|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 5:53 pm
Christabelle Calloway lived in the library.
While it wasn't literal, the gray haired Meadowview student did spend an exorbitant amount of time there. She volunteered for after school time and during the summer to assist the one and only Mr. Anthony Darrow, head librarian. She did it for the love of books, the love of all things literature, and to protect the library from Negaverse attacks. The one with the spear was still out there somewhere, and Christa's senses wouldn't let her let her guard down unless she was with her cousin. She had studying and other things to think about, like college. Thankfully, school was just about done and Christa didn't have to worry too much about finals. Most everything was done now.
Carrying a stack of books from the drop off box, she saw Tony wave to her, indicating he was leaving for a lunch break. Too often he was cooped up in the library and rarely left. Some of the other assistants encouraged him to go out to lunch this time and he must've taken them up on the idea. Christa gave the older man a nod and continued with her work replacing the books on the shelves. One was for classical literature, two were for tax laws and preparation, another was one of those eye-rollingly bad romance novels set in some bizarre dimension in space. She tried not to sigh about how silly some people's reading habits were and continued with her job. She was out of her Meadowview outfit now and wore a simple earth-toned sweater with matching khaki pants. Simple, but effective.
She walked past the studying tables with a much smaller load now, headed for the children's literature section on the far side of the library. Someone checked out a number of Bearnstein Bears books that needed to find their homes on the shelf again. She remembered reading these as a child.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 1:06 pm
While he tried not to live in the library, per say, Chris often found himself in there, whether he had to look up information for the papers he needed to write, or just general information about... anything in particular.
Although he would like to spend more time looking up information about Norse mythology in connection to his name, he had one final paper he needed to finish before he was done for the year. Everything had already been typed up and printed out... it was just a matter of finding a stapler with staples in it. He supposed he could just go home and get a stapler, but the point of working in the library was for him to be able to turn in his paper before going back to his apartment and get ready for baseball practice.
He was in his typical attire of a polo (kiwi green, today), khaki shorts, and boat shoes, and while he knew he looked like some kind of prep, he'd stopped caring years ago. He'd been called a handful of names over the years from jock to prep to nerd to loser, so really? It just got old.
What also got old was trying to find a damn stapler. Seriously. Did someone go around taking all the staples out??
"Excuse me," he said softly, trying to get the young, gray haired woman's attention, but he didn't want to startle her. He'd seen her carrying books around to put them away, so he hoped he wasn't wrong in assuming that she worked there. "Uh, you wouldn't know where there were some extra staples, would you?"
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:23 pm
The gray haired teen finished shelving the books in her arms and turned to a patron she'd seen a handful of times since starting her volunteer work. He was taller than she was (by quite a bit) and was dressed rather oddly, but Christa could hardly judge. She herself was often mistaken for an older woman based solely on her hair color. Turning to give the young man her full attention, her expression was placid, but she was helpful. "Yes, it seems like a lot of people use the staples all up and then leave the empty stapler. I'll get that one refilled for you. Please, follow me."
She made her way to the front desk a certain Mr. Darrow usually occupied. Part of Christa's job was to keep it well stocked with supplies ranging from pencils to Post It notes. Pulling open on of the desk drawers, Christa produced a box with staples that were ready and waiting for their home in a stapler.
The teen wore a name tag on the front of her shirt simply reading her (shortened) first name, Christa. They were all required to wear a name tag so patrons could easily identify who could help them. "Are you working on something for school? Hard to believe the end is right around the corner." she said, attempting to make some small talk. Her father often commented how glum she usually looked and how off-putting it was to other people. She'd probably never see him again, so it didn't matter if the small talk was bad.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:45 pm
Chris couldn't help but stand a little straighter as she spoke to him in such a formal manner. Maybe he'd disturbed her from her work...? Well, she was obviously working, and while she was helpful, he couldn't help but feel as though he was bothering her.
"Uh, thanks," he said softly, following her towards the front desk. Ah, Tony must be working elsewhere in the library at that moment... or maybe he wasn't in at the moment. He stood by as she got the staples out for him, offering a smile as she filled it for him. "Thank you, Christa," he said, nodding to her name tag so she wouldn't think he was some kind of creeper or something like that.
"Yeah, I have essays due for one of my classes," he explained, before glancing over to where his bag and work was, wanting to make sure it was all still where he'd left it. Not that he couldn't just print out another copy, but it would still be more of a hassle than necessary.
