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 Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:15 pm
Mid-September 2016
In the grand scheme of things, three hours was not a great deal of time.
It took Caspian longer than he’d thought to set things up, and by the time he’d finished, run home to shower and change into something better, and then run back and finish everything up, it was almost three and a half hours. He swore a little as he tried not to hurry; sweating after he’d just cleaned up all nicely would have been problematic.
But at least it was all ready to go now, and besides, it was something that Caspian had been working on not just this particular day, but over the course of the last week or so. A personal project he’d started, just out of curiosity, but now he could actually put it into play, and maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to help Michael with his insecurities.
Caspian desperately hoped so.
He stood now in the middle of his project, turning in a slow circle, relatively pleased with how it had all come out. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up the messages with Michael.
The expression on Caspian’s face softened a little. With slightly shaking hands, he tapped out a text.
Meet me at the boxcar.
Wear something nice.—————— Whatever Michael had been expecting, it certainly hadn’t been the boxcar of all places. He recalled that night as the night where everything could have turned out completely different than it was now. Had he not stopped from leaving, had Caspian not offered him the chance to have a bigger meaning in his life, had they parted ways into the night… everything would have been different.
And yet, they both chose to stay, and Michael promised Caspian that he would try.
Michael liked to think that he was trying. He certainly wouldn’t have opened up to Caspian about things that bothered him, or anything about his past if he wasn’t trying. And he liked Caspian. Probably too much. Enough that he couldn’t help the anxiety that ate away at his stomach in anticipation of what Caspian had planned.
Unable to get his car any farther into the abandoned trainstation than outside the gates, Michael trudged the rest of the way through the overgrown weeds and brush.
He’d been asked to wear something nice, so he wore black slacks and a button down shirt and blue tie. With the heat, he didn’t bother bringing his jacket with him to the boxcar, but left it in his car just in case they ended up going somewhere after.
He slowed his pace as he approached the car, not wanting to startle Caspian if he was waiting for him. “Caspian?” he called, his hand reaching into his pocket in case he needed to call or text. —————— The door to the boxcar slid creakily open.
“Hey, handsome.”
Caspian was leaning against the doorway, hands tucked into the pockets of the black slacks he wore. A dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, unbuttoned at the top, was decorated with a black tie of his own with silver stars that was looped around his neck. His hair, usually hanging around his face had been pushed back a little, expression a little nervous, but more affectionate than anything else.
Michael, of course, looked extremely attractive. Caspian let his gaze flicker up and down the outfit, lips quirking up into a little smile, his heart beating very fast.
“Come up here,” he said, and pulled his hands out of his pockets, holding them out to Michael, nails painted a dark blue that looked, for the most part, almost identical in color to Michael’s.
Behind him, once Michael stepped inside, he would see the boxcar was vastly different than their last night in it. For one thing, it was scrubbed clean - the product of several days worth of labor on Caspian’s behalf. For another, it was much better lit, holiday lights strung all around the top and plugged into a small, portable generator that Caspian’s mother had always used when there were power outages. The metal floor, now cleared of all debris, was now lined with what appeared to be squares of carpet, all different colors and types, but each about a foot by foot in size - clearly samples taken from various hardware stores. A white wallpaper with tiny gold stars had been plastered all around the walls, some of it a little unevenly, but clearly done to lighten up the inside of the boxcar so that it felt less dim. Stacks of mismatched pillows and a few blankets were heaped around the edges.
It was abundantly clear that Caspian had done a lot of work to make it look good, and he was slightly anxious about Michael’s reaction to it.
“You look very nice,” he said, smiling at him. “I like the tie.”—————— Michael gave Caspian a look of only slight exasperation when he greeted him, but smiled softly all the same. He moved slowly towards the boxcar, making sure not to slip and accidentally pull Caspian down with him as he took hold of his offered hands to help him up into the car.
“I wouldn’t imagine dressing up to come out to a place like this…-” he started, but it only took him stepping into the boxcar to see the vast difference from what it looked like before. Before it looked like it had maybe been used for a hangout for druggies, but hadn’t been used in quite a while. Now, it was completely different, and Michael’s eyes widened in surprise.
He tried opening his mouth to maybe say something, but couldn’t quite find the words. He turned around slowly, taking in everything that he could, from the wallpaper with the stars, to the pillows and the lights that lit up the small space. It was very obvious that Caspian had taken a lot of time to work on this, and by the time he was finished turning around, he was facing Caspian again, staring at him.
“What is this…?” he finally managed to softly breathe, his heart already in overdrive in his chest. Part of him thought that he knew and wanted so badly for it to be what he thought it was. Part of him didn’t know if he was ready to know, afraid of what it might mean for them. If he messed things up now, that would be it and Caspian would be gone from his life.
“Cas… you did all this?” he asked, already knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it from him. He reached out a hand to brush his fingers against the stars on the wallpaper, before turning back to Caspian once more, eyes searching his face and expression and eyes for any hints, his own expression anxious and almost hopeful. Caspian with his dress shirt and tie and his hair brushed back.
Michael didn’t think he was that emotional of a person, or maybe it was because he’d been so closed off to emotions in the past that now, with Caspian, who had been slowly working on getting him to reveal pieces of himself to him, he was starting to lose that control. His hand shook slightly as it rested against the wall, and he quickly snatched it away, his hands clasping together as if that would help, but he really only managed to nervously wring his hands together.
“s**t… I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he mumbled, tearing his eyes away from Caspian, feeling even worse that his face stupidly decided to flush.
No one had ever done something like this for him. No one would have taken the time to fix up some stupid old boxcar like this and… and invite him there to show him how they felt…
He felt like a child, completely out of his element. Weak in the knees, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, all because Caspian had taken the time to do something like this for him… for them.
“Sorry… I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” he said again, frozen to the spot where he stood. —————— He wondered, maybe, if it was too much. If all of this was overwhelming for Michael, Caspian watching with some anxiety as Michael’s wide eyes took in everything, his mouth slightly agape, frozen in place just inside the boxcar. It wasn’t as though the boxcar itself was some magical place - but it was, at least to Caspian, a place of meaning. Had it not been for the night spent in this place, maybe he wouldn’t have been where he was now, with Michael as his boyfriend and so much more all at the same time.
“Yeah, I uh,” said Caspian, clearing his throat nervously. He gestured to the wall and it’s paper. “I got all of the stuff from the hardware store downtown, the owner let me take all the carpet samples ‘cause they were all old and he was just gonna throw them away. I got the wallpaper, since it would be better than painting. All of the blankets and stuff, those are from Goodwill or else extras from my house. The lights, well, I just thought it’d be festive.”
He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Caspian’s throat felt tight as he looked at Michael, at the anxious way he was wringing his hands, at the wide-eyed, stunned fascination, at the uncertainty there too, mingling with the rest.
And he was beautiful, Caspian thought, his breath stuttering out of him. Michael, with all of his stubbornness and pride and self-deprecation and tendency to push Caspian away - he was beautiful, and wonderful, and caring, and so much better than he ever thought he was.
He was all Caspian wanted.
“I just wanted to,” he said, and swallowed again, “Show you. That I meant it when I said I chose you, Michael. I don’t care if there are ten, twenty other people out there that you think would be better than you. I only want you.”
I just want you.
Caspian let out a breathless laugh, his stomach fluttering.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” he said hoarsely. “Get over here and kiss me already.”—————— It was wonderful, and terrifying, but mostly wonderful. That Caspian would go out of his way to do something like this and Michael had no idea that he was. To show him that he meant what he said to him. Michael’s voice was in his throat, unable to think of something else to say, but looked down at Caspian in surprise once more.
Even with the request for him to kiss Caspian, Michael still stared, frozen, his eyes searching Caspian’s face once more for anything that would tell him that this was just a joke, that he didn’t really mean this.
They’d only known each other for… a few months, tops… but there was nothing Michael would want more than to stay with Caspian. The strange emotion that had been bothering him for weeks welling up inside him again, surrounding his heart in such a way it was almost unbelievable. It was warm, but a little painful, but there was hope, too. And acceptance and compassion and a desire that was no simple summer fling.
Of everything Michael had known in his life, this was the first time he’d ever felt so emotionally attached to anyone. He felt unbalanced and it scared him, but at the same time… he wanted it so badly.
And for the first time since he started feeling that strange emotion, he was finally able to come up with a word to describe it. Undeniably, without a doubt in Michael’s mind, what he felt for this troublesome, obnoxious, kindhearted college student… was love.
Caspian took the time to show Michael how he felt by cleaning up the boxcar, by proving that he meant it when he said he wanted him regardless of anyone else. He didn’t know if he was ready for this, if he was allowed to feel this way for someone, feel this way for Caspian.
Michael slowly took a step towards Caspian and drew his hands apart, lifting them instead to Caspian’s face, his fingers brushing back the dark and colored hair that was already brushed back a bit. He was sure Caspian could see it in his eyes, how he felt for him. It was mixed with fear and wariness, but it was there, just as it had been for weeks, probably.
