After taking his leave of *********, Athene had walked briskly as he tried to find where Gigi had gotten to. Although he had no guarantee that he'd be able to find his curly-haired friend, the new super senshi was really hoping that he would be able to catch up to her.
She probably wouldn't recognise him while like this given that no one else seemed to, but at least if he was with her then he would know that she got safely home instead of having to wait half-wondering, half-worrying until he saw her next in school.
The dark-haired senshi was starting to think that he wouldn't be able to catch up to his friend when he thought he heard what sounded like running footsteps up ahead. It didn't sound too far ahead and Athene broke into a trot in an attempt to catch up - maybe it would turn out to be nothing but if he was really lucky then maybe it would turn out to be Gigi.
LokisRose
sorry to take forever with this, hope this works as a start
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 1:16 am
In Gigi’s rattled mind, there had been two options – One: face the terrorists. Or two: don’t. With the monster apparently gone, the kitty safe, there was no reason not to calmly crawl around the corner, out of sight, and run like hell. Even though they’d saved her. Even though good guys wore white. It wasn’t worth the risk. Instinct still said run, and she didn’t really have enough brainpower to argue. She was not the fastest sprinter, but like many things in her life she made up for it with endurance; shaky breaths and a stitch in her side didn’t mar her steady pace.
Nearly tripping on a tin can would do it, though. She yelped and stumbled back from the unexpected object she’d kicked, only narrowly maintaining her balance. A perfectly ordinary tin of chopped tomatoes rolled away from her and into the gutter.
Her shopping. She couldn’t very well go home without that, her mum would not be impressed. Gigi dropped to her knees, picking up the tin with care. A little dented, but not so badly that her mother couldn’t cook with it. She took a deep breath. At least that was one thing that she could salvage. Looking around, she could see her scattered possessions. This must be where she’d first seen the mon—no! Nope, she wasn’t going to think about it. It was gone, the terrorists had stopped it somehow. Not thinking about the terrorists either! Another deep, deliberate breath. Her mother was not going to believe this.
She reached for another busted-up can, taking stock. The pasta shells were shattered all over the street, no hope for that. Grocery bags wrecked, but her handbag was okay. Her purse was even still there, which was a huge win, all things considered. Her homework, too, sadly unaffected by the events. She’d probably still have to finish it tonight.
She swallowed a laugh, still unwilling to make a noise. Another sound filled the gap. It wasn’t a big sound, more like a footfall, somewhere behind her. She spun around to see who was coming, suddenly shaking again.
litian
You don't need to apologise! I am sorry for every kind of slow, forever. Sorry for keeping you waiting all the time.
There was a rattle up from just up ahead, followed by a yelp and Athene put on a slight burst of speed as his fanciful imagination causing him to half wonder if there was mayhaps another monster about.
At his increased pace it didn't take long for him to come across the source of the noise. It wasn't another youma thankfully, just as well as Athene hadn't much thought beyond catching up to the source of the noise.
Instead it was Gigi, Gigi standing amongst what looked like the remains of shopping if the pasta shells that were scattered all about the street was anything to go by.
He took a step forward, one of said pasta shells crunching underfoot as he looked anxiously at his curly-haired friend "Are you all right Miss..." At the last minute he remembered that the other wouldn't recognise him henshinned up as he was and bit the Gigi that was on the tip of his tongue.
LokisRose
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:43 am
Gigi stepped backwards as the other came forward. The terrorist was following her? Coming after her! That could not be good – it was all kinds of bad. She should be looking for escape routes, she thought, but instead she stood to stare at the strange figure in his beautiful beaded costume. This close, without the monstrous distractions, he didn’t look any older than she was. And he sounded so worried.
Was she all right? The question required serious thought. All her limbs were still attached, and she wasn’t skewered on a giant stinger. That probably counted.
“I uh. I guess?” She waved her arms vaguely, demonstrating their attachedness.
Then, since he was being polite and not actively hurting her, she added “Thanks. For stopping it... It’s not coming back, right?” The last was in a hopeful, fearful rush, as if saying it quick enough would force it to be true.
Athene hesitated as Gigi stepped backwards and away from him, a part of him feeling hurt that his friend seemed so scared of him.
Then he reminded himself that she wouldn't recognise him as her friend, not while he was like this, the magic prevented her from doing so.
A relieved look flickered across his face when she said that she was okay, shaking his head when she asked if the thing was coming back "No it's not" he said, going on with a slight smile "And I'm glad you're okay."
He hesitated for a few moments before adding "But would you mind if I walk you back Miss?"
