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 Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 10:16 pm
Not for the first time she wished her god damned apple was edible. Only, nooo, it had to be completely impervious to everything. She'd figured that out fast enough when she'd watched it punch a monster's face flat the first time she'd ever transformed. She had long ago decided not to risk biting into it only to find out it was full of sun magic or something. Something weird, and definitely non-edible. Who knew what an apple made of light could do to you?
Was the apple even made of light? No, that was a rhetorical question.
She decided to head home, looking up and down the empty street. She didn't sense anything off. Not even anything a little weird, other than the fact that she was standing on a street in Destiny City wearing a knee-length tunic and carrying an apple weapon that she could stick into a subspace pocket whenever she got bored of carrying it. Which she decided she was, and she flicked her wrist. The apple disappeared halfway through the motion, simply popping out of existence.
That would never not be weird, she decided as she turned on her heel to head down the street. Like, not even if she was a knight for a thousand years, that would never not be weird. How did senshi and negaverse officers even deal with all the weird little idiosyncracies? She made a left, and tuned in to the boy walking down the street in front of her. Short, slight, dark hair: Bogged down by groceries, too. He reminded her a lot of Ladon, and she picked up the pace, thinking just maybe--
And he was. "Ladon," she said, a smile coming over her face. She hadn't seen him in so long--oh, he looked so tired. All she'd heard was that he'd dropped out of school, which had really distressed her at the time. "It's been a while!"
Then she remembered the glamour. "Oh, ********," mumbled into a hand as she looked away. He wouldn't recognize her. Maybe that was for the best. He'd never been too complimentary about senshi. "Um, I mean... damnit. Do you need help carrying those?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:59 pm
He had been walking home late again, noticing that his friend had very little inside and what was inside either couldn't make a meal if he tried or looked too questionable to even attempt eating without risking getting some sort of stomach poisoning. Taking the side of caution, he went to the 24-7 corner store a few blocks down and gathered a few things that would make dinner for the nest few days and wouldn't go too bad. He honestly was getting sick and tired of canned food, and he was just far too tired to make the sort of meals he used to make when he had more energy and drive to care.
Heavy with two grocery bags, Ladon moved his way back home, keeping his eyes peels for muggers and the occasion scumbag that would try and rip off his groceries. It had happened once before and luckily no one had seen either of them as Ladon pursued and, in a dark alleyway, ended the theif's life of crime. It wasn't the type of risk he usually took, but late at night and with little sleep and food in his stomach, he was highly irritable if not paranoid and on edge. Being a civilian always made him feel vulnerable these days. As if anything could happen.
And it seemed something did. The voice he couldn't place, but the way it was spoke meant they were familiar. Ladon had been half expected to see a classmate who would want to know why he dropped out of school, and turning, was steeling himself for a awkward story. Instead, he saw a tall, slender girl in a very ridiculous outfit.
Any other civilian would think this girl was crazy or had a role in some play. Crazy outfits for Ladon meant senshi. When the girl only offered to help him with hsi bags, he stumbled back and pressed against the wall. "Get away from me!" He said, looking around seeing that of all the days for the sleezy hookers to not be on the corner, tonight was that night. His wide eyes looked over at the girl. "What the hell do you want!?!"
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 2:16 am
Avalon stepped back, not having expected that virulent of a response. She held up both hands to her shoulder level, palms out like she'd been taught: No threat here. "Don't worry," she said, her own preoccupation shining through her tone. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just-- you have a friend who's pretty concerned, she asked me to look for you."
Improvisation wasn't exactly Avalon's strong suit. She just had to go with it, though. "Tate Konstantin. She said you disappeared and your mom didn't know where she went, she asked me to see where you were. That's all!" How on earth did she convince Ladon she didn't want to hurt him and never would? Out of all the rhetorical questions she'd ever asked herself, that was the dumbest. He probably thought she was a senshi or something horrible, and she remembered vaguely his distrustful feelings towards senshi. And he looked so sick, and small, and tired...
"I'm Avalon," she said after a moment. "Page of Earth." Though she didn't know it, the symbol on her bracelet and boots was clearly the same as that on some of the buildings in the Rift; and the bracelet was clearly on display with both hands held up in the air. "Um... Wielder of the magnificent and terrible apple. Really, I'm not going to hurt you. Ever." How could she ever dream of laying a hand on Ladon?
