|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 10:48 am
"OK... cream...sugar...butter... Piermont crystals... " Holi read off her checked off list of supplies slowly, double checking each tick mark with her pen. One thing that hadn't been damaged by her stint in space was her love of chocolate, which lately felt like it grounded her to a saner, more peaceful time in her life, and she'd been using it to try and meet other Order agents. "...Did I get... yeah I got the..." She trailed off vaguely, walking slowly as she glanced between her list and the street around her. Not in powered form, she was a bit extra alert for the faintest hint of a Chaos uniform. Not an easy task since they came in almost any given flavor, but she had no plans of becoming a victim to anyone tonight, unless it was an unfortunate case of separating chocolate. "Ugh, maybe I should just make a big batch of chili instead."She sighed. "Right that would work great. I'll just drag a big crock pot to the park and plug it into a tree and wait." She hadn't seem much of the other people who had been at the surrounding, not even many of the other students. They had blended back into the city in what she had to assume was a much more successful fashion than she had, and at this point was almost at the point of not expecting anyone to know her as Holiday Jones, instead of as Hara Berezaiti - bundle of nerves and provider of chocolate and excessive weepyness.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:52 am
"Am I allowed to point out how stupid this is?"
Zia was standing over a fallen squire with her arms crossed in displeasure at the entire thing, even though she looked more like she had caught a puppy misbehaving than an injured man who tripped on the sidewalk and couldn't get off the pavement.
"No, but you could stop being a massive b***h and help me up," Alfheim grumbled and shifted to sit up and scowl at her rather than reach up. His knee still hadn't fully recovered from his epic failure with Svartalfheim, but he figured he could bite through the soreness and manage up a limpy patrol tonight.
It was just unfortunate hos patrol was cut short by a deadly, mild raise in the sidewalk. The fact his sister, who was mad at him, had been the nearby ally to notice and not offer to help was an extra case of bad luck.
Well, he was actually pretty pissed at her too, but he figured he'd resume that when he had managed to limp safely home and didn't need her help tonight.
He was the first to notice the civilian, mostly because he was cringing over how she might react to a 'terrorist'. He wasn't in any condition to flee someone who might draw the attention of authorities.
But Zia followed his eyeline and angled her head a little at the light haired girl, as if she was trying to place her. It had been a fee years, but it was easier to remember people who fed her. "Hey, it's candy girl! You're alive!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:19 am
There were, quite possibly, alternate universes where she managed a dignified response... however... this was not that universe. She gave a short high pitched sound that sounded like what might happen if it was possible to simultaneously strangle and beat a scream to death, juggling her list and rattling her shopping bags in a brief burst of panic. She'd initially seen Zia as Zirconia, and without the fuzzy ears and tail, she didn't recognize her without, though there were few people she could think of that would refer to her as 'candy girl'. "H-Hi??" She floundered, trying to assign a name to the stylish woman with the lavender hair. "S-s-orry I don't..." Oh god. Now she was stuttering? Not as much as it felt like her heartbeat was, but she was sure she ought to know her somehow. "s**t. Sorry. Give me a second. I'm, I'm sure we've met I just... I mean... were you in the..." She floundered, trying to get her racing pulse and thoughts back in line. "At the uh. You know..." She gestured vaguely at the stars. "I don't... I mean... I don't remember seeing him there but... there were a ... there were a lot of senshi..." Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Ok she knew who Holi was but... ok she must know them... think think think... they weren't jumping her, this was a white moon senshi and a civilian, not bad people... maybe she'd been in one of the infirmary beds? Maybe? Oh god. She must look like an idiot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:40 am
Zia had no idea her greeting would result in so much stuttering and social flailing, but when it did, she grinned with an amused cackle while the poor girl struggled to get a grip.
Alfheim just frowned, completely lost when it came to what they were talking about. Especially when she waved up at the stars. Being an Earth knight, he didn't even go off planet when he traveled to his wonder. He at least looked worried when he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Okay, calm down," Zia still sounded amused, and even in all this mirth and good nature, reached one hand sown to Alfheim, which he took to get on his unsteady feet. "Maybe introductions would help. This is Alfheim," She said, making a waving gesture to his tall figure just to further emphasize. "He wasn't at the Surrounding, he was a more recent awakening."
