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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:43 pm
It felt as if he was destined to not be able to get a job at this rate. It wasn't that he wasn't trying, but more along the lines that every time he tried to pound the pavement, actively seeking some sort of employment, something bad happened.
Today's obstacle was not a 2-headed hydra youma, but it was indeed still a youma. It was about the size of a Saint Bernard dog, but it looked nothing like a dog. It was probably why he was able to figure out it was a youma in the first place. What it specifically looked like was not something he'd venture to figure out at the moment.
There was an unsettling feeling in his stomach, but he had to ignore it as he phased into the new uniform he had worn for the first time at the lake. With feather at his gloved hand, he approached the youma.
The youma gave up terrorizing the various humans once something a little more special seemed to come along. The monster seemed to throw itself in the boy's direction, but the figure leaped back slightly as it got close.
Calmly, Nysa offered a simple question. "...I take it you want to dance?" In all honesty, he hadn't thought of how to specifically tend to this youma. For now, all he could truly do was dodge out of its way as it attempted to rampage in his direction.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:45 pm
Had Aurora planted a tracking beacon on Howl Wickham sometime during their platonic prom 'date'? Had she known the the boy beneath the page was none other Sailor Polaris might have begun to question whether or not she did.
One could even joke of fate or destiny. Where else were those terms more likely to be true then in a place named after Destiny and full of magical being fighting a millenium's old battle.
But in the end it was most likely just conicidence that Polaris found herself stumbling upon the signal of both chaos and light.. a youma and a knight.
Some on her side were awfully protective of their battles, too proud to want help without putting up a fight of their own on why she shouldn't have jumped in. So for a brief moment she held back, simply watching the two.
Was he talking to it? He didn't look terribly concerned with the monster. Was he that strong... or just that unexperienced..?
Biting her lip for a moment she finally called out from the sidelines. "Don't let their size or lack of aggression off the bat fool you. Those things are dangerous and far too often more crafty then you give them credit for."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:10 pm
One could almost consider the show which Polaris watched to be a show of cowardice. Each time the creature lunged its full self at the lad, he seemed to simply dodge out of the way. He did not seem to try to make an offensive move at all, which made this whole ordeal seem almost pointless on his own part. Had he a Sabre, a Foil or an Épée, he might have been able to haphazardly attempt a slightly more offensive stance.
Of course, he did manage to hear a voice call out to him. "Don't let their size or lack of aggression off the bat fool you. Those things are dangerous and far too often more crafty then you give them credit for."
For a moment, the youma stopped in place, giving Nysa a moment's rest as well. The monster's body began to rumble slightly before it seemed to almost split completely in half to reveal that along the full length of its body, there were rows and rows of teeth, much like a shark. It seemed to be more of an intimidation tactic, for soon enough it closed itself up again and was back after the long haired boy.
"...I would like to think I am not underestimating this youma... however, I am uncertain as to how to go about dealing with this one." Another leap back and he found his back against a wall. It certainly wasn't a good sign.
"I am quite open to suggestions, Miss."
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:18 pm
She was actually a rather senshi when it came to others and their well.. occassional apparent lack in skill. She didn't snip about cowardice, or try to brow beat others on their inadequecies. Maybe it was her inherently motherly tendencies? But she was most definatley the sort to coddle over harshly critique.
She had met Grus who sometimes got physically ill due to hurting people. And Galatea who had spent months and months hiding and running from everything. And the chibis of course... who while capable were often overlooked or worse.
Really as far as Polaris was concerned as long as you had the drive and desire to do the right thing.. to be out there and fighting and risking your life well.. a dutiful and responsible spirit was just as useful as a true brawler. Albeit perhaps in different ways and with different strategies employed.
The page didn't snip back at all, actually replying quite politely. And her eyes widened softly as the youma made a show of itself almost as if to exentuate her point. Polaris was impressed by all those teeth, and not in a good way.
She was drawing nearer in what could easily be considered a power walk, eyes scanning the area for weapons and metal, calling out in response to his request. "A lot of senshi punch or kick. I much prefer to use a weapon, anything at all in the area that might pack a punch harder than your hand. Or something sharp enough to make your punch count."
"Aim for the tender parts! Eyes, nose, throat."
Ah ha, there it was. Some scraps she could actually work with. Leaning down she scooped up a broken bit of street sign before drawing near again, waiting for a clear shot herself.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:42 am
There was still quite a bit of hesitation on Nysa's part to do the physical damage himself. Franz and his untimely death had left far more of an impression than the boy would know. His friend was such a firm believer in pacifism that Howl had incorporated it into who he was as well. Yes, he knew how to fence, but that was friendly competition and never did any damage. If he struck this creature, it would be disrespecting his friend's way of life and memory.
