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 Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:45 pm
Libraries weren't Noel's cup of tea. Books and research were almost foreign words to him entirely. His attention span was certainly a contributing factor, especially when his true interests were hard to put on a page. Noel's type of guy wasn't a bookworm and he had never seen any man that caught his eye even enter a library. If he wasn't going to at least be able to enjoy some eye candy, the senshi of winter couldn't be bothered. Dusty old books and old ladies with gray hair tied in buns were the only mental images he could conjure at the idea of a library. Neither of which brought him any closer to liking the idea of widening his patrol area to include a place that wouldn't allow him to help some poor male model in distress. However, the white haired boy put the fear of dying of boredom aside to include the library in his patrol for one night since he heard one of the other swimmers talking about some kind of ghost. The senshi of winter hoped this meant a youma since the past few nights had been dull and the lack of battles had even pushed him to simply wander around in his civilian identity. Though it made his subway trips a little easier, he couldn't help, but to hope for some excitement since he had dedicated his while night to just wandering around in the dark.
"There better a hot nerd or at least a cool looking youma nearby or I'm going home early!"
The senshi of winter muttered as he made his way out of the subway station and onto the street that ran along the library. Not usually one to go off of rumors, he was honestly desperate for some action now that he had reached the next stage and obtained the power boost that came with it. Eagerly hoping to test his abilities some more, he began to look around for any signs of a youma. Noel's time patrolling hadn't taught him very much about ghosts and his only clue was to search for energy drained bodies or someone without a starseed. Feeling a little ridiculous, he tried to remain inconspicuous as he searched around bushes and trees along the way. Quickly growing frustrated, he gave up on the shrubbery and decided to inquire at the library about any strange events. Mulling on his excuse for a few moments, he decided he would lie and tell them he was a local newspaper intern. The Clark Kent angle was the best he could come up with as he pushed through the double doors and made his way to the service desk. At first, he looked for a bell or something. Possibly a button nearby that would alert someone he needed assistance. After finding nothing of the sort, he simply grew too impatient to remain courteous.
"Excuse me, could I please speak to someone who works here. Preferably, someone who is in charge."
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:21 am
Camelot wasn't aware of rumors of a ghost at the library, or the fact that he might be the source of them, protecting the area from the shadows as he very often did. He had to keep the area safe, for his own relief and because he cared about the patrons, the regulars, and all the people that came to the library or its surroundings. They were his friends, or people that he had seen at work.
All people that deserved more than an abrupt end to their life as youma food.
Also, he worked there.
It was the easiest place to start his patrols from, as he often worked late and then just went out to patrol as soon as he was done locking up. He was still at the library, nearing closing, when he heard the doors open. He was busy with an arm full of books that he couldn't hold on to very well, and when he heard someone calling for him he nearly dropped them.
"Just a moment!" He called, from behind a high shelf of books, unaware that there was any trouble brewing. But, of course, there always was. For one reason or another, the library was a good choice to start his patrol from for another reason. There always seemed to be youma about.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:29 pm
Noel's impatience subsided a little when he felt acknowledged by the staff. Though a bit childish, he couldn't help, but to feel thing should move quickly when it came to interacting with the staff of any establishment. Unfortunately, this usually didn't happen since they weren't robots and hardly anyone could keep up with the senshi of winter's pace. Making a mental note that libraries were actually busy, even at night, he tried to calm down a little before actually coming face-to-face with the librarian. Taking a few deep breathes, Noel hoped to soften his tone of voice to something a little less demanding a more inquisitive. Though in reality, he didn't do much considering he still wore his heart on his sleeve and his tone of voice still carried the slightest tinge of impatience.
"Thank you, take your time!"
