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 Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:36 pm
Sabine had entered the park just as the sun had started to set. The nice thing about the summer months was the lack of curfew. Well, she did technically have a midnight curfew, but she never really worried about it because she almost always made it home before it was an issue. Still, she was stoked about the extension of her curfew all the same, since it made doing patrols just that much easier. Tonight she had forewent any calls of assistance. Phact she had let rest. She had decided not bother Arthur even if he was desperately trying to help her with her boy issues. All the same, she needed some time to herself, to think. Well maybe not think, but a chance to get out there and meet others who might have avoided her if it looked like there was more than an average senshi presence in the area. Maybe she was inviting trouble. But, she wanted to do her duty... Even if she still sometimes woke in a cold sweat.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:54 pm
Adria was muddling about; he'd promised himself that he was going to get something done this week and he was still pages behind his self-imposed deadlines. It wasn't that he didn't want to get his work done, he just couldn’t focus. Between nightmares and weird thoughts, he wound up spending more time laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling than he did actually sleeping.
It hadn't occurred to him that maybe he just needed to get out and do something until he was out of Nyquil and didn't know what else to do with himself.
Powering up should have been his first choice; he wasn't afraid of it, but he'd been having a hard time reaching any of the people he used to go out with and was worried that he was always bothering them.
He just didn't like being out alone, facing all that danger, now that he knew what lurked in the darkness.
But he knew he had to suck it up.
So, he'd powered up a while ago and made his way to the park, taking his time to weave around obscure paths. He was careful to observe any energy signatures that might have been in the area; he did not want to wind up trapped by some angry Negaverse agent who wanted revenge for that whole invasion thing.
He intended to mind his own business, but when there was an Order signature tingling on his radar, he couldn’t help but seek it out.
Adria didn't think he recognized the colors when they came into view, but keen to get past the awkwardness of first encounters, he called, "Hello!" as he approached; he still shuffled forward, tugging at the scarf around his waist nervously. "Hi, good night! How are you?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:03 pm
Sabine felt the signature coming, so as the other Senshi approached, she turned, slowly, and as he introduced himself, she smiled and gave a small curtsy. "Hello," she said, holding the curtsy for a long moment before slowly releasing it and bowing her head. "I'm Sabine, Senshi of Tactics, and you are?" He seemed intent on getting the introductions out of the way, so she no reason not to breeze through them as well. Still, there were formalities to be observed, and she would observe them. "I do apologize if this is your normal territory, I do not mean to intrude, just came here to think, is all." She added, to alleviate any potential worry she might be trying to Bogart his patrol route.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:29 pm
Adria offered an earnest smile, though his brows were still knit. "I'm Adria, Senshi of Sunsets. But—don't worry, this isn't my normal territory or anything. I don't think I actually have a normal territory, I'm just sort of out and about. I came out to think, too—or, well. Distract myself, I don't know. Do you want to walk together, or were you hoping for some quiet time to yourself?"
He was still fumbling with the scarf, twisting it and tugging on it as they spoke. It must have been a subconscious habit, something he did when he was nervous or had too much on his mind. He hadn't seen many senshi his rank, though, and they were infinitely easier to talk to than Senshi who had been around for longer than he had been, or were too much higher a rank.
It was just less stressful, like there was less to prove.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:33 pm
Sabine could see the fidgeting, in a way, she couldn't blame him. With the way things had been lately it was a bad time to be a Senshi. Not that they hadn't earned it to some degree, but, all the same, she felt bad for those who didn't have anything to do with the invasion of Negaspace. They were being lumped in with those that had and that wasn't fair. Shaking her head she smiled. "I could use some company, thinking alone almost always leads me back to how much we messed up." She said with a small sigh. "The invasion, I mean... I don't know if you were aware of what happened... I don't remember seeing you there... but then, what I do remember I'd rather forget." She motioned with her hand to a park bench, and smoothing her skirt, took a seat and patted the spot next to her. "Why don't we sit and talk? Walking can come later?" She asked, with a small smile. "This way we can keep an eye out on what is coming toward us and not what we might stumble upon."
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:34 pm
Adria looked up and nodded; he seemed curious. He moved to sit down at the park bench she had gestured at, but sitting down just made him seem smaller. He hunched forward a bit, planting his elbows on his knees.
For a moment, he didn't look at her, and then he cleared his throat. "I was at the Invasion. I kind of got lost in the mess. I know some people went to fight, but I went to the barracks. You know, ransack supplies, mess them up so they don't have the upper hand. I…I don't know what I was doing there," he confessed. "I don't like a lot of what I saw. I went down there with my friends, because I was worried about them. But I didn't go out to fight. I don't even like fighting."