His back was still against the wall, and the youma almost seemed to be rolling its way over to him. The senshi's advice had been heard, and some choice pieces of her advice had been noted.
A weapon...? Most certainly, he would have adored to have anything to focus his efforts such as a fencing foil. It might not have hurt any, but just having something to focus on would have made it easier for him to distance himself. His eyes glanced to the soft feather being held delicately between his gloved thumb and pointer finger.
It was odd to think of such a soft, simple item as a weapon, but somehow, deep at the bottom of his soul, he knew that this feather was his weapon. It might not have been large, and it might not have had a blade, but it was what he was destined to use.
Destined... he mused in humor. Listen to myself talk about destiny!
The youma was now close, something that the lad couldn't avoid. The girl's voice seemed to echo in his ears, reminding him "Aim for the tender parts! Eyes, nose, throat."
The youma's body had already split itself slightly to show off its collection of teeth again. Nysa took in a deep breath, and rather swiftly "jabbed" his feather towards what he could hope was a chin. Once the feather was touching (what he hoped was) skin, he began to move the feather in playful little gentle circles.
The youma's body trembled slightly before the body split in half again at the hinge. A ghastly noise seemed to escape from the sea of teeth. Was the youma laughing? All the Page of Neptune knew was that at the moment, this creature was now exposing its most tender spot with a lowered guard.
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:18 pm
Was he really... Was he really tickling the youma!? Maybe it was just the feather was so flimsy that his jabs and trusts were just coming off that way, she thought. But no.. the soft gentle swirls of his hand, and the strange foreign sounds coming from the youma were a sign that something wasn't normal.
Should she let him.. continue what he was doing? The thought hit her for a moment and she hesitated briefly.. uncertain about both the idea of letting the page continue in his strange motions and the fact that a youma could laugh. But those teeth were there.. and the creature was so dangerously close. If she didn't take the shot now who knew if she'd have another chance before it changed it's mind.
With a flick of the hand and a few soft words the chatter of metal rattling began to overtake the sound of the youma's laugh, a sound that all about halted as it began to be pelted in debris.
As the creature poofed into a cloud of dust, Polaris let out a sigh of relief, her hands gripping in a silent but celebratory motion. The page was safe, another monster off the streets, and perhaps one of the strangest things she'd seen in awhile. Which was saying something in a world of talking cats and magical girls.
"I've never seen that particular strategy before." She responded finally, a good natured smile crossing her face as she drew near to check on him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:04 am
The lad's eyes had remained upon his opponent until all of a sudden his opponent had been pelted with debris and seemed to explode into a disgusting dust. Nysa tried to remain absolutely dignified, despite the fact he was covered in disgusting youma dust. It honestly was making his skin crawl underneath the jacket that covered his body. Yet his smile remained absolutely polite as he began to use his gloved hands to try to brush away the dust.
With the lack of an opponent, the new page was able to finally see who had been coaching him during that trial. It was a young lady who had a familiar head of pale hair done in intricate braids, dark skin, and a two-piece uniform that easily showed off her midriff. It was Miss Polaris, and in all honesty, the young man was quite pleased to find her again. Though he was still tending to the minor clean up of his uniform, he couldn't help but smile a bit more genuinely in her direction.
"I must confess that I am quite new at this, Miss Polaris. However, when your 'weapon' is merely a feather, it is a logical choice in action. At least, I would like to think so." He was already quite aware that the senshi had not introduced herself yet, but his use of her name had actually been with purpose. He only wished, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he had looked a bit more dignified in this second meeting with this outstanding woman. Yet here he was, covered in youma dust. He already knew when he got back to Hillworth he'd be taking a shower.
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:35 am
Polaris tended to be pretty lucky when it came to youma dust most of the time. With a ranged attack she was usually well enough away not to get hit, but that wasn't to say she'd never had the 'joy' of being showered in bits of youma. It really was kind of gross... and the less you thought about the details of it the better. As was, he received a mild look of sympathy as he tried to clean himself, her arms folding in front of her chest.
"That's true enough, it's hard to imagine how you would use a feather as a weapon. Though I do know the senshi of feathers actually does a pretty good job with hers."