Just as slowly, he gently tilted Caspian’s face up to his, and leaned down to press a soft, chaste kiss against his lips. The heat of any physical desire was not there, but instead replaced by another kind of desire, one that was warm and light instead of fiery and almost desperate. He’d kissed him like this before, but now that he knew… now that he knew it was because he loved him… it was easier to focus on kissing him as though he wanted to share his very soul with Caspian. —————— He felt as though his heart was going to beat out of his chest, Caspian staying where he was, waiting for Michael to come to him. The world around them had shrunk, and now it was just the two of them, so that every breath Caspian took felt loud in his ears. Every thump of his heart was almost deafening, the space between them feeling as though it wasn’t there at all.
Michael’s hands slid against his face, and his pulse seemed to leap out of his chest, Caspian staring up at him from beneath lowered lashes, biting his lower lip. The tenderness with which Michael brushed his hair back made his breath catch in his throat, and the expression on his face was so unbelievably gentle and affectionate that Caspian thought he might faint.
His eyes fell shut as Michael bent, and the kiss was soft, sweet, and achingly warm in a way that felt different somehow. Caspian was trembling a little, his hands rising to curl in the front of Michael’s shirt, holding onto him loosely, letting Michael be the one to guide things - and he felt the weight of the meaning of it burn through him, his emotions twisting.
He thought, finally, that he understood. That he knew why he still tried, after all this time.
As he drew back, shaking slightly, Caspian looked up at him, his chest tightening, mouth dry.
“Michael,” he said hoarsely, voice barely above a whisper. “Michael, I - “
Just outside the boxcar, there was an enormous, screeching, crash.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:20 pm
Michael’s eyes met Caspian’s, and for a few moments, he thought he could see the same thing that he knew his eyes must be showing. He could be wrong, but after everything… -
The crash had him jumping in alarm, and he immediately grabbed onto Caspian’s arm to push him somewhat roughly back and away from the opening into the boxcar. After quickly making sure he couldn’t see anything, and nothing could see him, Michael closed his eyes and shifted from the tie and dress shirt and slacks to fur and armor.
“Youma,” he hissed over his shoulder now that he could feel the chaotic aura. How it managed to get so close to them, he had no idea. Probably because he let his guard down.
Because he’d been so distracted by Caspian and everything he’d done for them that he completely forgot that they were in the middle of a war and that they could be attacked at any time.
“I can handle it,” he offered, probably sounding a little more harsh than intended, a silver chain appearing in his hand; a large silver vial filled with liquid hanging at the end. Before Caspian could respond, Sessrumnir took a step out of the opening and dropped to the ground to look around, trying to figure out exactly where the monster had disappeared to. —————— He felt caught off guard, knocked off balance, as though everything had just been dragged abruptly out from beneath him. The moment between Caspian and Michael snapped like a string, and he found himself pushed back, startled into not resisting, his hand latching onto Michael’s arm.
Except Michael wasn’t Michael anymore.
“Sess!” Caspian hissed, but he had already slipped out, silver flashing in the dim lighting. Caspian stood there for a moment, his heart still pounding erratically, as though he’d just run a mile in ten seconds. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and then opened them again, trying not to look around at his surroundings.
“Damn it,” he muttered, and within an instant had shifted, Remus dropping out of the boxcar and landing nimbly beside Sessrumnir.
“Do you see it anywhere?”—————— ”I said I can handle it,” Sessrumnir glanced over at Remus in exasperation, not wanting him to get caught up in a fight. Not now. Especially not now when he just came to terms with how he felt about Caspian. About Remus.
“No, it’s probably still in the woods. It sounded close,” he growled, wishing Remus would just stay back, but he should know by now how stubborn he was. The best he could do was to just dust the youma before Remus had the chance of getting hurt.
Sessrumnir leapt ahead, wanting to put space between himself and Remus as quickly as possible so he could put some distance between them. If he could get to the youma first--
Another loud crash sounded behind them, and Sessrumnir’s eyes widened as he spun around, not realizing that the youma had already made its way around the other side of the boxcar. Instead of placing more distance between himself and Remus to get to the youma, he managed to allow the youma to appear suddenly behind Remus.
“s**t,” he hissed, as the youma made to pounce at Remus. It was all black with seemed to be smoking around the edges, like an apparition, but its glowing eyes and sharp, beaked mouth and talons made it anything but a ghost. It had a long tail, but no wings; a wingless griffon?
Doing the only thing he could from the distance he was at, Sessrumnir hoisted the stormglass into one hand, magic swirling inside the glass, and catching both the youma and Remus in its storm.
If anything, it at least stopped the youma’s advance, an angry, panicked sounding shriek coming from its beak as it whipped around, as though trying to fight off the darkness and wind and rain pouring down on it. Sessrumnir felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety himself, knowing that until he could manage to get only the youma inside the glass, Remus would be affected as well. But it was the only way he could think of in that moment to stop it from attacking.
“Remus!” he tried calling to him, unable to move far, himself, without breaking the connection and letting the youma escape the magic. He didn’t know if Remus could even hear him since the magic should completely blacken his senses outside the sound and feel of the storm, but he shouted his name again, hoping to get him to slowly make his way out of the area of magic. Sessrumnir carefully stepped in the opposite direction, wanting to get Remus out of the line of magic as quickly as possible. —————— He blatantly ignored Sessrumnir’s exasperated look and peered towards the woods, Remus’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Maybe it’ll just go away and leave us alone,” he muttered, but there was little chance of that, he knew. It had already sensed them, and as Sessrumnir leapt forward in the direction of the trees, Remus stayed where he was, resisting the urge to immediately follow him.
As it turned out, he probably should have.
There was a sudden, splintering crash behind Remus, and he gave a startled yell, something black and smokey looming up behind him. He spun around, scrambling back, but had just barely gotten a foot away when there was a deafening roar of wind and everything around him turned an icy, sweeping black that pulsed up like a storm.
No, Caspian realized, not like a storm. It was a storm - Sessrumnir’s storm.
He’d seen the magic used before, on youma and Negaverse, but Remus had never been caught inside of it himself. It was like being twisted around in a blender, he thought, trying to control his breathing, his chest rising and falling rapidly as a swell of fear took place inside of his head. Somewhere around him, he heard the distant scream of the youma, squalling in fury, and Remus staggered, his heart in his throat.
But he’d always liked storms - this was no different, was it? And not only that, but it was Sessrumnir’s magic, someone he trusted and cared for and -
Closing his eyes, Remus took several rapid, unsteady steps sideways. The magic around him snapped like lid and he all but fell out of the line of it, collapsing into a heap onto the ground.
“Ow.”—————— Sessrumnir thought he could have cried in relief when Remus figured out that he could side step away from the magic. The youma was still flailing inside, and now that he was able to get a clear shot at it, Sessrumnir quickly ran forward to attack.
“Stay down,” he called to Remus, his heart in overdrive with worry, but knowing the faster the youma was taken care of, the better. The magic around the youma broke, but it gave Sessrumnir a close enough distance to ram it in the side with his armored shoulder. Sessrumnir had no intention of letting it get back up. It let out a screech, flailing desperately, but the heavy hit and weakened with his magic, the youma burst into dust.
He was almost surprised that it was defeated so easily, but that was better for him and Remus, and Sessrumnir scrambled to his feet, adjusting the armor that had been jostled out of place from his attack on the youma.
“Remus… I’m so sorry…” he apologized miserably, trying to control the shaking in his arm from taking the youma to the ground. He reached out his still somewhat trembling hand, offering it to Remus to help him up, only then noticing the blood that covered it.
His eyes widened in alarm and quickly looked down at himself, trying to figure out where he was injured. He could see the blood soaking into the collar of his tunic out of the corner of his eye, and lifted his hand to his shoulder and chest where he’d just adjusted the strap to his armor, finding it warm and sticky.
Somehow, the youma managed to get its own attack in, one of the talons cutting across his shoulder and chest as he took it down. “S-s**t,” he mumbled, pausing and then offering his blood free hand to Remus. “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt,” he quickly said, wondering if it was the adrenaline keeping the pain at bay, despite how odd he found it that it didn’t hurt at all.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to catch you in that…” he apologized again, finding himself a little more out of breath than he normally would have been after taking out a youma. —————— He pushed himself up onto his hands, Remus resisting the urge to rub at his now slightly sore backside. Sessrumnir had thrown himself forward, his shoulder cracking into the youma, which gave a shriek of fury, shivered, and dissipated in a cloud of dust that glittered into nothingness.
Remus was still breathing hard, the roar of the magic storm still loud in his ears. He gave a small shake of his head and glanced up at Sessrumnir as he came over, his widening eyes trailing down his arm to the red that dripped off of fingertips, sticky and thick as it slid over his skin.
“s**t - “
He grabbed onto Sessrumnir’s hand and hoisted himself up, his heart hammering in his chest. “Stop worrying about me, we need to get you to a hospital - or just home, maybe,” he added quickly, because if Sessrumnir was anything like he was when it came to hospitals, chances were they wouldn’t wind up there if they could help it.
He reached out a slightly shaking hand, Remus pressing his fingers to the blood on Sessrumnir’s shoulder with a grimace of frustration.
