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 Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:57 pm
Night had fallen upon the deceptively peaceful city of Destiny, but some inhabitants had only started to stir. It was too cool for most to be outside comfortably, but a little drop in temperature wasn't enough to stop General Obsidian from roaming about the rooftops. He moved without a sound, shifting his weight as he did so. The first part of a successful hunt always began with some sort of stalk.
Fortunately, tonight wasn't a night that he planned on making a kill.
His target had been acquired not too long ago, and he watched the burly teenager move with half-lidded eyes. He'd hate to think that the boy would forget so quickly about their last little clash, but the Negaverse agent had learned long ago that people were quite willing to dismiss the more unpleasant realities of life.
It wouldn't take long for Obsidian to ghost down onto street-level, carefully keeping out of sight. Björn could continue his little excursion without interruption, for now. He'd know when the opportunity would be prime.
The thought was enough for a thin, malicious smile to curl at his lips.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:39 pm
The months of the year crawled implacably by, taking spring, the summer frantic season of training, the return to classes and session. Despite the awkwardness of initially moving to Destiny City, trying to keep his head down and out of trouble…trying to make a few friends or connections, he found himself one year down and now staring at the halfway mark of being a senior. There’d not been any other strangeness…not for months. Graduate in another half a year to life beyond.
He’d cleared with the dorm advisers and the school to be allowed out late, however ‘late’ it was anymore. It got dark at 5:30! But if it weren’t for holiday hours he wouldn’t have much done yet. He’d seen three stores, remained package and bagless so far, and was making the walk to the nicer section of town and it’s market square – light up night and carriage rides and all that for the holiday season. Maybe something at the Billiams & Tonova would look promising. Thanksgiving had come with its usual awkward affair of his doing homework all day, while his mother ran her shop. She’d gotten home at 8pm. They’d spent all night cooking together and enjoying ridiculous flavours of cupcakes left over from the day. Work and school had been rough for both of them to return to, but it was an easier return than Black Friday shopping. Björn preferred shopping early. Today was late enough to miss the initial insanity, but early enough that he wasn’t panicked about finding gifts he felt really good about giving. It always took so long to decide…to really think if it was something they’d want. What he needed was to wheedle the number for Colin’s family on the phone, maybe ask them what their thoughts were. Then he could ask Colin’s opinion on gifts he found for his mom.
It wasn’t snowing, but the air smelled crisp. He looked up at the wisps of underlit, French grey clouds that obscured the stars. The return of cold weather had pricked his nerves; even for all that the year had gone to suspicious sleep. It had been last winter that he’d met that odd man from the shadows on campus, and the memory returned with the scent of snow on the wind.
His jaw remembered the creaking and near breaking, aching in ghost recall of the fingers that had been there. Björn turned his attention back to the sidewalk, and adjusted the scarf that kept the cold off his neck around the collar of his lusekofte, then rubbed his jaw with a leather gloved hand as he went.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 4:11 pm
And so they continued to glide through the streets like chess pieces on puppet strings. The chill bit at his skin, deadening the sensation in his ears, but Obsidian hardly seemed to notice. It was when he saw those gloved hands brush across the boy's broad jaw that he felt a flicker of satisfaction pulse through his system. No more time to waste.
"All alone at this time of night? You haven't learned." Had he kept it neutral, it could have passed for little more than a bored drawl. As it was, there was no denying the eager lilt that kept fluttering through, little more than an undertone. It was enough to convey his intentions, and the older man stretched for a moment before making to cross the street.
Had Björn thought at all about their conversation last time? For his sake, he had. There was no time to waste on a tool that had no use--and no sense in letting one who knew as much as he did walk around freely.
"But maybe you've been focused on more important things." His hands hung loosely at his sides and only when he had stepped onto the sidewalk did his pacing come to a halt. "Tell me, boy. What have you learned?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:03 pm
The voice slide through his ears like a knife between ribs, bringing with it visions of teeth behind snarled smiles before Björn even turned his waking eyes to the sound to watch the man cross the street. It was the very same man -hair as bloody feathers down his shoulders and a smile like a hangman. Speak no words of omen…, came to mind, but he hadn’t spoken at all.
