|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 5:56 pm
The old abandoned subway tunnels were some of her favorite parts of the city. Kallichore sat silent in her reverie as she absently played with the pendant around her neck. Her brother, Themisto, had given it to her a few months before he was killed and it was the single most precious thing she had in her possession. It was Themisto who encouraged her to continue on when all hope seemed lost. She carefully wrapped her wings around herself, imagining it was him instead and that she could rest her head on his shoulders. And now he was gone. A few tears slipped down her cheek and she was close to losing herself in a dream, laying there in the quiet dark, not caring that, in this form, she'd be a target to any Chaos agents nearby. Right now, she needed to wrap herself up in his memory, like a blanket, to strengthen her. It was then that she realized she wasn't alone. There was a single beacon of light, something shining and holy, in the distance. It was moving slowly, deliberately down the corridor in which she sat. Their movement was quiet but distinct and Kallichore, despite her restrictive dress, rose to meet the visitor. "Who goes there, friend?" Her voice echoed across the long forgotten stone walls. There was a dripping in the distance, perhaps from rain.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:18 am
It was a mistake to power up. She'd only done it to see if she could narrow in on some chaos signatures in the area, willing to do anything she could to take out her pain an anger on the world; she was willing to kill if necessary for the loss she suffered at the hands of the evil that called itself the Negaverse. Instead of any Chaos signatures she found something below her that seemed to be beneath the ground, nearly hidden and certainly a dim light on her peripheral.
Curious, Shalott followed it down into the tunnels of the subway system. This area had been abandoned for years and last she heard dangerous people dwelled in them to use the secret places for their own reasons. Rats didn't scare her. Neither did darkness. General King Zinkenite himself could have materialized in front of her and she wouldn't have batted an eyes, mostly because of her depression.
Nothing in this world felt whole or right without her child in it any longer. As unnatural as anything she'd ever come across a parent should not have to bury a child. Of that she was convinced beyond doubt.
The voice that called out to her made her pause.
"Shalott, of Earth."
She stepped out of the shadows and presented herself fully, a Royal Knight of Earth. Logic said she should have powered down by now but she really didn't want to give away her civilian identity to anyone else. It wasn't safe. None of it was safe.
"What are you doing down here, an alone? Don't you know you're in danger?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:56 pm
"There is no danger here." came a simple reply. Shalott. Yes, that name rang a bell. Camelot spoke of her, and now she had ascended. Without pause, Kallichore, despite her long dress, had moved forward from the darkness and into the small slivers of light that cascaded through the tunnels from cracks in the concrete above. The city was damaged though thriving in its own twisted way, the light reminding the princess that all was not lost. Shalott reminded her of it too, reminded her that there is still power on the side of good and righteousness and that it would not be defeated so easily. Broken, but never gone. Sweeping her arms out like one sister to another, Kallichore made to embrace the Royal Knight. "It is so good to see you." The princess' voice was raspy, dry from weeping and her face still showed it. Moisture still streaked down her cheeks. "Look at you, regal. Almost divine." The praise had lifted Kallichore's spirits, even in these dark times. The princess stepped back and clasped her hands at her waist, bowing briefly. "I am... well, mourning. I have a shrine here, dedicated to my brother. I lost him many years ago." she explained, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. "He would be proud of me, to see me like this, so present myself like this to his memory, to honor him. I apologize if I threw off your patrol, Shalott. It was not my intention. But... what brings you down here? Such a place is not worthy of your likeness."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:05 am
Shalott kept the formal look of her knighthood even to her final form, crystal sword by her side in a sheath. It looked out of place with the coloring of her outfit. She never brought it out, especially not to harm anyone. She knew that was not its intended purpose so there it stayed by her side until a more noble reason came to use it.
"You sound like you know me. I don't remember meeting. If we have I'm sorry."
Or perhaps she misunderstood the intention of the statement, it's good to see you. No one had said that to her lately. She blushed at the compliments but graciously accepted them, offering a weak smile in return. She would have offered some measure of kindness in return only Kallichore's next statement made her forget what she'd been about to say. Immediately she thought of Harmony at the word mourning. The loss was still unbearably fresh and, as it always would, thoughts of her daughter brought fresh tears to her eyes. She did not have anger to hide behind tonight.
"I'm sorry," she brushed away the tears quickly, damning more for welling up in place of the old. "My daughter..."
She felt like she was continually telling people, explaining her erratic behavior. It kept the loss in the forefront of her mind and continued to crush her with a heavy sorrow that was not easing. But more than sad she was angry, too. Angry at herself and angry at the world for letting her die. She wanted every member of the Negaverse to feel her pain to the point of recklessness with her own life, a point of contention between her and her husband.
"I don't...I don't know if she would be proud of me. I feel so empty without her."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:39 am
The princess chuckled deeply; she was known, in her younger days, to not make much sense. "I'm afraid we have never met, but I heard about you from Camelot. And... I am very sorry for your loss, Shalott." Without thinking, Kallichore lifted one of her sleeves to dry the tears the Royal Knight before her was shedding. It was the least she could do. Seeing someone in the midst of their mourning was not sad to her, it simply reminded her that the soldiers on the side of Order were still very much human. Kallichore appreciated that. The Royal Knight's admission of guilt, of feeling empty, prompted the senshi to take her hands and lead her back into the tunnels. "She would be proud of you, Shalott. Why wouldn't she be? You are facing danger every day, strong in your resolve, inspiring others to do the same. You did not back down, you did not retreat and you did not admit defeat. What isn't there to be proud of?" Kallichore wasn't even remotely related to Shalott and she felt a swell of pride in her breast knowing someone else was as strong as she herself hoped to be. "I have a shrine here, to Themisto. Why don't we make one for your daughter?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:42 pm
It didn't surprise Shalott to know that her husband talked about her to others. She proudly called him her soul mate when it came up in conversation. Kyndall was proud of who she was most of the time and liked the upturn her life had taken until recently. She'd come so far from the scared and pregnant seventeen year old mourning a twin and her entire family. She tried so hard to overcome the tragedies and bad choices in her life and now...
"Thank you."
The Earth knight was all too human and very susceptible to the grief she was feeling. A parent burying a child felt unnatural to her. If there was any justice in the world children would always outlive their parents.
At Kallichore's compliments she had to shake her head.
"No, don't say that. My philosophy has changed so much. I used to be like my husband. I wanted to believe in peace and that everyone could be redeemed. Now all I want to do is make them suffer for everything they've done to tear my family apart. They took my son and daughter. I can't forgive that."
She didn't want to be thought of as a hero. She didn't want to be thought of as brave or noble or any trait she would attribute to her beloved Camelot. She especially didn't want to think of anyone being proud of her knowing the depths she'd sunk to her in her anger and pain.
The change of topic, though, cut through her thoughts.
"Yes, I'd like that."
Something to remember her baby by. Something to say that Harmony had lived and was always going to be missed every day her mother was alive. The thought made her well up all over again with tears she couldn't blink back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
