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 Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:37 pm
He hated that curiosity got the better of him more times than not. He knew that he was putting himself in danger by seeking things out, or even just by going the unconventional route. He'd been warned and scolded about his careless ways, but he couldn't help it. In fact, he didn't think he was being careless at all. Really, he just didn't want to be held back by fear all the time.
It was why Valhalla sought out the source of the heavy energy he'd suddenly felt appear close by. It wasn't a youma, he knew that much. Part of him wondered if it was Wolframite's energy, but he realized quickly that it was quite a bit stronger than the General had given off.
Surely that was more than enough reason for him to turn around and run the other way, right?? Or at least power down and try to blend in with the... very few people out and about. Actually, he was the only person wandering the streets at this hour, at least in this part of the city.
He could hear cars and people a couple blocks away, going home or enjoying a late night out. Where he was standing though, was on a quiet little street with a fenced in park across from the houses... How far had he wandered away from his own apartment building? The more of the city he explored, the more he realized how little he knew about it...
Such as... this fenced in park wasn't a park at all, but an old cemetery preserved and protected by the city. He couldn't tell if the energy source was coming from inside the fence, or if it was on the other side of the gated area, but Valhalla cautiously made his way closer. It was easy to jump the iron pickets, not wanting to rattle the chains keeping it shut. Now all he had to do was try and get a glimpse of who was wandering around at night as well.
It also took him a little while to realize that whoever it was could probably feel his energy as well, but... they hadn't attacked him yet, so... maybe that was a good sign? Or just wishful thinking.
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 7:14 pm
“Are you going to stare all night or are you going to introduce yourself?” The voice was civil, polite and almost soothing despite the press of energy. He could likely have been felt through out the entire city. For all that weight of dark power he looked not so impressive in stature. Deceptive to say the least given the strength his rank would have given him, but he sat on some cold steps with a thermos and a steaming plastic cup of what seemed to be nothing more terrible than tea.
“Well?” He pressed, blinking almost owlishly and arching an eyebrow as he took a sip. “Your name? Knight I assume… the newest flavor for the side of ‘Order’. Were you just curious or we’re you interested in joining the other side?”
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:25 pm
Valhalla froze at the voice, not having expected for someone to speak through the darkness to him. And while the energy the young man was giving off made him feel like he should be running away in the oposite direction, the polite invitation had him stepping curiously forward, around one of the large tomb stones that obscured part of his view of the young man.
"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, holding his hands up in his usual show of defenseless peace. "I didn't know if I had permission or not, er... I'm not really sure what your rank is..." he admitted a bit sheepishly, not wanting to insult him by calling him a General when his energy obviously said otherwise.
"Valhalla..." he introduced after a moment to pause and make sure his voice wouldn't shake. He swallowed before continuing, knowing very well that he was at a high risk of getting himself killed if he wasn't careful. "I'm a page of Jupiter. And I'm not really a fan of such a black and white concept as 'Chaos' and 'Order'..." he said, not really sure how the officer would take an opinion like that. Things were much more complicated than just 'right' and 'wrong', 'good' and 'bad'...
He hadn't noticed right away, but now that he had a moment to remind himself to breathe, Valhalla spotted the thermos and stared incredulously at it. But it wasn't because it was strange... it was because he was even more convinced that even those in the negaverse were just like senshi and knights, at least when it came to just... being human. How many times had he stopped for a snack while patrolling? Or watched as a General decided to get some juice out of a vending machine while they talked...?
Or maybe he was just deluding himself into a false sense of comfort... Probably...
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:42 am
“Jupiter.” The man repeated with clear interest. “Interesting, do you feel that makes a difference in how you serve? Or is it just a title to you?” He tipped his head to one side and then followed the glance towards his tea and looked amused. “If you were expecting something like ‘the blood of innocents’ I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for the fact it’s just a very nice citrus blend. If you’d like a cup I do have a spare.”
He watched you with interest for a moment, as though he could pick you apart with just his eyes, maybe his words as well. A careful analogy of the most common unifying factors of humanity till he could pull at those traits that made each person unique and there by find the very heart of you.
“My name is Zinkenite, and I am curious of what you do believe then? Do you not then, follow the blind faith of so many others? Don’t want to see me slaughtered where I sit with no chance of ‘redemption’ because we are ‘not worth it’?” There was an odd weight to the question; a dark look in his eyes that said such limited view on the value of life did not sit well with him, even for an agent of what was arguably ‘Evil’.
