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 Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:42 pm
Tonight was the night... Weeks of planning went into tonight... His bag was ready with extra clothes, tooth brush,and other necessities for a night spent over... Some time had passed since the last time Shiloh spent the night at Alexei's place, a night that was full of both fear and comfort like none other he had experienced for as long as he could remember. It was such a sweet, wonderful night, one that weighed heavily in his mind in more ways than one.
Part of him dreamed of nothing more than a night such as that one, to lay in the arms of the man he cared for so deeply. It seemed like his dreams chose to delve deeper and deeper into that little fantasy wanting more from it than he dared ever ask, but it felt so wonderful to be in those dreams... Another part of him dreaded that night happening again... It couldn't be that perfect again, could it? Alexei's patience with him never seemed to run out, but what if that night was all that was left....?
No, that couldn't be. When they met again in the evenings after that night, there was nothing but gentle smiles from Alexei... Even he occasional light touches were there... So... So that must have meant something, right? It was that tiny bit of hope that allowed him to plan what he had for tonight.
Everything else was going quietly so far; the dinner they shared together was the same as always, and they did their standard small talk that lead to Shiloh making the first move. He asked for a ride home. While it wasn't a strange thing as of late, it was the first time he was the first to ask, rather than Alexei suggested it... And when the time came for them to leave, he had an extra bag on his hip.. For tonight was the last night in a long series of non-stop shifts, and following it came a long deserved break... Three sweet days of no work, just idling time for him use however he saw fit... And he knew how he wanted to spend it.
The moment they got into Alexei's car, he was going to ask it... To ask to send his extended weekend by his side, in his home to greet him each night when he came back. And to share the bed with him like they had before...
Just the very thought had him blushing dark as he walked slightly behind Alexei as he always had, following the judge to the car in the warm summer night. The stars twinkled above them in their faded way the same as always and everything seemed perfect. Until he heard a snarl.
It was a familiar snarl that had Shiloh's hand reaching out and grabbing Alexei's wrist, stopping him from going any further. It was a youma... It had to be... And it was close...
"Alexei..." He whispered softly, drawing the older man's hand closer to him. ".... Do you hear that...?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 8:19 pm
Alexei was an observant man; he had noticed the bag at Shiloh’s side, a little thicker than what he was used to. He had been surprised at Shiloh’s request for a ride home—proud, even, that he’d managed to work up the nerve to ask. Naturally, Alexei had said yes; he couldn’t imagine sayng no and crushing what self-esteem the boy had built up.
Alexei was a focused man, eye on his car and mind elsewhere as he tried to sort what cases he still had to go over and what could still be done for some of the open ones. It didn’t help that he’d been researching criminals who didn’t get fair punishment in his free time and, though he hadn’t gone out of his way yet, he was wondering if Mamertine should visit them and give them a taste of true justice.
He appreciate the system they had in place, but sometimes criminals—monsters—slipped through the cracks. Technicalities, good lawyers, flawed juries. Any number of things could have sent a guilty man free.
Mamertine was above the bias; penance was required.
But, not tonight. Tonight, he was taking Shiloh home.
He glanced over his shoulder when the younger man grabbed his wrist; he’d halted immediately but still seemed calm.
Truthfully, he had heard something.
But there were many strange things in Destiny City and he didn’t want Shiloh to worry.
“It’s probably just construction,” he said offhandedly, despite being quite sure there wasn’t any new construction going on nearby. Still, he shrugged indifferently and gave his hand a little tug, trying to draw Shiloh with him as he continued towards his car.
Just because strange things happened in Destiny City didn’t mean he had to stick around to deal with htem, and the quicker they reached the car, the quicker he could make sure they were both home, and safe.
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Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:47 pm
"Construction...?" No.. No that couldn't be right.. He would have known about something like that, not only because he wandered this area far more than he should have, but if there was construction going on around here, he would have gotten a message about it from his managers to double up on the inevitable dust marks that would get on the floor of the court house.
And surely Alexei knew that as well. He was an incredibly intelligent man, and would have known the sound as not being the simple makings of construction... What reason would he have to brush off what he had heard, if not for... The very idea that Alexei had ever encountered a monster like that frightened Shiloh, not enough to keep him from acting, but in a way that pushed him towards something he had been trying to do for so long, to be useful to Alexei and to keep him safe.
Instead of following the other's gentle tug, Shiloh stood fast, letting his fingers slip out from the other's grasp.
"I can't just ignore that sound..." Another growl, this one closer... He couldn't tell where it was like this. Not as Shiloh but as his other self. Again, it growled, and it was in that moment, the nervous young man found his resolve and dropped his bag.
"G-get in the car, Alexei. Just stay there, It will be alright, I promise!" Sutai had told him before that he wasn't supposed to let others know of who he was. His identity was supposed to remain a secret to everyone he knew and love, otherwise they would be in danger... That's what she said. But right now, they were ALREADY in danger... So maybe there wasn't a choice. He had to do this, to protect Alexei. And for that reason alone, Shiloh did his best to try to be brave.
Without another word, he summoned the small handheld hoe to his hand, and in the next instant he was powered, the blue coveralls changing to his green and brown uniform. And now that he was powered, well, he could feel the beast was just as close as he thought it was.
"J-Just go in the car Alexei, I can... I can take care of this! A-and I'll talk to you later about it! Just go!" Gods knew he was terrified, he always was when it came to the monsters that crept around at night, and he didn't think that would ever change. He was going to face it no matter what though, Alexei was important to so many people, important in an almost indescribable way to Shiloh, so if he had to risk it, he would. The feeling of the youma's signature drew ever closer, and he hesitated no more, rounding the corner they had just gone past before and out of sight.
