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 Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 4:59 pm
Michel was still trying to get used to this whole Knight thing; he’d powered up enough that he was starting to feel a little better about it but he really hadn’t done anything amazing with this new role. There was a weight on his chest, strange and dark; he didn’t know if it was a lingering pressure from the life he lived before or if it was a sign that he was doing something wrong now. He’d left notes for himself, but they didn’t cover everything.
One thing stuck out though: Be better.
So, here he was, trying.
Michel had never been particularly altruistic—that much, he remembered.
But he’d try. At the very least, to try and make sure he stayed on Cambria’s good side.
Tonight, she and Evan were having some time together—so it was a good time for him to slip out and do his thing for an hour or so. Cambria knew where he was going, but he’d told Evan he was going to take a nap.
He was out in the park tonight, stalking through the area with minimal interest. He could feel energy signatures popping up but he had avoided most of them. It seemed like this place was a hotspot for activity so even if he didn’t know what he was doing at least he looked like he had a clue.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:00 pm
Bellite was missing Sanidine. There were times where she had questions and would pull out her communication crystal, only to realize that he wasn’t her General any longer and he was busy. Busy with Evan.
She supposed that was the only good thing about him being gone...was the fact that Evan was with him and was okay. Or at least she hoped he was okay.
With a sigh, the lieutenant wandered through the park, not paying as close attention as she should have and nearly walking into a knight. Well, not into the knight, per say but...close enough that she should have known better.
Quietly Bellite tried to turn and sneak away, hoping that the purple clad knight didn’t notice her...or if he did...she hoped he would just...not want to fight her. That would be ideal.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:01 pm
It was an odd sensation—a Negaverse agent traveling so close. At first, he wasn’t even sure what was going on—until he saw her. She looked like she was trying to slink away but, considering Michel had no idea what she was doing there in the first place it just put him on edge.
He cleared his throat loudly and turned to face her. “Lieutenant,” he greeted; she might not have been asking for trouble and he’d be happy to keep this to conversation only as long as she didn’t do anything odd. Though, a fight might be a good idea to blow off some steam he couldn’t rationalize letting himself slip up after what had happened with Adria.
“Keeping to the shadows tonight or are you headed anywhere important?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:01 pm
Bellite swore under her breath and tried to straighten her posture and look braver than she felt. It wasn’t difficult to seem tough against a page...or even a squire--not that she had ever done so, but...this was someone was strong, who was powerful and…
She took a step forward, her brows furrowing as she took in his face. The hair...the freckles.
For a moment Bellite was silent, and then she finally managed to force herself to speak. “S-sanidine…?”
No. Of course it wasn’t Sanidine. Sanidine was a general. A great general. A general who wasn’t...around but...but he wasn’t a knight. He wasn’t this guy standing her in purple and gold and…
Bellite thought for a moment that she was going to be sick. This wasn’t Sanidine...this couldn’t be him.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:02 pm
s**t.
Michel tried to casually shift positions to hide the fact that he’d gone rigid when she said that name. He searched her face but found no trace of familiarity. The notes he’d left himself had detailed a few names but he didn’t have any pictures of anyone that had been powered.
“Mont Saint Michel, actually.” He tapped one of the golden symbols on his uniform. “Of Saturn.”
He kept his eyes on hers, trying to maintain the facade of calm. “What do they call you, Lieutenant?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:03 pm
“Mont...Saint Michel?” Bellite frowned slightly. That had a vaguely familiar ring to it...she would have to look it up when she got home. “You’re a...saturn knight? I’m...Bellite. I...I apologize. You just...look a lot like my old general...not that he was old...It...it startled me, is all.”
Of course it wasn’t Sanidine. She was just missing him. Projecting that longing onto this knight...it was fine.
But...the more she looked at his face...the more it looked like Sanidine. The eyes were the same color...and the freckles. It was the freckles that were really throwing her…
“You...really look like him though...it’s uncanny…”
...Unless this really was him. If he defected...if he…
She was going to be sick. She could feel it..
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:03 pm
Ohhh, s**t.
Michel nearly faltered; he kept the mask on and pretended to consider what she was saying. “Oh. You got a lotta twins running around on either side? Seems like that sort of thing could be dangerous, I mean,” he laughed—a forced, only somewhat convincing laugh.
“Seems like that could cause a lot of trouble. Don’t look like you’ve seen a ghost, Bellite. I’m not going to hurt you.”
He held out his hand as if he intended to shake with her. “I’m sure your General’s doing fine. But, I am in no way affiliated with the Negaverse.”
Not now, at least.