“It has been a long march since last winter, but a quiet one. As much as my ears have been open, still the secrets are not quick to hear. I have listened. “
"What use is there except in walking alone? Tell me that. A fool's lesson, and while a fool I am at least not so dumb to miss that living caged in fear is no life at all. Cower in our homes? Go only about in groups? If most even believe, which they do not. It is better to die on his feet than live on his knees. The city and the news...they see there is something happening, but they do little or effect little. So. We are a people living in a war zone? What then? The war is still going, and it is near a year on. No royal proclaims themselves. Neither side has mastery and both still live in shadows with their 'magic'. " He almost spat the final word, feeling anger rising just a little. "It is like Bosnia, here. We who do not have swords must still live as we can, which means living. Not hiding, magic, weapon, or no."
“As for your war and its secrets, there is a Castor missing. I guess some player in your war, supposedly he was one who had answers. But he is gone and those who would seek him cannot find answers from him. Senshi use sorcery to do their work, and the answer to anything dealing with them tends to be ‘it’s magic.’ You mentioned many titles last we spoke. More than two players are involved. People who look normal, most likely as any other person,“ like Colin, "and then become soldiers."
Months ago about kingdoms. Moon and Earth and princesses and queens. He didn’t remember the one name, though he’d written it down. There was no way he was pulling out a notebook from his messenger bag just to fish that one up though. The exact name wasn’t important so much as the movements on the board. Colin called the people he fought the Negaverse.
This one has used the same name of whom he worked for. “But you have your own sorcery. The Negaverse was the source of the valravn that attacked me. Of other shadows that attack people.”
“And cats. Cats with stars on their head are important.” Having been one himself and the vagaries of Colin mentioning that as an important feature to the senshi about cats they looked for, all while he himself had been stuck as a cat.
"But that has been it. The concrete has been quiet, and the nights as well."
“You said to call you ‘Obsidian’. ”
"Does Obsidian come to forge a sword, or to break one?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:34 pm
"You've listened, but you haven't searched," Obsidian agreed, but his eyes gleamed in the darkness with something that might have been mirth. "You want to be spoon fed? So be it. But should nothing fruitful come of this, the price you'll pay will be a high one." It was both promise and threat laced in a single breath. He only smiled at the mention of a war zone, inclining his head as though graciously wishing for any more enlightening thoughts. "Wouldn't it be nice to hold the weapons and answers in your hands? Much better than staying a sheep, never knowing when the time for slaughter comes." Yes, that was why he had chosen, and the journey had been rough. Still, he regret nothing.
"Castor," And his lips twisted into a sneer, the pleasure crinkling at his eyes until they were but mere slits. "Color me surprised that he, out of all of them, would be the one to flee his duty. Perhaps he understood what they were really trying to do, in the end." Vague hints, little tidbits--hopefully enough to keep the boy hooked and reel him in slow.
"More than two players," Obsidian agreed. "Many more. People you would never suspect, not even in your wildest dreams." How twisted it all became, and how careful one had to be.
A gloved hand tossed itself dismissively at the accusation. "Unexpected casualties. The Senshi are the target. Humans are a good source of energy, it's true, but no one wishes for their blood to spill." It was a lie, and not a particularly elegantly crafted one. Obsidian cared very little who ended up impaled upon his sword.
"The cats play both sides. Remind me to introduce you," Though he smiled as he said it, the distaste could not have been more apparently. Enough of that, for now.
He took another step forward, solidifying his words with the strength of action. "It depends on the material I work with. Will it withstand the heat and hammer to become a blade? Or will it grow brittle and shatter before reaching its true potential?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:09 pm
“Spoon-fed!” His mouth did get lines of a snarl, framing his teeth nicely with chiseled bones and goatee, “Butten hund bykser ikkje lenger enn bandet rekk.*”
“I can search for answers all that I like, but I am no sorcerer. I have tried to seek with open eyes and ears, and I have been lucky for what I have found. Scraps for strays. Betre halt enn fotlaus**, I am trying.”
