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 Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:35 pm
Camelot was sitting near the pond at the park, watching as a family of ducks circled around lazily. They were not in any kind of trouble, and certainly did not need the Knight there to keep them safe, but he was more taking a break than anything else.
He had not found that balance in his schedule yet. He thought he had, but it turned out he was not as capable of going on less sleep as he thought he was. He would have to cut down on his hours at work, use more of his vacation time. He would need to spend more time at home and, somehow, lighten his duties on patrol without cutting corners or losing sight of his duty to the innocent people of the city.
Having a baby had really turned his world upside down, and yet, whenever he thought about his daughter, he found he could not remember the way things had been before. How there had been a life before her being in it. Before Kyndall, even. For them, he would do anything.
But right now he needed to just sit by this water edge and throw bread at these ducks, and let the night settle. Because he was tired, and he couldn't deny that to himself any more. Maybe his age really was getting to him, though that was a terrible thing to have to acknowledge. When would he be too old for this gig?
Ugh. His midlife crisis was acting up.
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:49 pm
Eternal Sailor Navi was on her way out to patrol when she felt the all too familiar aura of the aged knight in the park. It made her pause considering her options. in the past the choice would have been easy, though in the past she had wanted him, and all his kind, dead. Now? Now things were complicated, and Navi just wasn't sure where she stood on as far as Knights were concerned. In general she no longer hunted them, but She and Camelot had history.. Lips pursed, she made her decision, and changed course, wandering deeper into the park until she came across the duck pond and the old man throwing bread for the birds. She stared at him from across the water, arms loosely wrapped around her stomach, expression conflicted. There was still anger in her heart for him, it was perhaps a little less then it had been, but she still couldn't look upon him with anything more then contempt, and oddly, pity. She stood there, and she waited for the knight to notice her. Ready for that old rage to flare up, or for new indifference to replace it. At this point a relief from the old grudge wouldn't be completely unwelcome. So long as the old fool didn't continue with his tradition of saying unfortunate things to her.
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Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 9:51 am
Camelot felt her approach but did not look up, feeling her standing not too far away from him. But she did not get closer and he did not hear or feel any sort of attack coming his way. So, for the moment, he imagined he was safe. He looked up at her as the last piece of this slice of bread was tossed into the water.
"Good evening," he said thinly, watching her with a nervous look on his face.
With Navi he had no luck. No matter what he said or did he was usually in the wrong, and he suffered for it. All he wanted to do was help them, but the DMC presented a problem. Most of them did not want to listen, and the way they were corrupted by Chaos seemed incurable. But there had to be a way, and Camelot would keep looking for it.
He had to keep trying.
"I suppose you're here looking for a fight?" He asked. He had no idea that Navi knew Chaonis, who he had just found out was his own son. It weighed heavily on him and it was all he could think about now. If he knew they were close, he would have asked her about him. But he also would have worried and wondered about why Chaonis was talking to Chaos so much.
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Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 10:27 am
The dark senshi dipped her head in a nod at his greeting, then narrowed at what came after, thin arms raising to cross under her chest as she stared across the pond at him. "If I was, you'd have been bleeding already," she offered in retort, though her tone didn't quite match the words. Less biting, more a simple pointing out of the obvious. When had she ever given him time to properly guard himself from her when they'd met in the past? It occurred to her that whenever they'd fought in the past he had always had a distinct advantage over her. Be it from experience, or sheer power. Always one step ahead of her, but not any more. Her lips pursed as that realization sank in, and she had to admit the desire to test this new level playing field was strong But not strong enough. She kept her distance, for now. "Camelot, defender of justice, are you getting too old for this game? Is that why you're sitting, feeding the ducks, instead of out trying to preach at those tainted with chaos?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:41 pm
Camelot smiled, despite himself, nodding his head.
"I guess you're right. I'm glad you opted not to attack me, then. I don't feel like limping home tonight, if I can avoid it." Well, limping any more than usual, at the very least, but he didn't need to be that specific. He watched her for a long moment before he decided that she really wasn't going to attack him, and was offering him a moment of peace.
It was a good thing. He needed a break.
"Too old? Hardly. Though, by comparison to some of the kids out here, it might seem so." He sighed, though he wondered if he was. That midlife crisis was getting pretty bad, and he looked at her and wondered how long she would be fighting. Would she make it to his age?
It wouldn't be fair for him to stop, just because he was getting tired. As long as he had strength in his body he would continue, and really, he was not that old. Busy, yes, but he could handle it. He had to. He was fighting for lives, after all. That was not something he could take lightly.
"Anyway, the ducks were hungry. I imagine Chaos won't miss me for a few minutes. I will be back at it soon enough. Are you here for another lecture?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 10:26 am
His answer left her huffing, air leaving the petite senshi in a sharp sigh. There were grey streaks in his hair and lines on his face. He was no spring chicken, and certainly this war must be wearing on him, but he wanted to pretend, that was his choice. Thin shoulders crept up as she narrowed her eyes at him as he sat beside the waters edge with his ducks. "I imagine Chaos wouldn't mind if you permanently removed yourself from the battle." It was said quick, before she had time to school to her tone or her words. An automatic retort to the righteousness he seemed to exude with every breath. "You know better then to try, old man." She was never in the mood for his lectures, but if ever there was a time when the dark senshi would be even remotely open to what he had to say it would be now. Navi did not doubt her queen or her cause, but over time she had become wary of causing harm. It was why she had begun to take on a pacifist's role, seeking out White Moon senshi that might be open to join them. She'd held onto so much anger for so long, it had seemed like a very part of her. Now, with each passing altercation, that anger was dissipating. Evil, corrupt, dangerous. Words that were thrown at her time and time again. Navi wasn't evil.