“Sorry to disappoint. Or startle. Really wasn’t my intention. I just saw you sneaking away, I thought you might have been up to something. Knights, you know,” he gestured to himself, “Are supposed to stop evil. Or something,” he muttered. “Besides, do you really think your General’s the sort to swap sides or something? I mean, I figure--once you hit that rank...you oughta have a really good reason. Right?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:04 pm
Shaking her head, Bellite made her way over to one of the nearby benches and sat down on it, keeping her hand pressed over her mouth just in case the dinner she had eaten not long ago decided to make a repeat appearance. When it didn’t after a minute or two she shook her head.
“You would think...even if he were going to leave...he would have told me. I was his only lieutenant. I was the one he brought into the Negaverse…” She closed her eyes for a moment, blocking out his image. She thought of Sanidine and she just didn’t know what to do or say…
Would she have left the Negaverse with him? Was that what was about to come out of her mouth? Maybe she would have. She listened to his advice and his opinions...was she so useless that he didn’t think she would even make a good…
No. This was not Sanidine. Sanidine was out of the city. He was with Evan. He was not a knight of Saturn and she was just overreacting and having a panic attack for no reason what so ever.
“If he was leaving. He would have told me. He trusted me. He would have wanted me to go too. If you were him, and you didn’t tell me...the reason must not have been so great. Or I just must not have been so great.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:04 pm
Michel clucked his tongue thoughtfully and was briefly reminded that apparently he still had to clean up the mess Sanidine had left behind. “I don’t get the impression that you’re a bad person, Bellite. I mean, you seem polite and logical, at the very least.”
He didn’t know her, though, beyond a few scratched lines on a sheet of paper.
She probably knew more about his life as a Negaverse Agent than Cambria did, and a part of him felt almost desperate to reclaim it.
He mentioned trusting her. He mentioned wanting to save her, in the notes. She seemed to think that they were close, that he trusted her. It certainly felt like it should have been easy to talk to her.
He drew in a slow breath. “What I know of the Negaverse is that they are dangerous and cannot be trusted. Maybe, if he purified I mean, maybe he thought he was protecting you. I mean, obviously I can’t speak for him, but…maybe he was afraid someone would get hurt.”
He didn’t want to give away his identity. He didn’t want anyone to know—but it was only a matter of time. He’d moved already; he and Cambria and Evan were in another house, untraceable, but still.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:05 pm
“Well of course I am. I’m not just some pigeon toed mindless rude loser, thank you very much.” Bellite stood up, not looking at him. “He protected me enough. He would have been a fool to leave me behind if he was leaving the organization for good. I am disgusted to have even thought such a thing. If that was the case, he would have told me. He trusted me enough to tell me everything. That’s why he had me helping with Evan. Because he trusted me.”
...Though not enough to tell her how he had managed to save Evan...but...that wouldn’t have had much to do with this...would it? Unless it was something to do with order...that order had to be involved in order to save youma…
It would make sense, and it would make even more sense as to why they had never found a solution...she had never really thought to ask someone on that side about it.
Her mind was going fast now...and she was itching to go to Negaspace. To Sanidine’s office...to see if perhaps there was anything left there…she hadn’t been since he gave her the key and...and maybe she just missed some big clue.
“He wouldn’t have left without telling me.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:05 pm
If this was the Negaverse’s idea of a trick…it was effective. Shameful as it was to admit, Michel sort of felt bad. He sighed heavily, chewing on this inside of his lip. He wasn’t sure if Bellite was just playing him but she didn’t seem like it, and after everything he’d seen happen…
He felt bad.
He had to make up for a lot of bad karma and figured that the lies had to stop somewhere.
So, quietly, he muttered, “Unless Evan was in danger.”
Bellite knew what Evan was to Sanidine—to him. Michel could only hope that she could understand this. It wasn’t anything against her, but he’d had one wrong to make up for; he’d have done anything to make things with Evan right again.
Now, he was going to have to figure out how to make things up to her.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:05 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:07 pm
He was quiet for a moment because he didn’t have an answer. He didn’t know Bellite, didn’t know exactly why he hadn’t told her. There must have been some reason but it was lost to him when he purified. He had bits and pieces but they were conclusions he’d drawn.
She deserved an answer, though.
“How could I ask you to leave behind everything else? I left the Negaverse for him, because he needed more than I thought. What I did, I was prepared to do. I had to do. I wasn’t…”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “I wasn’t in my right state of mind for a while, when I was in the Negaverse. I messed a kid up, bad.” He bit down on his tongue and finally met her eyes again. “I didn’t know my brother was a Senshi. I didn’t find out until I’d almost killed him. He was in the hospital and I pieced things together, but…It happened right after Evan.”
He knew that; Cambria had gone over everything. He made sure she knew as much as she could so he would know as much as he could.
