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 Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 6:51 pm
The past week had gone by in a blur. So much so that Valhalla found himself seeking solitude in his life as a knight, rather than try to piece together the other half of his life that he could not remember. He knew Paris would worry, which was why he snuck out when she was asleep. He knew she was just trying to protect him, but he didn’t want to be a burden. He needed to know he could take care of himself, as a knight if not as Chris, but he had no idea what would happen with a damaged starseed. Valhalla found himself on the top of a relatively short building, surveying the street and alley below for any activity, but he could not sense any chaos. Or any order, for that matter.
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Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:45 pm
He caught the faint traces of a power signature some distance away, though Celsus didn't pursue it immediately, seeing as how it felt too far away to be anything much, and perhaps he'd just . Instead, he finished his patrol, just in case there was something lurking nearby, and then swung around to head in the direction of the aura, cape sweeping behind him.
He lost the feel of it a little while later, but then grasped it once more, from the top of a building. It only took him a few seconds to reach the top, Celsus brushing his hair from his eyes as he glanced around curiously, catching sight of a figure just up ahead. Moonlight was casting a few faint lines across the rooftop, and he padded cautiously nearer, head tilted.
"Good evening," Celsus said lightly, tone mild, trying to make out the other's features. He seemed vaguely recognizable, but he wasn't facing him.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 6:42 pm
The voice startled Valhalla more than he would have expected it to, and he quickly turned to see who had joined him on the roof. A civilian? No, why would a civilian be out on a rooftop at this hour by themselves. No, there was something strange about this one. He glowed.
“You’re… you glow,” he lamely observed, his nerves settling as he realized it had to be a senshi or knight. But usually he could feel those like Ganymede so much easier than others. “I… sorry, I know you probably get that a lot…” he apologized softly, not yet recognizing the young man in the moonlight. Valhalla opened his mouth to try and say something, maybe introduce himself, but stopped, finally placing the glasses and the hair, his eyes widening in surprise and disbelief.
Memories of fighting alongside the guardians of Chronos came back to him, as if from a dream. Any memories of the past seemed too good to be true these days, although he was fully aware that his memories as Valhalla had not been as damaged as they could have been. His chest throbbed painfully and he lifted a hand to absently, and pointlessly, rub at his chest-plate.
“You… you’re Celsus…”
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:00 pm
As the other knight turned around, a ray of moonlight fell in a soft slash across his face, illuminating his features - and to Celsus' surprise, he recognized him, though it had been quite some time. He took a step closer, peering curiously at the other.
"I do glow," said Celsus, a laugh escaping him. He stretched out his hands in front of him, looking down at them, and then lifted one to touch the marks on his cheek. "And no, you're quite all right, sometimes I actually forget myself. It's still rather new, I've only been this way for a few months."
His green eyes flickered towards the knight, and Celsus gave a slow nod, a smile tugging at his lips.
"I am," he said mildly, and ducked his head in a brief bow of respect. "Celsus, Knight of Chronos. You're Valhalla, aren't you? I haven't seen you since that night on New Year's - and granted, it was just a passing glimpse, and before that I hadn't seen you in years, I'm quite sorry."
Celsus seemed relaxed, eager to speak to someone he'd first found capable and intelligent.
"How have you been?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:17 pm
“No, don’t be sorry,” Valhalla quickly shook his head, taking a hesitant step forward as if making any sudden movements will cause Celsus to vanish. “It’s… it’s good to see you. I knew you were there. I tried so hard to get as many names as I could to try and make sure everyone got out… but in the end…” His words were rushed, trying to get his thoughts out before the guilt and memories of that week overtook him, but eventually slowed.
“I’m fine,” he responded on reflex, having been asked how he was so many times over the past week, but winced guiltily as he realized that Celsus wouldn’t have any knowledge of the events that took place. Nor did he want that burden on this young man who had gone through so many horrible things during that week in January. Or that’s what he could only assume. As Celsus said himself, they hadn’t exactly seen each other in so long.
Valhalla knew he was acting strange and tried to relax. This was a good thing that he recognized Celsus and the other knight knew who he was as well. He tried to not let it bother him that he couldn’t sense the other knight’s aura.
