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 Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:43 pm
She shouldn't be doing this.
Wasn't she the one that just turned in a traitor to the 'verse? He was likely dead now, or wishing for it if he wasn't. She was no better than he was only he was braver because he wanted to help others escape this. She was trying to escape for herself.
No, she shook her head. No. It wasn't the same. She was different. She'd been stolen. She didn't choose this life and every day her old one was slipping further and further out of reach. Newgrange made it sound like life and death and maybe it was: a new life in exchange for the old one's death.
While she was hunting, as she called it, the new life seemed so easy. It made sense to her. The Negaverse seemed like the family she was missing in the beginning. But then Newgrange was starting to feel familiar, too. At night she was starting to dream of things she didn't recognize. Little snippets of color that she could never hold onto for very long.
She continued to come for him, to talk to him and try to learn about her life. She saw him getting hopeful when she did something like what Caydence used to do. Occasionally he'd smile and she'd know.
She waited now for him underneath their tree.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 10:31 am
Newgrange was never late, not unless something was very wrong. He would have been on time today, though being pursued by a Negaverse Agent certainly put a damper on his timeliness. He had to take the long way around to avoid the one following him--and the one blocking his path to Sherwood.
He was a grand total of seven minutes late when he arrived at the tree, panting and flashing her a quick smile as he tried to catch his breath.
In a lot of ways, she was still the Caydence he knew. She would do or say things that were just so very her, and even with her energy signature as it was, he felt like it was her--and that was all the motivation he needed. Negaverse or not, he still trusted her, still needed her.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "You guys are busy tonight, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. This...this whole thing is exhausting! Feels like any minute I'm gonna get caught. You--how about you?" He looked up at her and seemed a bit worried for her well being. "You holding up all right?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:29 am
It was strange. Sherwood was coming to rely on his punctuality and here he was late. It didn't surprise her the reason why. Now that she saw him a little guilt crept in, gnawing at her insides. She was almost certain she'd gotten a man killed and was proud of herself for it. Well, proud of how well she'd done the job, not so much the consequence of it. She didn't want to tell him about it but that had sort of become her process, like confession.
"Maybe we shouldn't do this tonight," she replied uncertainly. "If they follow you..."
Not just his life would be at stake. Hers would be as well.
"This is a bad idea, Newgrange. I'm not her. I know you want me to be but I'm not!"
She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and forced a wave of panic down.
Caydence wouldn't do the things she did and probably wouldn't enjoy them. Sherwood was always conflicted, trying to reconcile and old life to this new one. She wanted to learn but at the same time she wasn't so sure. Sometimes she balked at the danger she was putting herself in to chase an idea that may not exist even if she purified herself. Not to mention she knew that would make her a target to her former Nega family...
Out of subconscious instinct she reached out and clung to her former partner taking great heaving, panicked breaths.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 12:29 pm
Newgrange's smile faded instantly and he looked guilty. "Sherwood, it's okay. I don't thnk they followed me. I..."
And then, the doubt crept in. The uncertainty.
If they had followed him, he would have been screwed. But, he had been careful--he would have known if someone had been sneaking around. But...
"I was thinking," he said after a hesitant moment. "That maybe when we meet, when we power up...like this...I cannot help but wonder if I'm not putting you In danger..."
Her and everyone else he cared for...
And he had thought about this, long and hard, and...He was going to do something he already knew was risky. He hadn't spoken t anyone about it, already faring that they might think uh insane for even proposing the idea.
"I...don't want to stop meeting with you. But I know that I'm putting us in danger, being a Knight and all. And...well, Sherwood?" He looked at her, searching her eyes hesitantly. "I trust you, you know that? And...you know I was serious when I said I'd do anything to help you--to get you back?"
There was a gentle sort of coaxing in his voice; he sounded hopeful and uncertain, but there was no doubt. He had already made up his mind.
"And...I think I have an idea. If you think...you might be able to trust me, too."
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Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 9:54 am
"We are both in danger with this. Don't kid yourself. And not just from my compatriots."