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Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:38 pm
Camelot glanced up at her at her tone, tilting his head to the side and shaking his head almost patiently. It seemed they were both weary, in one way or another, but with her youth he found the look in her eyes a little more depressing, in its way. He hated seeing the battle weary warrior look on faces of teenagers and young adults, people who had no business even fighting a war, let alone being the veterans of it.
But then, ever since finding out his son was one of them, Camelot's views had shifted even more toward the paternal, the protective. The soldiers, the bodies in this war were not his enemies. They would always be the ones he wanted to protect and serve.
It was the forces at work, Chaos and Order, that needed to find a balance. It was Chaos that corrupted, that warped and twisted, and it was Chaos that needed to be stopped. Then, maybe without need of it, Order would stop awakening unwitting warriors. If they could just fight the source, they could stem the way the war kept bleeding, they could stop the casualties and the recruitment.
He sighed, motioning to the pond.
"If you care to join me," he offered passively. "I'll try not to lecture you. I know you've heard it all before. I still believe we don't have to be enemies, you know, and I can help you. We can help each other. There has to be some way, you must have thought about it too. This constant fighting is getting neither of us anywhere."
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Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 7:23 pm
The look in his eyes, that worried, parental gaze, had the young woman averting her own, looking down at the ducks as she crossed her arms across her chest. She didn't want his pity or his concern, she never had. All it had ever gotten her was pain, and Navi was no masochist. It would have been wiser, perhaps, to simply walk away now. To turned around and disappear back into the shower and pretend she hadn't seen him sitting there, weary and tired, tearing little bits of toast to feed hungry ducks. It was not an image she welcomed, nor one she would easily shake. Camelot was not supposed to be looked upon as human, as real and alive. He was a fool, a righteous, mindless warrior for a twisted cause. Except now.. Now she saw the tired old man. With a heavy sigh she turned and strode around the pond until she was standing beside him. Within reach, but she didn't have to worry about a sudden strike from the knight. He was, if nothing else, usually honorable. "How can you help me?" Finally she asked, and her tone lacked it's usual scorn. If she were honest with herself she was curious. Curious as to what, if anything, he really had to offer her. "This is not really my war, we're apart from it. Why should it matter to me if you and the Negaverse destroy each other?" Specially now that the alliance had ended.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 1:13 pm
Camelot watched her thoughtfully.
"We don't always have to be enemies. I know there is common ground out there, for all of us, it's just a matter of us all staying alive long enough to get there. I know that you senshi are different, to the negaverse, but there's still chaos that stands between you and the other senshi. I understand having differing ideas, but the fact that most turn to hurting and killing each other to solve those problems... it's getting difficult to keep up with."
He sighed, his thoughts a little jumbled, but he'd promised not to lecture her. He offered her a piece of the bread he was feeding to the ducks, a few little bird heads turning and following the source of their delicious treasures, the ducks drifting toward Navi hopefully.
"This is our planet. All of ours. We live here, were born here, regardless of where our power came from later, or where we want to go now. The way these powers work, the magic that splits us onto different sides, I don't see an end to all of this conflict coming from fighting and killing. There will always be more soldiers. Until there is no one left to fight, I suppose." He couldn't imagine something so bleak. "I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps today, I guess. I just know that, though most of us don't agree, there has to be something we can do to find peace."
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:01 am
Navi looked at the offered bread, then down to the ducks as they swam closer to her. Reluctantly she accepted it, tearing a small corner off the crust and tossing it into the water. This was strange, the weight of it felt odd on the Dark Mirror's shoulders, but she stayed at the knight's side, kept tearing little bits of bread from the whole to feed the happy ducks, and kept listening to him ramble on about war and peace and the never ending struggle betwixt. "Does there? Do you have idea on how to end this war?" A ginger brow lofted as she looked down at him. Her initial question had gone unanswered, and she mulled over asking it again. Wary of that curiosity may lead. Once again she recalled the tiresome bitterness that came with every accusation of evil intent, and she wondered, not for the first time, if there was any escape. So despite her better judgement she asked again. "How can you help me?" It wasn't a plea, but there was a certain worn quality to her voice that hinted that she was dealing with complex emotions and an internal conflict. She loved her court, they were her family, she owed them everything she had, everything that she was. But she loved Chaonis, and he was becoming her world, and that world was dangerous and scary and pitted with hardships and worry. She didn't know what to do...
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 1:45 pm
The ducks were very keen on her accepting the bread and offering another source of food for them, though they were just as keen on getting the bread from whatever source they needed to. One was already contemplating getting out of the water and going to get the bread out of their hands, but the risk to reward ratio was difficult for it to work out without a calculator. Mostly because it was a duck.
