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 Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:00 pm
Camelot was feeling the strain of his recent string of late nights. He was out patrolling more and more, to make sure he was doing his duty and keeping people safe. Keeping his family safe.
With Kyndall rethinking her role in the world, at least as Shalott, he felt a stronger need to protect her. Like he was making up for the patrols she was putting to the side. He would fight the bad guys, stop the youma, while she did what she needed to. She wanted to help, to train and guide, and he certainly understood that.
He had similar ideas, but he could not stop the need for warriors. Knights, in theory and execution, were needed to defend those that could not do it themselves. And he was just that. A knight, that was.
Though sometimes he felt like he was still a helpless civilian.
Breathing heavily, he leaned against a wall and struggled to get his heart rate down. He looked around and wondered where the youma he had been chasing went. Hopefully not off to attack someone else.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:39 am
A powerful aura in the area meant Aventine was making a beeline straight towards it; she'd gotten enough information about this war that she knew anyone with that level of power was a good person to make friends with, and she immediately decided she was going to do it. Plus, she was on the lookout for some battle-hardened knights willing to impart their knowledge with her.
Thankfully, this guy wasn't on the move—as was proven when she found him leaning against a wall. Her eyes lit up when she eyed him; he wasn't unattractive by any means, despite being a little older than her typical targets.
The fact that he was decked out in a full suit of armor was strangely more appealing. The only thing better than a guy in leather was a guy in armor.
She had noticed his heavy breathing and couldn't help but ask, "That suit heavy or are you going into cardiac arrest?"
Absolutely not the best pickup line she'd worked with, but—hey. Good news was, if he was having a heart attack, she didn't have to be embarrassed about it.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:25 am
"I am not having a heart attack," he said, though he wondered if he was lying about that. No, no, he was sure he wasn't dying. He took a breath and cleared his throat, forcing himself to seem more put together than his felt. His chest burned and the back of his head kicked him for playing tough guy.
He ignored both and spoke in a tone slightly higher than he would have liked.
"I've never seen you before. Are you new to the fight?"
He let out a puff of air, but he'd managed to catch his breath. He looked at her in wonder and then smiled more to reassure himself that he was a trustworthy and experienced knight than to assure her of it. One youma should not have given him such a chase, so he decided not to bring that up.
"My name is Camelot, of Earth."
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:53 am
Aventine watched the man, and then just smiled at his antics. She'd have rather him take a few seconds to catch his breath than pass out or anything. "New to the fight, yeah. You could say that."
Which was a much nicer way to say that she was still terribly new.
"Aventine," she introduced, extending a hand to the knight. She made sure to flash a pretty smile, hoping to make a decent impression yet. "Venus. Nice to meet you. And, ah—if you don't mind me asking. If you weren't having a heart attack…what was that? Someone after you?"
It seemed like he'd just given chase—or exerted himself, or something. If there was trouble in the area, she'd at least like to be aware of it.
Anything enough to worry someone of his caliber was more than enough to warrant her concern.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:34 am
Camelot smiled and took her hand, shaking it gently before holding it and bowing his head in greeting. He had picked up the habit when he first powered up, caught up in the feeling of being a real knight, and it just stuck.
If he was a knight, what was the harm of acting like one?
He let go of her hand and watched her with a look of interest which gave way to slight embarrassment that he was trying to desperately hide, but failing miserably to. He cleared his throat and shook his head, glancing around. The youma was no where to be seen now, but then, it hadn't been for some time.
The one that got away, he supposed.
"I was following a youma. I wanted to catch it and dust it before it had the chance to hurt any civilians or attack any other senshi or knights. But ah... I did not do a very good job of that goal, if I'm honest. It got away from me."
Damn thing was fast.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:27 pm
For a second, Aventine looked at Camelot, and then she flashed a small smile. "Well. I guess you can't win 'em all, right?" It was a little reassuring to know that even knights didn't get everything right; knowing there was room for error left her feeling particularly reassured—and gave her more hope and confidence in what she was doing. Being new left her feeling like she was making so many mistakes—even if she wasn't doing anything at all. Without a guidebook or manual to go with, she'd been struggling to figure everything out, but now?
Well, now she'd found just the man she'd been looking for.
"I'm sure there will be other opportunities, right? I mean, you didn't get it now, but I'm sure you'll get it before it gets up to any trouble!"
Well. Probably. He was Camelot—and she had been told to seek him out for knightly things. "—I mean. You're Camelot, right? The Camelot? I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, broad smile still on her face.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:42 am
Camelot looked at her in wonder, blinking at her wording. He even blushed a bit, shifting his arms and then rubbing his elbow awkwardly. Or he tried to, but the dragon wing of the metal blocked him a bit, so he rubbed his upper arm.
He offered a tiny smirk.
"I am a Camelot, though I guess there are not any others... so... uh. Yes, I am. Do you know of me?" He straightened up a bit, and nodded his head. He was a figure of authority, at least some times. At the library, and when he powered up he tried to be a man who could be counted on for guidance. As well as a sturdy source of support and protection.
