|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:25 pm
The awakening of Celsus had brought many more things to the forefront. The three extra apartments made sense now, the giant empty floor of Chronos Castle, everything. She didn't like the idea of untrained knights running around, well, untrained; but she was not their Captain. Not yet. And when she did find out whoever it had been, she was going to kick their a** for being late. Of course, as long as the Knight Captain didn't awaken last, well, that would be alright. He (or she) would have beaten Hero.
How many Zodiac Knights had there even been? She didn't remember, and that bothered her.
Still, she did have a certain authority over the Guard for now. She was the Captain, and she was... Well, it was egotistical to say, but she was the most devoted Zodiac. She spent more time patrolling and training than any of the others, and always had. So if anyone was going to show Celsus the ropes--right now she wasn't much interested in his civilian identity--it would be her.
Now that the initial crush of the attacks was over, the first floor of the Outpost was able to be largely cleared out. Cots and emergency supplies had been relegated to the far wall in case of another attack, but honestly the bulk of the healing could take place on the third floor now. Cancer remained safe behind locked doors and trusted senshi, though civilians could visit. She would allow civilians into that space if they had been injured, if it meant that the wide space of the first floor was now open to use as a training ground. The floor had been swept out, it laid sparkling white and clean of debris, the old bloodstains gone forever now. Hopefully Celsus would pick things up fast enough that she wouldn't have to add any new ones... assuming, of course, that he showed up.
The blonde senshi had issued her summons, and she settled herself on the edge of the circular bath. Now she just had to wait to see if the Knight of Chronos would join her.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:03 pm
Celsus was feeling, to say the least, very strange.
It felt both odd and familiar to be awakened finally - like he had been waiting to do so for a very long time. And, in a manner of speaking, he had been; just not consciously.
It also meant that, instead of sitting around feeling as if he were inadequate, he could finally do something for the civilians and senshi in the Surrounding.
The afternoon after the attack from the enormous, black-bodied spider creature, Celsus sat near one of the crystal clear pools that surrounded the Virgo outpost. The gold coin was held in his hand, absently passing from one finger to the next, cool metal against warm skin.
He was not looking at it; rather he was looking at his own reflection looking back at him from out of the glistening water below him. A pale, freckled face with a narrow nose and black rimmed glasses looked back at him, the expression on his face calm and slightly troubled.
The pool was rippling slightly, as if someone had touched the tip of their toe in mere moments earlier. Celsus made a small noise of discontent, then pushed himself to his feet, letting out a small sigh as he reached a hand up to rub at the back of his neck.
The summons from Virgo had come early that morning. He supposed he should have been expecting it; after all, she was the Captain of the Zodiac Guard and was the one responsible for the well-being of those who protected the Princess. But it still surprised him, mostly because he was going to meet her not as Frederick St. James, DCU sophomore, but as Celsus, a Page of Chronos.
It was a weird thought; very weird. Except rather than feel apprehensive (or at least, completely apprehensive, since there he couldn't help but feel slightly anxious), there was a general feeling of excitement thrilling through his veins.
When he found the Captain, on the first floor of the Virgo outpost, she was sitting on the rim of a wide, circular bath, looking, as usual, very put together and calm.
He gave her a grin, lifting his hand in a somewhat sheepish wave. "Hey."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 4:42 am
She looked at the brunet Page with a gimlet eye, olive green eyes sweeping from the toes of his taupe-colored boots to the top of his head. The blonde crossed her legs at the ankles, swung them forward and then back into the brickwork of the bath she sat on. He was older than she was, and taller to boot--but then, lots of people were. That didn't make him automatically a good fighter, and she had to wonder... Why this Page of Chronos first? Why not the Captain, or the Vice-Captain? A Captain without people to lead was like a steering wheel with no car attached: pretty pointless. But then, people without a Captain... that was the car with no steering wheel. Captains greased the wheels, and the Knights didn't have one.
"If you don't mind," she said dubiously, "I think it's best if we considered you part of the Guard proper for now, at least until there are more of you."
The blonde brightened a little, that cheerless matter addressed. She got to her feet, cracked her knuckles under their leather wraps and balled up her hands. "So, Celsus," the Captain said, her tone brightening considerably. Virgo even looked cheerful. "How much do you know about combat? I'll fill you in on our history, since I bet you don't know anything, but we should keep active while we do it, don't you think?"
