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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 10:44 pm
Ten o' clock, and all is well.
Celsus, Page of Chronos, unfolded his legs, one of which was cramped. He was perched on the thick, gnarled branch of a rather large oak tree, half hidden within the plentiful leaves and doused in shadows.
There was no particular reason for him to be there; it was the wrong day for him to be patrolling the Surrounding, but when he had returned home, Fritz had felt oddly restless. It had taken him some time (and a lot of patience, along with several band-aids), to sneak out of the loft without waking Tolliver. After that he had powered up, moving stealthily through the streets of Destiny City.
Now, however, he was sitting up in a tree that overlooked a playground beside the elementary school. A wire fence lined the wood-gravel yard, and there were a few discarded toys lying forgotten below the swings. There was no sign of disturbance - no sign of anything at all.
Celsus reached a hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers.
Eleven o'clock, and all is well.
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:57 pm
Being an animal of the streets and city, ********* knew all of the best shortcuts. Unless she was feeling like exercising a bit more, she knew when to cross a field rather than go around the sidewalk surrounding that field. She knew when to hop onto trashcans and over a wall. She also knew when there was a hole in the corner of a fence that she could squeeze through. She was pretty small in comparison to other cats, so it wasn't much of a stretch for her.
Being the busy body she was, it made sense why she was still awake. She could sense a youma a bit further into the city, so she needed to make her way there to keep an eye on the situation. So these well known shortcuts were coming into handy.
She managed to find a hole along the fence surrounding Knightside's playground and squeezed through. Once she was in, she was scampering across the field. There was an energy signal nearby, but it wasn't anything she could truly distinguish. It wasn't dark like the Negaverse, but it wasn't a senshi's aura which she could easily read.
She could investigate it later. Currently, she needed to make a journey to the youma setting off her senses. With that thought in mind, she continued to scamper along, her collar serving as the only clue that there was something in the play yard.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 3:45 pm
He had almost decided to go home - almost.
At least until their was a flash of movement just in the corner of his eye. Celsus turned his head, flicking his gaze downwards as something small and light colored bounded across the empty playground lot. Crouched low on his branch, Celsus peered through the leaves, his eyes narrowing slightly as he squinted in the dark, attempting to figure out just what he had seen.
There was a tinkling sound, like bells, or something small and metallic clicking against something else metal.
...a collar?
Celsus pressed himself lower on the branch. I know that cat, he thought, familiarity rippling down his spine. A smile touched his lips, and quietly, stealthily, he swung himself around the trunk to the other side of the tree, to a lower branch.
He waited for the opportune moment - then dropped down just before the cat made it to the other side of the playground lot, landing just inches in front of her.
"Evening, H ebe."
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:09 pm
It was a good thing that ********* had ears. No matter how quiet and stealthy the boy seemed to think he was, her triangular ears were able to catch the subtle sounds of his movement. It made it so she didn't have a full blown heart attack when a pair of feet landed so heavily in front of her, effectively blocking her current path.
Glancing up from the pair of boots in her way, she found a familiar uniform there to greet her. "Let's see... let me make sure I still remember this," she said in a cheery manner, despite the fact she needed to head towards the sensed danger. "You are Celsus, yes?" She had only encountered this Page a couple times in the Surrounding, and each session was relatively brief. Uncertain as to the reason why a knight would be seeking out a guardian such as herself, she decided to approach the situation head on.
"...so, is there something I could assist you with, Celsus?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:07 pm
He hadn't startled her, and he knew it - the Guardian Cats, as having been explained to him by one of the chibi senshi, had an uncanny knack for distinguishing power signatures; and ********* was both smart and alert, and therefore, just looked up at him with her large eyes.
"I am Celsus, yes," he answered her with a smile, though inwardly he thought of just how strange it was to be introducing himself to someone he already knew - and introducing himself as a Page, no less, was even stranger.
Of course, the life of Frederick St. James had never been weirder.
He shrugged, rocking back on the heels of his boots. "No particular reason - though I seem to have picked up what might possibly be one of those youma a ways away; I only caught a glimpse of the energy signature, though. Is that where you're going? Can I help in some way?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:20 pm
Since he had brought it up, the feline nodded her head quite quickly and was soon enough already back on her way, assuming the boy would be following her.