In an effort to draw his attention elsewhere, the white haired boy turned around and looked the denizens of the book stacks over. None of the men particularly caught his eye and the women were just as forgettable. He recognized some school uniforms among them and tried to imagine spending his days off at a library, especially when one was forced to be surrounded by books every other day. The very idea of constantly studying made him feel a little nauseous. However, he tried to relate by correlating the time spent studying articles and books to the time he dedicated to swimming. If Noel had chosen a different path, he could have easily been a midnight bookworm. Displeased with the selection of individuals, he tried to work on his cover more before the attendant arrived. Usually, youma just showed up and he would simply transform and destroy them. A very simple situation that had a clear cut goal, Boreas rarely had left the messier details to others or simply let things be. Collecting information and working an angle were not his strong suits, so he knew it would be best to make his time with the librarian short and sweet.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:47 am
Tony struggled to hurry despite what the voice told him. He could take his time, sure, but that would probably make the teenager, or so he assumed, at the counter grow impatient. If he wasn't already impatient, since he had called for help right away.
Half of his job consisted of customer service. Maybe more than that. He wanted to make sure he kept them happy, after all. So he had to gauge things and make sure he wasn't doing more harm than good. Sometimes getting work done wasn't as important as spending time talking with people at the counter.
The librarian got the books onto the shelf haphazardly.
He finally moved from behind the shelf, noting in the back of his mind to return and fix that mess of a stack in a little bit, then moved to the counter. At his feet, a small dog was walking beside him, apparently very well trained. She sat down with him, now not visible on the other side of the counter because she was behind it, but she was looking up and wagging her stump of a tail. The corgi wanted to be picked up and put on the counter.
"How can I help you?" Tony asked, glancing down at Dogby and bending to pick her up. He held on to her, knowing if he put her on the counter she would attack the patron with kisses and licks and not let him go until he pet her.
He was leaning on the counter, but not to look languid. He was in pain, his medication fading a bit now after a few hours. His limp was more pronounced, but he had only been out of hospital since getting it stabbed through with a javelin for a few days. It made sense that it would hurt, he told himself. And he was used to walking with a limp, at least, as that leg had been damaged for a while before this new injury.
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:19 pm
Watching the librarian shuffle about, Noel did his best to keep a friendly smile on his face as he checked out the older gentlemen. Not that this was so surprising for the blue-eyed boy as he checked out just about every man that walked by or simply was within eye sight. However, age was the distinction for Noel in this particular situation. The night had turned into one of many firsts for the senshi of winter. Noel had his first visit to a library and now his first interest in an older man. He knew it was inappropriate to let his gaze linger too long, but he hadn't given up before and he certainly wasn't going to start now. Impatience faded from his voice as he continued to look the librarian over.
"You can certainly help me, sir. I don't need a book or anything, but I definitely need you here. Haha"
Taking a pause to give Tony a playful laugh and another large grin, Noel tried not to seem too interested. Experience had taught him to play it cool, but certainly walk the line between flirting and playful banter. Changing his posture to something more casual, Noel leaned over onto the counter and rested both arms to bring himself a little closer to the librarian.
"I'm actually hoping to gather some information for a small time newspaper. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with bedtime stories for now. There is some buzz about a ghost or at least some kind of apparition around the library. I was hoping that you may have picked something up while you were nestled between the book stacks?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:56 pm
Tony Darrow was often oblivious to the gazes that came his way. Whether it was willful unawareness or a natural penchant to not notice the appraising looks others gave him was unclear, perhaps even to Tony himself. he just did not give that much thought to it, and it certainly didn't bother him, one way or the other, what others thought of him.
Of course, that wasn't entirely true. He didn't notice, certainly, and wasn't involved in the decision making, but he did prefer if people liked him. As a person and as a librarian. Not as a piece of eye candy, but just as a friend or as a customer service provider.
More than that, he didn't dare ask for.
He smiled at Noel when he made his joke, his cheeks flushed with a little red color as he nodded and tried to make sense of the comment. He failed to do that, and assumed the boy just meant he needed help with a homework assignment, or that he was literally looking for something other than a book.
Maybe a DVD?
"Ah, I see," he nodded, as the younger man continued with his request. A paper? He had them come in sometimes, particularly when strange events happened at the library and they wanted to know why the place was a magnet zone for such activity, but recently things had been pretty calm and quiet.