If he was needed, he wanted to help. Any way he could.
"I will go and hunt that youma down soon enough. I don't like the idea that it will be able to hurt any one because I let it go. But I've got time now."
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:02 pm
Aventine breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, awesome, because—let me tell you—starting out with this whole thing? Is not easy." She blinked, considered his power level, and then offered a laugh. "Well—I mean, of course you'd know that. You already went through it, and you probably get all the newbies like me fawning over you and asking you the same old questions. Which," she warned, "I have a lot of. But I'll try not to overwhelm you. I've spoken to senshi and cats and Negas and Dark Mirrors, but I'm just. I'm not—things aren't linking up right, not yet."
She rocked on her heels, arms crossed over her chest as she tried to clarify, "So I was just wondering…any tips for a newbie? Because. I've been around for a little bit now, but I'm still muddling in the dark. I've had some help, don't get me wrong, but. There's so much to know, and I don't know any of it—other than Knights and Senshi good, Negas, Dark Mirrors bad, and guardian cats can go either way but can't help knights at all."
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:13 pm
Camelot smiled, though he looked nervous. Why he looked nervous was anyone's guess, really. He was a good man and a brave man, but some strange things made him get a little awkward. Being looked up to, for one, should not have gotten to him because he put himself in that kind of a place. He liked guiding others, he liked teaching them.
But sometimes he fretted a bit too much.
"I know, it's not easy at all. But if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask! I, for one, will certainly do what I can to help you. Sharing information is kind of my thing, at least to other knights and senshi under the White Moon." He did what he could to help those under the control of Chaos in other ways, but he would never give them all the information he knew.
He grinned at her, though, thinking she was at least spunky and that would serve her well. He saw a lot of newbies who felt overwhelmed and awkward, scared and bashful. It was rarer, he found, to encounter those that were eager for the new road ahead of them.
Not that he could blame all the confused and scared ones.
"Tips? Well. Don't pick fights with anything that feels stronger than you." He laughed, then frowned seriously. "There is a lot to learn. Youma are a common threat, as well as the agents of Chaos that you mentioned. Caught in the middle of everything are normal civilians, and we should make sure they don't get hurt. Kind of an obvious tip, I guess. Well. What kind of questions do you have?"
It was hard to teach without a jumping off point. He could explain anything, from how their weapons changed as they gained more power, to Wonders and signets. He knew a lot about the Dark Mirror and the Negaverse, as well as the senshi he was so deeply connected to. Corruption and Purification were large ideas in his head at the moment, as well. He knew less about Guardian Cats, but he was always learning at least.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:23 pm
"All sorts," Aventine replied, sounding just slightly exasperated with it all. Camelot had given her a fair bit of information to work with—and obviously she wasn't going to try attacking anything stronger than her (unless they looked like they were significantly smaller than her, too). elp those under the control of Chaos in other ways, but he would never give them all the information he knew.
"But, let's see. I've got this perfume bottle, see. And like," she offered a light spritz of the very flowery perfume she had suddenly found in her possession when she'd been granted the title 'Aventine'. "What am I supposed to do with this? —I've gotten tips from people, Caelian, Troy, Celsus—a few senshi…Tsui, Athene. This little one, Lenka. Cats, I've spoken to cats before. Some of them were more helpful than others, but some of them just left me like, whaaat. You know?" The question was obvious rhetorical, as she shrugged it off and continued speaking. "So, I guess, long story short—how did you get to be…that? I mean, you're all knight-in-shining-armor-y, with a big a** shield. How do I get there, how do I get to be stronger? What—what am I supposed to do? Because, the more I talk to people, the more I get that I'm supposed to be a good guy, but—what are my obligations? What's so special about being a knight?"
She took on a slightly more serious tone when she spoke, "I feel like I've got all this stuff I'm supposed to be doing, and I just…don't get it yet. What am I supposed to do so I don't let anyone down?
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:56 am
Camelot recognized the names, nodded his head along with her. It made him wonder how many senshi and knights he had met, and how many more were out there. There were many, he knew, that had no friends or guidance, and were left to the war on their own devices.
He wanted to help them as well, but there was only so much any one person could do.
"I had to fight to get to this place," he said, looking at his shield and putting his hand on the dragon. He frowned thoughtfully, shaking his head and taking a slow breath. "I defend those that need me to help them, and I push myself to become stronger. Not just in body, but through knowledge and through helping others. We gain strength through each other as much as we do on our own."
He pointed to a bench nearby, so they could sit and talk. Not the most incognito of places, but it was late and there was no one around. And he would feel it if anyone came up on them.
