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Quicksilver the Archangel
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 Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:31 pm
After the success of delivering Sessrumnir's present, Pasiphae was feeling better, and more at ease, about contacting another Jovian whose civilian identity she did not know. When the Shame Senshi had first met Ganymede... she had not know what to think of him. On the one hand, Europa and Kallichore had frequently mentioned him whenever they had been talking about her joining the other Jovians on a team. That had set her up for considering him an important person, on the same level and wavelength as both of them. On the other hand... the first meeting had him yelling at Kallichore, angry and hurt and... well, not looking at all like Pasiphae had expected. She had not formed a negative impression of the Lust Senshi, but she had left not... really knowing what to think.
Their time in the Surrounding, however, had quickly endeared her to him for various reasons. While she would be the first to admit that she and Ganymede had very different personalities, she had also seen first hand how he cared about not only her but their other allies and the innocent. He had stood firm against the Great Youma and battled side by side with them, refused to leave them even in the bleakest parts of battle, and ultimately had been one of the many to share his blood and his power to insure victory for the forces of Order. Now, Pasiphae could not imagine Ganymede as anything other than an ally and friend, despite their differences. Now, as she sat on the roof of the library and waited for him to appear, she just hoped that the present she had nestled in the box appealed to him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:04 pm
It wasn’t often that Ganymede—or Paris, for that matter—went to the library. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d even wandered near it—maybe a year ago?—much less set foot inside. Just the sight of piles and stacks and shelves of books encouraged an immediate headache to take root. To him, books meant school, and school meant unending boredom, which meant hours of his life being wasted away.
He supposed that was something he was going to have to get over, and a way of thinking he was somehow going to have to change, if he intended on going back.
In any case, meeting outdoors wouldn’t provide the chance for a headache to develop, as there were no books in sight. Once he got over the cringing and the internal whining any mention of going to the library always incited, Ganymede realized it was actually a good place to meet, by virtue of the fact that almost everyone knew exactly where it was.
He landed on the roof with a quiet click of his boot heels and spotted Pasiphae instantly, though it wasn’t as if he hadn’t felt her presence there before he saw her—sometimes he thought he was still getting used to that sixth sense, even nearly a year later.
“Hey,” he greeted her. He held two paper cups with plastic lids, one in each hand, and offered one to her as he approached. “I brought tea if you’d like some. I thought about hot chocolate, but then I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about that or if you were lactose intolerant or whatever, so I figured something more generic would be better.”
Little things like that—while not necessarily important to their lives as senshi—always made him think that he should be getting to know his teammates better.
“It’s decaf,” he added. “I try not to drink too much caffeine if I can help it. And I’ve got sugar packets and cream for it if you use any.”
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:47 pm
Pasiphae had sensed Ganymede's presence as well, and it was the only thing that kept her from suddenly jumping when he came up behind her. In a way it was comforting for her to be able to recognize friend from foe that way, whenever it was often so hard to tell in person. It took her a moment to rise without disturbing the package in her lap, but she managed to pull it off without embarassing herself. The wisps of steam that puffed out of the cups mimicked the tiny white clouds that appeared as she spoke, a testament to the nighttime chill. "I... I like tea just fine, thank you. But... hot chocolate would have been fine. Or coffee. I'd drink any of them..."
But now she was babbling, so she cut herself off. The Shame Senshi stared down at the present that she had really made no effort to hide, and figuring that the best way to get through it was just to... get through it, she murmured, "I didn't bring anything to drink, but... I did bring you something." The box was wrapped in white wrapping paper with silver swirls, more winteresque than truly "Christmas" themed. A broad red ribbon tied the box closed. She held it awkwardly in her hands for a moment before offering it towards the Senshi with a small smile and an even smaller joke. "I'll trade you? Though... maybe you'd prefer both cups of tea, given how cold it is..." That the reserved girl felt comfortable enough to even offer such a light joke was no mean feat--it showed that she trusted Ganymede to recognize it as such and not take offense.