“Okay, it doesn’t look terrible, I mean it’s probably - “
But he stopped mid-sentence, Remus jerking his head up, adrenaline making his pulse quicken. He’d just felt something -
No, he thought, Damn it. No.
Remus’s eyes slid to Sessrumnir’s, wide and startled.
“Power signatures,” he whispered.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:27 pm
A few moments later, there was a metallic thump as Lieutenant Harmotome landed on top of the nearest box car, easily shifting into a crouch as she surveyed the scene below her. “Vell, vell, vell~” She purred, her eyes lidding as she touched her fingertips together. “Hallo, Remus...so good to see yuu again.” She grinned widely at him. “And you have a friend tis time! Very good. Or, vould be, ah...it seems he is not doing so vell.”
Today was shaping out to be fun. She had been following that youma actually, because it looked fierce and interesting, and it had led her to something promising. Oh so promising. “I have a friend, too.” She informed him. “He can help with tat.” She jerked her head in the knight’s direction, and her grin stretched from ear to ear.—————— Sessrumnir felt bad for Remus worrying over him as if he just hadn’t been hit by Sessrumnir’s magic. Thankfully, it didn’t seem as though Remus had been affected by the magic. Maybe something to do with how he said he always liked storms, so maybe it wasn’t as bad for him as it was for others who didn’t like storms?
Either way, he hadn’t meant it, and shook his head when Remus lifted his hand to press against Sessrumnir’s shoulder. He opened his mouth to argue, but froze. He could see the startled look in Caspian’s eyes, but also felt the power signatures that Remus felt.
He didn’t even have time to speak before a Negaverse lieutenant appeared. She seemed to know Remus by name, even. Sessrumnir’s eyes narrowed, standing back up and pulling Remus behind him, despite being injured. The Lieutenant already had the high ground, but there was another? —————— ”I would use that term loosely,” Jet frowned as he too landed on the boxcar next to the Lieutenant. He hadn’t managed to snag the senshi’s name before, but sneered in disgust that he hadn’t been picked off by anyone else just yet.
“Looks like it’s our lucky day,” Jet said with a frown, his attire different, just like Remus’s was. It looked as though they had both grown in power. Still, Jet knew he was stronger.
His own reason for being there was… just like Harmotome, he was following the youma. It had interesting properties that seemed to match up to the magic in his own weapon. A youma like that, but obviously much stronger, would be a good addition for him to have by his side to fight. —————— They were already too close to make a break for it, and it was the one time Remus would have considered it, if only because of Sessrumnir’s injury. But it was too late for that; the crash came from his left, Remus’s head snapping around as the dark haired figure landed, her grin too wide and too bright in the darkness.
And also much, much too familiar.
Remus barely had a chance to realize it was Harmotome before the second appeared, shorter, perhaps, in stature than the other, his hair a bit more curly and his uniform a little more ornate than Remus last remembered it - though admittedly, it had been dark at the time, and he’d only caught glimpses of teal and flashes of blades.
But he remembered that voice only too well.
Sessrumnir had pushed him back, already moving into a protective stance, but Remus wasn’t about to sit aside and let them simply take on someone who was already injured. He wasn’t a basic senshi anymore, but the power signature emanating from the shorter Nega was clearly stronger than it had been the last time as well.
“Looks like someone got their big boy panties on,” Remus drawled, trying very hard not to let the way his heart was pounding show, his fingers shaking ever so slightly as he reached out and gripped Sessrumnir’s arm. “Look at you, all grown up. Except you,” he added to Harmotome, arching a lofty brow. “You still look the same as ever, Wicked b***h of the West.”—————— “Aw, do not say tat, Jet~ All or noting, after all!” She reached to pat his nearest knee from her crouched position. She zeroed back in on the senshi and knight though, still grinning, and even let out a laugh. “Vell, tat vill come soon enough, little Remus!” She informed him with the utmost confidence. “As yuu are now though, I tink you vill actually be a worthy challenge tis time!” Her eyes lidded as her expression turned gleefully condescending. “Yuu vere just so veak before...and maybe now you vill finally be able to fight on my level! Yuu had to upgrade to be…” She purred, and then shifted into a stand, rolling her shoulders in anticipation and cracking her knuckles.
“Vhich one do yuu vant, friend?” She asked of Jet. “Answer fast, or I vill just go!” She cackled.—————— While their situation wasn’t looking so great, they at least still had an advantage for power. He was a knight and Remus was Super, while they were only up against a General and a Lieutenant. Yes, he was injured, but it wasn’t hurting, so…--
Apparently he spoke too soon, and a searing pain seemed to engulf him from where he’d been cut across his collarbone. He hissed, a hand reaching up to put pressure against the wound. “S-s**t,” he gasped, staggering backwards a little, and trying to pull Remus with him.
What the hell was this…? A delay for the pain?
“I’ve used half my magic already,” he warned Remus, although he pulled his bloodied hand away from his shoulder so he could draw out his stormglass again, preparing for the attack. “Go for the Lieutenant. I’ll fight the General,” he advised, knowing that they would have better odds that way. —————— Jet’s eyes narrowed on the senshi’s big words. Of course, Harmotome liked to talk, too. It would be her downfall if she wasn’t careful. Just as he suspected, the youma’s claws had some kind of numbing factor that prevented pain from being felt immediately, but they could at least use this to their advantage.
“I don’t care about knights. I only want senshi,” Jet growled lowly when Harmotome asked who he wanted, already holding out his hand to pull his new weapon from subspace; a long staff with blades on each end. A wicked grin overtook his boyish features as he looked down at their prey, eyes only for Remus.
“You won’t escape this time, senshi,” he promised, and held up his weapon as if he was going to strike from where he stood on the top of the boxcar, but as he swung down, he teleported to almost directly behind Remus. With any luck, he would take him down in one hit. —————— He could not help the rush of anger he felt at Harmotome’s words - and the fear, because in spite of his bravado, Remus would likely never forget the feeling of her hand in his chest, fingers wrapped around his starseed. For a few precious moments, she’d held his entire life in her palm, and the terror was something he couldn’t get over so easily, even if he shoved it down as hard as he could.
He heard Sessrumnir gasp, and Remus whipped around, his eyes wide with fear. He reached out a hand towards him, as he was pulled back, then turned to look at the lieutenant again, glaring daggers at her.
“At least I’m not a shithead like you,” Remus snarled.
He wanted to say be careful to Sessrumnir, but there was little time and little point by now; he would know how Remus felt, and they had to focus on the two Negaversers. It would be better for Sessrumnir to take on the general - whose daggers Remus could also not forget - and leave the lieutenant for Remus, who gave a nod of understanding.
Life, it seemed, would rather not be so kind to them.
He had a split second of gaping at the new, gleaming weapon in the general’s hand before he disappeared. Instinct threw Remus forward, and he twisted within an inch of time, the blade swinging towards him. He threw out his hands one bracing against the impact, the other narrowly missing getting his hand cut off as he staggered back with a half-strangled ******** b*****d - “ Remus snapped, and kicked out viciously, aiming at his leg.—————— Harmotome gave a laugh of delight, clapping her hands three times before she launched herself into the fray. Lacking the teleporting prowess of her General friend, she put her enhanced strength to use instead. She made a quick and wide leaping arc from the box car, and upon landing, wasted no time in seamlessly launching into an attack on the knight. She shot her leg out in an arc, and looked to sweep him off his feet. Even injured, she had no doubt he’d be a really good fight, being a much higher level than her.
“Ve are fighting for keeps---” She told the Jupiter knight with a grin. “I vill take your starseed if yuu can not stop me.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:33 pm
It looked like their plan was not going to work out, and Sessrumnir watched in horror as the General drew out his weapon and disappeared, only to try and land an attack on Remus a moment later. But Sessrumnir had no time to try and stop it from happening. He had his own Negaverse officer to deal with, and while his distraction in trying to make sure Remus got out of the way meant that she successfully tripped him up in her leg sweep, he wasn’t going to give up so easily.
“What do I get when I win, then?” he hissed at her from the ground, white spots in his eyes from the pain in his shoulder, but he quickly pulled himself back up to his feet the chain of the stormglass back in his hands. His hands were shaking, but he gripped the chain tighter.
Sessrumnir didn’t wait for an answer, but instead used the stormglass to swing at the Lieutenant. The power he was usually able to manage just wasn’t there, and he had a feeling that even if he landed a hit, it wouldn’t be as devastating as it normally would have been. —————— Jet clicked his tongue to the back of his teeth as Remus managed to evade his attack. He supposed it was only natural since he’d used that move on him before. Very well, he would just have to test out how well he could handle his weapon.
The kick to the leg was not nice, though, and Jet let out a yelp and stumbled, using the staff of his weapon as support. “You should just give up now,” Jet growled, already pissed that he would probably have a bruise by the morning. He lifted his staff and swung again, using the length to his advantage. Even if he wasn’t able to make deep wounds, just small cuts would be enough to get the job done.
“I honestly thought you were going to bleed to death in that alley. Pity. I won’t be so lenient this time,” he informed the senshi, using the staff much like he would a lacrosse stick on the offensive, Remus being the target. —————— He felt a burst of savage pleasure as his foot connected with the general’s leg, Remus hopping back. He wanted, desperately, to glance over at Harmotome and Sessrumnir, to see if he was doing okay - but the weapon that was being swung towards him was a dangerous thing to get distracted from.
