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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 1:47 pm
The Squire of Earth was having a fairly simple evening. It was earlier than he usually set out on patrol, but he had a day off at the library and had nothing else to do with the evening than go out on patrol and look for anyone that might need his help.
He was still healing from, of all things, being shot. He had never imagined he would get himself in that kind of a situation: he knew he would get hurt. That was part of the job. He just expected it from agents of Chaos, or youma, even other people from the side of Order with different views than his own. But not a civilian.
It just went to show, he could not underestimate anyone, or any situation. He would get himself killed that way.
Still, powering up made him feel much better. He walked leisurely, through the park tonight. He had started from the library, but there had been nothing of note to worry about over there. In fact, he could still feel nothing. There were people out and about, though, so he stuck to the back paths and did his best not to get noticed.
No one really understood why a guy dressed like a knight was walking around. They usually assumed he was crazy or, even better, a ren faire fanatic. He didn't really want to get teased and questioned tonight, though, so he walked the creepier paths that most sane people stayed away from once night fell.
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:01 am
No one understood but the brunette who had, through sheer dumb luck, seen him pass. Tate had to shed the study buddy she’d been sitting with, of course, but once she’d said no, she really did see someone she had to go talk to right then, she felt completely secure in dashing after the man in the armor. “Camelot!” When she caught up to him, she put her hands on her knees to catch her breath--running pell-mell in these shoes was not good for her feet at all, not at all. It actually really hurt.
“Camelot,” she repeated when she got her breath back. She straightened her back, brushed her hair behind her ears and carefully (very carefully) straightened her high-collared jacket and the blue scarf that went with it. “I’m Avalon,” she said, finally, closing brown-gray eyes and then smiling, definitely feeling embarrassed about it. “And I need to go home. I promised I would show you, if you hadn’t learned yourself--do you have time to do this?”
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 12:18 pm
Camelot turned when he heard his name being called, looking around and spotting Tate as she ran toward him. He stopped and smiled as she ran up, not wanting to make her give chase to him at least.
He recognized her from the library, at least, and he blinked at her as she caught him up on her plan.
"I... ah. Well. I've been once but..." He shook his head. It hadn't been much of a trip, but at least he knew how to do it. He nodded his head, though, wanting to help her and wanting to go back to Camelot, and Avalon by extension. It would be a nice reprieve, as well.
Destiny City wasn't treating him very well right now. Maybe the wonder would be better.
"I do, I'm not doing anything tonight, I'd be honored to help you." he bowed a bit, meaning it and not being cheeky at all. He felt connected to Avalon, and it was his duty to aid her however she needed him to.
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:33 pm
"Then you don't need me to teach you," she said, briskly. "That's good. Saves time, doesn't it?" She offered him another smile, this one much more perfunctory. Honestly, four months--she jonesed for the feel of her apple in her hand, the feeling that accompanied her transformation--she craved the sensation of being powerful and unstoppable and perfect. Being stuck as a human had been torment.
She held out both her hands and smiled a little sadly. "I only have a really vague idea of where we need to go, but if we depart now we ought to be back in plenty of time for morning." Pausing for a moment, she considered the implications of that--"Well, I'm sure you will be," she edited, consciously. "I don't know what else is implied in these 'trials' of Squirehood."
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:48 pm
He chuckled and smiled, nodding his head. He was nervous, really, to go back to Camelot. Nothing bad had happened the last time he went, but there were still a lot of strange feelings attached to the place. Not from his past, he had not really awakened much in that light, but simply from his trip to 'Camelot' some time before he had powered up.
A lot of strange things had happened, and though he couldn't really remember it, he knew it had been a difficult time for him. A civilian, dragged to a world that was not his. And now, he realized, it had been his but instead just some facsimile of it. That almost made the whole thing worse, just in retrospect.
It wasn't worth dwelling on, he told himself, but he still felt a creeping hesitance in the back of his neck.