Inside the box, under a layer of tissue paper, a woven red scarf with fringes on the edges was waiting to be revealed.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:33 pm
Ganymede found his eyes drawn to the wintery wrapped package right away. To say that he was surprised might have been a bit of an understatement. He hadn’t truly known what to expect when Pasiphae had called him out—certainly not a gift, which this obviously was.
As much as he enjoyed shopping—alone, with others, it didn’t usually matter to him—he often found that he was much better at shopping for himself than he was at deciding on suitable presents for other people. That, and he’d never had very many friends to exchange presents with before. Other social niceties he was decently versed in, but he never knew when the giving of gifts was appropriate, or with whom it should be done. This Christmas season, he’d purchased a few gifts for his best friend and that was it. He didn’t even exchanged gifts with his parents—hadn’t for years—and he and Chris had rekindled their relationship so soon before Christmas that they’d both agreed gift giving was not a necessity this year.
He hadn’t expected anything from any of his teammates.
But to see Pasiphae here extending her offering made him smile all the same.
“You didn’t have to,” he told her, exchanging the cups of tea for the wrapped package. He undid the bow carefully, pulling it loose before ripping open the paper with a bit less care. “I should have brought more than tea. You’re so nice. How can you go through all this stuff and still be so nice?”
As rude and abrasive and argumentative as Ganymede could be, he found he often developed a fondness for genuinely nice people. He didn’t really know why, though he suspected it had something to do with the feeling of acceptance he always felt around them.
Finally opening the present, he pulled out the red scarf with a broad smile on his face. “This is excellent!” he said. He immediately wrapped it around his neck and started twisting around to strike a variety of poses, modeling his new present. “I love scarfs! They make winter fashion so much more interesting. And it matches my outfit. I’ll totally wear this from now on. You think I would have thought to before now, but apparently I like to suffer through the cold. This is great. Honestly,” he said and stopped to face her fully, still smiling. “Thank you.”
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 9:19 pm
Pasiphae immediately blushed as Ganymede took the package, but she hid her face by looking down at the warm tea placed in her hands. She carefully knelt to place the holder on the roof before opening one of the lids. She smiled at the warm vapor that touched her face, but the smile was also for the reaction of her team mate. She stole glances at him as he unwrapped the gift. A look here when she opened two packs of sugar. Another, quicker peek when she added a tiny splash of milk. He seemed to like it, or at least was going through all the stages of unwrapping a gift that she did whenever she wanted to make sure not to hurt whatever was inside.
The Shame Senshi straightened from her crouched position, bringing her fully prepared tea and Ganymede's yet untouched coup up with her. She took a sip of her tea and nearly choked on it at her companion's praise. She managed to escape with just a cough and a small protest, "Oh, I know I didn't... but... I mean, it's the holidays. And you helped me so much and... and everything in the Surrounding and brought me tea... all of that is nice, beyond nice!" Her babbling dissolved into silence as she took another, longer drink ffrom the warm tea and used it to steady herself. As comfortable as she was becoming around her teammates, she still had several insecurities when it came to dealing with... people. Ganymede had said she was nice, asked how she could remain nice... when she thought that she was doing nothing special. Not really. She was just... giving back to those who had treated her well.
Whatever insecurities she had about whether he would like the gift, however, were dispelled whenever he pulled it from the box and began to strike poses. She could not help but laugh, clasping her hands around her cup hard enough to cause a small slosh of liquid to escape over the side. "I'm glad that you like it, Ganymede. I wasn't too sure about... what to get anyone, but I figured... everyone could use a warm scarf."
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 1:14 pm
“Anyone who claims not to have any use for a scarf clearly does not understand the benefits of owning one,” Ganymede said. He quickly cleaned up the small mess he’d made in unwrapping his gift, taking the ribbon and tying it around his low ponytail. He thought it’d be a bit of a waste to simply get rid of it when it still had its uses.
“Thank you,” he said again, wanting to make sure she knew he meant it. He realized he often came off as abrasive and unappreciative in the midst of his senshi life. He certainly had a much easier time handling people and social interactions as a civilian. As a senshi he was usually at a loss, no matter what the situation.
Pleased with his gift, and happy that Pasiphae seemed to think him worthy enough to deserve one, Ganymede took the second cup of tea for himself, mixing in a few packets of sugar and a small bit of cream.