“Thanks, but I don’t give up,” said Remus with a wave of his hand, skittering back. But the edge of the blade caught his side; he’d been too slow, and he staggered back, gasping in pain, feeling the weapon slice a line in the fabric of his uniform.
“Look, mophead,” Remus snarled, clapping a hand to his ribs to stem the bleeding. It didn’t feel too deep - likely a shallow cut, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt like hell. “I’m not a big fan of dying, either today, or that last time, or any other time, all right? So how about we just all be friends, okay?”
He flashed a grin at the general, leaping towards him to swing his fist at him.
“Sess, you doing okay?”—————— “Whatever you want.” Because she’d be dead---she’d have to be to ever stop. The storm glass connected, but Harmotome didn’t even bother trying to dodge, and just took the hit. She skidded to the side a bit, letting out a small scoff, simultaneously grabbing onto the chain as well. She wrapped it about her arm. “Do not make tis too easy for me!” She cried, amused, and jerked the knight’s chain.
Literally.
It was a forceful pull, looking to bring the knight closer to her since he was essentially tethered to her now. Her eyes focused on the wound on his shoulder, and alighted with excitement at a thought. She gave another pull on the chain, and held her left hand out, waiting.—————— “Don’t worry about me,” Sessrumnir called back to Remus, his hands holding tight to the chain as it made contact with the Lieutenant, his eyes flashing with curiosity as she pulled the chain, and him, closer towards her.
“Cute,” he sneered, letting her drag him closer, and then released his hold on his weapon so that it disappeared completely back into subspace, already swinging a hook with his left fist now that he was close enough. “Our toys work the same as yours,” he reminded her, although doubting that she was too surprised with the disappearance of the chain and weapon. His magic was half spent, anyway. He needed to focus on more offensive attacks.
He didn’t bother warning her about underestimating him. He was trained in physical combat, and followed his hook with what he hoped would be a kick to her knee, although the wound from earlier was still winding him and made it difficult for him to focus. —————— ”Yes, don’t worry about him,” Jet mocked as he held onto his staff with both hands, holding it out at arm’s length to keep the senshi at bay, and keep him from landing his punch. He managed to get one good kick in already, but Jet wasn’t messing around this time.
“Hurts, doesn’t it? That little cut?” he grinned wickedly, wondering how long it would take for Remus to feel the full effect of the magic his staff was embedded with. Just like the cuts he made with his daggers didn’t reach their full potential of pain until a while later, his upgraded staff would surely be worse.
“If you let me kill you quickly, it won’t hurt as much. I promise,” he let out a dark laugh, using the handle part of his staff to ram it at Remus, hoping to catch his arm or even his neck. Sure, it wasn’t the blade, but it would hopefully stun him for a few moments. —————— ”Don’t worry about me,” Remus said under his breath. As if that was possible. It was hard not to worry about Sessrumnir when he was currently occupying a great deal of his thoughts at present, half of which were a terrifying sense of foreboding. He did not want to continue this fight for longer than he had to, not when he knew Sess was injured.
And not when he knew just how deadly both of these Negas could be.
“You seem to have a preoccupation with death, dude,” said Remus, annoyed that his punch had been parried successfully. He shifted, trying to dodge the sweep of the staff, but wasn’t fast enough. It slammed against his neck, and Remus let out a half choked sound, a hand flying up to clutch at his throat as he staggered back, momentarily out of breath, his body trembling.
“You - ******** - “ he managed to wheeze out, his voice coming out hoarse and rasping, Remus massaging his neck that was sure to be bruised by the next day. “How about you just make like a tree and leave?”
He swung out again with his leg, trying to knock the general off balance.—————— She was surprised---
Dark red eyes widened briefly, but the intended effect had still happened, anyways. Her head snapped to the side as the hook landed, and she staggered, but she had her own advantages. Chaos fueled strength, and her own demanding fighting arts discipline. The lieutenant leapt up in the air, dodging the kick intended for her knee, and reached out. Using the knight’s good shoulder, she started to vault herself over the knight---but with her other hand---
“Since yuu showed me yours---”
She summoned her fork from subspace, and though it was generally useless over all---it did have it’s moments. Harmotome stabbed the fork into Sessrumnir’s wounded shoulder, and used both of his shoulders to push off of. She sailed over him, and landed on her feet, immediately whirling around to admire her handiwork with a grin.—————— Jet was most pleased that his attack worked and he managed to hit the senshi in the throat. That should at least slow him down a bit. The stupid half joking taunts were annoying though, and Jet stumbled when Remus kicked out with his leg again. Clearly Jet was not the best when it came to evading attacks, unlike the Lieutenant who seemed to be doing just fine. It annoyed him to no end that he was a General and still had flaws in his offense and defense.
“No, not with death,” he growled lowly once he was able to steady himself, his eyes narrowing on Remus. “Just with killing senshi.” He could care less about knights. All he wanted was the senshi, and if that meant getting rid of knights in the process, then so be it.
“And I will very much enjoy taking your starseed from you,” he added, holding onto the farthest end of his staff without cutting his hands and swinging it around to try and cut Remus again. He knew his weapon would be dangerous even to himself if he wasn’t careful, so taking it slow seemed to be the best choice at the moment. Slow and steady and wait until the senshi bled out. This time he refused to be distracted or pulled away from this task. —————— Sessrumnir’s reactions were slowed, already in pain from the wound to his shoulder. It ached and sent shocks down his arm and through his body, but the adrenaline from the current fight was enough to keep him up and going for now.
But he was too slow at present to stop the Lieutenant from leaping over him, the sudden appearance of an object he didn’t have time to see digging into his shoulder, and forcing out a shout of pain that he didn’t intend to do, lest it distract Remus from what he was focusing on. He was trying to keep an eye on Remus as best he could, and he seemed to be doing pretty well against a General, but the sooner they could get out of there, the better.
He hissed, clenching his teeth against the almost overwhelming pain in his shoulder, just above his collarbone. He knew he should feel lucky that it wasn’t any closer to his neck, but it still hurt, and he still crumpled to his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
Sessrumnir lifted his hand to his shoulder to rip out the fork and drop it to the ground, and then reached for the fang tied to his belt.
“Fenrir,” he growled out the name of the ethereal direwolf that burst forth from where it was laying dormant inside the fang. The ghostly form circled him once before taking a more tangible form, although still somewhat transparent. The giant wolf snarled, teeth bared and ears back at the Lieutenant as Sessrumnir reached up to grab onto her fur to help him stand back up. The wolf didn’t seem to mind.
“Go,” he pushed at the wolf, who jumped forward with a booming howl, causing a gust that would have the power to knock one of the train cars over, had any of the cars been closer. Instead, its target was the Lieutenant.
And after she devoured the Lieutenant, the General would be next… —————— ”Have you seen anyone for this obsession with death and killing you have?” Remus deadpanned, voice still sounding hoarse and half-strangled, thanks to that damn staff. “I mean, maybe you should talk to someone, if that’s all you think about. And you are not getting my starseed,” he added, a little too much panic ebbing into his voice. “You are not.”
Remus shifted his body, braced for the impact of the weapon swinging towards him, knowing that he would have to dodge it carefully -
He heard Sessrumnir’s yell of pain, and stumbled.
It was enough, just enough. The edge of the blade caught Remus mid-motion, cutting a clean line across his upper thigh. He let out a gasp and dropped instantly - though the pain was more prominent in his side now. A delayed reaction, like he’d had before, when he’d been stabbed with those daggers.
“Sess!” Remus shouted, panic in his voice. “Sess! Are you all right?”
He scrambled back on his hands and feet, kicking out to get away from the general, Remus glancing sideways just in time to see the wolf leaping free, a howl echoing throughout the trainyard.
“Go find someone else to skewer,” Remus snarled, snapping his attention back to the general. “Sess’ll take care of that lieutenant of yours, and then he’ll help me take you down, so maybe you should quit while you’re ahead.”—————— Once again---surprised. This was the first time she was fighting a full fledged knight though, so of course she wouldn’t know the full extent of any powers...No matter.
Running just simply wasn’t an option for the lieutenant---that’d be cowardly, and she still felt confident enough in her abilities to try taking on the direwolf. Before she could charge it on her own though, the gust of wind hit her first, and it knocked the lieutenant off her feet. She shot backwards, and ending up crashing into the nearest box car with a loud metallic thud. Well---that actually knocked the wind out of her and stunned her. Harmotome was trying to recover, but too slowly, this time, and she was wide open---she knew it. So she did what she felt best at the moment, and flung her right arm forward for the wolf to latch onto first. Better than anything else.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:37 pm
His hit was successful, although not as deep as Jet would have liked, and he pulled the bladed staff back to regain his own balance after putting everything into the follow through. Jet glanced up at the sound of the wolf and feel of air as the creature released a wind based attack in Harmotome's direction. His eyes narrowed; as annoying as he thought the other teen was, she was also an agent of the negaverse.
