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 Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 10:38 pm
Super Sailor Persephone was less than impressed, so far, with her first patrol after powering up. Leto and Albali's words rang in her mind - whispers tempting her to the darkness and condemnations of Order's leadership and organization from someone who had bene a Senshi for three years.
What the hell was she supposed to do? Apparently people on her side went to the darkness - and she supposed that was a thing, anyway, the fallen hero.
But Albali's doubts...god, those cut deep.
The green-haired Senshi groaned and flopped down on a bench at the edge of the park. No more walking tonight, nope.
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:01 am
The Knight had been at this game a long time. From the very beginning, he had been too old for it. He was grizzled before he started, and he was too embattled even now. He was a Knight of this city. He served them with all his heart and his soul, because he cared for these people. All of these people.
He knew there was a way to end this war, that did not hinge on sides. It did not need to come to slaughter, to one side driving out the other by simply reducing their numbers into a pile of dead bodies.
There were going to be deaths, but they could stop it, they could put a bind on this bleed that the city was suffering. All their young people, fighting in these horrible battles, against each other, when in the day to day they could be best friends. It made no sense to him. It was horrid and cruel and he needed to stop it.
A few nights ago, Camelot had discovered the fact that his son was a senshi. Had been for years, and the knight had no idea.
Every day he risked losing his son, and countless numbers of his friends who could be taken from him, turned from him, forced into being his enemy. And the only thing he could blame was Chaos. The puppet master, the thing that turned hearts and minds, that clouded thought and reason. Chaos was his only true enemy, at the end of the day, and what he battled to destroy. Not people, not his friends, not his family.
He saw the senshi after following her aura for a bit, tilting his head and moving to greet her. She looked tired, and his paternal instincts were in overdrive following the recent birth of his daughter, and finding out his son's secret.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:35 pm
Persphone noticed the approaching aura, vaguely, but she was busy wallowing in her thoughts rather than paying attention. It was Order, not a threat, or so she hoped. She was a little surprised to hear a voice, and it drew her completely back to the present time.
"Oh, yeah, I'm...alright." The truth, technically. No reason to burden a stranger (never mind one who looked old enough to be her father, powered or not!) with her troubles first off. "I, ah, I'm Sailor Persephone." She left off the 'super,' since for one she really wasn't feeling it right then.
"You're a Knight, right?" Order aura, subtly different from a Senshi...
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:28 am
"Sailor Persephone," Camelot said with a slight, respectful bow. He smiled at her, warm and at his leisure now that he was not walking into a fight or any immediate trouble. She still had that air around her, like something was bothering her, but he imagined she would not likely open up to a stranger.
Still, he immediately started to worry. That was just who he was.
"Yes, I am. My name is Camelot, Knight of Earth." He nodded and tried to count the seconds since he had decided not to ask her about what was troubling her until now, when he felt himself buckling and knew he was going to ask her immediately.
It had been long enough, right? There was this awkward pause, while he considered it, after all.
"Are you alright? You seem troubled. I don't mean to pry... well. I guess when anyone has to say that, they really do mean to do it. Obviously you don't have to answer, since we've only just met. Ah. Are you on patrol?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 3:28 pm
"It's good to meet you, Camelot, sir," Persephone said politely. It felt correct to sir him - he was older than her, more experienced, and a literal "sir" in that he was a Knight. She gave him a small smile, hoping ti would be enough to assuage his worries. Of course, being asked directly whether she was okay, a second time, sort of told her she wasn't doing a good acting job. It was a good thing she wanted to be a director...
"I guess I kind of am," she admitted, shifting to rest her elbow on her thing and her hand on her chin. "Why do people corrupt?" It came out in a burst. "I mean, do they have a choice? Or does it just...happen?" She closed her eyes.
"I met a Senshi named Albali. She...told me things. Said that leaders spend more time fighting than leading. And...Eternal Sailor Leto tried to talk me over."
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 12:11 pm
Camelot was not sure how he felt about being called sir. He was a knight and an old man, he knew that much, but he still hadn't done too much to deserve such a respectful title right off the bat. He smiled at her, though, and appreciated that she was polite.
He knew a few who were far from it. Like his own son, for example. Definitely not polite.
"Corruption sometimes feels like it is a choice," he said, thoughtfully, a sad look in his eyes, "but ultimately, it is a force of evil that takes control of someone. It twists them, and becomes stronger the longer they are exposed to it. Until they are lost... they can say a lot of alluring and nice things about it, but they aren't themselves. And most of the time, they don't need to convince you to join them. They can just do it, by force. It won't matter either way, you'll forget who you are, who you were, and become another puppet on the strings of Chaos."