“You know,” he began, somewhat slowly so as to make sure he worded his thoughts correctly, “at the Surrounding… I wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much if you and Europa and Val hadn’t been there. Having people to rely on… and knowing people rely on me, and not just as another senshi, but as someone they might be able to think of as a friend… it makes it a little easier to fight. It reminds me that I have reasons for doing this, that I’m not just volunteering my time on a whim. I want to be dependable to the people I need and who need me, too. So I guess… having all of you and being a team with people who believe in me… I guess it means I’m doing okay…”
He kept smiling, occasionally fiddling with the scarf. He thought of it sort of as proof that his effort wasn’t going unnoticed, and after everything that had happened before, just thinking that made him feel really, really good.
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:16 pm
"I'm glad you like it, Ganymede... really glad." Pasiphae stared down into the remnants of her tea, and she listened carefully to her fellow Jovian's description of the Surrounding. He was sharing so much... it didn't seem fair for him to be sharing so much, and for her to be giving othing in retiurn. Her voice became even softer than normal as she confessed, "When I was buried under the rocks... it was the thought of losing you and Europa that... that caused me to grow more powerful. I couldn't just... let you get hurt. I... I don't want to lose you, or... any of the Jovians... any of the Knights and Senshi," It took a lot for her to relay this information, and she could feel her cheeks burning as hot as the tea in her cup. She didn't dare look up as she muttered, "So... maybe together... we can keep on protecting everyone?"
Wanting to quickly change the subject to anything other than herself, she turned away from Ganymede, kicking herself. She had called him out to her! She had no right to be this nervous! But... she had been so presumptious, assuming he cared about her feelings or even wanted to keep being with her, as a friend, as a colleague. He had spoken about the team, about her and Europa and Valhalla together, not her individually! She should have just left as soon as he took the present box. It would have been so much less awkward, so much easier, than standing here and... trying to be friends. No, not trying, being friends. Time to turn to the old standby--Senshi businss, "Um... I know Chris was worried, about us staying powered up too long. Should I go back to normal? That way there's just one energy signature..."
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:07 pm
In some ways, Ganymede felt somewhat flattered that he had—however unintentionally, and however loosely—been part of the cause for Pasiphae’s power-up. It was, in a sense, very empowering to think that he meant enough to someone for them to gain strength from adversity in order to protect him and others, especially when he considered that he had only known that someone for a short while—though he couldn’t even claim to know them especially well outside of their senshi experiences. It furthered the feelings of acceptance he had begun to acquire in his dealings with the Jovians, and bolstered a particular fondness he’d gained toward Pasiphae during their ordeal at the Surrounding.
He smiled and allowed his fellow Jovian to turn the conversation back to less heavy matters, and paused to consider Pasiphae’s suggestion of powering down. One power signature would, of course, be less of a concern than two Supers chilling out on the roof of the library, but he felt a bit as if he were holding out on her by remaining as he was now when she had already been willing to entrust her civilian identity to him. After she’d gone through the trouble of providing him with a gift, and considering what they’d been through and the developing trust he was beginning to feel for this kind girl who he sometimes thought had no reason at all to be kind to him when he knew how abrasive and argumentative he could often be, he realized he was doing a poor job of showing that trust by continuing to keep himself at a distance.
“We can both power down, if you want,” he suggested. “Then there won’t be any energy signature.”
And then, before she could even respond, Ganymede powered down and in his place stood one Paris LeFay. He was both short and slender, pale and young, and—at least this evening—not nearly as dolled up as his senshi half. Paris was also dressed a bit more appropriately for the cold weather than his scantily-clad alter ego, in shorts and leggings with snow boots pulled over top, and a heavy sweater. In the absence of a proper coat, the scarf Pasiphae had given him was still a welcomed addition.
“Hi,” he said, smiling again. “I’m Paris.”