Yes the snakepillar youma was gone and gone permanently, but he'd feel a lot better if he knew that Gigi was back home and safe - after all there seemed to be a lot of youma running about Destiny City.
LokisRose
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:11 am
“Oh thank goodness!” A little of the tension left Gigi’s pose, some semblance of her normal smile back on her face in response to the one he gave her. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about, so she let his confidence buoy up her spirits. “I’m pretty glad I’m okay too!” she babbled, relief spilling out with the words. “And very glad you’re okay! And that other person!” (She assumed he wouldn’t be here talking to her if the feathered girl was hurt.) “But not the monster. I am so very very glad it’s not okay.”
She fell momentarily silent, reviewing the recent events now the panic and adrenalin was fading, and found herself torn between the realisation of how close a call she’d had, and how awesome this guy was to step in. She came to the conclusion that she would just ignore the ‘scary terrorist’ thing in favour of the ‘friendly face that just totally fought a monster for her’ thing.
While objectively, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to walk home with a terrorist, he really did sound sincere. And he called her ‘Miss’, just like her friend at school insisted on calling her. Obscurely, that reassured her more than anything else he’d said. No-one so polite could possibly be bad. And it was all just rationalisation, because now she had a person to talk to, she didn't want to be left alone in an unfamiliar street that had already produced one horror.
“Gigi, not ‘Miss’. I’m not that important,” she told him with a slightly less forced smile. “But some company would be nice right about now. Just let me get this stuff.” She’d just grab whatever could fit in her handbag, and leave the rest. The faster the better.
"Okay, Gigi" Athene said," and it was a little hard not to add a Miss in front of it as he was wont to do when he was just plain Arian. It was also hard not to mention that she was important to him - given that she was his friend - although that would lead to questions he didn't particularly want to answer so Athene managed.
Instead he said quietly "I'm sure there's people you're important to" as he bent down to give her a hand with picking up what looked salvageable of the remains of what looked like groceries as he added. "I'm Sailor Athene by the way, although you can just use Athene."
LokisRose
sorry so short
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:38 am
"Oh! Well, when you put it like that," she said, feeling almost embarrassed at how easily her throwaway line was turned back on her. She'd just meant that he didn't need to speak like she was a teacher or someone, but it was a different kind of importance he seemed to be talking about, the kind that made her want to run home and hug her mother and father right now, and all her friends from school, just to be sure. How strange that she could be homesick in her own home town.
People went missing all the time, and their families never knew where they went, and if not for him, it would have happened to her.
"Thanks," she said again, holding open her bag for the groceries he found for her. He didn't have to do that either, but here he was.
"Pleased to meet you, Athene! So, is Sailor like, your first name? Or your job?" It was a silly question, but at least she could deliver it with a smile.
Athene frowned slightly at Gigi's question as he carefully started dropping the groceries into her bag. "I guess you could call it a job" he said thoughtfully, although it was a bit strange to really think of the senshi stuff as a job, part time or otherwise - particularly as he didn't have a job as Arian.
He smiled slightly "Pleased to meet you too Gigi" he said quietly. "To be honest the Sailor is more a title I guess." well given his very recent rank up, the title was actually Super Sailor now, but Athene personally wasn't that fussed about formal rank - after all either way he was still Athene, but one with an updated outfit, with some sort of gloves thing and which thankfully had actual trousers rather than the shorts that he had had to go about in previously and hopefully it also meant that his senshi ability would be more reliable too.
He dropped a somewhat dented can of what looked to be tomatoes in the bag and glanced around before adding "And that looks to be the last of what's salvageable I think."
LokisRose
I am so sorry this has taken so long Loki, I somehow missed this one off the list
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:50 am
Apparently ‘Sailor’ was a complicated thing, even to the terrorist. Strange title, strange name, strange outfit. Gigi shook her head and gave up trying to puzzle it out. It didn’t really matter what he wanted to call himself, and all things considered she probably didn’t want to know about his job. What was important was that he was here and talking to her.
She accepted the last of the groceries with another smile. They’d recovered quite a lot.
“Thank you. It’s very kind of you.”
Gigi slung the full bag over her shoulder, then pulled the strap around so the weight of it was in front of her. She hugged it against her chest, like a shield.
“I’ll probably have to buy more stuff tomorrow,” she said, to keep the conversation going. “When it’s, you know, not dark. My house– um. I think I’m going this way?”
She took a few hesitant steps in the direction of the main road, waiting to see if Athene would really accompany her. She wasn't really sure she wanted him to know where she lived, but there were such big dark spaces between the street lights.
litian
I have no excuses. I am the worst kind of loser. I'm sorry to keep you waiting again.