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:10 am
He didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, and as a civilian, that was nowhere at all. Saying he had a friend watching over him made him even more suspicious. He didn't HAVE any friends. Clearly this stranger was lying and made him think she must be a senshi. Sure, her tunic lacked any frills and there wasn't a bow to be seen, but with all the senshi out there, there was bound to be exceptions.
It was the mention of Tate that had him lowering his dukes and looking at her once over. "Tate?" He hadn't spoke to the girl in months. Close to a year even. They had parted ways, her to her school and Ladon to his life of being solely dedicated to the Negaverse. The fact she had heard he dropped out made his stomach twist. What did she think of him now?
The fact she had worried about him made him still feel important to her. That he was still on her mind, but there was a bitterness in that she had to worry. Did she not think he could take care of himself? And here she had hired this....what was a Page even??
"You look like some sorta senshi." Ladon pointed out, looking her up and down and noting the strange crossing marks. Wait? Was.....was she part of the Negaverse. He bite his lip, knowing he couldn't ask that question. "What's a Page, and how does Tate know you?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:56 pm
God, what had even happened to him? Were those burn scars? It pissed her off so much to consider that something so terrible had happened to her friend and she hadn't been there, but she laced her fingers together so as not to reach out. He didn't know her when she looked like this. She just had to keep telling herself that, and keep her hands to herself. Didn't need to scare him, or anything. "Yeah," she said, cocking her head a bit. She'd never really had the urge to be perverse and bitchy at Ladon, not really, and it seemed whatever made her feel that way was still in effect. "She lives in my building, so, we bump into each other sometimes. Sort of like... Well, Superman and Clark Kent."
Sort of. Even more than he knew. "I am so not a senshi," she said, passionately. Sure, she knew a few and liked them but she would never want to be one. "Like I said, Tate and I live in the same building, sort of. She's pretty ace at getting into trouble so I've been looking out for her, you know, as you do..."
At the question about knights, she made a face. "I don't actually know? I know that I'm a page 'of Earth', which... means that... something. I have an apple? It doesn't do anything, so I just throw it at people." She sighed. "I wish I could tell you more. All I know is the 'wind and the stars cry for Avalon' apparently I am to lend this Avalon place my aid." That phrase had been bothering her pretty severely, actually.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 8:13 pm
Ladon was not putting down his guard. Not even a fraction. Okay, she said she knew Tate and that she wasn't a senshi, but there had been plenty of other things from space that were evil. Wiseman for one, and the Doom Tree creatures. There was also that Ice Freak laster winter. A knight of Earth made him even more suspicious. The negaverse were the military of Earth. He hadn't heard of a knight..........wait....didn't someone mention Linarite?
His eyes narrowed.
"If you knew Tate, she would have told you I don't look out for her anymore. We haven't talked to each other in ages. I also don't need help." He was a big boy and had been living on his own for some time. "She also isn't the type to need help." He looked to the side a bit. "...just company."
He shook his head and snapped his eyes back on the girl. "How do you know you're even a knight of Earth like you say? Did an apple tell you?" Was that Ladon being snarky? Why yes, it was.
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:37 pm
She couldn't stop herself from asking it then, after everything. "What happened to you, Ladon?" He probably wouldn't tell her. He didn't know Avalon, and after the incident with Themis she'd learned not to blindly trust people with her identity even if she thought they were on the same side. She didn't dare show him that she was Tate, no matter how much it stung. Without even meaning to, he was reminding her of how everything but her work had faded out when she moved to a full-time schedule for work and for school. She hadn't even spoken to Parker for several months. It was...
It was shameful. "She misses yours," said Avalon, and the note of chagrin in her voice would have been obvious to the most oblivious of eavesdroppers. "Honestly."
The apple popped into her hands, cupped between the laced fingers for a moment before she offered it, fully aware he might not take it. It rested there, shiny, red and in full health, as unassuming as you please. "It doesn't talk," she said. "Don't bite it, though, you'll break your teeth. As for how I know..." She shrugged. "I just do."