She was still dangerous to him as well, like an animal caught in a trap. She could go one way or another at any given time if he got too close to her. She didn't trust herself and thought he should not either so it came as a surprise when he expressed just the opposite. Though something vital tore at her when he was around and she could not dismiss him outright that did not mean that the things he told her bore any weight at all more than what she gave them. Telling her about his memories did not breathe life into them or give her the feelings back.
"Newgrange if they catch you here with me they will kill you, or worse. I've seen it. I don't want that to happen to you." Which was progress, caring about someone on the other side. "And if they kill you they'll do worse to me. I think I'll be seeing that as well."
With everything that was happening with Deman and Delilah she had an idea that very soon she'd know what the consequences of betrayal in the Negaverse.
"What's your idea?"
She felt this sort of instinctual need to trust him, too, no matter how much she did not want that to be returned.
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Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 1:23 pm
Newgrange made no effort to hide the fact that he was uncomfortable, but her warning was a strong reminder of why he felt this was necessary. "You don't have to," he assured, "But I think these meetings...would be a lot less suspicious if you weren't dealing with a Knight. So...I really hope you weren't followed because..."
He drew in a breath, tried to calm his racing heart, and focused just enough to will Newgrange away.
Before Sherwood stood Arias, who smelled faintly of flour and sugar, who was just your ordinary fellow. His clothes were unremarkable and, in an awkward gesture he reached to rub at his arm. Which would have been totally normal had his sleeve not been rolled up to the elbow, exposing the prosthesis that his costume did a much better job of hiding.
"I...appreciate you meeting with me. And I don't want you or me to be a target for the Negaverse. So...if you trust me...I thought we could power down, keep this a little off the radar. I mean, if you don't want to, okay! But I told you," he paused, and despite being very nervous, looked very serious--very determined.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get you back."
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Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 3:46 pm
Sherwood barely comprehended what he was talking about, connecting the dots too slowly to be able to get a warning out before Newgrange was gone. Gone. And she saw him for who he really was. Her eyes roamed slowly, taking all of him in from head to toe and back. In this moment his life was in her hands. Knowing who he was gave her the power to find his family, his friends. She could destroy him with the right word in the wrong ear.
"Arias."
She barely knew she'd spoken, a flicker of light recognizing something in him. It didn't go beyond that, just a name, but that was enough to prove everything he'd ever said. She was terrified of what she could do to him and what her mind was already telling her to do. It was so hard to be afraid all the time, to live confused and anxious. To be two very different people at once.
She let it go.
Sherwood closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath and as she let it out Sherwood ceased to be and all that was left was...her. She felt acutely uncomfortable without her powered armor and fidgeted like he did, except she was whole in body, just lacking in spirit. And just like that she gave him power over her. It wasn't the same as Kazenite who was a fellow officer. This was something she chose to give.
Her eyes drifted up as if to prompt him 'well?'
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:55 pm
Arias held his breath for so long that his lungs were burning; he had been afraid that he had just massively screwed up.
But she had said his name. She might not have remembered, but she knew him. And that meant that she was still in there. There was still parts of her to save.
And then she powered done.
And it was the most wonderful feeling he'd had in a long time. The breath he drew in was the most refreshing, wonderful breath he had ever had the pleasure of indulging in.
"Yeah," he said, smiling hesitantly. "Arias, that's me. You look different. But that's not bad! I just..."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good to see you. What...should I call you? Unless you still want me to call you KD..."
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 10:31 am
It figured her civilian life was the one where her memories remained. They were locked away but there, somewhere.
"Megan." When he asked what to call her she frowned. It made more sense for him to call her KD but that was not the name that came with this new identity. "My name is Megan Caines."
Not that that was right, either, but it was something she knew. Or thought she knew. How did that work? When she woke was she someone else? She didn't have many memories as Megan, certainly nothing that fleshed out who she was meant to be. Somehow, that didn't seem right letting him call her that.
"It is good to be seen."