It was probably just as well that Gigi didn't try and push him on the details about being as a senshi as Athene would have felt compelled to lie to her and that probably wouldn't have gone to well as he wasn't a great liar. It wouldn't have stopped him though as there was no way that he wanted her friend caught up in this - any of this.
"Ah it's okay" he said a little awkwardly as she thanked him. "I should probably be thanking you for indulging me and letting me keep you company." Not that he'd have let Gigi head home on her own, for his own piece of mind he'd have followed her but walking with was easier than trying to trail after - less stalker-seeming too.
He glanced at the full bag, indicating it as he asked "Do you want a hand with that?" Falling into step with her as he spoke.
Although Athene knew the direction to Gigi's house, he also knew that it would come across as strange if Gigi realised that the person who she thought she'd only just met knew how to get to her house and at best would lead to questions that he wouldn't want to answer. At worst... Well he didn't want to contemplate the worse - no better to just let Gigi direct them and keep some of his attention on auras - specifically that there were non nearby.
After all he could do without stumbling across another youma, particularly whilst he was trying to play escort.
LokisRose
no need to apologise, I am abysmally slow myself
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:58 am
Gigi watched her feet. One foot in front of the other, out of the alleyways and into more familiar streets. Athene did seem intent to keep his word and walk her home. It was odd, to walk beside the strangely-dressed boy, but not uncomfortable. She watched him sidelong, from under cover of her pigtails. Strange-normal, not scary.
Her grip tightened for a moment on the bag, she was still so wired. With effort, she relaxed her hands, letting the strap hang more naturally.
“N- no. It’s okay, it’s not that heavy!” she assured him. “But thank you! Anyway, my place is not that far, just up that way.” She pointed, less to guide him than to prove to herself she definitely wasn’t lost.
“It was supposed to be a short-cut home, you know? I’ll take the long way next time, for sure!” she laughed a little. It had been so thoughtless of her. “…Sorry, you’ve gone to so much effort for me, and I’m not very good company at all.”
"Okay" Athene said simply in response to Gigi's assurance that she was okay to carry the bag and nodding as she indicated the direction they needed to walk in. Continuing peaceably "And there's really no need to apologise - as I said I'm just happy that you don't mind me keeping you company" because the glamour that protected his identity meant that for all intents and purposes he was a stranger in her eyes.
And anyway as far as he was concerned it was kind of understandable that Gigi wasn't being her usual chatty self - not given her earlier rather near miss at becoming the victim of a youma attack. Besides it wasn't as if her lapses into silence were uncomfortable ones - at least they didn't feel feel uncomfortable to him.
He made a mental note as the two of them made the walk to try and go seek out Grus at some point so that he could properly thank the eternal senshi, who was also his team mate for her help earlier. It wasn't something that would happen tonight though since after he had finished walking Gigi home, Athene's next planned stop was home.
The rest of the walk over was thankfully uneventful and it didn't feel long before the two of them had covered the distance that Gigi had indicated earlier. He stopped and looked over at Gigi "I guess this is where I stop" he said, before adding "Unless you want me to walk up to your door?" He made it a question, left it open-minded, not minding either way although given how senshi were portrayed in the news, Athene didn't think that Gigi would want him to. Besides he was close enough from where he stood to see that she got in okay and he'd wait just to make certain.
LokisRose
Tag :3 and it can probably wrap on your next post 3nodding
Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:59 am
They reached the street before hers without incident, and then her street. Gigi paused, uncertain, but Athene had already stopped walking. Her directions must have been more accurate than she realised. It was both a relief that he didn’t want to follow her all the way to her actual house, and a disappointment that they would have to part company. It wasn’t every day that a friendly terrorist hero insisted on walking you home.
“Here is fine, if that’s okay. Thank you for walking me! I’d invite you in, but I wouldn’t want to worry my mum! Or take up any more of your time. I’m sure you have things to do!”
Other people to rescue, she thought. Other monsters to slay. She was babbling again, she knew. She had been so very very lucky tonight.
“Thank you, Athene. For everything! I think it sucks that TV is so mean to you guys. You seem pretty nice to me.”
With a smile and a wave, she turned away, running the last few meters to her front gate. The light sprang on as she headed up the path. Her house key was doubtless at the bottom of her deeply disordered bag, and her mother would be there before she dug it out, so she rang the bell instead of trying, looking back as she waited for the echoes to die away inside. Standing in the circle of familiar light, she couldn’t see much back into the dark street, but still she thought she could make out the pale figure of her rescuer. She lifted her hand in one last wave, just in case. Then the door opened, and she slipped inside, safely home.