“Are you okay…? Not just from New Years, I mean,” he explained, glancing down at Celsus’s arms and the glowing marks, somewhat in awe. “You weren’t hurt when you gained those, were you?” Ganymede had been close to being corrupted when she changed.
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2015 10:44 pm
This was not the smiling, confident Valhalla that Celsus remembered from the Surrounding, even if he hadn't seen much of the other knight during that time - nor was it the quiet, urgent man he'd seen attempting to rescue Ganymede in the brief moments at New Year's. There was something softer, more bemused about this Valhalla - or maybe Celsus was merely overthinking it.
"No worries," said Celsus with a reassuring smile. "I got out all right. Bit of a nasty situation we were all in, but at least I got back in one piece, and you did the best you could, right? It was all chaotic."
He reached out a hand, gently resting it on Valhalla's shoulder to give it a little squeeze before his fingers dropped away again, just in the case of the other knight not feeling comfortable with too much physical contact. The I'm fine was one reminiscent of every standard answer when asked that question, so Celsus couldn't really fault him for that.
Valhalla's return question made him arch a brow, and Celsus' eyes flickered to his marks before his gaze rose again, his smile back on his face, in his eyes.
"Not at all," he said lightly. "I was...well, I was, perhaps, not in the best place, or the most stable state of mind, but my princess was able to pull me from the depths of that well, and I have spent a great deal of time on my Wonder since then."
Celsus' eyes had narrowed somewhat at Valhalla's peculiar behavior, but he didn't want to pry, so he merely gave the other man an encouraging smile.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 3:56 pm
Valhalla nodded, lowering his eyes from Celsus to the ground. It had been a horrible experience and he felt bad if what he was saying was drawing out any bad memories for Celsus. He still awoke at night sometimes, thinking he was still in that hell hole, chained down like an animal. How he’d survived that week, he wasn’t sure. From being stabbed by Buddingtonite to the torture inflicted by Schorl. He would always have the scar she gave him over his eyebrow. The scars from the chains around his wrists were still visible, but at least his hands had healed.
Had he done the best he could? He’d tried so hard to get as many names as possible with the intention of making sure they saved everyone, and by the time the others came, he could barely move, much less speak. At least he could say he’d had blood poisoning and survived. Probably because he was a knight, rather than being taken to intensive care immediately after being rescued.
He didn’t flinch away from the touch, but instead looked back up at the knight in front of him. Celsus’s smile calmed him a little, and he was surprised that it did. He’d been so on edge in the past week that he doubted he’d managed a smile, himself. And while he didn’t smile in return, he was still glad for Celsus’s presence.
“Your princess…?” he wondered softly, but it didn’t take long for him to know of whom he was speaking. “Princess Chronos. I don’t think she likes me very much,” he said softly, and if he was in any better state of mind he might smiled sadly. “I asked too much of her once. Asked her to stay and fight with us, not knowing that we really would need her help, but by then she was already gone,” he explained, recalling when they had been ambushed. “If you see her, tell her I don’t think poorly of her…? Ah, she probably won’t remember me, anyway…” he added softly, crestfallen once more.
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 11:58 am
There was something oddly...defeated about Valhalla. Everything seemed softer around the edges, more downcast, eyes focused away to look at the ground. Celsus was growing a little more concerned the more he spoke to him, brows drawing together, expression one of bemusement.
At least he hadn't drawn away from the light touch to his shoulder, which Celsus found reassuring. He gave a nod and a smile broke out across his face, as it always did when speaking of his princess.
"Yes, milady Chronos," he said, voice filled with a sort of unwavering pride and respect. "She's quite the woman, I owe her very much for all that she's done for me."
The sad smile made his own flicker a little. "Oh, dear," said Celsus. "Perhaps...perhaps things have just been a little chaotic since you have last met, perhaps things have changed by now. Do not be so quick to dismiss the possibility, all right?"
His smile had returned, but it was softer, quieter this time as he looked at Valhalla, Celsus taking in the sad expression on his face.
"You know, we are both knights," said Celsus gently, hesitantly. "I know we serve different things, but I am loyal to those who are on the right side, which means you and I are comrades in arms. If you ever feel a need to talk about anything, know that I am always here."
His eyes flickered a little. "You seem a good man, Valhalla."