Björn lifted a gloved hand palm up, tone intense and imploring. Agreeing, “Better blade than sheep. If I be no sword, than axe, if not axe than hammer. If not hammer, than anvil. If not anvil, than forge. But never sheep. “
He did not back at approach, nor lower his eyes from Obsidian's, "Tell me. I would rather have answers and a low place serving righteous lord than to sit on my hands while being ....incidental victim...a useless cow. "
"Forge is better than this silence and halfwitting. Even if it means I must scream. "
*A tied dog does not jump farther than his cord.
**Better be limping than footless.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:46 pm
"Spoon fed." Obsidian said mildly, but his own lips had pulled back to bare his teeth in a humorless grin at the harsh language spilling into the air. Whether they were curses or oaths, he didn't care.
So the boy wanted to be a weapon. That was something he could work with, and the General folded his arms for a moment, studying. "There were two Kingdoms. The Kingdom of the Earth and the Moon. The Moon Kingdom sought to take this planet for its own, and the Princess Serenity."
"The Princess fell in love with the Prince of the Earth, and her wars and her ruin spread in her wake. The Earth Kingdom, the Negaverse, rose up to protect the planet, and the Queen Beryl succeeded in keeping them from conquering. They are not gone, however. If we don't continue to fight, once again we run the risk of losing the Earth to these outsiders."
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:34 pm
"Losing it to want? What would they do with it? "
Was it just a matter of ruling classes and land ownership? -Just-
The rule of lands, taxes and the sovereignty defined the crux of most wars in human history. And saying history books don't have a Moon Kingdom written up is foolishness as well. Books don't believe in magic, and I have seen it true. What this man says I have to accept for now without refute. He is the only source I have...the only one that will speak.
"So you....the negaverse...you are this Kingdom of Earth? You are a lord of this kingdom?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 3:27 pm
"What they've done with all the rest. Take it for their own, claim it in the name of the Moon. Their population is growing even now, and they care little if they must force out the natives."
A measuring look was offered for a moment, as though Obsidian was weighing the boy's worth. Did he deserve to know? Was he good enough for it? "A general," Was the final answer. "A general of the Kingdom of Earth, fighting against those who seek to drive us from our planet."
"Queen Beryl, as one might expect, has long passed." A lie. "Still, those who would see her work continue fight on to this day. Does that answer your question?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 4:47 pm
"It does."
Anger quelled to sombre tones, his jaw still set. Drive us from it? How? But then, I guess no one in war knows exactly how an enemy plans to operate. The secrets of war, and the strategy. History classes again, and I cannot keep my attention focused enough in those classes to know all of it.
It only meant thinking less of him, should he mention that, or question it, no doubt. And what was there more to be asked on that specificity? He wasn't a -part- of the war. This much was a grace on the general's part. A vote of some confidence in his spirit, at least.
It was a hard thing. If Aegir knew anything about plans to replace people with people he hadn't mentioned it. In fact, he couldn't imagine Aegir wanting to go about warring on anyone because of want of sovereignty. His own voice was quiet in his ears, gravelly, "A soldier may have less ambition than a Monarch."
"Yet follow orders just the same." Björn took a long breath, "I do not meet your hopes. You have strength to bring one such as me to my knees with only your hand. You ....serve in distinction and title, a great force in your war. But you had some idea for me in mind, months ago. "
You sought me out, General.
"What you would have of me? Anything? "
A general, a general and you come to me? How and why are beyond me. It is all beyond me. But there was something, some reason such a man would come to me....find me in the dark on the campus. A warrior's play and blows traded. Am I allowed yet to know what it is that blessed me enough to catch your attention?
He could feel adrenaline twitching into his hands at the memory of it, quickened breathe and his heart beating fast but even. It was an old, maybe strange way of doing things, how this man had approached him, and for whatever reason. But it was the right way, simply put. He wanted....he didn't know. There was regard there, for Obsidian. For a man that could find place and act in old ways, making Destiny City pavement a memory of a Triumph through older cities and older wars.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 11:06 am
"Don't they usually?" Obsidian's lip quirked slowly into a smile, but those green eyes were as cold as they always were. "How many men and women would sacrifice themselves, knowing what a ruler truly had in store? No. They fight for their glory, their pride. The greater good, so to speak. I have no doubt that the senshi are kept blind--what good are dogs of war if they begin to question the master's orders?"