"Enough," Jet growled, teleporting directly beside Remus and delivering a swift kick to his injured side to try and knock him onto the ground before he could climb back to his feet. He then spun the staff so that the split bladed side was pointing downward. He pressed the tips of the blade none too kindly against Remus's neck, Jet's foot coming down on the side of Remus's face to keep him from struggling, although the p***k of the blade should be enough motivation to hold still.
"Call off your animal or I'll kill him right now," Jet barked over the roar of the wind. It wasn't that he underestimated Harmotome's abilities, but she seemed to be cornered, and Jet couldn't risk the knight turning his wolf on him as well. So why not take advantage of the situation while they had the upper hand?
"Don't test me," he growled, putting more of his weight on Remus's head, digging the blade into his neck to cause rivulets of blood to drip.
"Call it off and get on your knees, or I'll kill him." It was a gamble that Jet was willing to take. Either the knight didn't care and would lose an ally that would help him, or he would give up his advantage with the wolf. —————— Sessrumnir held tightly to the wolf's charm as she powered her way forward, pinning the lieutenant and chomping down on her. His magic was quickly running out, so he knew he had to make it count. The wolf would quickly put an end to the lieutenant and then their attention would be in the general.
He could see when Remus dropped from where he was standing, surely hit with the general's weapon. Sessrumnir's heart skipped a beat, a sudden wave of panic filling him as he turned to watch the General disappear and reappear beside Remus, kicking him and putting the blade to his neck.
"Remus!" he called, despite himself knowing that he couldn't afford for them to use Remus against him. But it seemed as though the General already figured out an ultimatum to save the lieutenant he was with from getting torn apart.
He was livid, his eyes locked onto the General as he returned his summon to her home inside the fang, and then tossed it aside to show that he wouldn't use it again. There was no way he could continue fighting and risk Remus's life, even though he knew they would both be killed if he didn't. His mind was spinning, trying to figure out a way to get out of this situation, but the sight of the blade securely against Remus's neck already made his knees weak.
"Let him go," he growled right back, trying to hide the panic and desperation in his voice as he lowered himself to the ground, spots of white still in his vision from the pain he felt from his wounds. "Do what you want with me, but let him go."
He knew he was in no position to make requests. His eyes shifted from the General to Remus, filled with fear for him, and also resignation, sympathy, and something softer. In the light of what seemed to be inevitable, Sessrumnir was glad he at least realized how he felt for Remus, even if it was too late to tell him.—————— He thought, maybe, that one day he should probably learn to keep his mouth shut. That his consistent habit of making snarky, sarcastic comments to whomever he was fighting would one day be the reason for getting hurt - or worse. But he’d gone up against that general-queen and lived to tell the tale, so maybe it had given him too much self-confidence.
Or maybe he just disliked being bullied enough that it was the only way to deal sometimes.
The kick came swinging at his side, Remus gasping in pain, and the weapon came down before he could push away. He found himself flat on his back, staring up into the mutinous face of the general, the tip of the split blade pressing against his already bruised throat, Remus’s chest heaving for breath, his body frozen in place.
He hardly dared to breathe, let alone move. It felt like Harmotome’s hand was in his chest again, every inch of him tense, unable to move.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to have been a night spent with Michael, a night for just the two of them, not meant to be interrupted with pain and distress. He’d only just started to get Michael to understand how he felt - had only just barely seen the changing in Michael’s emotions, and now -
Now he was lying on the ground with a spear at his neck, and Sessrumnir’s voice was desperate and too close, too panicked.
“Sess, no,” Remus said hoarsely, but the blades pressed into his throat and he made a soft, half-strangled sound, a few beads of blood sliding over the side of his neck. He was trying, desperately, to figure out a solution to this - whether he could push the blades away, whether he could do something, anything -
This is exactly what Michael was afraid of all this time.—————— Well, this was a first. On her back, her arm in a magical wolf’s maw, trying to fend it off. Even for a magical wolf, it ******** stung like a b***h. Pain was shooting down her arm and searing her, but she was no slouch, and was trying, valiantly, to wrestle it. She was so focused on this struggle, that she failed to notice what was going on around her, right until the creature disappeared. Harmotome sucked in a huge breath of air as the tension left, and she immediately rolled to her feet, letting out a hiss as she took a quick inventory of her arm. It was riddled with puncture marks, and bleeding generously, but she could still flex her fingers and make a fist, so it’d be fine for now.
She finally looked around, her eyes snapping up. The knight was on his knees, and Jet had the senshi pinned and at his mercy, and the lieutenant let out a loud huff at the fact she had to be bailed out. “I vould have gotten it!” She called out to the other teen, but was, secretly, deep down, appreciative. She was just tsundere about it. The lieutenant stepped closer to the knight, rounding on him and just looked down at him for a moment before looking back at Jet, a brow quirked, to see what he had in mind. He had the upperhand on the situation, and she’d let him call this shot.—————— It was something of a relief when the giant wolf disappeared, freeing Harmotome from its jaws. Magical or not, Jet could see the blood from where he was standing. Annoying or not, he didn’t want to see his own kind be killed, especially by the likes of knights and senshi. Jet was maybe a little too loyal to the Negaverse, despite his disregard to most knights, and perhaps enjoyed watching senshi suffer a little too much.
“Let him go?” Jet let out a small bark of a laugh, purposefully digging the blade a little deeper into Remus’s neck. “We already have you both, why would we want to let him go?” he wondered with a dark grin. Why bother letting them go when they could kill one and then the other? It would be enjoyable, watching them both in agony as they saw each other die.
Ah, but would that really be true agony? He’d already crossed paths with this senshi before, one that Harmotome seemed to know as well. Jet didn’t really care for knights, but senshi he enjoyed seeing suffer. It was probably the best thing about being able to hold them hostage almost two years ago.
“Sit up,” he said suddenly, pulling the bladed end of the weapon away from Remus’s throat and reaching down to grab onto the front of his outfit. The senshi was even more scrawny and shorter than Jet was, although he had to be a few years older. It didn’t take much to get him to his knees, the blade once again to his throat, although this time Jet rested it across instead of stabbing into him.
“Sure, I’ll let him go,” Jet agreed, obviously feeling rather generous. “This fight was rather boring, don’t you agree?” he called over to his fellow officer. “Your starseed will be worth more once it gains more power, anyway. Your knight friend seems to have reached his potential,” he informed Remus, eyes lifting to Harmotome.
“It’s all yours if you want it, Lieutenant,” Jet said with another small laugh. “His starseed as consolation for cutting your fight short.” —————— The idea of letting Remus go was too good to be true. Sessrumnir’s heart ached as he could hear the pain in Remus’s voice as he tried calling to him. But he’d already made up his mind. Whatever needed to be done to save Remus, even if it was just a slim chance, he had to do it.
He didn’t dare call out to tell Remus how he felt, nor did he try to resist, knowing that a single mistake would mean Remus’s life. A single stroke of the blade and that would be it. He had to take advantage of whatever game the General was playing.
“I hope your arm rots,” he growled lowly at the Lieutenant that circled him, eyeing where his wolf tore at her arm, his heart pounding in his chest, knowing that this would be his end.
Sessrumnir wished he could have seen Peter grow up into an intelligent young man, or even hear his niece and nephew talk, or learn if Chris would ever find a way to mend his starseed. He hoped his parents would continue to have a good life together. And he hoped Caspian would find someone to love him as much as Michael felt as though he could, if he had the chance to stay around a little longer.
“Remus,” he said suddenly, feeling the desperation welling. He could possibly fight back, he might be able to overpower the Lieutenant, even with his injuries. Sessrumnir swallowed thickly, knowing that he didn’t have a lot of time left if doing this meant saving Remus.
“Remus, listen to me. When they let you go, I need you to leave. Don’t wait around for them to change their mind. Do you understand?” he said quickly, his hands balled into fists by his side. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what the General was doing. To make Remus watch as Sessrumnir was killed would be enough to spur anyone to seek revenge. But Remus wasn’t anyone, and in his heart Sessrumnir hoped that Remus wouldn’t give into whatever it was these two officers wanted from him.
“It’ll be okay,” he promised, his heart feeling like it was breaking with his own words. He just hoped that this meant Caspian would get the chance to keep living. —————— Remus made a choking sound as the spear pressed more securely into his throat. A line was drawn across the tender skin, more blood slipping down his skin, and for a few terrified seconds, he couldn’t breathe, wondering if this was it, his eyes wide, his lips parting in shock.
No, he thought desperately, No, I can’t die, not now, not like this.
He was hauled, startlingly, to his feet, and Remus found the weapon once more at his throat, though now it was simply braced there, a warning to stay in place. It was hard to get air into his lungs; Remus felt as though he was breathing through sandpaper, his breath rattling in his throat, and yet he didn’t dare lift a hand to cover the cut, now bleeding freely.
It’s all yours if you want it, Lieutenant.
“No,” said Remus, and he thought he might be drowning, caught in a nightmare, twisted blackness around him. His chest was so tight that speaking was difficult, and the fear had turned into something sickening, painful, agonizing. ”No.”