Almost a year now! Where did the time go?
"I'm Zia, but uh. At the surrounding I looked more like this?" She powered up gaining two fluffy ears, one tail, and a stylish Black Moon styled dress.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:28 am
OH. Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That explained everything... and simultaneously sent electric currents running along her nerve endings, flashing back to the makeshift infirmary, smiles, interest, the sound of a bell. "I-I'm ok." She lied, because she very much needed to be ok. Not wondering if her heart would knock a hole in her ribs... not wondering either if she might gag bile onto the sidewalk from an empty stomach. No wonder she had said 'you're alive'. "Z-zirconia...I mean Zia!" She knew little of guardian cats beyond Zue, so the ability to become human did not surprise her as much as it might have, though she was a bit whiter than the plastic bags in her hands. "Wow! I just... I didn't expect to see you again!" She really... really hadn't after that night.She hadn't even been sure if anyone else had... had... nope.nopenopenopenopenopedonotgodownthattrainofthoughtnopenopenopenope "I'm. I am... fine... ish." She added the adendum with an thin lipped grimace."I was just... getting some stuff to make chocolate. I mean... yeah. Chocolate again... right? But I was trying to meet some of the other people who... I mean..." She paused, floundering. "It's very nice to meet another knight, Alfheim." be normal be normal be normal don't let him see you're a mess. You're supposed to be tougher than this. "I'm Holiday... or... or Hara Berezaiti if I'm actually doing the whole page thing. Which is apparently a thing I guess." She sighed, fidgeting, then putting her bags down before she transformed as well, twisting her sparkling pink scarf instead of the fragile plastic straps of the bags. "Isn't it stupid?" She added, a touch bitterly. "It couldn't be more ironic. The girl who didn't believe in magic gets to be a knight of Chronos."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:53 pm
Alfheim's brow slowly raised at hearing his sister called Zirconia. It sure would be nice if the b***h explained something to him sometime, because up until tonight, this Zirconia person was someone Zia and Valhalla both talked about with disgust and dislike as if she were another person.
Did this count as powered magical identity theft? Ugh.
"Yes, that's me!" Zia said, raising her hands in a bit of presentation and showmanship. "Don't worry, I survived. And it looks like you're all in one lovely piece."
The cat girl who was totally inconsiderate of the fact she was leaking energy all over the goddamn atmosphere closed the distance to smoosh Holi's cheeks and squeal with glee. "Oh, I never did get the chance to debrief too many Surrounding survivors, this is fabulous."
She had a special interest in them after Orpheus admitted to being one himself, though he wouldn't share his civilian identity with the enemy to her unfortunate disappointment.
Aflheim wobbly limped forward before feebly reaching out one hand, but he couldn't seem to make it too far forward without falling on his face. Otherwise he proably would've pulled his sister off the poor traumatized girl.
"Zee, chill the ******** out, she's obviously rattled." He was assuming they were more familiar than they were.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:13 pm
"Oh um. It's... oh god. It's not her fault I swear, I'm just... I...I wouldn't recommend the surrounding as a vacation destination. I mean I suppose it's better these days but...not so cool. Giant people eating fish and crap." ....Oh yeah that was hilarious. Like front row seats to an amputation. She flapped her hands uselessly, flustered by Zia's stroking hands on her cheeks. "There's... not much to debrief. I mean. It was awful and then it got awkward and awful and I am still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing. I mean. I guess I'm supposed to be a..." She gesticulated. "A ******** space knight. Apparently my base of operations is a mountain in space with a hobbit hole in it... and someone thought it would be awesome to give me a sparkly scarf to fight evil with. I am... Barbie... Space warrior Fear my stupid goddamn accessories!" Angry tears started creeping steadily down her cheeks and she added angrily. "Oh not again... I'm sorry. I'm the worst at this ever. EVER."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:44 pm
"Aw, it's okay precious," Zia cooed. However, Holi's flustered panic seemed to be infecting Alfheim and he held up his hands as if that motion could push her feelings back and calm her the hell down so he could stop looking like he was going to have a heart attack on her behalf.