Nothing to report on.
"A ghost? I can definitely tell you that there is no ghost in this library. The building is far too new for any stories like that to have been made, and from my knowledge there haven't been any particularly violent deaths here." As far as he knew. He tried to keep people from dying in his chosen place of work, as that would be bad for business.
He tried to smile, though, shaking his head and pretending, as everyone else might, that there were no strange things happening here, or anywhere. He knew better, of course, and his mind was beginning to turn. What ghosts? Did he mean youma? Or did he mean the Knight of earth himself? He did begin his patrols around the library almost every night.
Not too subtle of him, if that were the case, and he was already generating stories.
"Where did you hear about a ghost? What have you heard?" He asked, turning it around and beginning to do the questioning himself.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:50 am
Though still in the presence of the attractive librarian, Noel had a very hard time keeping his cool once the rumors of a ghost were proven false. He knew a youma could cover its tracks for a little while, but he had never encountered a youma that was able to stay completely hidden. The blue eyed boy knew then that if the staff of the library hadn't noticed anything, there couldn't be any extreme cases going on nearby during the hours that the staff was still present in the area. If there was a youma or even an agent of the Negaverse, they were operating in the very early hours of the morning and doing so in a way that didn't warrant any kind of attention. Sighing at his failure, Noel tried to keep his cover up and believable. To say he lost interest would be an understatement since he didn't like the idea of leading the librarian on any further, but he told himself the situation demanded it since he had gotten himself into this mess and would have to clean it up.
However, the senshi of winter did notice the librarian's interest seemed to peak once he brought up this particular rumor. Noel would have been tempted to play the story up more, but he already had the attractive older man engaged in conversation. He didn't see the need to embellish further until it was absolutely necessary. For now, he would simply try to keep his attention until he could figure out his next move.
"Honestly, I'm the new guy, so I got stuck with this story. My only real sources are some residents nearby that have witnessed an apparition of sorts roaming around. Supposedly, this apparition only started appearing recently and people have complained of hearing strange noises in the area once it was spotted. I can't confirm that it's an angry spirit or anything like that. The term 'ghost' is something my editor came up with in order to make the story more appealing the masses, you know how that goes."
Keeping eye contact with Tony the entire he spoke, Noel didn't waste any time in continuing his mental assessment of the man before him. Noel did indeed find him attractive and he tried to make the situation better by continuing to smile at the librarian while he spoke.
"I'm really going to be in a bind though if this doesn't turn out to be true. My editor was really pushing for this one. Maybe you haven't heard the occurrences labeled as a ghost, but has anything seemed out of the ordinary lately?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:35 am
Tony listened patiently as the young man explained his position, nodding his head thoughtfully. He was keeping up the facade of a man who knew very little, and he played it well enough. It was easy to pretend, he realized, that everything was just fine.
Even when he knew they weren't.
Inside, his mind was whirling. He worried about his identity more than enough as it was, but sometimes he felt the glamour would not be enough if someone just took the time to notice the older knight, his stand out age that slipped no one's notice whenever he met new senshi or other knights, or even negaverse soldiers. If they coupled that to the library, where he often ended up patrolling be it on purpose or accident... it was really difficult for him to accept that no one but those he had told knew of him.
The idea that there were questions of a ghost at the library haunted him in a way the apparition itself would never have been able to accomplish.
"I'm afraid the library is about as normal as it-" and then there was a loud crash. A window breaking. Tony turned, looking toward the source of the sound. The room in the back, where staff took their breaks. It sounded like something had come through the window there. Tony immediately got a sinking feeling: his efforts to pretend the library was the most normal place in Destiny City were quickly coming to naught.
He looked at the young man.
"I... I'll be right back."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:09 pm
Disappoint quickly overshadowed the older man's physical characteristics. Noel was hoping for some kind of youma or at least a weakling Negaverse agent, given the amount of time he had put into expanding his disguise and playing his role. Although he didn't want to seem rude, the look of his face changed from the sly smile to a more stagnant, disinterested look. While the senshi of winter did his best to keep a straight face and play his part, Noel truly wanted to just turn around and hunt for a fight elsewhere. Tony's words lacked the information he truly desired and he almost found himself drifting out the conversation when a large crash quickly startled him. Nearly jumping out of his skin, Noel immediately stood straight up and began to try and locate the source of the sound.