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 10:23 pm
The mention that she missed him, that she was worried, hurt. For her to miss him, for her to remember him and to offer concern made him wish she was still around, and yet he hated himself for that. He was a stupid, naive boy for hanging up on some girl older than he was and never went around to see him. He was trying to think of the time they spent together, two lonely teenagers at her place, where he was her only friend and support, and yet they grew apart. She went off and continued her life, made friends, and he was left alone again. He tried as Wolframite to steal her company again, but the risk had been too great. He left he then, and they hadn't spoken since.
And here she was sending strangers to tend to him as if he was some lost boy. As if she was the babysitter tending to some kid that couldn't make it on his own. It was insulting how she treated him. Hadn't seen him as anything more, and yet, those few times alone...had he just thought up all those times that there was something more? It was like Paris and Billy told him. He was just some stupid boy getting worked up and imagining things because he was a desperate fool. A sad, desperate fool.
"Well isn't that just sweet of her! Sending knights to save me like I'm some damn damsel in distress. Well I'm just FINE! I was fine ALL THIS TIME she didn't see me, and I can take care of myself. She never had a problem with me being by myself before so why does she give a damn now? Did she tell you that when you were being buddies with her - just having a great time talking it up when you visit?!" He felt his insides twist and his throat tighten but told himself he wouldn't choke up. Not around some knight!
"And what can YOU do to protect me with your stupid apple? You don't know anything about me and after all this time, Tate probably doesn't either!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:35 pm
She frowned, then, a little stunned at the outpouring of hurt and then, after a moment, accepting of it. Part of the reason they'd gotten along so well was their mutual fear of abandonment--and then, after she'd woken up, she'd been swept away in work and school and all those other things with no time left for him. No wonder he was so angry with her. When the Page next spoke, she didn't sound angry or even annoyed; just tired. "We don't talk all that much," she corrected, trying to keep her tone level. She was not going to tear up in front of Ladon, couldn't give such a poor accounting of a Page. "And she doesn't think you need saving. Just…"
Why had she let herself drift away? Ladon had just… there'd been a text, something… but she couldn't remember and after all this time, she wouldn't have it in her phone. Had she been mad at him? couldn't have been, he'd never done anything. The realization that she'd wronged him, wronged him badly, blindsided her and she exhaled, shakily, as she vanished her apple. The temptation to reveal herself was strong, but she resisted. Ladon would hate to realize that she'd been lying to him probably more than the fact that she'd abandoned him, leaving him no recourse.
"No," she said. "I don't know anything about you, but I do believe you can look after yourself. So does Tate." A crooked little smile, not mocking, just uncertain, and she scrubbed her hands down the front of her tunic. "She just wanted to know how you were… friendly concern, I suppose. I can't speak for her reasons, after all."
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:50 pm
The bags were getting heavy and he was feeling more tired from this conversation than the time of night it was or the walk. He stood there, trying not to say much else, but he hadn't spoke to much of anyone these past few days. Weeks even - he wasn't sure. It was because of his wavering temper. From cold to hot in a flash. He always tried to wrangle it in, never had a problem with it before, never had temper fits like this before, but things had changed him. Now he sometimes was afraid to even open his mouth. He said too much at times. Said many things he later regretted. Maybe that's why he had even fewer friends than he did before. His phone was always silent now aside from other Negaversers.
"Tate..." He licked his lips, his throat dry. "....has moved on. She's in college now. Probably has lots of friends. She's moved on. I'm older than I am. She's moved on now. She's got life plans and things like that. She'll probably get some job and get married. I'm not going to mess with that. Tell her I'm happy for her and wish her the best. But....she shouldn't think about me anymore. I'm not her problem." He didn't need a babysitter, and it hurt too much to think of her now. There were still feelings, spiking memories that pricked like needles in his heart, when he was even more naive than he was now. A stupid boy with stupid feelings.
He looked back up at her. "Tate shouldn't be talking to you. You're on another life. You're going to mess things up for her and put her life in danger. The cops and those other terrorist are looking for people like you. Stop talking to her. I don't want her killed." He had stopped visiting as Wolframite for just that reason. Tate should grow up without touching the other world in Destiny City at all. That way she could have a normal life. Had a job, marry maybe, have kids. Whatever she wanted that normal girls wanted.
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