He let his gaze flicker over to where Sessrumnir crouched, and for the first time since becoming a senshi, Remus did not have any snarky, sarcastic remarks. He didn’t have any retorts, any glib comments or attempts at getting out of this - only a petrified sense of realization and a terror he had never felt in his life.
“Sess,” he said, and his voice trembled, Remus beginning to shake. “No. No, that’s not how this works, that’s not - you’re not going anywhere, Sess, no- “
He swallowed hard, keeping his gaze on Sessrumnir, not on the Negas, on no one else but the knight of Jupiter, Remus’s eyes wide and terrified.
You’re not leaving, not when I’ve only just got you.
“Sess,” he whispered painfully. “Please.”—————— She liked Jet. Well, she already knew she did before, but hearing him talk down to the senshi and knight---it just made her like him even more. Triple points for him letting her have a grand prize, too. As amusing as this was, the obviously apparent connection between Remus and ‘Sess’ was a cause for amusement as well, and Harmotome watched and listened, her head cocked and her eyes lidded, lips pulled into a half-smirk. If only they’d been stronger...then they could have kept on living---but no. They weren’t, and now one was trying to bargain for the other.
“A very nice honor yuu do me, Jet.” She replied, her grin springing back, and widened at Sess’ quip about her arm. “Yuu vould like that, ja?” The lieutenant raised her bloody arm, and looked it over again. She turned it one way and then another, and watched as some rivulets of blood slid down her fingers from when her arm had been at her side. Her grin broadened, and without warning, she plunged her bloody hand into the knight’s chest.
It was easy to find, and there was no hesitation as she wrapped her fingers around his starseed. She could feel the power coursing through it---so much different than the senshi’s she had held earlier. She just held onto it for a few long moments, clenching it periodically---just to give Remus a show---and then she pulled it out. She wanted to see it. Harmotome presented the star seed before her, and looked it over thoughtfully, before she stared at Remus, pinching the seed between her bloodied thumb and forefinger. “Now I have touched his, too.”—————— The pain in Remus’s voice broke his heart apart even more, his eyes, determined and remorseful, locked onto Remus’s. He didn’t like seeing him like this. He wanted him to be happy, but in the end, he knew he would fail. In the end, there was nothing he could do to ensure Remus’s happiness.
He could hear the Lieutenant beside him, could hear the grin in her voice, but he didn’t care. If he was going to die, he wanted to be able to see Remus until the very end. He wondered if this was how the others felt, watching those whom they knew would survive be allowed another chance at life, while they faded away. But those painful memories would die with Sessrumnir, and he hoped desperately that it would not affect Remus in the same way it had him.
A searing pain overtook his senses as the Lieutenant shoved her hand into his chest, and Sessrumnir bit back the agonized cry that threatened to escape, wanting to stay strong in front of Remus. He wanted him to remember him as someone who was strong, even if he wasn’t able to survive longer for him.
The twisting and squeezing of the seed in his chest didn’t help, the color draining from his face from the pain, no longer able to keep his eyes open, but squeezed them shut as he hissed and whimpered…
And then it was all over. With one final tug, the starseed was pulled free, and Sessrumnir collapsed into the dirt. —————— The whimpering and whining was starting to get on Jet’s nerves, although he was pleased to see that it really was bothering the senshi as much as he hoped it would. Even Jet could see the way his body was trembling as he stood there, unable to do anything with the blade against his neck.
Harmotome seemed pleased at the very least, which made Jet roll his eyes at her antics. He knew she would enjoy herself, though. Jet wanted Remus’s starseed. Maybe once he reached the next level of his power, Jet would take Remus’s starseed to join his collection. The stronger the senshi, the more valuable the starseed, and Jet wasn’t going to waste his time with pathetic basic senshi, he decided.
“If you’re done, let’s go,” he said to her as he pulled his blade away from Remus’s neck once the starseed had been successfully removed. The pain and anguish would need some time to fester before Remus became a worthy opponent. Besides, they had their prize. There was no reason to linger.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:52 pm
The world, for a split second, seemed to stop. Time slowed until it was nothing, so that the moment that stretched between Remus and Sessrumnir, so that there was, for just a tiny fragment, just the two of them and no one else.
It’ll be okay, Sess had said.
Remus felt his mouth open, and there were words there, words he couldn’t get out, words that stuck in his throat, too thick to escape. They turned instead to a howl of anguish, a scream of fury that felt as though he’d swallowed razors, and Sessrumnir’s body hit the ground, a soft thumping that sounded deafening in Remus’s ears.
He was aware, momentarily, of nothing else. He could see the lifeless form of the knight - of his knight, too still, too terrifyingly, agonizingly still, his starseed held triumphantly in Harmotome’s hand as she stood over him.
If the world had stopped, it had done a poor job of picking a time to do so.
And all at once, time sped up once more, fast and furious, as though trying to catch up with itself. Remus’s eyes turned to the general, and there was something akin to fire there, burning hot and furious inside of his gaze, as though there was a scorching inferno beneath his skin.
He lunged.
”Walk the Moon!”
The scream tore out of him, the regolith in his hand flung in the direction of Harmotome, not the general, not looking at her, but at the man in front of him as Remus threw himself at him. His gloved fingers, blood stained and shaking, went straight for his neck.
”Give it back,” Remus hissed. ”Give it back to him, or I’ll kill you.”Quote: The regolith acts like a paralyzing agent, but not entirely, slowing them down and making them feel as though they're walking through too many layers. This effect lasts for 20 seconds, and can only be used once per battle. It lasts even less with higher powers than his. —————— Oh yeah. She definitely liked Jet, and her grin had widened even more at the implications of leaving Remus with only the knight star seed in hand. She got the message. He was to stew. To age like a fine wine in his suffering.
“Ya, let us---” She cut off at the scream that pierced the air, and next thing she knew, everything slowed down for her---well, no. Only she slowed down. The star seed was still securely clenched in her hand, and she was trying to run over to Jet, except she felt like she was trying to run under water with weights attached to all her limbs. She gritted her teeth, and doggedly made her (slow paced) way towards the senshi and the general. Senshi magic didn’t last long---it’d end.—————— Jet would have liked to just leave. He would have liked to call it a night and go home and enjoy the fact that he just ruined another senshi’s life, not by killing them but by killing someone they cared for. Just as the senshi had done to him.
But this senshi seemed to have completely lost his mind to grief already. Typically that was fine with Jet, but not when he was suddenly attacked.
His eyes widened momentarily in surprise. And then narrowed in annoyance. Gloved hands managed to close around his throat, just as Jet teleported away, his weapon held tightly, raised to be brought swiftly down towards Remus, no longer caring if he killed him or not.
“And here I thought I was being nice,” he growled, holding his staff out in front of him as though daring Remus to try something else stupid.
Except, suddenly a couple auras flared into life close by, unexpectedly. —————— ”Now!” Oberon called the charge, using their guise as civilians to hide almost in plain view, although they’d arrived a little too late to help prevent the starseed pulling from happening. The roar of the wolf had alerted them to the location, Oberon knowing his brother’s magic all too well, especially after the attack on Negaspace.
He aimed a kick at the back of the Lieutenant’s head, hoping to slow her down before she had the chance to recover from the magic already used on her.
“Woah, watch out for that one, he’s stronger than I remember,” he called to his partner in crime, hoping she had a few tricks up her sleeve as well. —————— He had forgotten about the Negaverse’s ability to teleport, but it did not stop Remus, or even seem to slow him down. As the weapon was held out towards him, he threw out a hand and caught the blade of it almost straight on, a pain he did not truly feel yet ricocheting from his palm all the way down his wrist and arm, reverberating in his very bones.
”Give,” said Remus, his eyes flashing as he pushed the blade away, drew his leg up, and thrust a foot out to kick him viciously in the stomach. ”His. Starseed. Back.”
He was only dimly aware of the flare of power signatures around them, Order aligned and on their side. There were shouts, unfamiliar to Remus, but all he had in his focus were the general and the starseed held in Harmotome’s hand, Remus’s blood thundering in his ears.
He was not dead. Sess could not be dead, he was not dead, he was not dead -
The grief was agonizing. It felt like acid in his veins.
”Give his starseed back!” Remus screamed. ”Or I’ll ******** kill you, you s**t headed, pathetic ******** class="postcontent-align-center" style="text-align: center">—————— The magic was wearing off---ah, were those other signatures?
Then she bit it. Harmotome was flung forward, and she skidded across the ground face first from the senshi’s kick, landing in an ungraceful heap before she rolled back onto her feet. “Jet---” The lieutenant paused, when she noticed that her hand was empty. Harmotome let out a hiss of a curse in her native tongue, and quickly tried to scan the area for the star seed. It was hard to tell, in all this tall grass and scrap. She wasn’t thinking about running---even though at this point in time it’d be the most logical solution. Though Jet was a general, there were two super levels in addition to Remus now.—————— “Oh no---” Sedna gasped as she followed suit after Oberon. “It’s Mister Two-Knives!” She blanched. “Except he’s got like---a killer Q-tip now!” Why were all the bad guys upgrading so fast!? Her heart was beating erratically from fear and worry. Sessrumnir on the ground like that---it scared her. The odds were hopefully in their favor though. For once she was rushing in with good back up!