His desire to aid her, though, and to fulfill his promise out weighed any trepidation. He was more than ready, and fully willing, to serve his duty. At the moment, that was to Tate, Avalon. He nodded, wondering about her trials as well. He had not had to do much, beyond get stuck in a burning house with a chibi senshi and a cat.
Fun times.
"I will see you through what I can," he said, smiling and taking her hand. The process of calling to Camelot was easy enough, even with his inexperience. A pledge and a short trip through something he couldn't begin to fathom, and they found themselves standing in the center of a large, dark cavern. The only light came from glistening crystals that caught one singular beam of light from a hole in the ceiling and bounced it around the large space.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:55 pm
Her stomach rolled as she waited for the Squire of Camelot to take her hands. Now that she'd said it aloud--I don't know what else is implied in these trials of Squirehood--she couldn't stop thinking about it. All she knew was that they required patience, that they required some kind of sacrifice. What if it wasn't just the past months of waiting? What if, instead, it was something real and physical and--
She had just a moment before they were standing, suddenly, in a cavern. It seemed--not to put too blunt a point on it--cavernous, and dark, with all of the light coming from what she would have termed an oculus if she had any idea where she was at all. "This is Camelot," she asked, her voice echoing strangely. "Um... There should be water nearby... Water and boats and mist. Will you help me find them, before you go?"
Tate swallowed, the usually effortless action taking concentration--she was so nervous she felt like she couldn't catch a full breath. "It's stupid," she admitted, "But I don't want to be alone."
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:09 pm
"I suppose it is," Camelot breathed, looking around the sprawling cavern in wonder. What it was for and what story it had to tell were a mystery to him, but it was rather beautiful in its own right. It was light outside, at least, and they had enough to see the arching entryway that led into a cave and then out onto a grassy field.
He smiled and nodded his head at her question.
"I will help you until you dismiss me," he said, in typical knight fashion. He was her knight at the moment, whether she wanted it that way or not. He walked with her, leading the way out of the cave and marking to himself that he would have to come back and find it again. Maybe there was something for him there, but it wasn't to be explored now.
He stayed by her side, walking with his shield on his arm, but lowered leisurely. There was no trouble to be had here, after all. He felt at peace, connected to this place in a way he had never felt before. Not just the cavern, but the whole of Camelot. He guided her to the exit to the cave and once they were outside they would have an easier time finding her mists and boats.
"I'm glad we can share this place," he heard himself say, without realizing he was voicing his thoughts.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:31 pm
"It's not quite how I expected it to look," she said after a moment, moving but half a step closer to Camelot. Darkness became a bit unnerving once you knew what might really be lurking in it, and could not defend against it. Craning her neck, she saw--or thought she saw--similarities to her own home, her own Wonder, and felt comfort at it. Even if she was just imagining it, she was glad to be there, and finally on her way back to attaining her powered form. "But it's still lovely," she added, as they crossed to the archway and the sunlight.
Giving another glance to the knight at her side, she considered her own future as a knight. Would she gain armor, as he had? Or would it remain cloth, like Babylon? Where did you go from an apple?... "Avalon is all over trees and fog and birds," she said finally. It felt only fair, to share her place as he was sharing his. "At the far north is a chapel on a cliffside, over the water, with a light in the tower. I'll show you, someday, when I can go of my own accord again. It's... it's very pretty."
Fair and right. Camelot and Avalon had always been close.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:52 pm
Camelot smiled and nodded his head.
"I'd like to see it. I've barely begun to explore this place, but I know there are other wonders, like Avalon, to be found. That thought... makes me happy, I guess. I've never been much for being on my own."
It was true. He was a servant, he supposed, in one way or another. He was meant to serve someone and make promises he then pledge himself to keep. That was his lot in life, and he was more than willing to accept it. He sought it, in fact.
It was as much a part of him now as being a librarian was.