"I'm Chris, by the way," he said, offering a hand to her. "I've seen you around, but I think this is the first time we've spoken," he said a bit sheepishly, hoping she didn't think it strange that he'd noticed her before. After being in and out of the library almost every day for the past few weeks, it was difficult not to notice the people who were also in there, all the time. "Where do you go to school? If you don't mind me asking, of course," he quickly caught himself. Was that too personal a question? Should he just take the stapler and go?
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:33 pm
Clink, clink, shinkclunk... when the stapler with a fresh set of metal staples. The designation on the top read "LIBRARY USE ONLY" in Mr. Darrow's distinctive handwriting over a stretch of masking tape. It spoke of the threat of death for removing something as important as a stapler from the premises, and Christa wished she could enforce the rule, magical augmentation and all. In fact, the thought made her smile inwardly, though she tried to hide it from... what was his name? Chris?
He seemed vaguely familiar in the way all library goers seemed vaguely familiar. No doubt she'd seen him somewhere but she couldn't say they went to the same school. He looked too old to go to Meadowview currently. Christa handed the young man his stapler and tilted her head at the question. Obviously he knew how to read. Points for him. "You're welcome, Chris. I go to Meadowview currently. Next school year will be my last there. What about you?"
It was an innocent enough question and the man looked apologetic. Her tone was short and terse with most people. Truth be told, she felt she had more in common with books than with people. Just as long as Chris' eyes didn't wander where she didn't want them to...
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:57 am
Er, no... she didn't have to worry about his eyes going anywhere. She already seemed too severe for anything like that, and he definitely didn't want to offend her by doing something stupid. No, his eyes were on her face and he was pretty determined to keep them there.
"DCU," he said, taking the stapler back once she was done filling it. "Sophomore come fall," he added, since she had included what year she was. Well, this was awkward... he kept feeling like he was wasting her time, too. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't?
"Uh, but... thanks for helping me," he said again, taking a step back so he could let her get back to her work.
It was then that he felt it. A sudden shiver down his spine that alerted him to a youma nearby. His head turned quickly in the direction of where the monster appeared, even if he couldn't see it, only feel it.
He paused for only a few moments longer, before turning back to the girl with a small smile, setting the stapler down on the counter, "I'll come back for this..." He just... needed to take care of this youma, first. Where was Tony when you needed him??
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:30 pm
"DCU? Ah, what are you majoring in?" she asked absently. Part of her hoped it would be something she would find interesting, like language or literature or even history. Then they could really have something to talk about! Christa could have gone on for hours and hours about the subtleties in 1950's science fiction literature like it was nothing. Simply put, writing fascinated her, which was part of the reason why she opted to volunteer at the library. The other reason being that she wanted to protect Mr. Darrow as much as possible after her encounter with that damned spear-wielding Nega. She'd get hers soon enough.
Before she could say anything else, Christa was left standing by the reference desk, watching the stapler and blinking. What just happened? Brown eyes chased after the young man. That was odd. People didn't normally ask for a stapler and then leave suddenly.
Then it dawned on her. She could feel a youma presence nearby.
She couldn't be certain that the youma was the same reason Chris had left. No, that would be assuming too much. Instead, the gray haired teen quickly followed Chris while staying in the shadows of the tall and heavy bookcases and stacks near the front of the library. Those were reserved for easy returns, stacks of books for sorting and miscellaneous sales. Here, she could watch what was happening. Before she knew how to react, a giant and beastly Youma came bursting through the front doors of the library, tearing them off the hinges. Splintered wood rained down onto the newly-cleaned tile floor and Christa cursed. People were screaming and running to find shelter as soon as the impact was heard.
Christa looked around for a place to henshin, but found most everywhere was occupied. Dammit... Brown eyes locked onto Chris' form and then shifted to the youma's. It was a hulking thing with dripping claws, and the fact that it could stand on its hind legs (that were rather tiny in comparison to the rest of it) was a feat in and of itself. It rather resembled Wolverine of X-Men fame, if made out of pure darkness and hate. Wait, was there really a difference?
The teen shouted. "Chris! You have to hide!"
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:29 am
Maybe the library wasn't the best place to meet with Tony and whoever else he ended up recruiting... Apparently the library was already a key place for youma attack. Wonderful. Chris made his way to the front entrance, feeling the monster getting closer. He would really like for it not to attack near the library.
Correction... IN the library.
Christopher sputtered when the youma burst through the doors, ripping the doors off. What the hell?! What was Tony keeping in the library?? A buffet of delicious things monsters eat?? He took a step back, not too sure about what he could do against claws like that, but he wasn't about to turn tail to run and hide. He might not be able to fight these guys well... but he wasn't a coward. Er... of course he'd never fought one by himself...