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Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:03 pm
He nodded once more when Celsus reassured him that things may be better than what he thought. Over the years many things had happened, many choices were made, and now that he’d almost past the point of no return… he wished that he had the chance to have a better relationship with so many. Other than Princess Chronos, Babylon came to mind. Of all the things to be annoyed about, Babylon was not the problem. It was this war… that was the problem. Princess Chronos had her own problems to deal with. She didn’t need some half baked knight telling her things she already knew.
Valhalla glanced up when Celsus spoke once more. He appreciated the offer to talk, but what was there really to talk about that Celsus would mind being bothered with? A lot of what was happening was much too personal to divulge into.
But being told he seemed like a good man had him flinching back slightly. He wasn’t that good of a man. There were too many things he’d done or allowed as a knight to consider himself a good man. He tried to do his best and he had a strict sense of morals, of course, but he was still human.
“If I’m ever corrupted… Please… I would rather be killed than have to fight anyone. Ganymede… she could never do it, but… I might end up killing her in the process,” he blurted out, knowing he’d been holding it in for a while, even before the whole incident with Laurelite happened. "I would rather be dead than forget my family and friends and be ordered to do horrible things..."
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:02 am
He couldn't speak for the princess, but Celsus' loyalties ran deep and strong; and he wanted to believe that things would be different now, that because they were on the same side they would be able to work past any differences and work together. It was slightly naive of him, he knew this very well; the war was not kind to anyone, but he could, at least hope for the best (and expect the worst).
Celsus caught the flinch and his chest tightened involuntarily, the reaction startling him. He lifted his chin and looked at Valhalla with a certain sense of bemusement mingled with concern, because the expression on his face spoke volumes, even if he did not want to speak of what ailed him.
His mouth opened and then shut again, lips pressing together, and for a brief moment Celsus' eyes widened in surprise. But then his expression softened, and Celsus took a small step forward, not quite reaching out to the other knight yet.
"You wish for me or someone else to kill you, should you be taken by the other side, then," said Celsus, and it wasn't really a question, more of a quiet observation. His eyes flickered towards Valhalla, to the look on his face. "I cannot pretend that the idea doesn't sadden me, but to think of your Ganymede trying is a far worse face."
He didn't know the other too well, other than a few scant meetings here and there, but Celsus knew at least their connection. He shifted from one foot to the other, his mind working around this.
"I have learned," he said, after a moment. "That this...this gift of mine - " He gestured to the glowing markings on his face. " - I realize Ganymede has them as well, so you probably already know that it makes me incorruptible. So if something should happen to you, Valhalla - and heaven forbid it should - I will do what I can to honor your request."
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:51 pm
Valhalla didn’t say anything when Celsus stepped forward and spoke. All he did was lower his head in a small nod, his eyes searching for the other knight’s reaction, beseeching. He couldn’t ask a friend to do it, but he felt guilty for unloading his burden on Celsus, whom he barely knew.
But it was because he glowed like Ganymede that he felt comfortable asking. He knew Celsus wouldn’t be able to be corrupted. Not like him. And when Celsus agreed, Valhalla felt as though a huge weight was lifted from him, and he felt himself relax for the first time since he awoke in the hospital with most of his memories over the past few years gone.
“Thank you,” he said simply, his eyes still sad but resolved in the fact that should something happen to him, someone would know what his wishes were. “I’m sorry,” he added, knowing this probably wasn’t going to be an easy weight for Celsus, but grateful.
“I saw Ganymede almost corrupted,” he said, wanting Celsus to know he understood. “Then there was light that pushed Laurelite back… and then she had the marks. I was hoping it would happen to me when she put her hand in my chest, but nothing... Only cold and pain. I was going to be turned into one of them… I kept thinking how I would do anything to stop it, even if it meant dying,” he rambled softly, no longer looking at Celsus, but instead stared unfocused at an unspecified place between them. “Ganymede… I could have killed her without a second thought.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 3:40 pm
It didn't bother Celsus that Valhalla had asked such a thing of him, in spite of them not knowing one another particularly well. They were on the same side, and Valhalla had been one of the first knights that Celsus had met after learning about himself. It had been years ago, and still Valhalla remained strong on the right side, which made Celsus trust him instinctively.
"Do not apologize," he said, giving his head a little shake. "It is nothing I would not do for someone such as yourself. I will make sure to honor your request, as best as I can."
