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 Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:00 pm
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He had been sent out this time to see if he could find out where the next squadron of Negas would enter from; if they could determine the direction from where they came, they might be able to predict their next movements, and maybe head them off at the pass.
Unfortunately, the night so far had proven to be rather useless. Several hours had passed, and Celsus, sitting atop an old, long-abandoned building that had once been a movie theater at some point, had his cape wrapped securely around him as he stared down at the streets three stories below. He'd managed to muffle the gentle clinking sound his uniform had the annoying tendency to make, thanks to the golden coins edging his cuffs, but he might as well have been making a racket for all the action he'd seen.
Celsus' legs dangled over the side, booted feet bumping gently against the side of the building. He leaned over, his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees, and surveyed his surroundings yet again; a fruitless endeavor.
He would have precious little to report back with, which was irritating in and of itself. Celsus pushed himself to his feet and stood at the edge of the building, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 1:43 pm
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While Remarque had little love for heights, there was a certain protection roofs provided that the streets did not. For example, you could hide a mirror on a roof and it had less chance of being found by someone. Unless they were really looking.
But getting a mirror up to the roof? Pain in the a**.
Thankfully, there was a mirror Remarque had been using for the past four months that had escaped detection, but he imagined his luck was running out. But he was making damn sure he got use out of that mirror before someone smashed it. Casually, he exited the mirror as Eternal Sailor Remarque—and was immediately met with a strong Order signature.
He saw Celsus before he even had time to process that it was an Order signature he was right on, and while he was surprised for a second, in this day and age you couldn’t really afford to waste time being surprised.
He began walking towards the Knight, heels clicking across the roof tile. He had seen the Knight often enough to recognize him from behind, even if it had been a bit of time.
"Celsus," he greeted, drawing out the name as he approached. "…Are you thinking about jumping or just waiting for someone to find you?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:23 pm
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He'd forgotten about the mirrors; they were everywhere now, except tucked into subtle places, quiet little places that no one would be able to see except for the Dark Mirrors. Celsus himself knew of the location of perhaps one or two, but since several kept moving around, he'd given up trying to learn where each and every single mirror was.
Which was why he didn't notice the mirror on the rooftop until he felt a wave of a power signal wash over him; strong and clear and most certainly not Order. Celsus turned slowly around, looking completely unfazed by the sudden appearance, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Remarque," he said, sounding faintly amused. How long had it been since they'd last seen each other? Their years together went a long way back, back to when Celsus had first awakened, which made it nearing eight or nine years since their initial meeting, but over the course of time Celsus had mostly lost contact with the Dark Mirror. It had been at least a year since he'd seen him this time, and even before then it had only been brief glimpses from a distance as the war had raged on around them.
"Long time you see," Celsus said smoothly, and his gaze flickered over the other briefly before he looked back at the ledge, his smile quirking his lips upwards. "Neither, really. Though I suppose the latter is more applicable than the former, come to think of it. I was merely waiting for something to happen, really."
The years of the war had seen their toll on the Knight; where once there had been laugh lines and an easy, sloping amusement in everything he did, now there was a heavy weariness in his bright green eyes. He had lost much of his laughter, replaced by a stoic, calm visage that was worn in public, only breaking when he was around those he felt safest around.
Celsus tilted his head at Remarque, looking at him over his shoulder.
"What brings you here tonight?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:16 am
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Remarque shrugged; he was rolling his stiff shoulders as he approached. Dropping down next to the knight, he seemed keen to just take a break, himself. "Just out," he answered, but there was always more to it than that. He was gathering information, looking for allies, running errands, dropping off mirrors, gathering energy…
The list didn't end.
"You know, you're a huge target like this. I'd almost think you were looking for trouble. How many Guardian Cats do you have left? Or are they so focused on keeping your little safe haven safe that one or two can't afford to go out with you?"
Remarque did not know all the details, but he knew enough of the little ones to piece things together.
He knew of Order hideouts—several, though beyond knowing their existence he hadn't the faintest idea how many there were, where they were, or how many they housed. What allies he'd made in Order seemed to hold some information secret, even to him.