She wandered closer--well, it might have been wandering, maybe. Her green eyes were avidly on the sigil of Chronos on the wrap around his waist, then they dropped to his hands. "Make a fist for me, okay," she said, "Both hands, and hold them up before you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:41 pm
Celsus did not really mind the dubious expression Virgo was giving him - since, in fact, he was feeling quite the same about himself and therefore saw no real offense in her narrow eyed gaze. She seemed younger than he was, though he knew it would not do her justice to underestimate her; the Zodiac Captain was both tough and wise, at least from what he had seen from her so far.
"I am quite content with that," he responded, ducking his head in a slight bow, as if to concede to her point. Then he shuffled his feet a bit, feeling mildly awkward. It was one thing to be a newly awakened Knight - however, it was quite another thing to be a newly awakened Knight, pledged to the Zodiac Princess...and without anyone else like himself. Which brought Celsus back to the age old question of Why me?
Not that he did not want to be a Knight of Chronos - in fact, he was quite thrilled about the idea. But it would definitely take some getting used to, especially when the rest of the Chronos Knights had yet to be found. All it meant was that he would have to get used to doing things on his own, at least for now.
Well. As alone as he could get with the Zodiac senshi and Princess Chronos around him as well.
The thought cheered him a bit, and Celsus smiled at Virgo, whose spirits seemed to be rising. "I'll admit, not much," he replied. "Other than the wrestling I do with my brother, and a few kickboxing lessons, I'm a little green at it."
He absently toyed with the pendant around his neck as she stepped closer, scrutinizing him. Blinking in surprise, he nodded, quick to obey, and held his hands up, fingers balled into tight fists.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:27 pm
She nodded, feeling satisfied since he acquiesced so easily. Celsus, she decided, seemed to be pretty accepting of the fact that he didn't know anything about being a Zodiac, and that made him infinitely wiser than the majority of the civilians trapped on the Surrounding. Perhaps he'd been some kind of mitigating force? Sort of a Knight Leo, or a Knight Eon. She knew he wasn't a Prince of the Zodiac or even a royal--at least, not as she remembered--since she assumed she'd remember one of those. But he certainly could fill one of those roles, as confessor or shoulder to lean on.
"Don't worry," she told him. She couldn't tell if he was worried, even a little, but she remembered what it was like to be the only one of her kind. It hadn't lasted long, for which she was madly grateful. "Being a Zodiac means you never have to be alone." She put her hands over his, sorting out the fingers properly. As she adjusted the stance he held, she explained why: Two outthrust knuckles to focus the force of his blow, thumb on the outside so as not to break. Feet slightly off-kilter with the knees bent, that would protect him from being bowled over by a stronger opponent's blow. She nudged his toes to point out instead of in, using the tip of her shoes.
When his position satisfied her, she shook out her hands and then fisted them for a moment. The Zodiac Captain had abandoned her veil on the fountain; she was fairly sure that Celsus had no magic, so it would be unfair to use hers. Then she held them up in front of her, as if she were about to catch something. "Punch right here," she directed, "Into my hands."
She started to run him through the same things she'd done with Neso, once upon a time, and as she did she became pretty pleasant, even... happy, in a way that Celsus or any of the people who had once been civilians had never seen her before. At that moment, it was easy to see why she was the guardian of innocence. "Don't worry about hurting me. Do you have any questions you need answered? If you don't, I'll just fill you in, alright, Celsus Page?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:44 pm
If there was anything Fritz was not, it was someone who said they knew how to do something when he did not. He certainly had a habit of acting extravagantly, and pretending he knew what he was doing, yes, but when it all came down to it, he was perfectly aware of his shortcomings. The last thing he wanted, especially here and now, was to be made a fool because he tried to do things he had no idea how to do.
And he did not really want to explain to either the princess or his (temporary) Captain that he'd been an idiot.
He was, in fact, worried (though he tried to hide this), which made Virgo's next few comments much more comforting.
"Thank you," he said, in a tone that was mixed with gratefulness and relief.
Celsus let her move his fingers into place, marveling at the difference in size between her delicate, yet strong fingers and his own, which were paler and more rough than hers.
Except he still did not want to get on her bad side. Nope, not in the slightest.