Celsus tilted his head a little, and the pieces began to click into place, slowly but steadily. The name Laurelite was enough to make him wary, and he inhaled a little breath before easing it out again slowly once more, Celsus tucking his hands together behind him. He didn't need to know either of them well to hear the ache in Valhalla's voice when he spoke of Ganymede; and there was no doubt of how much it pained him to think of such a thing.
"If anything happens to you, I will not let you hurt your loved ones," Celsus said firmly. "And I will not let them be the ones to take your life, if at all possible; she should not have to bear that burden, not when the two of you are so important to each other."
There was a beat of silence, and Celsus' brows furrowed together, belatedly focusing on the rest of what Valhalla had said.
"She put your hand in your chest?" he repeated. "And you were not corrupted?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:26 pm
The question Celsus asked had Valhalla looking up in confusion, as though he’d just become aware that there was someone else standing in front of him. It startled him and he took a step back instinctively, despite knowing that it was Celsus and he’d obviously been speaking with him.
Ever since that night, his memories were fuzzy at best. That night in particular, while he’d heard the words come from his own mouth, seemed like nothing more than an overactive imagination. Maybe he was piecing together the bits of information Ganymede told him about that night in his mind, and then speaking out what he must have thought.
Sheepishly, Valhalla grimaced at his own reaction and slowly shook his head. “That’s what I was told…” Ganymede told him about Laurelite, how his clothing was turning black, how she stopped the corruption, but he couldn’t remember the details. He only assumed he knew how he felt because the pain was still there sometimes.
“Ganymede said she tried to save me… I don’t know how,” he added, knowing he probably spoke too much as it was, and his lack of understanding his own situation was probably a disappointment to Celsus. He’d been internalizing what he thought the event must have been like, right…? Did he actually remember Laurelite with her hand in his chest? No… right? But obviously something Ganymede did managed to work in preventing his corruption.
“Maybe it has to do with… you know… the fact that she glows like you,” Valhalla offered lamely, trying to make up for the fact that he was just rambling about something that sounded like it must be true, but all he could truly remember was a dark haze.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:39 pm
He didn't understand Valhalla's reaction, Celsus' brows drawing together in slight confusion. He absently fiddled with the knight's ring on his finger, twisting it from side to side as he watched him carefully. The fact that his corruption had been stopped was a miracle in and of itself, and somehow Ganymede had prevented it from going too far.
"We cannot be corrupted ourselves," Celsus said musingly, mulling over this information. "Perhaps that's why she was able to step in and prevent the corruption from occurring fully? I mean, obviously I wasn't there to witness anything, but from the sounds of it, she was able to do something to help."
He frowned slightly, not out of annoyance for Valhalla, but in thought.
"Did the halfway corruption cause you any damage at all?" he asked, and then hastily added, "I apologize if that's too personal a question to ask, I'm merely trying to put all the pieces together as best as I can for an outsider's point of view."
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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2015 3:17 pm
Valhalla nodded in agreement when Celsus made the suggestion that his assumption about Ganymede and their incorruptible state may have something to do with preventing his own corruption. It was his own fault for not knowing the whole story; Ganymede told him as much as he was sure she thought was relevant for him to understand what happened to him, but the details were left for a time when he was less confused about the state he was in.
When Celsus asked if there was any damage done, Valhalla looked up again with a small shake of his head, hoping to indicate that the question didn’t bother him. “I can’t feel you,” he admitted, as the strange sensation of not being able to sense the other’s aura was at the forefront of his mind. At least if there were youma or agents of chaos around, Celsus would let him know, right? “I can’t feel youma or senshi or… anything.” It was very unsettling, but he doubted anything could be done about it. “My chest hurts, like something is squeezing my starseed…” He knew that feeling from when he’d had a Negaverse officer’s hand in his chest three times before.
“My magic doesn’t work very well,” he continued, his voice becoming quieter as he went on. He reached down to brush his fingers against the rings of the gyrocompass that rested against his leg, and it let off green sparks, as if in protest. “And… the doctors say I have amnesia. I was told I was in a coma for about a week. I… I can remember almost everything as Valhalla, but… about four years of my civilian life, I can’t…” kuropeco omgggg I thought I tagged this. ugh I’m so sorry. QQ
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