Leaning back, Remarque looked like he was trying to relax for a few moments before he willed himself back to work. He had no intention of passing up a conversation with Celsus, though; they might not have always seen eye to eye, but with the Negaverse as it was, any familiar face felt a little friendlier. As long as they weren't with Metallia.
"It's getting harder to get in and out of the city, isn't it?" he asked, referring to the recent requirements of the Negaverse to have permits to leave the city. "Do you still have an easy way in and out of the city?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 2:40 pm
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Of course there was more to it than "just out," but Celsus wasn't about to press because that would have taken too much effort; and besides, he doubted whether Remarque would even tell him if he'd asked anyway. As it was, he felt, rather than saw, the senshi sit down beside him, and a smile tugged at the corners of Celsus' lips involuntarily.
"Maybe I was," he answered lightly, resting his arm on his knee and propping his chin up in one hand. He gazed out at the streets below them, his expression inscrutable. "I didn't feel the need to take one of the Cats out with me on such a small excursion; it would be a waste of their time and their energy, and we need them for much more important tasks, after all."
He gave a small laugh, slightly hollowed. "I am not worth any of that, after all. Not anymore."
Something unspoken passed across him; a strange bitterness, though it was fleeting. Celsus lifted a hand and absently ran it through his hair, which had grown out to the point of needing to be tied back most of the time in order to keep it out of his face. He glanced sideways at Remarque, who was leaning back casually, and the smile wormed its way back onto his face.
"It's harder, yes," he said, somewhat evasively. "I wouldn't call it an easy way, really, but a way, yes; though I have been using it less and less, as its grown much harder to stay hidden from everyone. I grow weary of the same stalemate every day; we are slowly being exterminated under the thumb of the Negaverse. Something must change eventually, but there is hardly an easy way in which to turn the tides."
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 10:07 pm
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"Unfortunately. I'm still waiting for you all to come up with extraordinary Hail Mary. Any day now. Of course, I'm sure your ability to fight back depends on how many of you get caught sneaking in and out while on your way between camp and Destiny City."
The camp, of which he knew little. Perhaps the most important think he knew of it was that the Negaverse was buckling down on their efforts to locate it, but at least he could be thankful that they did not seem to have any more information than he did.
"With them taking all these efforts to close down the city for travel, there might come a day when you need some other way to get in and out. I hope you've got a plan," he mused cryptically. He was silent for only a few seconds. After what he deemed an adequate cause, he added, "Mirrorwalking, you know, is a fabulous skill. All you need are two mirrors, a Dark Mirror Senshi, and a place to be."
He shrugged. "No barriers or curfews or Negas to worry about between Point A and Point B. Makes life a lot easier."
Celsus couldn’t Mirrrorwalk. He was a knight, and they were useless to the Dark Mirror Court and any skills they had.
But, Remarque could Mirrorwalk. And it seemed like he was offering.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 6:56 pm
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Celsus stretched out his arms in front of him, still gazing absently out at the city beneath his feet, dangling over the side of the building. "Most unfortunately, Mary has left this world," he said airily, and a few stray hairs of brilliant red fell across his forehead, half covering the faintly glowing sigil of Chronos imprinted on his skin. "Which leaves us the misfortune of trying to figure things out ourselves. I have yet to be caught myself - until now, at least,' Celsus added, with a flicker of an amused smirk passing across his face as he turned to look at Remarque. "Though I must admit, you are not quite as intimidating as some of the others, so I feel less inclined to be worried at present."
He wondered what Remarque had been up to in all the years since they had talked - really talked. It had been so long that Celsus sometimes wondered whether the memories that he had of the other were nothing more than vague fragments that his mind had tried to fill in as the war had wreaked its havoc not just on his body but his mind as well. It was growing harder and harder to recall things properly as of late, a fact that Celsus had kept deliberately to himself.
He could not worry the princess no matter what; she had to be kept safe and reassured.
"Perhaps," said Celsus agreeably, and he tapped a finger against his knee. For a moment he said nothing at all, just let the silence stretch between them as he tried to decipher Remarque's intentions behind the words he spoke. After all this time, Celsus still remained on somewhat odd terms with the Dark Mirrors, for it was they with whom he had had the most contact with throughout his growth towards full Knighthood. There had been interactions with the senshi and the Negaverse, of course, but strangely Celsus had mostly formed relationships with those of the Dark Mirrors.