The super senshi clapped her hands together. “Sedna’s Sinister Sinking!” She unleashed her magic at the general, since she definitely ranked him more of a threat...especially since she had first hand (in her chest) experience with him.Quote: Super Sailor Scout Attack: Sedna’s Sinister Sinking Sedna claps her hands together and then holds them out, releasing an aura that takes the form of a fleet of ships, no taller than her, sailing out around herself that spans 10 feet. An ominous feeling of sinking and being short of breath envelopes those in range and lasts for 35 seconds. Can be used three times. —————— His aim was true, and the blade tore down the senshi’s wrist and arm, right down and across the radial artery, surely. Even if Jet wanted to have Remus live long enough to let him fester in pain and anguish, it probably wouldn’t take long for him to bleed out without medical help. Well, right after the petrification magic from his blades wore off. For now, it seemed as though Remus was completely oblivious to the fact that he just had his arm cut open, probably because the blood was not yet flowing.
The shock that he probably just ended up issuing a death sentence to Remus meant that the kick to his stomach was a complete surprise, and he practically toppled backwards. For being such a pathetic senshi last time, Jet had not expected Remus to actually have this much fierceness and desire to fight back.
Jet pushed himself back up to his feet, just as the two other senshi started their attacks. He recognized the both of them, although the woman seemed to have a stronger power level than before.
Everything had been working out so perfectly, and now it was all falling apart. A horrible feeling of foreboding seemed to overtake him as the woman senshi used her attack, and Jet growled, eyes blazing from Remus to the woman, and then turned to look for Harmotome.
He clutched at his chest, as if that would ward off the horrible feeling and breathlessness from her attack, reaching out to grab hold of Harmotome’s wrist and teleported away from there. —————— “That’s right, run the hell away,” Oberon called off into the distance as the two Negaverse officers disappeared before they even had the chance to fight them. Of course, it seemed as though they’d been fighting plenty already.
Remus looked worse for wear, and then there was Sessrumnir, whom Oberon quickly turned to, dropping to his knees to try and scour the ground for where the starseed went to. Hopefully it wouldn’t be damaged like Chris’s… although he was pretty sure that was caused by chaos, not by dropping it.
“Wait, wait,” Oberon said as he dug into his pocket to pull out his phone, turning on the flashlight so they could see a little bit better in the dark. “s**t, where is it?” —————— He felt a savage, vindictive pleasure at the feel of his foot connecting solidly with the general’s stomach, and Remus was lunging forward for more, heedless of the strange stiffness in his arm, too intent on throttling the person in front of him to care.
But then he was gone - and so was Harmotome, blinking out of his vision and not returning, as he had before. Remus staggered to a halt, momentum carrying him forward, his head whipping from side to side to try and see where they had gone. The fire was still in his eyes, burning fiercely, angrily, sweeping in his veins.
He was aware, dimly, of his cut throat, and the fact that breathing was painful. He was more aware, after a second or two, of the two figures that were a short distance away, only one of which was familiar, her uniform standing out in stark contrast to the other’s.
But Remus’s attention, now that it was not on the Negaverse agents, was now on Sessrumnir.
Sess.
The grief came back tenfold, almost choking him in its intensity. Remus spun around, staggering towards the other two, dropping to his knees on the grass and desperately running his hands through the tall strands, fumbling with twigs and debris from the ******** - “ he gasped out, hardly able to think of anything else except find the starseed and give it back to Sess. <******** - s**t - where is the ******** thing - “
He realized, belatedly, that he was blinking back tears that stung at his eyes, blurring his vision. Remus fumbled in the grass, moving through in a panic, and he couldn’t find it -
Please, Cosmos, please - —————— There was a strong burst of giddy delight at seeing the general and the lieutenant teleport away---and out of range. They had succesfully drove off the Negaverse agents! It was so good to finally have a positive outcome instead of getting creamed---she couldn’t wait to tell Beringia---oh wait. Wait, focus on the present, Sedna! The present wasn’t entirely positive---not yet.
Sedna turned towards the two who were scouring the grass, black eyes darting left and right, and was about to join the frantic search as well, when she noticed just how dark the sleeves of Remus’ uniform were---even in this near darkness. She gasped, and immediately strode her way towards him. “Remus---” She dropped to her knees beside him. “Remus, your arm---” She pulled off the sash around her waist, discarding the silver emblem for now carelessly, when she had a thought. “Ah! Oberon! Turn off your phone! The flashlight---turn it off! Let your eyes adjust---I mean, starseeds kinda glow, right!? Maybe we’ll find it faster that way!”
She turned back to Remus, and despite the fact he was frantically moving, she started to wrap her sash tightly around his arm in hopes of acting like a tourniquet.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 1:58 pm
“s**t…” he hissed when he was unable to find anything, but looked up in surprise when Sedna suggested that he turned off his phone. He’d completely forgotten that starseeds did glow. In his defense, this was his stupid brother they were trying to save.
“Right, right,” he quickly fumbled with the phone, turning off the light and standing back up to try and look down at the grass and dirt and everything around them. His heart was pounding wildly, just like the time Laurelite almost corrupted his friend. But now this was his brother, and he was going to die if they didn’t get his starseed returned to him soon enough.
And then suddenly he saw something. A glimmer of a reddish pink near where Remus was crouching down. He’d only seen Remus as a senshi in passing at the Negaverse battle, and while the glamour still protected his identity, he was pretty confident that someone hanging out with his brother would be Caspian, and therefore Remus.
“It’s right there,” he said not daring to move in case they lost it again, as if it would suddenly disappear. “It’s me, Peter, by the way,” he offered, hoping that would help calm Remus down some more. Something told him that would not be the case. —————— He didn’t fight off Sedna, attempting to bind his arm, Remus hardly even aware of her as she tugged and yanked. He did not feel the pain either, not yet, his free hand still searching wildly for the starseed, because it had to be here, it had to - if that b***h had taken it with her -
No, thought Remus, no, it’s here, it has to be, its -
”It’s right there!”
He heard the senshi’s shout, his head snapping to the side, Remus’s panic rising in his chest. His throat felt tight, his chest even more so, and the tears that he kept trying to blink back were almost spilling free now, burning the corners of his eyes. He thought he heard the senshi say a name - Peter - but the reaction to that was lost somewhere in his grief.
”Where - “ Remus hissed -
-and then he saw it, about two feet from his left hand. A small, glowing object, faintly reddish pink in color, nestled in the tall grass.
He lunged for it, ripping his arm free of Sedna’s grasp. Remus snatched up the starseed, feeling the warm pulse of it against his palm, and twisted around, half running, half staggering over to where Sessrumnir lay. He collapsed onto his knees beside him, dirty, covered in blood, and trembling.
For a few seconds, as he stared down at him, he couldn’t breathe.
Sess’s face was still - too still, his hair falling in mahogany strands over his forehead. The blue eyes that Remus liked so much were closed, and there was blood drenching one shoulder, a dark red stain against his arm and part of his uniform.
So achingly, incredibly familiar. A man that, in the beginning, had had no interest in someone ten years his junior; a stubborn, obnoxious kid who’d stuck around him, needled him, gotten under his skin and forced him to mentor him. And then, incredibly, had slowly begun to change, and had let Caspian change with him, had let Caspian like him, want him, need him.
And love him.
Remus held the starseed in a shaking hand, his gloves stained red.
”Please,” he whispered, and pushed the starseed into Sessrumnir’s chest.—————— Sedna yelped in surprise when Remus suddenly pulled away---and counted her blessings that she had just managed to finish tying a knot on the tourniquet right before he jerked away.
The senshi watched him move about, but immediately felt a lot of the tension leave her shoulders once Remus had the starseed in hand. Everything was going to be okay (also made a mental note to tell Beringia about her very clever suggestion! Sly like a fox...wait something wasn’t right about that---). The senshi pushed herself up to her feet, and scooted in behind Remus, towering above him as she crouched over to peer down at the scene before her, a bit anxious with anticipation. She’d feel better once Sail-Senpai was awake and being a nice grump again!—————— Sessrumnir could not comprehend what death was like. Or maybe he couldn’t comprehend it because he wasn’t truly dead. Not yet. He’d fallen into something like death; his heart still beat, he still breathed, but even he knew what had happened to the countless who ended up in hospitals in comas, unable to wake. Their starseeds had been taken, and all that awaited them was the cold and the darkness.
But this wasn’t the cold, lonely death that he was prepared for. He could hear voices. Or at least a voice. Something warm was filling him, replacing the void that had been left when his starseed was taken.
And along with the warmth came the pain, and Michael felt his face twist into a grimace before he could fully realize that he was even waking up from being near death.
“Ow,” he groaned, his eyes fluttering open to the fuzzy figures above him. But most importantly, his eyes finally focused on Remus. And with it came a warmth even more powerful than the return of his starseed into his chest. This was the warmth he felt for someone he cared for so dearly that it hurt. It was the warmth of the love he felt for him.