"I don't know how to end it, not as easy as that," Camelot said after a moment, watching the ducks as they did not fight one another to get at the bread, but certainly tried to be the first one to it. "But I won't stop until there is a path to peace that makes all this killing and memory wiping unnecessary. Forcing people to corrupt, convincing people to purify, it just feels like a game of tug of war. No one can win this way, and honestly, the way things stand, I don't think there is anything to win."
He tossed a bit of bread and it didn't quite fall into the water. A duck very carefully stretched its neck out as far as it could go, not wanting to risk bringing its body forward but still determined enough to risk its head. He watched it thoughtfully.
Hearing Navi's voice, he looked at her and considered her for a moment. She had grown up a lot since he first saw her, and things seemed to have changed for her. He shook his head slowly, smiling softly.
"We can start by not being enemies, and I will work to find a way to help you, in whatever it is you want to do. If you know that, if we have a goal, we'll be alright. What is it that you fight for now? What matters most to you, in all of this?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:38 am
Navi offered the rest of her bread to the ducks without tearing it up, and she watched with tired eyes as they scrambled to tear chunks off the larger piece until nothing was left. Only one had resisted the draw, and it was busy stretching it's head towards the bit Camelot was offering it. With a heavy breath she sank down into a crouch, arms wrapping around her knees as weight balanced on her toes. Only her eyes visible for a moment, the rest of her face pressed to her legs. Then her head lifted, chin resting on her knees before hazel eyes rolled up and over to take in the knight's soft smile. On a whim she tried to recall that initial loathing she'd felt for him, but all that stirred was a weak indifference. She didn't want to fight anymore, the drive was gone. And strangely she found she trusted that he wanted what was best for her. He'd always preached it, but she had never been willing to listen, until now. What was most important to her? What did she fight for? "Chaonis." The name rolled off her tongue naturally, and that delicate face contorted with raw emotion before a single hand came up to smooth her palm along her cheek and brow. It felt like a betrayal to raise him up above the rest of her court, but she would fight to keep him safe. Even against them.
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 12:32 pm
Camelot watched the little duck he had the attention of, bringing it closer until he was able to pat it lightly on the head. It did not seem to mind, used to humans and more interested in the food anyway. He looked away from the little, trusting duck to the Dark Mirror senshi beside him, catching her gaze.
"Cha... Chaonis?"
He stared at her for a long moment, blindsided by her saying that name, let alone with such affection and as the answer to his question. What she cared about most in this war was... Chaonis? A White Moon senshi and, not least of all, Camelot's own son. He felt like he was suddenly learning far too much about Nate's life to be able to process.
He cleared his throat, trying to recompose himself as quickly as he could.
"You... you know Chaonis? And... and you care about him...? He is ah...I uh. Well that's certainly not something I expected to hear you say... but in a way, it's a comfort to know. Do you... would he answer the same way, if he was asked the same question?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 12:52 pm
Navi watched the duck because it was so much easier than whatever she expected to see in Camelot's eyes with that revelation. She could hear the surprise in his voice, as he echoed her, and she just nodded, head in her hands. Shoulders itched as his gaze lingered on her, and she parted her hands, glancing up at the knight beside her. Whatever she saw in the lines of his face was enough that she let her hands fall away completely to circle her legs again. The shock was expected, specially considering their long history together, but that concern, and that relief, she didn't know what to do with it. Or where it was coming from. How much did she dare admit? Honestly, if it was anyone but Camelot she wouldn't have said a damn thing, but somehow, through all the conflict, they'd formed a certain bond. She couldn't have said what it was, but it was there. Finally she settled on honestly. "I love him." It was obvious Camelot knew the senshi of danger. She wondered how well, but it didn't really matter, did it? "Why is that a comfort?" Drawing in a deep breath, she looked back out over the little pond. Would Chaonis say the same? It was a hard question. She knew he loved her, knew he would fight to defend her, but was she the most important thing to him? "I Believe so."
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 1:26 pm
It warmed Camelot to learn that his son had managed to find someone he cared about so much, someone to love, though Chaonis had never bothered to share his personal life with anyone. It did make sense, as Camelot was seeing more and more of how Nathan was maturing. It caught him by surprise, but now that he was more aware of who Nathan, or Chaonis, was, it highlighted how far Nathan had grown.
Camelot took a slow breath.
"I'm glad to know that you love him. And that he loves you. I... it seems strange that our paths seem to keep crossing, but now we have a common ground. Chaonis is..." he thought about the implications of telling her, but the risk did not amount to enough to change his mind about being honest. "He's my son."
Camelot chuckled and let the weight of these new understandings sink in, looking at Navi in a new light. He had wanted to be a friend to her, or at least not an enemy, but he had not imagined they would be brought this close together. Certainly not through his son, who had always seemed impervious to the trappings of love. But even he was not mighty enough in his stubbornness to resist it when it finally came calling for him.
An interesting choice, a senshi on another faction, but Camelot was not the type to judge, and as far as he could see, Nathan had only been bettered by the experience.
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