He frowned, not meaning for it all to come out, or for him to sound so upset about it all. He had lost friends to Chaos, lost people he had considered family. He knew all too well how damaging Chaos could be, how it broke someone so completely that they were not even a shadow of what they once were.
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Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 11:31 pm
Persephone found herself unconsciously resting her hand on her chest, over where her starseed was. "They just...take people?" She shivered, suddenly fearful. "Man, if I needed any more proof that they're evil..." Because killing people, innocents who had done nothing, wasn't proof enough. She frowned.
"You...sound like you know." It seemed so very personal to him, and that was just sad. But then, if Chaos took by force, it seemed almost certain he had lost someone. After all, if he was a full Knight, he had to have been fighting this war for a long time, right? He certainly had that look to him. "I'm sorry, for whoever you've lost."
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:56 pm
Camelot smiled sadly, nodding his head.
"It's alright, it happened a while ago. I have lost a few people to Chaos, but one stands out. She was purified from it, once upon a time, but they stole her back. I don't know how to save her from what she's become now, but I'm going to keep searching for a way. I think purification is our best option, and I am doing what I can to keep my battle, my anger, directed at Chaos itself. Those under its control can still be saved, I know they can."
Some were more lost to it than others, of course. The stronger they were, the more chaos lived inside them. It was a terrible truth, and some starseeds were completely ruined by it.
But that didn't mean he had to stop fighting for them. If there was even a shadow of a glimmer of hope for them, he would keep striving toward it. There needed to be a way to fight against Chaos itself, to drive it back, it was just a matter of finding it.
"I'm sorry if I've scared you with any of this. Sometimes I get a little... wrapped up."
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Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 9:58 pm
"Purification? We can bring them back?" Persephone blinked, and then she smiled a little. "Oh, that's a wonderful thought, then." She had been a little concerned - afraid, really - that she'd end up in a war of annihilation, but if the soldiers of Chaos could be saved...there was some hope after all!
"I was already scared," she said, shrugging a little. "Not much puts the fear of Chaos in you like having a Dark Mirror Eternal crack your ribs with her boot." Her tone was remarkably light when she spoke of an event that had scarred itself on her psyche.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:53 pm
Camelot nodded his head, watching her as she brightened a bit. He hated being the bearer of bad news, and he did not want her to think that theirs was a hopeless cause these days. He knew that it did seem impossible sometimes, but they had some methods left to them still.
They could help even the odds, it was just much harder for them, in the scheme of things, than forcing starseeds full of chaos.
"I think I can relate to that," he said, at her comment about the Dark senshi. He did not have the best track record with them, either. They all seemed to enjoy kicking his face in, and he was not sure how to fix that bridge just yet. It seemed terribly damaged, burned down long ago, but there had to be some hope.
He had to keep faith in the White Moon, and the strength of purification. There had to be a way to end the war, and he was sure it was tied to Chaos itself. The more people, on either side of the war, that were open to thinking about it, who had the idea of purification in their head, the better.
"Hopefully we can find a way to avoid rib cracking in the future."
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 1:32 pm
Persephone sighed. "I'd like to hope so. It hasn't happened since!" Barring that one fight with a Negaverse Lieutenant, but that had been her own stupidity. Going out powered and challenging someone while she was still in recovery - foolish and stupid and she very well could've died if Corvus hadn't rescued her.
"So...do you think we could end this if we turned them all back to Order? I mean, is that even possible?" Some of them had Chaos so deep in their hearts...Leto hadn't even seemed to doubt for a second, and her certainty had put thoughts into Persephone's head. "They seem so certain. So sure of themselves. But I've met people who doubt Order so much..." Albali, mostly, and she wondered how she was doing. Perhaps she had taken that final step and embraced Chaos. Embraced certainty.
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:18 pm
"I think it's something worth trying, but while they're still able to corrupt us without much effort, it will never even the numbers enough. I want to find a way to fight Chaos itself, the corrupting force rather than those that corrupt. But it seems that the more powerful members of their team are the only ones who can corrupt someone."
He frowned thoughtfully, always thinking about these things but not putting them into words as often as he would like. At least, not when he had time to think about it all and wasn't delivering an impromptu and generally unwanted lecture on his goals.
"That's what Chaos does. It's not certainty: they have no choice but to believe what is corrupting their hearts. it's like a parasite, that can control its host. Change their nature, their memories, the very processes they used to speak. They can't even see it in themselves: it's their nature after Chaos takes hold."
That was how he saw it, and he was speaking as honestly about it as he knew, though of course he had never been corrupted and most of the time he couldn't get close to any of them to learn much more about them than what he had seen so far. But he'd been at this a very long time, and his views had so far not been proven wrong.