He was just about to take a step towards it to prevent it from coming in any farther, but stopped as he heard the girl from before tell him to hide. "You should hide!" he shouted back to her, frowning that she was out where a monster was. He was a magical superhero... with a gash in his shoulder from a semi-failed attempt at stopping a mugging just the other day, but he was surprised that he was healing so quickly. He could have sworn he'd need stitches...
"Get out of here!!" he called again, watching as the youma stepped forward, letting out a horrible shriek. Oh lovely. It was happy to see them...
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 9:40 am
Were they seriously going to get into an argument about who should hide? Seriously? Christa was pinned where she was, unable to henshin due to 1) Chris seeing or 2) everyone else seeing. The number one rule of being a senshi was to keep your identity a secret, but did the Senshi Code of Honor ever mention situations like this? She didn't have time to muse about the ridiculousness of it all because the Youma seemed quite eager and quite hungry. Pitch colored drool leaked from its monstrous maw and it teetered unevenly on its hind legs, like it wasn't used to walking upright. Its arms were gargantuan - muscled and no doubt incredibly strong. It could be a distant cousin to the youma she fought with Camelot. That one was a tough cookie to crack.
The gray haired teen had had enough. It was getting too close to Chris for comfort, and against her better judgment, she darted out from her place near the take-back stack and grabbed his wrist, pulling. "C'mon, we have to go!" There was no use arguing as the youma took this offensively and started to charge, narrowly missing the duo and crashing into the reference desk. Tony would have a fit.
There was a small office off to the left side of the library, hidden behind several old shelves of newspapers and ancient reel-to-reel movies. It could possibly be their only means of escape, but even then she couldn't henshin in front of Chris. What would happen? What if he was part of the Negaverse? Christ... I hadn't thought of that. Barging through the door of the office, the teen let go of Chris' wrist and slammed the door behind them, bracing it with what little weight she had.
Dammit. Dammit...
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:43 am
If he was part of the negaverse, then wouldn't he be the one controlling it? Why would they both be trying to fight it or... stare it down if either of them were part of the negaverse. Of course, he wasn't the most cautious of people, but still...
Chris was just about to power up when his wrist was grabbed and he stumbled backwards with a sputter of surprise. Okay, so maybe they needed a chance to regroup and he would take the next opportunity to power up Or... something like that.
He let her lead the way to the the office, wincing when the reception desk was wiped out. It was okay... he could help Tony fix that... Just as long as no one was hurt. That's all that mattered. Anything else was stuff to worry about later.
As soon as the door was closed and they were alone, though, Chris made the decision to power up. After all, if she was going to hurt him, then she would have been trying to keep him out of the room, instead of getting him to safety. One moment he was the student from DCU who was looking for a working stapler, and then next he was looking like he came right out of How to Train Your Dragon, or at least something similar.
"Let go of the door. I'll take care of it," he told her, knowing full well that he would probably have some things to explain to her after the fight.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 2:36 pm
Christa was shocked. What did he mean, open the door? To open the door meant certain death for any civilians or even inexperienced senshi. Did Chris want to get himself killed simply to be heroic? The gray haired teen wouldn't allow that. She tried to stand firm. "I'm not letting you go out there... If something happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself. Just... maybe you can escape through the window right there?" She jerked her head in the direction of the window, but closer inspection would reveal that the window actually did not open at all.
The youma shrieked behind the closed door and there was no way it could be kept from getting in. The pounding on the door pushed Christa away with such force that she landed on her knees, her henshin pen (which she kept in a breast pocket of an undershirt she always wore) falling to the floor with a clatter.
Christa looked mortified. Diving for it, she rolled across the floor and faced the door with Chris, nervously awaiting his reaction. She clutched the pen to her chest and stared intently at the door. The teen simply had to power up now - within seconds, the youma would be inside and would devour them both if someone didn't do something. Calling out her transformation phrase, "Kallichore Moon Power, Make UP!", a bright flash of crimson and cyan light replaced Christa with Super Sailor Kallichore, who positioned herself between Chris and the door.
She sighed. "Well... that wasn't how I expected things to go..."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:51 pm
"What the hell?? Is everyone a superhero??" Valhalla sputtered, staring at the girl who had just been a librarian's assistant or whatever. Did Tony keep an army of powered protectors in the library?? Ones who weren't knights?
He paused, looking her over for a few moments, able to feel the difference in her power and his and Camelot's...
"You're not a knight," he said, warily. Of course that only left two other options, one of which he thought was highly unlikely, so unless another group of people in weird costumes popped up, she must be a senshi. Well, at least he didn't feel as horrible about having to change as well.