"Wait! I might be able to help!"
Oddly, the crash had revitalized the senshi of winter and shaken him from his dazed state. Obviously, the library held some kind of mystery or they wouldn't have an issue with windows being broken in the latter hours of the evening. Though still surprised, Noel felt much better knowing now that there was a chance that there was some kind of event that would require him to use his senshi abilities.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:56 pm
Tony winced when the young man insisted on coming with him.
"It's fine, it was probably just the... the wind... knocking a tree branch through the window. Happens all the time. I... ah..." He backed up a bit, "anyway, this is the staff area. Just a moment!"
He hurried away as quickly as he could, running into the back room and shutting the door tightly. He turned and immediately saw a youma getting to its feet. He wasn't quite sure how the thing had been able to fit through the window, looking at it now. A large, human shape thing, with muscles far too large and in random places to be physically possible. Some bulged and others sagged, and everything seemed to be rippling.
It swung its fist as he was powering up, which sent the then transformed Camelot crashing through the door he had just closed and hitting the floor on the opposite side, in view of Noel now, hard.
He grunted, dazed immediately, trying to figure out in a moment of confusion where he was and which way the floor was supposed to be so he could get to his feet.
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:49 pm
Still shaken by the crash, Noel obediently followed the librarian's words. Partly because he didn't know how to keep his cover going while still trying to make sure the older gentleman was still safe and because Noel was well aware that it would be even more difficult to transform with the librarian present.
"Uh, okay, call out if you need me to get somebody!"
Though he failed as an actor when it came to the role of the reporter, he certainly did a better job with playing the scared civilian. Thankfully, Noel had some experience and had witnessed his share of frightened people to a point where he could at least play it off as if he were completely clueless.
Staying in front of the desk, Noel wasn't quite sure of what to make of the oddly dressed man in front of him. He knew something out of the ordinary was up and that it meant he would have to find a safe place to transform. Still trying to look shocked, the white haired boy immediately looked for an out in order to escape the eyes of anyone nearby.
"Oh my god! I'm going to try and find some help!"
Quickly, Noel ran towards the exit and then veered off to the left into a series of bookshelves. Taking a few hurried glances around, he quickly searched his pockets for his henshin pen. Retrieving the device from his left shirt pocket, he pressed the pen to his chest and did his best to keep his voice down as he uttered the transformation phrase.
"Boreas Asteroid Power, Make Up!"
In an instant Noel disappeared into a flurry of snowflakes and Super Sailor Boreas emerged from the wintery barrage. Glancing around once more, Boreas ran around to Camelot's position from the opposite side of the front door. Thankfully, his senshi powers made him a little faster and in a few moments he reached Camelot's side.
"You look like you need some help. Mind if I join in?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:03 pm
Camelot heard someone running and calling that they were going to go get help. That was not as promising as it sounded, as he imagined the help they got would be from emergency response people, who never quite supplied the right responses.
And Camelot generally liked to be gone by the time they arrived.
When he felt a senshi approach, and looked around to snowy senshi by his side, he looked surprised and very much relieved. He was sure he could probably have handled the youma on his own, as much as everyone who was caught in an embarrassing situation was sure they could have taken care of it on their own. Still, his immediate reaction was not to feel bitter or prideful, but very appreciative.
"Yes, thank you!"
He got to his feet slowly, shaking off the haze the blow had given him. He felt like he was all in one piece, and nothing had been broken, so he looked to Boreas and offered an apologetic grin.
"There's a youma back there," and at that point, it crashed through the door. Camelot corrected himself, "in here. I think we should destroy it before it... ah... causes too much damage around here." He shook his head slowly. He was half speaking on behalf of his librarian side here. Yes, defend the people that the youma could hurt, but really, he dreaded the work that would go into cleaning the place up if the youma managed to knock over a shelves.