His gaze wandered over Björn carefully now, the tip of his tongue held for now between his teeth. "You have potential. Why else do you think I bother to speak to you, boy?" He could have been dead a hundred different ways by now, and they both knew it.
"You would start out as nothing more than a mere recruit, of course." Obsidian seemed to be musing to himself more than anything, but his gaze never flickered from Björn's face. "But with strength such as yours, you would work your way up the ranks. A captain, surely. Perhaps even a general." If luck held, and his heart did not succumb to the foolish notion that senshi were to be pitied and understood.
That was the giant's one, palpable flaw. He was too soft still, too gentle. Obsidian himself had experienced the sort of failure of Negaverse officers that did not have the proper mettle to command and yet obey. A sneer briefly touched his face before he smoothed it, and one might question if they'd imagined it all together.
"I need proof from you," The General said lightly after a time. "Proof that you are, indeed, a man of your word. A man who could be put to use for the good of the Negaverse."
"It isn't often that I take recruitment upon myself."
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:00 pm
" They might fight for a commander...not just their own glory. It was Achilles, not Agamemnon, that the Trojans looked to. And Odysseus. " He didn't turn his gaze from Obsidian's. It was as close as he currently felt comfortable to admitting the strange regard to the man's face. He didn't much care about the games of queens and princes and princesses. But this man, who was holding out proverbial hand to him from on dais...who spoke of war and of use and seemed willing to put him to both, was a dream. He was someone Björn thought, no he was sure, he could follow.
Impulse. He took up Obsidian's hand suddenly from the other's side and brought the knuckles to his lips and kissed where of old a ring of sigil may have sat of such purposes. "To start at the beginning of any road, if it is worth walking, is neither shame nor trouble. Whatever the length of it."
"I want to do you honor, General Obsidian."
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:50 pm
The General tipped his head, acknowledging the truth to such a statement. Charonite had been one such man, one worthy enough to follow into battle even when the odds were stacked against them. His gaze grew distant, focusing inward as he recalled memories he had long since stowed away in order to adapt and adjust. It was only when his hand was touched that he sharply refocused, ready to backhand the boy and break his jaw if he thought he could do something stupid.
When lips brushed against his knuckles, Obsidian's eyes narrowed until they were mere, emerald slits. He took it for a joke, some sort of mockery. Even at the spoken words, the look did not lessen, as though to see whether or not the boy would quail.
He didn't.
"We'll see." Softly, at that, and the General's other hand rose to pat Björn's cheek. "It won't be easy. But then again, the most rewarding paths rarely are."
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 10:13 pm
Fortune does favor the bold, it seems! Reward, not chastisement. Never was warhorse more delighted than this one, to be given gentle approval and positive reinforcement. He didn't push his luck, though with some stupid comment about it, celebration, or more imposition on Obsidian's person.
His grey eyes were bright as gems, though, looking at the smaller man.
He wanted to ask, 'How do I prove myself then?' They'd been side by side a while now, and the last they'd met had had similar tones, even as many months as it had been. Patience, it seemed, was what was demanded. Obsidian could have told him if he wanted to in answer to the question about what was wanted and hadn't. What was a smarter question then? Maybe... something less grasping.
"When will I see you again? " That seemed reasonable. It didn't demand explanations, repeat earlier questions in other words, left out personal contact information as the general likely wasn't in a habit of giving that to someone not even recruited currently, and left decision to a superior.
He could be patient.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 10:45 pm
An acceptable enough question, and Obsidian mulled over it for a moment. In truth, he had no real plan over when he'd next meet with Björn. Things had to be taken care of in the Negaverse first and foremost. Then and only then could he progress.
"Sometime soon. Until then, keep your ears to the ground. Scrounge what knowledge you can. You speak of senshi as if you know them personally--be clever and see what you can learn. I don't ask that you betray them, only that you seek to better yourself with understanding."
He drew away with those final words, glancing to the streets though he knew none were there to eavesdrop. "When the time is right, you'll know. Stay vigilant until then."
And if he were to let more slip than he should, Metallia herself would not be able to help him.
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