“Cas…” he mumbled dazedly, not being able to tell the difference between them being still powered and not, but with another small wince, he let the energy of his transformation fade away, pushing himself up as best he could with his good arm. He was still in the slacks and white shirt and tie he’d worn before they were attacked, but he immediately regretted it, because the shirt quickly soaked through with red from where his shoulder had been cut open. —————— Oberon could not describe how relieved he felt when Remus finally was able to return Sessrumnir’s starseed to his chest, standing above on the other side of Sedna to watch, curious as to how a solid object just magically disappeared inside his brother’s chest.
Of course, when Michael decided to do something stupid, like power down, Oberon made a face. “Why are you dressed for a funeral?” he pointed out in distaste, his arms lifting to cross over his chest, and then looked up at Sedna with a shake of his head. It was as if he was embarrassed of his brother or something. —————— For a few breathless seconds, he was frozen in place, unable to move or even think, his eyes fixed on Sessrumnir’s prone form. If he was too late - if he hadn’t gotten it back to him in time -
-but Sess was moving. He was shifting, groaning, his eyes flickering open, and Remus felt his lungs constrict, felt a sense of relief so powerful that it made him dizzy. He dragged in a sharp, painful lungful of air that shook in his throat, and the tears that he had tried so desperately to keep at bay were spilling over now, sliding down his cheeks.
”Michael,” he said hoarsely, and without a single thought or care that there were two other people with them, Remus reached out, took Michael’s face between his hands and kissed him full on the mouth, his fingers trembling, his heart clattering painfully in his chest.
He drew back after only a few seconds, sliding his hands down to rest on his chest, still shaking.
“Thank Cosmos,” Remus said hoarsely. “Holy s**t, I thought - I thought you were - “
There was a sharp pain that had started to reverberate up Remus’s thigh - and the palm of his right hand, spreading up his wrist and his arm. Blood was beginning to drip from his fingers, staining his white uniform scarlet, blotching the leg of his pants a dark crimson against the gray of the fabric.
He became aware, slowly, that it was Sedna behind him, and the identity of the other senshi, bits and pieces of information and thought coming to Remus like a delayed reaction, as though his brain was just now making sense of what he’d been told.
“Peter,” he said, and his voice came out shaking, Remus’s lashes fluttering. The pain in his arm was growing more and more pronounced, and the blood was pooling, dripping onto Michael’s ruined white shirt. The power signature was slipping; Remus became Caspian a second later, his eyes fluttering, dizziness and blackness beginning to seep into his vision.
“Sedna, you too,” Caspian managed to get out, but the pain was agonizing now, Caspian’s eyes flickering towards Michael again, his fingers stretching towards him, still desperate to reassure himself that he was alive and breathing.
“Michael - “ he tried to say, but he wasn’t sure the word actually made it out of him, Caspian swaying dangerously.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 2:04 pm
The Senshi of Ships slung an arm around Oberon’s shoulders, and pulled the young man to her in a one armed hug squeeze, and swayed with him a bit to express how happy she was that Sess was coming back around.
But then the shipping intensified. Sedna gasped, loudly, as she was then treated to a front row view of passionate romance. She looked down at Oberon, her eyes sparkling:
Things...then took another turn.
A not so good one.
Sedna gasped once more, and immediately let go of Oberon, propelled into motion at how rapidly Caspian was dropping off. It then became apparent that the next concern was. Both of them needed to be treated, and it only took a moment’s thought and hesitation before she decided where they needed to go. “Hospital.” She told Oberon firmly. “Running them there---” She looked around, desperate. “Is there a car around? Can we get one?”
Please say one of them drove here…
“Michael!” She focused on her Sail-Senpai. “Please say you have one around!”—————— He was still trying to process what happened. The General and Lieutenant had been there, but he was easily able to tell that was no longer the case. If he’d been in his right mind he would have realized that powering down so soon would have been dangerous, but everything was still a bit hazy, and he lifted his injured arm to place around Remus’s waist, kissing him back as best he could, tasting the tears that rolled down Caspian's face.
If Remus was still there, that… that meant he hadn’t listened to Michael at all! He was supposed to have left so the wouldn’t have gotten hurt. The exhausted quality of Caspian’s voice alerted him to something being wrong, even before he saw the blood seeping into his clothes, which then soon shifted from Remus’s fuku to Caspian’s.
“Cas…” he said, his voice suddenly sharp and filled with warning and concern, although he was glad that he could keep the panic somewhat at bay. “Cas… keep your eyes open,” he warned, his own eyes filled with a little more desperation than he was really intending.
“Did your hit your head at all?” he tried, knowing that it might very well be just the pain and blood loss causing Caspian to start to fade, but if he had any kind of injury to his head, the chances of him slipping into a coma was much higher if he fell asleep.
“Cas!” he tried again, but it didn’t seem to be working, and he cursed as he reached out to try and pull Caspian against him, wincing at the pain in his own shoulder and chest and arm, his hands shaking as he tried to keep Caspian upright.
The blood dripping down Caspian's arm was the most alarming, and Michael’s heart stopped as he could see where someone, probably Sedna since it was her sash, had already tried stopping the flow of blood to his arm, but Michael knew that wasn't going to be enough. Not with the gash going from his palm and down the inside of his arm like that.
And then there was also blood seeping into the fabric of Caspian's pants, his thigh obviously injured, and his side and neck as well. If it weren't for his fear, Michael would have been furious that Caspian had been injured like this, but for now all he could think about was getting him some help.
Hands shaking, he lifted Caspian's injured arm up to rest over his shoulder, keeping it elevated and doing his best to try and stand while hoisting Caspian up with him. He stumbled from Caspian's weight, the injury to his shoulder, and the breathlessness and pain he still felt from having his starseed taken out, sapping him of his strength.
“Y-yes,” he tried to breathe, the panic now starting to well up where he'd been restraining it before, his own inability to function properly adding to that overwhelming anxiety.
“The other side of the station,” he said as he tried standing again, his legs shaking as he tried to lift Caspian with one arm, cursing as his knees buckled, his body shaking from the effort, panic washing over him.
“I-I can't…” he said, his breathing a bit erratic with panic, his eyes stinging. “Please… help me…” he begged, desperate, throwing away any inkling of pride if it meant getting Caspian to the car and getting him the help he needed. —————— Oberon made a face when Sedna slung her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into something of a hug. He opened his mouth to fuss about how he was not a child, but that was hushed when Remus basically attacked Michael's face with his own.
“Oh, come off it, will you?” he groaned quietly, mostly to himself at the display, although he couldn't really blame them for being thankful they were both alive.
Well, for now.
“Uh, that's a lot of blood,” he chirped, his eyes widening in alarm as the blood started to flow much more freely, although why it was doing that now, he had no idea. Unless magic was involved, but what did he know about that?
He nodded in agreement to Sedna when she asked about a car, and gasped. “Can I drive??” was his immediate response, but grimaced, knowing that he should be responsible and not get them all killed, despite thinking that he was a very good driver. He'd had his permit for months now!!
“Fine, she can drive,” he said before Michael could say anything, although with the state he was currently in, obviously panicking over Caspian, he doubted his brother would have the ability to understand what he was agreeing to.
“Need me to help carry him?” Oberon asked Sedna when Michael asked for help, reaching back behind him to rip off the ridiculously large bow with some effort, unraveled it, and tried to wrap it around Caspian's arm in addition to Sedna’s work.
“We should stay powered up until we get to the car. I'm pretty sure the magic won't last long after we power down… I'm sure Michael has medical stuff in his trunk, though,” he suggested, frowning at their situation.
—————— He tried to shake his head, to say that he hadn’t gotten hit there, but it made him dizzy, his vision blacking around the edges. Caspian’s thoughts had started to unravel, the combination of sheer, overwhelming relief and the injuries that had begun to grow more painful with each second that passed making him feel weak and unsteady.
He was vaguely aware of Michael trying to stand with him, Caspian’s fingers clutching wetly at his sleeves, sticky with blood. Peter - or the senshi that was Peter - was trying to fix his arm, and he could hear Sedna too, flitting around trying to help, trying to - get them where? A car? He wasn’t sure anymore.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, his legs not wanting to work beneath him, and he was having difficulty standing, his breathing coming out more erratically. “I’m...ruining your shirt, aren’t I…”
He trailed off, Caspian’s lashes fluttering. Blood was seeping further down his arm, dripping from his hand, and the entire sleeve of his right arm was now a dark scarlet, his chest heaving up and down as he tried to get air into his lungs.
“Michael,” he said, but the pain had reached a searing point and Caspian’s eyes fluttered shut, everything sinking into blackness.—————— Despite the new sudden rush of panic, she couldn’t help but earnestly enjoy Oberon’s reactions in light of it. “Ummmmmmm---” No, she really should be driving, but luckily Oberson retracted the idea himself. “Of course I want your help, Oberon!” She replied, and readily moved towards Michael to help with carrying Caspian. Except before she did help---there was something of an awkward pat down of Michael in an attempt to procure his keys, which she did, eventually. Those in hand, she then dedicated her 110% towards getting Caspian and Michael and Peter / Oberon (because in her head she was now the adult) securely buckled into the vehicle. When she then did finally power down, and drove quickly, but responsibly, to the nearest hospital.
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