Michel clenched his jaw and went on, “I turned into a monster. I lost myself. If I slipped up, the Negaverse could have found out. They could have gotten Evan. After all of that, it didn’t even…I don’t think it even registered. You’d be safer in the Negaverse. I don’t think Senshi have the same drive to kill. But I can’t guarantee you’ll like what you turn into. And, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
He kept a straight face but this was more difficult for him than he’d like to admit; he was searching for answers he didn’t have and it felt like headbutting himself against a wall every time he tried to scratch at the haze over his memories. “I didn’t know what the Negaverse could do to you, I wouldn’t have put you in this position if I had. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving. I wish I had. Evan…Evan’d probably like to see you. He doesn’t admit it, but I know he remembers you. He won’t talk about what happened, not when he’s awake. He talks in his sleep, though. And he draws pictures. I recognize your outfit.”
He didn’t; it was a lie. Evan’s pictures were colors more than shapes and he never seemed to be fully aware of what he was doing until it was done. But he’d seen colors like hers before, all swirled together.
Besides, even if Evan wasn’t drawing it, he knew he remembered.
“…He’s been lonely since he came back. Most of his friends don’t want to be involved in his life. His parents didn’t care.” He searched her eyes, hoping there was some chord in there that would let her find it in her heart to forgive him. Hell, if she purified…
…If she purified, maybe she could spare herself the same pain he’d caused everyone around him.
“I wish I could let you meet him. I mean, the real him. But the Negaverse…” he sighed. “I don’t want the Negaverse to try and use that information against you or anything. There are spies everywhere. We can find a way, if you want, though. It’d be easier if you left the Negaverse,” he said, partially in jest but mostly in seriousness. “I mean, if you wanted to join me…I want that. I don’t want you stuck in their ranks, declining like I did. You…should think on it. If you want, I mean. But if purification is something you were serious about doing…it’s not too late. And I’d do things right, this time.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:08 pm
“Your...your brother is a senshi?” Bellite blinked, frowning slightly. So this had been why he was so jumpy...so unhappy that last time she saw her…? His brother had been a senshi...and he had nearly killed him...but…
She closed her eyes now, drawing in a deep breath and trying to calm herself. It felt like her heart was going to come out of her chest with how hard it was pounding. This felt...wrong. Talking about this felt wrong...like she was committing a crime or doing something bad...talking about leaving...thinking about it the way she was...made her feel slimy. Unhappy.
“I wish I could see him too...I feel like...I mean I worked so hard to help him...and…” And she had worked so hard to be a good lieutenant under Sanidine...and now that was over. It was really, truly over in the worst sense of the word...Sanidine didn’t exist anymore…
“I’ll think about it, Sani--Michel. I’ll seriously consider it. I...I’m meeting with my new General tomorrow so...we’ll see how that goes...hopefully it goes well but…”
She swallowed. It wouldn’t be Sanidine. That was for sure.
“I’ll keep your secret. I won’t tell them you left.” Not unless...she was asked about it...she couldn’t lie if she was asked...but she wouldn’t just go out and tell everyone…
Hesitating for a long moment, Bellite finally held out a hand to the knight, sighing heavily and looking up at him. “It is a pleasure to...to meet you. I know I knew you, but I don’t know you now...but perhaps we could one day be friends again.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:08 pm
Michel glanced at the hand and felt a bit of relief; he met her gaze with a slight smile and shook. “I’d like that. I never wanted to leave anyone behind. I don’t want you to be in danger. But if I left you, please know it’s because I thought you’d be okay. Not because I wanted to. Or…”
He sighed. “…I understand if I’m not making a lot of sense. There are some…small holes in my memory, I’m still piecing things together. I’d like to keep you informed—of things that are going on with Evan, of what’s going on with me. And I’d like to stay informed about what’s going on with you. But…I need you to hold true to that promise. Please, don’t tell anyone about me. If you do, they’ll put a hit on me. I’ll be a kill on sight—and so will Evan. If they know what happened to him, I don’t doubt that they’ll come after him. They’ll probably think he knows too much, or try to experiment on him to find out what happened. Or they’ll just youmafy him again, and everything we worked towards will be lost.”
It was probably the major reason why he hadn’t told anyone but now, for some reason, he had a burning in his stomach.
He’d brought her into the Negaverse—he had to get her out, before it was too late.
“I hope things go well with your General, I really do. But I still hope I’m better than him. And I hope he’s not charming enough to convince you to stay. Maybe…”
He thought for a moment. “…Maybe we can meet up again sometime, you and I? Maybe we can find some way for you to check up on Evan without endangering him. At the very least, maybe he can write you a letter? It’s uh, kinda cathartic. Letters, I mean. Maybe it’d help him get some things off his chest. He’s…”
Michel drifted off for a few seconds and finished, “Gonna get better. I know he could really use some friends supporting him. He’s afraid to leave the house right now. He’s afraid of everything right now. I just…want to make that better. I want to make everything better. We saved him, you and I. Now we just have to save you, too.”
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