"As a knight, I believe me duty is to serve. Whatever that means in the moment, I do as I must to defend the innocent and fight for those who don't have the strength to do it themselves. I find that my duties, at least, include patrolling regularly for any Chaos agent that is out gathering energy, or causing trouble. Chaos is the true enemy, though, and not the people it blinds. Some are lost to it, truly believe in it, but others are taken by it against their will or by being tricked. I want to find a way to end this war, without the destruction of everyone fighting in it."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Right now, I'm trying to learn more about corruption, and purification. It seems far too easy for them to take our numbers and turn them, while we struggle to catch up. The catch is that we can't force it on anyone else, as far as I've been able to discover. But I haven't talked to many who know much about it. even then, it's not the solution. As long as Chaos exists, this war won't end."
He frowned.
"Sorry, get me started and I don't have an off button."
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:25 pm
"No, no!" Aventine insisted, keeping her eyes on Camelot even as she meandered towards the bench he'd gestured to. "I'm glad there's no off button! That's—I didn't know that. Well," she hastily clarified, "I knew some of that, but there's a lot that I—" the page promptly interrupted herself, "You know, they were right to recommend you, I think. I can see why everyone's been telling me to hit you up. You've really got your s**t together. Pardon the language."
She didn't seem very apologetic about it, but something about Camelot's demeanor made her feel like she needed to conduct herself. It wasn't just that he was older, or that he radiated so much power, or that he seemed so knowledgeable—it's that he was a knight. And not just in name, she figured, but the way he spoke, and acted, and thought?
It was like a fairytale character, plucked straight from the pages. Truth be told, she liked it.
"I guess. I've been having a hard time taking it all seriously, you know? Like, half the time I'm out here, I feel like I'm on an acid trip. Not," she said sternly, "that I have ever taken acid. But just—I can't wrap my head around it! Or, at least. I couldn't. And the bit about Chaos—I like that. Because, I've been having a hard time—People tell me that it's the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court, but I've met some that didn't seem bad. So, this Chaos thing, it's the real enemy? Is there some way to stop it? And, like…"
All the talk of purification and corruption made her squirm a bit. "What happens? If…if the Chaos gets you or something? I don't…want to be evil, I don't want to be brainwashed, or doing bad things. How…is there some way to make sure the Chaos doesn't get us?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:22 pm
"Language pardoned," he said with a smile, though he felt a little strange. The idea that others were recommending he be found and talked to was heartening, in that his goals were having some results and he could help others, but he couldn't help his old insecurities that he might not be good enough to help them at all.
And they were relying on someone that might let them down. Might get them hurt.
Or worse.
He listened to her as she tried to explain herself, nodding along. He quickly shook his head at the mention of acid, because that definitely was not a part of his growing up and certainly not something he'd ever used either. Definitely.
"I believe so... I mean. Chaos is this force that guides them, and brainwashes them in its way. They don't know it, that's why they're loyal, for the most part. And the stronger they become, the more Chaos corrupts them."
He was sitting on the bench now, thinking about it. He hadn't put it into words like this before, at least not all at once.
"The stronger members of the Negaverse can corrupt others. That's how Corrupt Senshi are made, the ones that have holes in their chests. They force Chaos into someone's starseed. When they do that to civilians, they make more Lieutenants." He sighed. Chaos was like a virus, and they had to stop it.
"I feel like we need to step up our efforts to counter it. Only our Princesses can purify, as far as I know, and there must be something more to it that's preventing us from using it as often as the Negaverse can corrupt. So we're left to our words and actions to convince them."
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:21 pm
Aventine had flopped down onto the bench next to the knight and was listening with rapt attention. "I've never met a princess," she confessed. "Are they hard to find? —And how hard is it to get the chaos out of them? I figure that this has to be a full time job for them, right? Like, if you just…kidnap the bad guys and force them into a room and set a princess off on all that Chaos? Not even that works?"
She figured it couldn't be that easy—not if they seemed to be having such a tough time dealing with the Negaverse. And—judging from her experience with the Negaverse so far, they'd off themselves before they let a princess get close to them. Natron had certainly made an impression on her—and there was no way he'd ever be talked into joining the White Moon. Not when he was so convinced they were all alien terrorists, hell bent on destroying the planet.
"Ah—never mind." She shook her head and changed her question to, "Have you ever been able to do it? Talk someone out of the Negaverse, I mean. Ever been able to help them—fix them?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:05 am
Camelot considered her questions in turn.
"They are on the rare side. Princesses give off a very strong aura, and they do not power up to that level unless they have to, I find. I've never witnessed a purification, though, so I am not sure how difficult it is to get the chaos out of someone's starseed. But I don't think it's so easy as forcing them."
Or else she was right, they would be doing it already. Fighting fire with fire. Though the idea of forcing anyone to do anything seemed wrong, the fact that a brainwashing force like Chaos was in play made it difficult to decide what was wrong or right.
He paused at her question.
"I felt I was close, once. But I have not seen her in some time... I wonder if the Negaverse realized what was happening... I try to talk to as many as I can, though, and some are willing to listen. Too few, I think, but even just putting the idea in their head might help. You never know, until we can figure out more about the purification process."
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