He brushed aside for now the answer of his Rank, just Zinkenite; it was almost casual and familiar. Inviting even to speak as peers despite the oppressive aura that spilled out around you.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 1:39 pm
He stiffened almost noticeably, not really sure how to respond to the young man's question. "It makes no difference, and it's who I am, not a rank," he attempted to explain, although he wasn't really sure how to convince another that him being 'of Jupiter' was much more of an internal connection to himself than to any part of his past life, or ancestor's life, whatever it turned out to be. Him being a knight of Jupiter certainly didn't change how he felt about things now.
Valhalla frowned lightly, a bit sad even, as he was offered some tea. He wanted to tell him that no, he hadn't thought it was 'the blood of innocents' or anything as equally horrifying. He'd thought it was hot chocolate or even some soup. Either way, he thought it would be rude to turn down the offer, so he cautiously stepped closer, glancing around to make sure they were alone. "If you don't mind... Thank you," he said with a small nod, although he didn't draw any closer until he felt it was okay. Not that he thought the officer would feel threatened by his presence. He was only a page after all.
"I don't want to see anyone slaughtered," he quickly responded, concern and momentary confusion slipping into his voice. And then he remembered what he'd been told before, about what a select number of senshi had done to some in the negaverse. "And I can't say I've met any senshi or knight who follows blind faith, or at least they weren't preaching about it," he corrected, not sure about some, but he knew those he was closest to didn't expect to wait and be saved by some mysterious Moon Queen.
"Everyone deserves a chance to live," he said, although wary of stepping into a disagreement with Zinkenite, which could very well lead to him ending up dead.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:40 pm
“I can only assume that you must preach less to each other.” He said quietly and poured you a steaming cup, it wasn’t too hot but the cool air made the warmth of it twist into fine white clouds that smelled of orange and spices over the bitterness of black tea.
“I have heard perhaps more than my share, though that might be my own fault for seeking to engage them such as I am doing now. Don’t look so nervous…” He added sounding more amused. “If I wanted you dead you already would be, unless you try and kill me I won’t hurt you, not tonight at any rate. I’m more interested in knowing than I am in violence unless I must, knowing solves so very many problems.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:20 pm
"Mostly it's just trying to figure out what the hell is going on with everything around us," he admitted, taking the cup of tea once it was poured and handed to him. He eyed Zinkenite warily, before slowly making his way to sit down on the steps with him, although he was sure to give the other young man enough space. "Thank you," he said again, taking a moment to just breathe in the aroma the tae gave off. It was soothing... the smell at least. Even though he was still very uncomfortable with the aura Zinkenite was giving off, he at least had something to keep him distracted for a few minutes.
"I figured as much," he mumbled, making a slightly horrified face at the idea that he could have been dead on the ground at this very moment if Zinkenite so wished. Valhalla knew the risk, but he also wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Sorry... the uh... energy bothers me a little... I guess there's no way to turn it off or down a little?" he half-joked, although it fell flat rather quickly. "Either way, I'm not the type to preach," he said softly, taking a small sip of the tea before glancing curiously up at Zinkenite.
"Wow... you seem really young, too," he groaned lightly, hating the idea of teenagers running around and fighting each other. "No offense meant... It's just... I don't think I could have done this if I was any younger." It was bad enough that he was in college and doing this, but if he'd been in high school? He'd probably be so emotionally messed up.
"And I wouldn't try to kill you or hurt you," he quickly added, although he probably sounded pretty pathetic as it was. Not wanting to hurt anyone, wanting everyone to get a chance to live... Just wait until Zinkenite realized his weapon was a measly compass on a chain. Well, he hoped he wouldn't have to reveal his 'weapon', but still. Valhalla felt very inadequate in Zinkenite's presence. "I would much prefer discussions over violence."
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:50 am
“No, not for us I’m afraid, only the Senshi can deceive you with their rank and then at least only the Royal Senshi.” He said and took a sip of his own tea again, speculative and watching you over the teacup like you sat on the couch of a psychologist instead of concrete stairs.
The age comment made him laugh though. “I am one of the younger faces I admit, but only on the side of chaos. We will never recruit as young as the Senshi do, I’m still appalled at the idea of children who can’t be much more than eight fighting in this war. Whatever the reasons for choosing people so young, I can’t say I approve.”