The use of her name.. when she was fairly certainly she hadn't given it.. was an offputting and strange situation. Something made all the weirder by the fact that, this indeed wasn't the first time. The most noted other occassion with Sailor Taranis was borderline uncomfortable.
There was a look of a confusion as she looked over the knight lightly, trying to recall if she'd seen or met him before and just been rude enough to forget. In the end she drew a blank, and it was with a look of sheepishness and apology that she asked finally. "I'm sorry.. have we met before? I'm so sorry if I've forgotten. I meet a lot of people but.. it's still very rude and I'm very embarrassed."
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:48 am
"There is a Senshi of Feathers? I will have to meet her at some point!" Seemingly done with his attempts at cleaning himself, he clapped his white gloved hands together, before lacing his fingers together. Yes, Miss Polaris had taken the bait he so carefully lay out, easily questioning how he knew her name.
"Let us see... I suppose it would be easiest to explain by quoting a wonderful young lady as she once explained it to me. 'I'm just someone you've been kind to in the past.'" With a smile, he easily took the senshi's hand within his own, leaned forward and gave it a gentle peck of a kiss upon the knuckles. In a place such as Destiny City, manners were lost quite frequently. His own actions might have been viewed as overly romantic by some, yet it was the way he was raised. Any who knew Howl Wickham knew this was how he'd greet a young lady.
As he straightened up, still holding onto Polaris' hand, he gave an introduction to complement his actions. "As I am now, I go by the title of Nysa, Page of Neptune. You, Miss Polaris, have all of my gratitude for helping me realize a mistake I had made." He squeezed her hand gently to let the young lady know that his words were truly sincere.
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:08 pm
"Grus" She answered with a nod, a soft subconcious smile finding it's way to her mouth at the mention of the girl. "She's very sweet, I think she'd get a kick out of meeting you too. When I first met her she was pretty uncertain about her attack too."
To someone observing it might not have seemed like much. Small subtle hints that no one else might have caught or knit together. Really there weren't that many people left in the world that still kissed knuckles.. but Sailor Polaris, or rather Aurora Namid had received at least half a dozen of them from a certain young gentlemen.
And if she had still had any question about the identity of the young man behind the henshined glamour, his words sealed the final deal, echoing something that had left her lips not so long ago.
Her eyes widened in surprise, her mouth opening in silent mouthing of his name. 'Howl'. Was this really Mr. Howl Wickham? It was crazy to think that the world could be that small.. and yet.. in the end it wasn't so strange. Maybe fate had a funny way of pushing people together like that. Regardless to fate.. the regal handsomeness of a knight certainly fit him.
After a moment her surprise and silence were broken by the hint of an excited laugh, squeezing his hand back as she offered a soft wink. "I'm happy I could help Nysa." It was true.. helping anyone find their way was amazing.. even if.. she really didn't do that much to cause it.
Returning his favor, she added on cryptically. "It seems I've finally found a way to repay you. It may sound silly, but allowing a girl to have her prom dream is incredibly important to her." Would he catch the hint?
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 6:41 pm
Sailor Polaris had picked up on the clues quite easily. His eyes had been upon her face, watching as her expression shifted to one of surprise, then giddy excitement. He hadn't missed the silent "utterance" of his birth name. His initial response was a gentle nod of his head, reassuring the young lady that he indeed was the one she suspected. He did not need to say anything to the girl at the moment, allowing her to take in every aspect of the moment.
Once the senshi began to speak again, offering her own version of a vague clue, he soon enough found himself easily figuring out who it was before him in such a short skirt.
Miss Namid
Was he surprised? Yes, it was perfectly logical to be surprised about such. However, he was a little more careful with his own reactions. There would be no eye widening, no subconscious utterances (audible or not) of her name. Instead, he offered a knowing smile and a nod of the head to acknowledge that he understood who she was now.
"...I do feel that you might be underestimating my gratitude, Miss Polaris. However, if you feel we are at even, then I will respect your assessment."
Finally, he let the girl's gloved hands loose from his own hold. "I will confide with you that such a dream does not sound silly in the least."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:10 pm
His nod let her know that he had figured out who she was, and for a moment she let herself be lost in the wonder of it all. Whether it be coincidence or fate... they now had another small link that pulled them together. Something other than good manners, strange meetings in the park, and platonic prom dates. It wasn't as if they were great friends before but who knew what the future would bring now that they shared this secret, this link?
Was she the only person he knew so far? He did seem very new at the whole thing.. It hadn't been so long ago that he was clueless about starseeds. And tickling the youma... She recalled how hard it was in the beginning.. when everything was so strange and new and there were so few people to talk to about it. She'd had Niflhel for so long now that it was hard to remember what it was like back then. Back before him.. and back before the Bastards.