"Doubting oneself and the purpose of these powers is one thing, but justifying that doubt by turning on the innocent, putting lives at risk and being the one to claim them is unacceptable. There is always a better solution than becoming a willing or unwilling puppet of Chaos. I need to find how to cut those strings, and go for the puppeteer itself."
He sighed. running a hand through his hair. Thinking about everyone he had lost so far was often overwhelming, and he felt helpless to save them, to do anything for them. But he was determined to fix that.
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:39 pm
Persephone nodded slowly. A way to fight Chaos itself...well, that was certainly something to strive for. Still, she had to wonder if that was a good idea. A noble goal, certainly,
"Are you sure that won't just...open up some kind of evil power vacuum? I don't mean to be negative here, but...I mean, in every story, there's always gotta be balance to a thing. We're champions of Light and Order and Hope, but as long as that sort of stuff exists, doesn't there have to be Darkness and Chaos and Despair?" It might have seemed pessimistic, but to her it was logical in the way stories were logical.
"And even if it's magically implanted, I can't help but envy them if they never have to doubt. They're evil, sure, but I've got enough self-esteem problems just working through being seventeen and awkward and nerdy - having the fate of the whole planet on my shoulders, even if there are others to share it with..." She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I'm thinking out loud. This whole thing is..." She made hand gestures, not sure what she was intending to indicate.
"It's big. And hard. But I'd like to think that we can do that. That we can destroy Chaos itself and save them all. Some of them...some of them are really good people, I think, just...warped, like you said. The Dark Mirror that broke my ribs - I met her again, and we talked, and she was nice. Even if she tried to win me over to her side. The first Chaos person I met was the Senshi of Kindness and I have never met anyone that sweet. I'd hate to think they were hopeless cases."
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Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 2:54 pm
"No, you're right. It's something to think about. I'm not sure what might happen, but if there is a way to bring the balance back, to bring peace, that would be enough for me. I just want to see the fighting and the useless waste of life stop. Chaos devours its victims, whether they know it or not, and it changes them in... terrible ways."
He shook his head. People were losing their memories, their lives, their ability to be the person they had been born to be. Chaos corrupted and twisted, and it stole from everyone it touched. In no small way, it was damaging the world around them to the point where it would be irreparable.
They needed to stem the bleeding, so to speak. There would never be any healing while the wound was still open. Chaos was that wound.
"Oh, they do doubt. There are some that still can. It's more obvious in the lower ranks, those that haven't been corrupted as far as their elders." He shook his head and offered her a warm smile. "Everyone doubts, sometimes, and everyone struggles. I would hate to see the person who is all confidence, all the time, and actually means it. They'd be a god among mortals, I'm sure. But just consider it this way... you were born with a potential for something great inside you. You met that potential, and you were awakened when the world needed you. It's a big task, but something out there, something bigger than all of us, knows that you are capable of the task. Those that were taken from us have the same potential, but there is a corrupting force standing in the way. If we can find a way to bring them back to that initial place of potential... drive out the chaos and leave a whole person behind..." he took a breath, shaking his head.
"They're not hopeless causes, but they're guided by something that takes advantage of the weaknesses in our hearts and characters. It makes promises it can't keep, and turns those doubts and fears we shelter into holes to fill. You're stronger than you know, and you're not alone in being scared and intimidated by being a soldier in a war most of us can barely understand. But you're meant to be here, and I would trust my life in your hands, as I would any Senshi, because no one is a hopeless case. Good or bad, Order or Chaos. I believe we can find peace, and I believe in the strength each one of us is awakened on. You'll be okay, you know? Because there are people who will always help you, and there is a strength in your heart that can never be destroyed. You just have to believe in it."
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 2:25 pm
Persephone nodded slowly. Corruption sounded like an awful nightmare, all things considered. Sure, it warmed you, gave you a surety, a purpose - but was a purpose worth losing who you were? Who you were meant to be? She wasn't sure she had that answer. It was hard to contemplate.
She actually had to laugh a little at his comment about all confidence, all the time - it reminded her so very much of her older sister, who could sashay into a room and have everyone in it eating out of the palm of her hand within the hour. That was definitely a talent she envied, but she'd also seen Lila lose homework assignments and toss her room apart looking for a particular eyeshadow palette. (Hell, she'd helped look for them.)
"Potential for something great, huh?" She murmured to herself. She didn't feel like she had that potential in her, but then - she'd seen a glimpse of a her from a thousand years ago, and maybe she had some of that person within her.
Her head jerked up when he said he'd trust her with his life. "I...what?" She smiled. "I...I'll have to live up to that, wow. You've got a lot of faith in a lot of people you've never met," she said. It was a lot, but it was worth working for.
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