"Yes, and the problem is that there are no senshi nearby that I can sense... so I think you will be the next best thing to take the youma on. It's not all that powerful of a youma... so you should be well off... but it is best to be safe."
Once the pair were on the other side of the field, once more ********* used her knowledge of the area to find yet another hole in the wire. Cleared of the obstacle, she continued onward, certain the boy was still following her. It wasn't like a fence would be much of an obstacle for a senshi or a knight. They could just over it easily, no problem.
"I honestly am not too well versed on knights to be honest... it isn't my area of specialty... what might your weapon be? I think the knights were the ones who got weapons if I remember correctly. Niflhel had one... it was decently helpful..." Her green eyes glanced back to the boy. "Senshi are more my specialty to be quite honest."
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:20 am
Celsus followed closely after *********, striding along as though this was something he did every day. He had not had a chance to see any of the youma since returning to Earth, but he could still remember the awful, enormous, many-legged spider from the battle that had awakened him.
"What might your weapon be?"
His heart sank, just a little bit. He had no weapon, no real weapon, considering that his status was just a mere page. Celsus couldn't help but feel slightly useless, though he was not about to show this to ********* have, er..." he dug into his pocket as he walked, pulling out the golden coin, which flashed in the watery moonlight. Celsus flicked it expertly into the air with his thumb, and then caught it, returning it to his pocket as he gave ********* a reassuring grin.
"Don't worry," he said. "My weapon might be a tad, er, on the small side right now, but I will still fight as long as I am able to."
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:12 am
When the coin was flicked up into the air, the feline nodded and turned back, having received her answer. Yet when he proceeded to go on about how he was able to fight despite the small size of his weapon, the manx couldn't help but laugh.
"Goodness... size definitely is not everything, Celsus! If it was, then I would not have two of my girls on my team. It is what you do with what you are given that makes all the difference."
At this point, she turned a corner, and there it was. It looked like a mad scientist's rendition of a donkey that was patched together a-la-Frankenstein. It was braying in a fashion that almost made it sound like a wolf, and with the teeth to match it would seem. A bit further behind it was someone passed out on the ground. A woman based off of the high heel shoe that the feline could see from where they stood.
"She still had her starseed, I am certain of that..." the cat murmured, stepping forward slightly. "...she probably had some of her energy taken..." She glanced back to the Page with a smile. "It's show time!" That was her way of saying she wanted him to show her what he could do.
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:57 am
Feeling slightly sheepish, Celsus followed obediently along behind *********. He did not know why he had thought she would scoff at his lack of a proper weapon, considering that he knew she was the guardian of the little senshi like Hygiea and Hug-Bell, but he still could not help but feel a twinge of pathetic-ness anyway.
They rounded the corner, a massive, black, disgusting looking combination of a wolfish donkey coming into view, and Celsus eyed it warily.
"That is quite horrible looking."
His eyes moved down to *********, the cat looking up at him expectantly, and Celsus felt a smile cross his face. Making the gesture as if to push up his sleeves in preparation, he gave ********* a salute.
"Right-o, boss!"
He dived towards the thing, swung out his leg, and landed a kick square in the center of the youma's side.
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:46 am
Was it a kicking match that this boy was looking for? The youma quite easily felt that kick up against its ribs. It seemed to do some damage, but the most obvious effect was the fact the youma turned towards the boy, ears folded all the way back. It's eyes were a pure white and seemed to have a very faint glow to them, and now they were narrowed in slight annoyance.
Rather than approach the boy head-on, it began to walk backwards in Celsus' direction. It pawed one of its hind hooves to the ground before suddenly kicking back at him, full force.
A cheery voice called to the Page of Chronos from the sidelines. "I think it took major damage from your kick... It really isn't all that strong, though I'd imagine you'd want to avoid getting kicked yourself..." Since he was taking care of the youma, the manx began to make her way towards where the woman had passed out. Once at her side, she began to try to nudge the woman's heavily made-up face.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:57 pm
"Ow," said Celsus, wincing as he staggered back several steps, clutching his stomach. "Now that wasn't very nice now, was it?"