He shifted positions only slightly and added, "But it felt wrong. I had nightmares. I mean, I still have nightmares, and I don't know why. It's like, all that Chaos, all that violence just clung to me. There are still pictures I can't get out of my head. If I don't go to sleep with the television on at night, I get stuck thinking about it."
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:45 pm
It did not take long for Sabine to join Adria on the bench, sitting down - one leg crossed over the other like a proper lady - she listened to Adria speak about his place in the invasion, and how he was still having nightmares about how it all seemed to stick with him. "I was at the barracks too," Sabine said, her voice clear and firm. She had come to terms with her involvement in the invasion. She still felt what they had done was the right thing... For the wrong reasons maybe... But she knew that if the Negaverse was not weakened there could be no peace. "I don't know how many people like to fight," She added, keeping her gaze on him as she spoke. "I know I don't, it makes my stomach clench up in knots and I'm worried if I'll see my family again... There was a point when we were down there... That I... I lost it. A part of myself broke and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I shut down and dropped where I was and I just... I knew I was going to die. I had a bucket full of starseeds and I was going to fail them and die unable to get them to safety..." Her body shook as she remembered it, trying hard to not lick her lips or swallow because she was sure she'd still taste the dust and the blood. She could still feel the flames of the giant youma... Still feel the others coming to tear her apart. Reaching into her bolero jacket, she let her fingers grip around the horn that Caedus had given her before the invasion... The coolness of it... the texture... anchored her back into reality. Caedus had seen a world where unicorns with crystal horns exist... He had said so. If a world like that existed... she would see it. Taking a deep breath she let out a small sigh. "Sorry... Sometimes even when I'm awake I can still remember." She knew it was probably just as bad for him. "A friend... gave me a gift before the invasion... I use it sometimes to anchor me." She said, her lips curling into a soft smile. "I haven't seen him since... I do hope he is okay." Shaking her head slowly she let out a small laugh, just... something to break the mood. "How old are you, Adria? I'm 15..." She placed her hand on her chest... a chest that would perhaps cloud the fact that she was 15 for its size... But the baby fat was still very much there on her cheeks. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm not cut out for this... and then I remember that we're all that's left between the people we love and the Negaverse... and I just have to keep going on."
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:05 pm
Adria seemed sympathetic but stayed quiet while she spoke. Fifteen was young, and though only a few short years separated them in age he couldn't help but feel a pang of unhappiness that she should be so young and still subjected to this.
He could tell himself that he was older. He could handle it.
But maybe he wasn't as strong as the other senshi, no matter how hard he tried.
"I'm eighteen," he said, thumbs twiddling a bit. "But only a few months now. I started back in December, so I was like, seventeen. But…"
He faltered. He was good with words—on paper. But in person? When you could mess up and say the wrong thing, and hurt someone? He hesitated for a moment longer and then folded his hands in his lap and looked up.
"Well, I think you're doing the right thing. I mean, you…what you said sounds like how I feel. I don't think I'm the best person for this job. I think I mess up every time I power up. But the fact is, I've got this power and I have to do what I can to keep the people I care about safe—because some of the people I care about are out there, fighting, already. I'm not going to be the weakest link. I'm not going to be the thing that breaks. But I hate it, I hate feeling so weak and confused. You know, you're the first person I've really even gotten to talk about the whole…Invasion thing with. I just…I don't know how to bring it up. Everyone else seems like they knew what they were doing, or they were so cool with it. But if it weren't for the starseeds, I don't know what I'd have been doing there. I just want to help people, not hurt them."
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 7:47 pm
Sabine sat there in silence for a few moments before she gave Adria a small smile, and her hand reached out to gently rest on top of both of his. "We are doing the right thing," She said, her tone soft as she looked at the young man sitting next to her. "We are doing what is right, because we know that we must." She grew silent for a moment, gave his hands a small squeeze before pulling her own hand back into her lap with a sigh. "We make mistakes," She continued. "That's human, and powers or not, at the end of the day we are human at the core." She placed a hand lightly on her chest again. "Regardless for why we have these powers, why we have home worlds." A fact that she had only recently learned thanks to their visitor, Caedus. "We are here on Earth because we are its last best hope for peace." Her jaw set then, her body shuddering a bit as she thought of the Negaverse, those she had encountered after the invasion... the abomination she had fought, glowing and three eyed. "Our... enemy... They don't care about helping others. They will subject people to terrible pain and turn them into monsters if it suits their needs. I have seen it with my own eyes... I've fought someone who... wasn't completely human anymore... I only learned what they truly were from a former Officer who joined our ranks... a good man, kind and noble." She let out a long sigh and faced Adria. "It is our duty to help people, but sometimes, that means that it is our duty to hurt others. The Negaverse cannot be allowed to win this war... and if that means we have to hurt them... then..." Her hands balled into fists and gripped the hem of her skirt. "So be it."