He sipped the tea again considering. “I can’t say I’ve met many knights, not even a handful of them, one called Avalon for example but she was much like any senshi, quite full of herself and her opinions. You seem quite different though; perhaps you’ll tell me a bit about the knights. I admit you make me curious.”
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:20 pm
"Royal Senshi can hide their energy?" he stared in surprise, although now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember if he felt the full force of the two Royal Senshi he'd known were at the Surrounding. How many 'Royals' were there, anyway? The very thought made him cringe a little. Not because he didn't like the idea of 'Royalty' among senshi, but because they seemed so caught up with things that they forgot about the 'little people'... at least in his very limited experience with them, so he probably shouldn't be jumping to conclusions...
"Sorry, I didn't really know," he admitted, feeling foolish for his comment from before. It was probably really obvious that he was new at this thing. He didn't consider himself to be really new, but he definitely didn't know everything.
"I don't approve of it either," he said, staring at his cup of tea and pausing to take another sip. "I have a younger sibling about their age. And extended family that age too. If I ever found out they were a senshi, I'd make sure their parents grounded them for life," he grumbled, sincerely hoping that would never happen. That he was the only one in his family. It was bad enough that his best friends were a knight and cat respectively.
"But I don't think the Guardian cats do it with the intention of putting them in danger," he defended, before realizing he probably shouldn't jump into a topic Zinkenite didn't agree with. That might get dangerous. "Uh... I mean... I know there are senshi who never wanted to be senshi. They were awakened without being asked, so... I don't know, it's all complicated."
He was a little surprised at the comment about him being quite different, to which he shook his head. "Not really... I mean, I'm no different than a lot of others. I guess we're all a little different, but I know a good few who would rather negotiate with words rather than violence," he tried to explain, running his fingers over the edge of the cup in his hands. He didn't mind talking about knights, though. Or at least what he knew about them.
"I've met her, too... I think she's had one too many bad experiences to be open to discussion... I don't know her very well, but she's not a bad person." At least he didn't think so... "Knights... we awake on our own, I guess. I mean, we don't need a cat to tell us who we are. We just... know." Well, that sounded weird, so he went on to try and explain better. "When I awoke it was because I was in danger and hurt. There might be different triggers for others, but... I'm guessing it's the general idea. I can only speak for myself."
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:15 am
“In a way, Castor has been reported as appearing as a ‘regular’ Eternal again, but I know very well that he turns into a pantless ‘Prince’. He said curling his lip slightly, either at the pantless, or perhaps the title, maybe both. “There is no shame in not knowing something, the only sad thing is never trying to learn.”
He swirled the tea in his cup thoughtfully at the words. “Then why change to uniform if they dislike it so much? Also if they have no intent of putting them into danger why not wait a few years. Surely it’s the safest for the ‘Chibi Senshi’ to remain a civilian, protected by the older and stronger. Instead I see them on many battlefields, the most dangerous place for them I think.
“As for Avalon, she’ll need more than the excuse of ‘bad experience’ and lies to protect her opinions if she wants to survive. Believing you are strong and wise are two great failings, almost as great as declaring yourself to be either, pride before the fall I think.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:08 pm
Valhalla frowned lightly at the information. He didn't realize that Royal Senshi could appear to just be Eternal. That was certainly convenient at least. He did his best not to appear too amused over the fact that Castor really didn't seem to be wearing pants, but that was completely off topic... even if Valhalla hadn't noticed that detail before. He didn't know Castor very well, so he couldn't say anything about him.
"Why power up?" he more or less repeated, knowing it was a legitimate question. It was a question he'd asked himself before. Why didn't they just stay powered down? "Youma can sense our starseeds... their starseeds, can't they?" he wondered, knowing that senshi and possibly even knights were sought after for their energy. "Even if they didn't power up, they would still be hunted, wouldn't they? Being a senshi gives them a little more of an advantage to survive, I think..." They were able to jump and run farther and faster than as a civilian. Being able to sense others' powers helped them stay out of the way, while as a civilian they could simply walk into danger.
"I'm not saying it's right or okay. I just think it's a little more complicated than deciding whether or not to be a senshi or remain a civilian," he tried to explain, knowing that his 'it depends on the situation' answers didn't really help conclude anything. If he never powered up again, he would feel like he was denying part of who he was. He couldn't do that. Not comfortably at least. He couldn't just ignore the fact that he was Valhalla.