"We going to fight this monster then?" he asked, offering her a weak smile as he moved to stand next to her by the door. "Valhalla... of Jupiter," he introduced, even though she knew his name was Chris. He couldn't just have her wandering around calling him by his normal name when he was like this, though.
Er, but now probably wasn't be best time for casual introductions, especially as the youma bashed into the door again, clearly wanting to get in. "Do you have a plan?" he wondered, clutching to his compass for a moment, before tucking it into his belt and then moving to pick up a wooden chair sitting at a table. There, that was a much better weapon.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:01 pm
Kallichore turned about and noticed Chris was... not Chris anymore. What. And now he was calling himself Valhalla? Of Jupiter? Things... I swear, destiny must be at work here. Maybe I should start believing in destiny. It's practically beating down my door at this point. His garb was pleasantly-colored, furred and trimmed with elegance. If she had the time, she would have inspected his uniform more thoroughly, but more pressing matters were at hand. "Super Sailor Kallichore. Pleasure." The least she could do was to be polite, especially if he was representing Jupiter. Wasn't Camelot of Earth? And yet they had similar clothing styles?
Whatever, more pressing matters!
The youma burst through the door like it was paper, sending chunks of wood and metal spraying out in a fan. Kallichore put up her forearms to shield her face from the incoming debris and balked at the sheer size of the thing. It roared, slick teeth coated with tar and liquid hate. It snapped its jaws, not quite smart enough to realize its shoulders were too wide for the door frame and it would either have to turn sideways, or burst through. Fortunately for them, it hadn't figured out either one yet. Best to save the attack for when things really get desperate. Looking about the room, Kallichore found a nice chunk of wood, almost a one-by-two pillar, and waited for her opportunity.
"Well... here's what I have so far..." she explained, brown eyes trained on the snapping jaws of the beast. Once it roared, she saw her chance, shoving the wooden pillar in the creature's mouth. It effectively was an irritant and held the mouth open. The youma gurgled and roared, splinters sticking out of delicate black gums. She turned to Valhalla. "So... what is it you can do?"
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 4:05 pm
Super... senshi? He could feel the difference in their power... Not just the difference in who they were, but the aura she let off felt... stronger. Either way, she was the first senshi he'd met. He'd heard of them, of course, but he hadn't ever met one.
Valhalla dropped the chair and ducked away from the splinters of wood and metal flying at them, ducking behind one of the bookshelves and trying to prepare himself to fight. Luckily the monster was dumb and Christa... Kallichore... knew what to do.
Which left Valhalla sputtering and looking like an idiot, wide eyed and surprised by the girl's quick thinking. What could he do? What could he do?? He didn't even know! He had a compass! One he wasn't even sure of the accuracy, even!
"Uh, what?" he blinked, staring at the youma for a few moments, before quickly looking around for something to throw at the monster. Or at least hit it with something. He picked up the chair he'd dropped, running forward to ram the beam Kallichore had shoved into its mouth, trying to force the monster back. Even if he wasn't as magically powerful as the senshi, he at least had his own strength.
The youma let out a screech as it was forced a step back, away from the office. It pressed against the chair being forced against the wooden pillar in its mouth, and the second it pulled back to try and attack, Valhalla swung the chair into the side of its head, causing it to stagger off balance for a few moments, at least.
"I, uh... can do that," he said, slightly out of breath and still warily watching the creature as it started to get back up.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:05 pm
The staggering youma was never a bad thing as any senshi could attest. With it backed away from the hole in the office door, it gave the two powered individuals time and space to move around. The civilians scattered throughout the library had mostly made a break for it out the front door while the youma was preoccupied with two powered starseeds in inconveniently not-dead bodies. The chair Valhalla so lovingly smashed onto its face left a series of thick, heavy splinters coming from its face with black blood oozing onto the nearby walls and floor. It staggered backwards and reeled from the immense surprise and pain the page had delivered. Peering through the hole in the door, Kallichore had to think, and quickly.
"That'll do for now, I think." she muttered, eyes darting every which way for another solution. "My attack can't kill it - it'll only become distracted at best, and it gives us maybe thirty seconds to a minute of relative safety if it's as dumb as I think it is..." There had to be another way around this thing. She certainly didn't have the sheer strength that Valhalla possessed and she was cursing herself for it. It was times like this when Kallichore would kill for a bazooka beam of doom and death that could just blast a hole in a youma the size of an armchair. Is that so much to ask?
The super senshi gingerly pushed open the remains of the door open to let the two of them out. Kallichore trotted out into the open, watching the youma right itself. She took a step back and prepared to launch her attack at a moment's notice. The youma stood to its full height again and started to walk towards the two. "Hmm... unless you have another idea, I say we distract it, then find something sharp..."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|