She smiled at him wanly, hugging herself and wondering what to do now that they were no longer in danger of being caught by their associates and were now just two civilians out past curfew.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 1:56 pm
The smile that appeared on Arias' face could have lit up a room. Ther was such relief, such hope.
There didn't have to be sides between them, like this. It didn't have to be a war. They could just be people...and hopefully without energy signatures, that meant that they wouldn't have to worry about the Negaverse.
Which meant he could just focus on her...on winning her over to who she used to be, on making her remember why the Negaverse was bad. Why there were sti so many reasons to fight against them--to want them gone.
But this was all just one step at a time. It might have been slow moving, but the important thing was that sage trusted him enough to power down in front of him. To give him this chance.
Arias' smile never wavered.
"It's nice to meet you, Megan. You want to go break some rules or have you had enough of that for one night?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:04 pm
She almost told him not to call her that but bit her tongue and nodded instead. She'd come this far, maybe it was best not to push her luck so far so fast. She could be Megan for the evening. Maybe she could be KD later if it felt right.
At the mention of rule breaking (something she seemed to be doing a lot of as a Nega, too), she bristled. Maybe doing so to a fun purpose wouldn't be so bad. It had been a while since she had honest to God fun and something inside of her missed it. Being a spy wasn't a substitute for being spontaneous. She was good at it but being a spy was constricting and that chaffed at her nature, or the nature she used to have, subconsciously wanted to have.
"What did you have in mind?"
Sherwood found herself smiling, a weight lifted from her shoulders as she looked at him. Sure, if they got caught as civilians they'd probably be punished but at least no one would die for it. He could be trusted, she thought. She needed to trust him...
"I want to have some fun."
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 12:52 pm
Arias grinned and then reached to take her hand. "I was hoping you'd say that," he said before he turned and began to guide her. He had been out early to ensure he had the right location and took her to a location she once had--with an easy to access pool, right there, ready for guests.
"You brought me here," he explained as he moved closer so she could get a good look at everything. "I was reluctant but you...were very outgoing. And put up a good argument."
Arias was a stick in the mud; he rarely did anything shocking. Tonight, he hoped he wasn't just going to shock Megan.
He looked at the pool for a minute and dropped her hand only so he could gesture towards it. "Want to go for a swim?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 10:31 am
"Are you serious?"
She gave the water a dubious look. What were they doing here at an abandoned house, anyway? There was a crooked for sale sign out front, L shaped pole leaning to one side with a faded sign bearing her former father's name and picture. The sign meant nothing to her; she didn't even know what it signified in her life. She didn't remember this exact outing happened once before under her instigation and the conversation that followed.
In her new state Megan was not much of a dare devil out of costume.
"I brought you here?"
She looked around at the shaded back yard with high fencing and shrugged. She'd seen and done worse in the past few weeks that she could recall. Why not this? This was as good a time as she was likely to have but without anyone needing to die.
"When in Rome..." she shrugged, stripping off her shirt. Her body bore scars from her former life, experiences she'd had learning the hard way that the Negaverse was not her friend before she corrupted to them, of course. She'd never been a fighter before she had a hand wrapped around her starseed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 2:09 pm
Arias' gaze lingered on her for only a moment before he glanced away; he did not want to invade her privacy. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive, but her scars were the only thing he looked at. She had too many. They all did.
"To be fair," he said as he began to undress, "This place used to look a lot nicer. I snuck out and cleaned the pool," he wasn't reckless enough to swim without knowing they weren't going to get some weird stagnant water disease, "So that should be all right."
He peeled off his shirt; he had his fair share of scars, but the most prominent was what seemed to have once been a large gash across his stomach--and the pale flesh just above his prosthetic.
He was less shy now; it was just something he had to deal with these days. He kicked off his shoes and socks next--and hesitated only with the waistband of his pants. "You used to want to go out and do all sorts of crazy things. You loved life, loved every piece of it. I partially think you liked skirting trouble just so you could prove you could get out of it," he laughed softly.
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