He did wince lightly when Zinkenite went into more detail about his encounter with Avalon, although he held back a groan. She was going to get herself killed like that. Not that he wasn't probably going to get himself killed by hanging out around Negaverse Generals and who knew what rank above that...
"I don't know her well," he said again, although he wished he did. Maybe then he could understand where she was coming from a bit more. Sometimes it was a matter of misunderstanding, but... he didn't want to make it sound as if Zinkenite was confusing Avalon's actions for something else. Instead, Valhalla took a long moment to sip at his tea.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:27 pm
He laughed quite amused. “If they could find something as tasty as your alien powered star seeds when you –weren’t- using inhuman magic, don’t you think there would be a great deal fewer senshi in the city if nothing else?” He waved his hand slightly. No, no I do not believe any of us can find the other ‘powered down’ unless some great stroke of, well I suppose it would depend on the outcome on if you see the result as favorable.”
“I think, regardless of whatever side we find ourselves on there is a great appeal in playing ‘super hero’ even if neither side can ever agree on who the ‘Hero’ is, and honestly neither side as a whole stands on terribly high moral ground.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:51 pm
"I'm not an alien!" he quickly corrected, although he knew he should also probably explain just as quickly. "Knights in the past were all born on Earth. We're all originally from Earth and then sent to aid other planets." It was true though, and there were still knights of Earth around. Camelot and Avalon and Annwn, whom he'd only met briefly but still considered an ally. "And Senshi now are all born on Earth. They're all human. Their past doesn't make them who they are today." Not all of them, at least.
Valhalla frowned in concern at Zinkenite's comment about playing 'hero', knowing that there are some senshi who have behaved just as abhorred as others. The battle for the Surrounding had opened his eyes to the horrible violence inflicted by either side.
"What does the Negaverse wish to accomplish?" he asked, taking a moment to make sure his voice wouldn't shake before continuing. He knew he was speaking to someone who could easily crush him, but he was much too curious about what could be done than whether or not he was signing his own death warrant, quite literally. "From what I've heard, you don't want the Moon Princess to come and take over the planet, right...? I don't want that either. I don't want to bow to something I don't think is right, and if some Princess tries taking the Earth by force, I'm going to do everything I can to defend it and its people."
Maybe he was talking too much... Hell, maybe he didn't even know what he was talking about. But he knew one thing... He wanted to protect the Earth, from whatever threatened it. Be it the Negaverse, Senshi, Knights, or normal humans.
"Earth is my home, too..."
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 7:51 am
“I know… I believe that you are human; you’re what happen to us if the senshi get their hands on us. Just ask Castor about Lina, she was one of the best of us.” His hand closed into a tight fist for a moment, remembering her standing on the other side of that golden shield of souls. It was a small knife in his chest that was washed away with a small touch of chaos that reminded him of his duties and his place, dulling the ache again.
“We want to keep the senshi from doing what they did once before, the once great city of earth lies in ruins because of a war with them, their own worlds lie in ruin and while they would happily blame us, I wonder how they think we got there when I’ve only ever seen one because a senshi took me quite by mistake. I’ve even wondered if it was the senshi fighting among themselves. The ruin is too great I think even for the time that passed. I will not stand by and see them level this world as well, I will see the kingdom of earth rebuilt…and I’ll see their damned princess in hell if I can help it. It’s because of her there are Youma, once human they have lost more than most will ever understand because they –dared- object to her seduction of the Earth prince, her plans to rule all.”
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 2:20 pm
Valhalla watched Zinkenite curiously when he spoke of Castor and this Lina person, glancing down at the fist he'd made upon mentioning them. He'd heard of her, mentioned in passing, but he'd never had the opportunity to speak with her, directly. Why would someone important talk to a lowly page? Then again... why was Zinkenite bothering to keep him alive and not kill him?
Whatever the reason was, Valhalla kept his mouth shut until it seemed okay to speak again, taking the few long moments to sip at his tea and remind himself that the possibility of getting himself killed was still very high, especially if he did something to piss this guy off.
"It's different now than it was in the past," he tried, speaking cautiously and doing his best not to overstep his boundaries. "Whatever happened in the past, regardless of what side did what... there's potential to change now." Valhalla paused, as if he was debating with himself on continuing or not, before slowly, but confidently adding, "Earth is all we have left... the senshi won't destroy it."
He didn't know what to think about all he was being told about youma being human at one point, but he was definitely going to ask around about that. Maybe Europa or Maia would know...
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