The monster itself didn't seem too fussed with details, and charged at the two of them.
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 8:41 pm
Parallel to his civilian alter ego, Boreas stared at the older gentlemen, although for completely different reasons. Camelot's attire baffled him somewhat and he couldn't really place where the stranger's cloths. Something about them seemed familiar and Boreas knew he was informed about their situation since he did mention youma. However, Boreas felt an overwhelming curiosity about the stranger man before him. If he weren't in the middle of assisting him and protecting the library, Boreas would have inquired further, but for now, he had to hope the stranger would stay on his side.
"Do you nee--"
As the senshi of winter turned to offer his assistance to the Knight in regaining his footing, Boreas quickly became aware of the youma's position. Quickly moving in front of the creature, Boreas hoped he could use his attack to both block and damage the creature, though in all honesty, he was pinned between the Knight and the youma. Taking a deep breath, the senshi of winter readied his attack.
"Tundra Torrent!"
As the frigid spiral of air formed in his right hand, he could feel his heart start to beat faster. Adrenaline started to pump furiously throughout his body and a grin covered his face as he lunged toward the youma to meet its charge. Though Boreas had been in the same spot many times over, he couldn't help, but to to get exhilarated each time he found himself in the heat of battle.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:33 pm
Camelot was more than thankful to have a senshi there and aiding him. He was a bit surprised as well, but the relief was more pronounced. Particularly when he used his attack on the thing, and it seemed to be effective.
"Be careful," he said, though he imagined the warning was unnecessary are largely useless.
This guy was a senshi, after all. He knew how to fight, and what he was doing. Most senshi didn't like being told how to fight, or to 'be careful', when they obviously had no choice. Still, Camelot knew that this senshi was now in danger because he was aiding the knight himself, and wouldn't be if Camelot hadn't gotten himself in a bad place.
So he felt a little guilty there.
He charged after Boreas as he tackled the youma, leaping in to aid him. Together they pinned the youma down, though it fought with surprising strength and tenacity. Apparently it didn't want to be turned to dust, and was furious that they were trying.
Imagine that.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:51 pm
As the monster tried to break free of his hold over it, Boreas couldn't help, but to smile. As much as he wanted the youma to stop clawing into him and simply return to a pile of dust, Boreas knew he had wanted this all night long. Hadn't he chased a ghost story to a library where he pretended to be a reporter? Part of him wanted to laugh at what he had been asking for all night. The battle hungry side of him that lived for such moments was thoroughly enjoying the fight for one’s soul as well as the thrill of testing out his new abilities as a super senshi. It would probably not sit well with any psychiatrist if he ever did try and seek out help some day. Fortunately, the other part of him was more focused on destroying the monster that was attacking him and the mysterious Knight. Tightening his grip on the creature's shoulder and leg, Boreas turned to Camelot to plot their next move.
"I appreciate the sentiment; let's try and end this quickly! Do you think you can hold this thing down for a minute while I prepare another attack? I'll need at least one hand free."
Boreas was sure of his strength and that another attack would surely destroy the youma and rid the library of any more ghost stories for a while. However, the senshi of winter was unsure of what the Knight could do with his shield and if Camelot could hold the creature down without the senshi’s help. He hoped that he would be able to handle a youma, but it didn't seem fair to simply assume another person’s abilities, especially when it came to protecting someone's starseed. Not to mention that Boreas would question another senshi’s ability to properly pin down a youma without the assistance of at least one more person, magical or otherwise.
"This should keep him from sneaking up on us again!"
Removing his hold on the creature's leg, Boreas decided to weaken it a bit before he attempted another magical attack. Balling his fist up, he slammed it down onto what looked like the creature's knee. The shriek the youma made upon the impact of Boreas' fist meant the attack had at least damaged it, but Boreas felt he needed a bit more assurance and repeated the attack twice more in the same spot just to make sure that the knee was at least broken.
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