And of course how dangerous it was.
"You know..." She said after he'd released her hand, drawing it up to brush back a few strands of hair. "If you don't feel quite even, I do have a favor I'd like to ask of you."
Pausing, she tried to think of the best way to word it before continuing slowly. "Until you've got the hang of this.. Do you think you'd be okay checking in with me. Maybe even patrolling with me sometime?"
Anyone getting very hurt or worse was a terrible thought. But the very idea of it happening to the sweet gentlemen... it made her stomach almost turn on itself. If something happened to him.. to any of her friends. Polaris didn't try too hard to hide her look of concern.
"I'm actually working on trying to gather together a small group of people to help each other out. Not that I'm saying you have to join my team just because I helped you and all.." She was rambling now, her eyes drifting down to her fingers.
"I just.. worry. You know? It'd make me very happy to help you settle in and get used to.. well.. all of this."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:28 pm
The moment a favor had been mentioned, one of Nysa's gloved pinkies went up to his lips as he looked intently at the girl. One moment she had decided they were even, and the next she was changing her mind and asking more of him. It was intriguing to say the least. He was polite enough to let her speak without interrupting her chain of thought.
He lifted the finger off of his lips when he finally decided to speak, but kept his hand up thoughtfully. "I would not be adverse to the idea of checking in with you, Miss Polaris." There was a long pause as he stood there, hand up in a nearly defensive manner by his face. The mention of the team was something that gave him a bit of pause. He knew nothing of the team, which was not a good sign when it came to joining something. All of the girl's explanations on how he wasn't required to participate really were not strong selling points.
However, he did owe this girl at least the chance to show him if the team was a good fit for him or not. Without even letting out a resigning sigh, he added "...Nor would I be adverse to joining your organization. If anything, I owe you my loyalty." The senshi's tone and the way her eyes seemed to uncertainly search for something familiar were obvious clues that the subject was uncomfortable for her.
Carefully, his hand which was close to his face drifted over to the girl's shoulder and settle down upon it. "You do not need to work yourself up over this though, Miss Polaris. I will join your team. Be at ease."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:00 pm
For the usually confident sailor solider, it felt all the more uncomfortable to be so weak in this particular moment. She could feel her stomach begin to rise and churn anytime the question came up, only growing worse with each failure. To the point where some nights she debated not even trying anymore.
There had already been a small handful of senshi she'd asked to join her. Kallichore had said no flat out. Pasiphae had declined with every ounce of sweetness she had, but it had not softened the blow. Each time she heard no her heart would sink, which was perhaps why she suddenly seemed so flustered as she began to speak.
Only he didn't say no.
Despite being consolatory the hand on her shoulder wasn't one of apology. The subtle breath she'd sucked into and held onto was released in a soft sigh of relief, a familiar look of gratitude touching her face.
"I'm sorry. I have quite a bit of experience fighting and chasing down bad guys. But diplomacy and this kind of thing.." Asking people to join her.. to put herself in a place of power, even if just loosely.. it made her a little self concious when they said no. "I'm a little more new to it." Her smile was wide and thankful, her apology only slightly sheepish.
"I'm so happy." She proclaimed without trying to hide the bit of excited glee that was filling her. "Well not that you had to become part of this war.. but at least you can defend yourself a little better now." She was chattering now, words spilling until she realized that she was doing it and attempted to calm herself, taking a deep breath.
"Thank you Nysa. You are a very good friend."
"I know you don't have a special phone or anything, but if you're ever in trouble feel free to call me on my regular cellphone. I'll be there for you."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:52 pm
"I would have thought that diplomacy of some sort would have been a part of your school's curriculum, Miss Polaris." He had always been of the mind that Crystal Academy taught such skills to their young ladies. Or perhaps the young lady in front of him had forgotten such skills after graduating. Either way, he was willing to stand down on such a matter. "However, not everyone is well practiced in those skills. So there is no need to apologize."
Once the senshi seemed to calm down slightly (and only slightly), he took his hand off of her shoulder. "I am glad to be of service, Miss Polaris. And value your friendship."
The page was about to say his departing words and head off on his way. However, he did manage to catch a stray comment which did cause a brow to raise up a bit. "I will keep your offer in mind, but dare I ask what you mean by a 'special phone?'" He had turned partially away, but his eyes found their way to the girl's again.
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