"A lot of first stagers have weird and terrible weapons. He gets a bottle!" She laughed, and jerked a thumb towards Alfheim. "Do you need training?" She powered down so she had her tote bag with her again and started digging through for her tablet. "I can hook you up with some people to help you out. I am not bad myself, but cats don't get weapons."
"I think I'd prefer magic powers," Alfheim deadpanned, a little bit irritated she insulted his bottle. Hey, it wasn't the greatest weapon but it was... okay.
"My magic powers are my life energy, it's a Hail Mary, not something to be used willy nilly," Zia scoffed, but turned her vaguely disturbing and wa too wide smile on Holi. "So you're a knight tooo? Chronos, I'm assuming. Do you know Troy? Or Celsus? What's your relationship to the Zodiac senshi? Can I get a picture?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" Alfheim figured one more question was not going to make her explode with the way Zia was piling it on. "Please do not ever offer me a vacation to where the man eating fish are." That was meant to be a joke. Kind of. Ha ha. Oh god.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 4:24 pm
"I'm... um..." Holi furiously scrubbed at her cheeks with her forearm, as though she could totally erase even the ability to cry. "I'm um. Taking Akido, which I am... also... not very good at. I'm just... I can't figure out why me. I mean... I guess a lot of the people who were taken out there had some tie to all this... this stuff so why not pick someone who was... you know.. actually tough?" Alfheim looked tough.... ish. "There... aren't really supposed to be any more fish monsters there... but... there were so many creepy things while we were actually there it's... it's like asking someone to go back into a house full of ghosts and axe-murderers, just becuase it's supposedly all cleaned out. You can take away all the evil things but you can't make the memory of them not be there. I... kinda know Celus... but only a little. I know Pharos... we... met a couple times before we were awakened. She's..." She floundered, tears drying but still under composed... skittish, but also a touch bitter. "...She has kittens and apparently that makes everything ok. Not... not guardian kittens. Just... kitten-kittens. I just... I don't get it. How can she just... wander through all that... with people dying and monsters and the oh by the way there's a rainbow bridge in space with giant outposts like something out of a pipe dream...... and she just goes back and is all Oh hey, everything's peachy and sunshine and chocolate and giggles because kittens. It...I..."
She clenched her jaw and admitted in a combination of anger, and guilt for feeling it...
"...It's awful but I kind of want to slap her or... something... until she stops being so happy about it all. It was awful and hard and miserable and... and I'm jealous as hell that she acts like it's a Disney flick and she's waiting or a big musical number to break out."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 6:24 am
"Yeah, it can take some getting used to," Zia said at the end of all that with a bit of a casual nod like 'Welp. That happened.'
"You don't have to, you know," Alfheim interjected. "I don't know your ties to this city, and this place, but if it makes you uncomfortable, you can just... stop." He had been thinking about this for a while, ever since Svartalfheim confessed her discomfort with the double lifestyle.
It was part of who they were, being knights, but he ached at the thought of someone being so uncomfortable in their own skin. He had suddenly become acutely aware of the people who were thrown into the powered side of things without so much as a hello. It wasn't the case for him. He had spent over a year aware of the Destiny City nightlife before getting his powers awakened, and that entire time he had been frustrated with his lack of ability to do something before it was handed to him.
Of course that came with it's own set of complications, but those weren't the complications of most people.
"I know it's weird and awful now that you know, and I'm not saying pretend you don't, but you don't owe anyone anything, and you don't have to stress yourself out by trying to push yourself like this," Something else clicked when she mentioned the other knight. He was pretty familiar with Eliza and he knew how her optimism might grate on someone who just needed to work through their own things. "Pharos is really young. I'm sure there's a lot she pushes away or doesn't quite comprehend to be that way."
Zia had her own opinions on things, especially since bitterness resonated with her like nothing else.