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:11 pm
If Ganymede had given her the chance, Pasiphae would have stressed how much she did not want for him to power down with her. She knew that he was not as forthcoming with his identity as she was--perhaps wisely so. She was willing to keep it that way if he wanted it to be that way. She didn't want him to be put out, to be uncomfortable for her sake. But Ganymede did not give her the chance, and that left the Shame Senshi to blush and quickly move to power down herself.
Nothing new was revealed to Paris as the beads and lace melted away, other than the fact that Penelope was wearing her winter jacket, gray pants, and knit cap. She had not known what to expect whenever Ganymede became Paris. If anything, it was his youth that surprised her the most... youth and
how... well, pretty he was, for lack of a better word. Far prettier than she was, she self-conciously admitted to herself. "It's nice to meet you... well, to meet you again, Paris," she replied in return, her voice quiet even as she clutched the empty cup in her hands like it was suddenly the Holy Grail. Paris. Ganymede. Two sides of the same coin. But, nervous as she could be, the smile on her face was genuine as she suggested, "Um... if you want I
can... buy you a cup of tea... on the way home?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:06 pm
Paris decided as soon as they’d both powered down that he’d made the right choice. Pasiphae… Penelope… deserved to have her trust in him returned. It certainly helped that she was somewhat quiet and unassuming. He thought standing in front of her as himself was even easier than meeting Kallichore as a civilian, and he marveled over the fact that he didn’t feel an ounce of discomfort. Instead, he felt sure that his trust would not be misplaced.
He smiled lightly and almost teased her when her voice grew quieter, but that would be a little mean and he really didn’t want to be mean to her, because she was nice and supportive, and even though he still didn’t know her all that well he’d already decided that he liked her.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” he joked.
Okay, so he couldn’t stop himself from teasing her at least a little.
“Alrighty, let’s get down from here and you can buy me tea,” he agreed, glancing over the edge of the roof to check how far they were from the ground before looking around for some kind of access door. “Maybe we should have waited to power down once we’d actually hit the ground. You think there’s a door that leads down inside? Clearly I don’t spend a lot of time at the library.”
He could get used to it, though, if it meant exchanging gifts and spending time with a friend.
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 9:34 pm
"D-d-date?!" Penelope squeaked out the word and crushed the empty cup in her hand out of nervousness before she could stop herself. Had she given that impression at all? That hadn't been her intention! It was just that it was cold, and Paris had bought her a drink and she would return the favor, and oh god what if this completely changed their relationship--
And then it became obvious that he was joking and meant nothing too deeply with his comments. Relief visibly spread across her face, and she chided herself for thinking anything different. As reserved as she was, Paris was as open. As quiet and unassuming as she was, Paris was a shining center of attention. They were a complimentary pair, and that would make their friendship deepen, not lessen. They didn't have to match--they could fill in what the other lacked.
Case in point: Penelope visited the library frequently and met on the roof of the building far more than was probably healthy. Now more relaxed, she nodded in response to Paris's question and moved toward the door that led to the stairs. "Over here. These stairs can take us down and out through a side door. From there... it isn't too far away that we can get a cup of tea."
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 5:20 pm
Paris rather enjoyed Penelope’s reactions. For someone so unobtrusive, she certainly could be rather expressive in the way she reacted to things. He laughed quietly and told himself he would definitely have to find ways to get her to react again without being too inappropriate about it, because he had a feeling there was a line there between minor embarrassment and outright discomfort. The latter was obviously not something he was aiming for.
He followed Penelope toward the door she’d led him to, making sure his new scarf was still comfortably in place before opening the door for her and motioning her through politely.
“Ladies first,” he said.
Penelope was definitely not the sort of person he would have expected himself to become friends with so easily. Of course, when he took a few moments to think about it he realized that most of the people he considered especially close friends were more like her than the sort of crowd he used to hang out with. These days, the people he spent the most time with were more level-headed and mature, not the wild and rebellious teens of his earlier adolescence. In that case, maybe Penelope was exactly the sort of person he should have been looking for when it came to making new friends.
Whatever the answer was, Paris could admit that being a senshi was at least good for somethings: it’d given him a new perspective on life, and it had introduced him to people—good people—that he might have never met otherwise.
He could live with all the bad stuff so long as there were always those unexpected rays of light.
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