His legs moved automatically when she pushed at his feet with her own, knees bending to accommodate for the blow that would not come right at this moment, but would inevitably come. His lessons in kickboxing seemed so far off, since he'd barely been a teenager when he'd taken them - now his arms seemed flabby and floppy in comparison. He was not as muscular as many of the other guys his age - more wiry and lithe, than pure strength, though there was a small amount of definition to his stomach and chest.
...a very small amount.
"Punch you?" Celsus repeated, slightly taken aback. His body tensed for a moment, held back by the age old promise of not hitting a girl, but then he remembered that this was Virgo - a Captain of the Zodiac, and, in all honesty, probably a helluva lot stronger than he was at the moment.
And she was relaxing around him - her face had become less stiff, her expressions almost cheerful, a pleasant air that he did not yet associate with the pale haired young woman surrounding her. It surprised him, but at the same time he felt strangely relaxed himself - her light composure soothed him somewhat.
"Yes, actually," Celsus said, and drew back his fist. "What is it that I do, exactly?"
He slammed his fist as hard as he could into the palm of her hand, holding back an automatic wince that he was throwing punches at a girl, despite the fact that he was not all that physically strong to begin with.
"I mean," he went on. "I know I protect the princess. And the zodiac. But what exactly does that entail?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 2:58 pm
"Yes," she said, patiently. "As hard as you can." When he did, she didn't even wince; her hands moved back a bit to absorb the blow, but the blonde senshi didn't even seem phased. She'd done this with bigger and stronger opponents before, even her own boyfriend. "I'm trying to get a grip on your skills" was the explanation offered to Celsus, before he started asking questions.
Satisfied with Celsus's accuracy with his fists, Virgo moved them into the next part of the test, which was kicks--she braced herself because usually this was where she started to get hit, hard. It was easy to sight down an arm, but harder to sight down a leg. Which was a shame, because there was more muscle there and a kick was more likely to shatter bones than a punch. She knew from experience--giving and taking--that it was so. "You're a Knight of Chronos, which means that you were sent here from Earth to help us defend Sol System from the ravages of Chaos about, oh... a thousand years ago? I know that knights don't always reincarnate, like the Zodiac did... so it might be your great-grandfather who was brought to the Surrounding..."
She felt like there was something important she was missing, but she shrugged it off and continued. "The Surrounding functioned to fight off terrifying space monsters," she said, "much like the whale that you saw on your first day here. Its very existence is meant to repel Chaos, but for many reasons it fell into disrepair--not the least of which is that our Princess vanished for a thousand years. So did the Knights, and all the other senshi. This place was left to wallow until a few months ago... That was when we learned how to come here again."
It felt too early to tell him about everything the Zodiac had endured, but she had to do it. "Do you want to learn about the history of the Zodiac," she asked, her tone very guarded. "It's not very pretty."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:59 pm
It felt a little weird, hitting a girl. Most of the time, back on Earth, Fritz - not Celsus - had spent a lot of time wrestling with his brother and being told constantly by him that "in order to get a girlfriend, you have to be nice to them."
Needless to say, this was all rather new to him. But he acquiesced anyway, and Virgo seemed to take it all in stride as it was. She certainly was very capable and well-versed in her duties, as well as her own strength; it was refreshing, and quite reassuring, especially for the fact that Celsus had no idea what he was doing yet.
"Oh," he said, when she explained it to him. "Right. Yes. My, er, skills."
Or lack thereof, his brain whispered, but Celsus quickly shoved that aside.
When they moved onto kicks, he at felt a significant bit more confident; in his brief stint with kickboxing, it had been quite obvious that he was much more capable with his legs than he was with his fists or arms. Fritz St. James had excelled at kicks, especially when it came to roundhouse or high ones.
Which was exactly what he was doing when he swung his leg up towards her head, stopping just shy of her short blonde hair.
"A thousand years ago?" Celsus repeated, still balanced. "I don't think..."
Suddenly the image of his awakening snapped back into his head - the glowing figure, the coin, the smile...it all suddenly made sense now.
"I don't think I was reincarnated," he said musingly, as if he were not poised with his foot an inch away from a Zodiac's head. "I remember...I remember seeing someone, just before I was awakened."
Finally lowering his leg, he resumed a normal stance and dug into his pocket briefly, holding up a golden coin.
"This," he said. "He handed me this."
Celsus lapsed into a thoughtful silence, tapping his chin thoughtfully. After a moment's pause, he said "I think I'd like to know anyway. This is a part of my own history, after all, and if you're willing to tell it, I'm willing to listen."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