He turned and glanced sideways to where ********* was sitting, the cat's expression...not quite readable. How did one really know what a cat was thinking, anyway?
But it was ********* - the Fritz side of Celsus knew her well enough as it was.
He gave her a mock salute and grinned, darting around to the side of the youma. It turned its blank, expressionless face towards him, then lifted its head and charged at him. Celsus pivoted easily out of the way, then raised his fist, slamming into the side of the creature. It swung its head around and opened its mouth, chomping down hard on his forearm.
"Ow! Hey!"
Celsus' threw up his leg and then brought it down hard, prying the youma free from his arm and shoving it forcefully away, ignoring the thin stream of blood now running down his wrist. With one last, final kick, the youma reared its head and then disappeared in a gust of black dust.
He limped over to ********* and knelt down, gently touching the woman's arm.
"Is she going to be all right?" he asked the guardian cat.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:49 pm
The feline missed much of the action, but was able to occasionally sneak a peek from where she was attempting to tend to the woman. She managed to see when the boy had gotten a sharp hit to the gut. The bite she fortunately had missed. Once the stink of youma dust was in the air, she knew that Celsus had managed to complete the given task.
Once he was close, her green eyes glanced to him. "Yes... that youma I think drained her of her energy. That is something a person can regenerate on their own. However, it would be best to at least move her out of this place... or preferably to wake her up..." With that, the cat smooshed her furry cheek against the woman's again in an effort to wake her up.
"How are you holding up, Celsus? That youma definitely whacked you good... does it feel like anything is broken? Do you feel dizzy or anything like that?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:12 pm
"Well, that was certainly an experience," said Celsus, squatting with his knees up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them as he watched ********* try and wake up the woman. He wasn't entirely certain what he could do to help; lifting one arm, he gently shook the woman's leg, but to no avail.
"Do you want me to carry her to a safer place?" asked Celsus, and then blinked, a small smile touching his face.
"I'm quite fine," he replied, tilting his head and slanting a look at the cat. "No dizziness, nothing broken..."
He trailed off, wondering if he should broach the subject now, but then thought better of it.
Once we move the woman to safety.
"Here," said Celsus, and carefully slid his arms beneath the woman, ignoring the pain that shot up and down his injured arm in the process. He carried her a few feet away, walking until he reached a nearby park bench, where he laid her down carefully and pushed back the hair from her face.
"Hmm..."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:42 am
Despite her concern for this woman, the feline let out a cheery "Life is an experience!" She continued to try and nudge the woman until the Page intervened slightly with his own attempts. It still didn't seem to help any. His offer was perhaps the next best thing they could offer the woman. "That would be greatly appreciated, Celsus. I cannot do much heavy lifting you see, for I am just a cat."
A talking Mauvian cat with a star on her forehead, the ability to shoot energy from her sigil, and the ability to change into a cat-earred girl. That part didn't need to be specified though.
The page's reassurances seemed to fall short for her tastes. She was not about to call him out on it at the moment. Instead, she simply watched the boy as he assisted her in moving the unknown woman to the park.
"'Hmm?' Hmm... as in 'what should we do now' hmm? Or Hmm as in 'I know what we should do' hmm?" The manx hopped up onto the bench and once more attempted to nudge the woman's face with her cheek in an effort to wake up.
Goodness, this woman just did not want to wake up.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:44 pm
"Life is," said Celsus dryly as he gave the cat a look. " - most definitely an experience. A mad, wild, brilliant, ridiculous, and most of the time utterly frustrating experience, but an experience nonetheless."
And speaking of frustrating...the woman still seemed to not want to wake up, no matter how much prodding he and ********* were attempting.
"That was a 'hmmm why does this woman not want to open her eyes and yes what should we do,' yes," answered Celsus, letting his gaze flicker down to the little cat, who had jumped beside the woman's head and was now poking her nose into her face.
"I would say we should just leave her here to wake up, but that seems quite rude, so maybe we could just carry her somewhere?"
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