Once they were out in the grass the scenery was much more pleasant and the light was welcoming. It was warm enough, the grass a vibrant green and waving in the slight wind. There were trees around them, but not too thick. They were in a light wood, and a short walk would take them toward Avalon.
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 11:03 pm
She considered that, jamming her hands in her pockets. The bag at her side beat a tattoo against her thigh, steady along with her stride. Whatever trials were coming, she hoped they didn't mean she had to live on apples and whatever was in her bag for the duration... Maybe they'd give her her weapon earlier so she could go home. It wasn't like she could just summon up food like past Avalonians could. "We could compare ancestors," she said. "If you have any. I've heard some of us don't... I do. Her name's Nimue."
The brunette rubbed her chin, considering the nuances of knightly life, when a scent on the wind distracted her. She brightened, a smile coming onto her face. "D'you smell that? Like... salt water." Turning her grin to Camelot, she said, "We might be close."
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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:58 pm
Camelot looked thoughtful, than shook his head.
"I don't know about my past life. Not too much, yet, at any rate. He was a knight under Arthur, and there was a vow he took... I don't understand what it was yet, but he may have broken it."
He shook his head. He hadn't gotten many memories, and what few he had were vague at best. He wasn't sure if they were memories at all, or if he was just letting his imagination run away with him. In this place, it was very likely. He had always dreamed of the real Camelot, and used to wonder what it would be like to be a knight.
Now he knew.
Kind of.
He took a breath and nodded his head. He did smell the water, and he smiled at that. It would be nice to see the waters leading to Avalon, though it wasn't his place to cross them. He walked with her and the sounds of water reached them, and soon enough the banks of a misty shore came into view. Camelot's eyebrows lifted as he saw it, and he glanced at her to see if this was what she was looking for.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 1:31 am
Tate didn't really know what to say, and she patted his armored arm simply for nothing better to do. I'm sorry that your past self was a douchebag. My ancestor might have been terribly in love with your king-- God, she hoped Nimue hadn't been. Maybe she ought to ask. "My ancestor's a bit of an idiot," she confided, but then the scent of the seashore distracted her more. The salt winds, the sound of waves--Tate let go of Camelot, the sudden sprint towards the shore answer enough. She couldn't say how she knew--Nimue hadn't explained that far--but she felt certain that here, this shore, was the place where she had to be. The tall girl stopped just at the edge of the water, leaned forward to peer through the mist. There was no boat, no form of transport, but she thought she knew what to do. Avalon and Camelot were not connected so much physically as magically, and all she had to do was cross-- But first. "Thank you," she said over her shoulder, retreating from the waves and stopping before the Squire of Camelot. After a hesitant moment, she wrapped her arms around him for a hug, and then retreated several steps before he could even think of reciprocating. "I owe you for this, so much. And--And I'll see you again soon." As she spoke, she trekked backwards, deeper into the waves, until they were to her ankles, to her calves, the black denim of her school jeans sticking to her skin wetly--"Don't know how soon, but soon. Um..." She was fading into the mists, neutral grays swallowing the thin form. "Bye, I guess," floated back. Tate's growth quest is continued here.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:36 am
Camelot smiled and laughed, nodding his head. Idiot, he felt, was potentially a lot better than traitor, if that indeed was what Camelot had been in ancient days. But then, a lingering feeling told him it was more than that, and if he actually took the time to explore and learn he would discover something more.
Maybe he was nervous about it. He did like coming here with someone else, though. If Avalon wanted to return with him some time later, or maybe he could bring Shalott with him.
It would be easier.
When she hugged him he wanted to tell her to be careful. His fret and worry radar were beeping and he knew he would wonder about her until they met again. But he told himself that she was here for a purpose: and that meant she had to face it without doubt. At least, without any doubt Camelot might give her with his pointless worrying. Instead, he hugged her and smiled, nodding his head and seeing her off. Once she was in the water and bowed as she began to vanish.
"We'll meet again," he agreed, and he stood there until he was sure she was gone. And then for a while longer.
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