"Yeah kids are resilient and s**t," She said with a dramatic shrug. "But awful and horrible and miserable things happen and they suck," She seemed to have shifted behavior a bit. She did not like Alfheim's whole 'it's okay to let it go' speech. Some people never had power. Some people had s**t power with no opportunity to grow and change. Some people were doomed to servitude in guiding beings who had the potential to be way more powerful than them with no reward and no opportunity for revenge or anything of the sort.
"You can get tougher, you know. Work hard, rank up, get more magic, better weapons. I guess that just requires doing something. And if you're scared you can go listen to him, I guess."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:36 pm
"You know..." Hara hiccoughed and sniffed. "I actually thought about that. I thought it might be ok if I just... never... ever powered up again. I could go to Germany, and Belgium, and make candy forever and pretend I'd never seen any of the things I'd seen. I tried... I tried not doing it, but the more I stayed at home...I mean.. I'm still seeing a head doctor. I just... can't... Isn't that stupid? I mean... I keep thinking about all the people who were out there and, and Chronos who can... I mean... she makes a bubble. That's her power. And making the seasons change a little. She fought... and I mean... I just feel like I can't do less just because I'm scared out of my mind. I was scared them too, just... now I'm scared and I come with sparkly accessories." "...I kind of wish I was brave enough to be enough of a coward to quit."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 10:44 pm
Alfheim looked on her with pity in his eyes and a heavy sigh. He thought princesses and people in leadership positions had grand powers and-- and well, wasn't that why they were in leadership positions? Had people following them?
But apparently Chronos needed more protecting than she did any.
On top of that, he just couldn't seem to figure out why anyone of these kids were so impassioned to fight. For what cause? His own was pathetically selfish and basically just amounted to wanting to keep people alive but even then, he often found himself questioning his opponents. Why? Whywhywhy? This was all so pointless. And here Holi was forcing herself into it out of some sense of duty and he couldn't understand. He just shook his head and crossed his arms and tried not to visibly show how much he was pitying this poor girl.
Zia had a slightly different reaction.
"OOOOOOOH," She ended up throwing her arms around Holi and hugging her. "You're not a coward, baby!"
A total switch from her attitude at all the talk of quitting, seeing someone as reluctant as Holi realize her duty made her heart bubble over with a little too much emotion that manifested in cuddling the frightened girl.
"It's okay! It'll get better, I promise!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 12:41 pm
She'd somehow just tipped a balance and, thrown by Zia's sudden display of affection, which first made her stiffen in anxiety, then made her want to bury herself in the other woman's shoulder and just hang on for life and sanity... she wasn't quite sure the point at which she'd tipped it. ...The other part of her kind of wanted to break loose, walk over and stomp Aelfheim on the foot for that little head shake. "Isn't that the problem? It won't get better unless we make it get better but I don't feel like we know enough to make it better. We're just.. we're stomping on scouts but somewhere we're missing a nest... I think. I mean... so many youma were out there trying to get places and so many people... I just... How can we get anywhere against them?" This admittedly might have been more clear if it weren't sort of mumbled into Zia's cuddles...but she just... god it was so nice to talk to someone who had some idea what they were doing. Zia was a guardian, right? They were supposed to be kind of wise...right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:59 pm
"N-no..." Alfheim struggled. He still didn't look happy, but he didn't look mad or anything either. Just very sad. "I just... don't... I don't know..."
"He doesn't like fighting," Zia said with a one shouldered shrug to accommodate Holi. "Things are better than you think," She added, gingerly stroking her hair a little.
"Was there something you wanted to know? Somewhere you wanted to start? I could help, it's kind of my job! I collect information."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 11:57 am
"How... How is it getting better?" She asked, sniffing and rubbing her eyes. "Is that a fair question? I mean... I've had trouble finding other people I remember until you. She laughed, which was a sort of fragile sound. "...I think I still owe you some chocolate." She'd never gotten the chance to hand out the carefully made Chocolate-Cats she'd made. She'd been so proud of herself for managing it with the limited resources of the Surrounding and that thing had spoiled everything. ... At least she could be angry about it. Angry was better than afraid, even if she was that too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