Whatever the case, Celsus slanted a look towards Remarque, lips quirked upwards.
"What exactly are you proposing?"
Kyuseisha no Hikari I was going to add "your highness" at the end of that question but I wasn't sure if he would actually know that Remarque is a prince sdkjfljsf
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:04 am
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"Perhaps it is not so bad not to be intimidating," Remarque shrugged; he didn't seem to take offense. There were some psychotic Negaversers out there, and for all the pleasure he might have felt in making an enemy tremble, striking fear into the hearts of everyone wasn't exactly beneficial when you were trying to work with someone who didn't exactly see eye to eye with you.
No, Remarque was content to leave the intimidation for when he needed it. Right now, he needed allies.
"As for proposals," he shrugged, seeming nonchalant. "Perhaps we have similar enough goals that it might be wise to ensure that you succeed where I cannot. For example," he drawled, "I can't go out and hunt the Negaverse without getting attention. Which is problematic, as I know too many of them that know me."
Unpowered.
"And, see, I've got a family, and I really can't afford to drag them in. To be honest, I'm not entirely fond of this whole thing the Negaverse has going on. I find it repulsive and constricting and it's forced a hand I hadn't been willing to play. The Dark Mirror Court is dwindling and they've effectively stifled the majority of our efforts to do—well, anything. Only, they're not just screwing us over, they're screwing everyone over. I don't want my daughter growing up thinking it's right to let the Negaverse sap you dry. If they keep up as they are? They'll drain energy every other day. And they'll leave Earth and go find somewhere else to take over, and this planet will be so brainwashed that they'll just keep showing up to give energy. And I don't want that."
He seemed a little gruff, but looked at Celsus. "So I'm saying, helping you? Helps me. So we should figure something out."
kuroopu He could know, I don't mind!
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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:31 pm
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If he just tipped a little more to the left, he would have fallen off of the building; gone spiraling down to the ground below, a dark gravel alleyway forged between the building he was currently sitting on and the next, which was a plain apartment complex. Celsus' eyes slid sideways for a brief moment before they moved back to Remarque, leaning forward and resting his chin in the palm of his hand.
An alliance, of sorts, or at least that's what it sounded like to him, which made it all the more intriguing. Celsus had always been under the belief that Remarque was a staunch believer in what he did, and whom he served with, but apparently things were changing enough to warrant change within himself as well.
Curious, thought Celsus, very curious.
"Oh," said Celsus with a smooth smile. "How ironic. You see, I feel the same way. The Negaverse has been allowed its freedom all too long; I dislike feeling as though I have a noose around my neck with every turn I make, or a collar to reel me back when I am misbehaving, so to speak."
He'd had no idea that Remarque had a family - or a daughter, and for a moment a wave of envy and nostalgia mingled with sadness washed over Celsus as he gazed at his old friend. Celsus himself had spent too many years fighting and not enough living, and he could not honestly say the same for himself - that he had something like that to protect and to go back to.
"Must be nice," said Celsus, and he stood, stretching his arms up to the sky, his back towards the other. There was a note of resignation in his voice as he added, "to have that sort of thing, I mean. A daughter. A wife."
His voice grew quieter, barely audible. He was staring at the long expanse of dark sky, inky black and dotted with tiny stars.
"A family."
For a few moments it seemed he was lost in whatever was inside of his head; but then Celsus shook it, snapping once more back into the respectable, responsible Knight once more. Celsus hopped down from the ledge and strolled a few steps away before pivoting to face Remarque again, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"I accept this little deal of yours, then, your highness," he said. "I will help you if you will help me."
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 2:43 pm
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Remarque watched the man, a thin smile tugging on his lips after the Knight jumped from the ledge. Remarque remained where he was sitting and looked down at Celsus before he just laughed--softly, though it was.
"Then it's a deal. And who knows? Maybe by the time all this is up you can go back, find that special lady of yours and settle down. And all this will be a bad dream."
But if they could work together--finish this, together, then maybe there was still hope for them.
Maybe they still stood a chance against the Negaverse. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, Remarque was a betting man, and as long as there were people like him, like Celsus, he'd gamble at those odds.
It was better than giving up, at least.
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