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 10:16 pm
Adria couldn’t help but watch Sabine as she spoke; her passion was contagious and he found himself nodding along with her. It was easy to agree with her, to understand what she was saying—he felt much the same way as she did, only he didn't know how to voice it or who to talk to.
"I've been fortunate, I think, that I haven't had any terrible run-ins with them. But I think…I know people that have been hurt by them. And I don't want that to happen to anyone else. There's no way the Negaverse can be in their right minds and justify what they're doing. I don't know how they can sleep at night. But then," his voice trailed off.
"…I've heard how some of the other Senshi talk about them, and I don't know how they sleep at night, either. But then, maybe they've just reached a breaking point I haven't, yet. Or…No."
He seemed a bit more resolute. "I can't justify kidnapping, or hurting—torturing—anyone for information. I wish they could just see the error of their ways and—they don't have to stop purify and join us or anything but it would be great if they could at least stop fighting and hurting people. But I guess that's asking too much and is a little too idealistic. I just—do we even know what the Negaverse wants? What are they even fighting for?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 10:14 pm
"Those who hunt monsters soon become them," Sabine said with a small sigh and a shake of her head. "Or the equally true, you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. While I can't... approve of the methods they use, some people believe that sometimes protecting the Greater Good means doing bad things." Personally, she was of the mind that torture and the like were by and large not useful tools. In all the books she had read in the study of her sphere, not a one had proven to her that such tactics were effective. If anything, most of them argued they were counter productive in the long run. People tended to tell you whatever you wanted to hear - even if it was a lie - if only to end the pain. "We seem to be of a like mind though," Sabine said, allowing herself a small smile. "About the Negaverse that is... I just want this war to end... I don't care if the Negaverse continues to do what they do, provided they don't kill people... But..." She let out sigh and her face fell once more. "I don't think they'll be happy until we're either all under their sway... or dead."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 2:47 pm
Adria picked his head up a bit and offered her a smile, though it was undeniably weak. "I just don't understand fighting, I guess. Not in this war, or not in every day things. Like," he paused, letting his thoughts claim him for a moment.
He was silent as he sifted through them, and leaned back a bit to get more comfortable. "Picking on each other, being mean. I don't get that, either. I don't understand why hurting someone else can make anyone feel better. But it feels like the Negaverse does that, just to the extreme. If they wanted to, you know, keep the world safe…don't you think we'd be a better team working together? I mean—what are they even keeping the world safe from? It's not like Senshi even do anything. They should put their energy and power towards stopping global warming or something. Right now, all I know is that they kill people. Senshi, and civilians, whenever they need starseeds. So I don't even know what they're fighting for. Kinda just seems like they want more power."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 5:08 pm
"That's really basically it... I think they are pursuing power for the sake of power and they're willing to do horrible, monstrous things to get it." Sabine said, after Adria took his time to think about things. She could see very much that their thoughts on this matter coincided pretty strongly, which was good. "I am sure some believe they are doing good, but no villain ever paints themselves as such." She added with a bit of a smirk. "No, they are the stalwart, misunderstood hero, who knows the right way to go about things." She let out another sigh and shook her head. "But yes, I think you're right, I don't think they have an actual end to their means. Or at least if they do I haven't heard of it."
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:33 pm
"I like a good villain," Adria said offhandedly. "…But the Negaverse just doesn't seem to capture that. A good villain doesn't want to take over the world. A good villain is someone who you can sympathize, who you can understand what drove them to do bad things. But the Negaverse just seems greedy. It's crazy. And like, I'm even afraid to talk to some of the lieutenants? Just because, I feel like they'd be better able to explain what they are doing—what their goals are, and why. But…they're just being fed words from the higher ups. I'd like to know why they're doing all of this. But."
He seemed very serious, and undeniably bitter. "…They'd probably just kill me. Or corrupt me. Either way, it wouldn’t end well. But I'd really like to understand how they can ration it, how they can justify it. Have you, you know, been able to talk to anyone? Or is it always fighting? —Because, I don't know what it is, but I think I make people want to punch me."
He grimaced and muttered, "Sometimes even Knights punch me."
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 8:30 pm
Sabine shook her head. "I'm not saying they're good villains... or even that they are villains... I think they're misguided and that many of them think they are doing the right thing... Think of it more like one of those totalitarian regiemes, right? Like... They have complete faith they're right in what they are doing else they wouldn't do it!" Or at least, she hoped they wouldn't. "I've only really been able to talk to one and he was... super upset about our invasion so..." She shrugged. "After that we just fought and it was rough... I won the second time I faced him but only barely." She made a face. "It's really tough because I'm not really a fighter, but I'm learning."
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