raindrops started showering down on them. Chris grimaced and Annabel whined. They probably needed to get home, anyway...
"May I talk to you another time if I think of anything else to ask...? I can find you at the library, right...?" he asked, not wanting to barge into Tony's place of work with strange things to talk about that... probably shouldn't be spoken of around normal people. Yeah, that would be difficult to explain to people. Or maybe not? Maybe he was the only one left who didn't have a strange secret identity... or whatever it was.
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