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 12:35 pm
Alexei’s eyes flashed as he stared at Shiloh, a mixture of emotions that seemed almost entirely unreadable. It wasn’t out of ignorance that his face remained blank, but he couldn’t let the surprise and fear make its way to the surface.
The fact that Shiloh was a Knight horrified him, not because he thought Shiloh wouldn’t be a good knight, but because he didn’t trust that Shiloh wouldn’t blame himself if something went wrong. He didn’t want the younger man to get hurt, but Shiloh had never struck him as the sort to be physically prepared for a fight of any sorts—much less against a monster.
But Alexei was more keen on his secrets than Shiloh was, and he knew the boy would worry to no end if he knew the truth about Alexei.
…Mamertine could do things that Alexei couldn’t, as long as no one knew who he was. Maybe Shiloh would understand, maybe he wouldn’t.
Alexei wasn’t going to risk it.
When Shiloh—or, whatever his Knight name was—disappeared out of sight, Alexei turned away from the car and ran towards the nearest covered building. This would be quick, he told himself; he could leave his briefcase and no one would find it—hopefully—but if he lost it at least he had an excuse.
He couldn’t just stand around and let something bad happen to Shiloh; he powered up only seconds later. Energy signatures flared on his radar; from there, it was easy to track down Shiloh.
He took off after the man’s energy signature and just hoped Shiloh would be fine until he got there.
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Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 6:11 pm
There was no telling just how much Alexei would listen to Shiloh's request for staying behind, but even if he demanded to follow, for him to come back and be safe, Shiloh wouldn't stop. For one, right now Shiloh wasn't here. He was... It was hard to explain, he wasn't Shiloh right now. It took a long time to train himself into not calling himself by his name, but he finally got it, and he knew that he was now Susquehanna, Page of Jupiter. And as a page, he had to fight... He had to.
Rounding the corner, out of Alexei's sight put him in the direct path of a youma, tall and thin and frightening in it's shape. It almost seemed giraffe-like, with haunting hollowed eyes with only the faintest of glowing green light within them, and every limb it stood on seemed to be no thicker than Susquehanna's fingers... It's height only reached a foot or two above Susquehanna's own head. and it's head was impossibly wide... And full of nothing but teeth. Endless rows of teeth upon teeth upon teeth, and the slightest bit of who knows what's blood dribbling out of it... When it's hidden eyes rested on Susquehanna the youma gave a deep, guttural snarl, one that seemed to shake the very bones in the young man's body.
Immediately he wanted to flee, turn tail, grab Alexei's hand, and bolt out of here as fast as he could. He wanted to call Sutai, beg for her help and for her to help rid this part of the town of something that certainly could kill if it wanted.
But he couldn't.
There was no time to do any of that, for the monster crept closer and close, it's blood-mixed saliva dripping on to the pavement below it. And yet it paused, seeming to look beyond where Susquehanna stood. The knight finally recognized just what had distracted the youma for that brief moment, and it was another knight.... Someone who felt just like him, perhaps another page. Seconds later, he saw the man appear behind him, but only paused briefly before moving again, trying to get the Youma to focus on him.
"I-I got this! Go check on my friend!" He insisted, almost pleaded to the other knight, though he yelped when the youma's fanged head came out and snapped at him, missing his arm by only a few inches. Oh gods, what was he thinking?! There was no way that he could do this on his own, and he knew this! And yet he couldn't stop. Not yet... No, he had to know that this beast wouldn't hurt Alexei.
This time, when the beast's head snapped at him, he turned hard, spinning on one heel and landing a hard kick on the Monster's neck, earning a squeal. But he was still no good, ill prepared for such a violent affair, and lost balance, landing hard on his ankle and hissed softly, rolling out of the way before those teeth got him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:46 am
Mamertine wouldn’t have listened to Susquehanna even if he hadn’t known that the young man mean him. “There’s no one here but you and I,” Mamertine replied, moving to stand between the beast and Shiloh. Or, whoever this Page was.
“Get up,” he commanded, not rudely, but because the situation relied on Susquehanna remaining in good health. The longer he was on the ground, the longer he was going to be prey. Mamertine had taken care of a few youma, but this thing was hideous and dangerous, and he had pride enough to know he’d still be making it into work tomorrow regardless of the situation.
He just didn’t want to have to explain any odd injuries. Lawyers were very observant creatures, and there were a few even he couldn’t deceive.
“What weapon do you have?”
His own gavel was of little use him, especially in close quarters like this. He threw it, as hard as he could, at the youma, despite this. Immediately afterwards, he recoiled just slightly—enough to give him a little space to work with, and then swung his leg at the creature as he tried to kick it back.
He wanted to give Shiloh enough time to recuperate; he wasn’t about to let him get hurt, or worse, by any creature.
Especially not a youma.
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Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:32 am
"... W-what?!" Had Alexei truly followed what he asked and left? Did he hide in his car like Susquehanna had wanted him so desperately to do? Even if it were true, it seemed like nothing the Judge would ever do. He wasn't a man to back down... And why would he bother to take any orders from Shiloh anyway? He supposed that Shiloh and Susquehanna were far too same. But right now, he could try to be different.
Following the instructions of the other page, he stood up quickly, wincing as his ankle seemed pained, but ignoring it for now. He would live, even if it would be swollen like crazy later. That just wasn't important right now. A moment later his oar came to his hand, chunk missing out of the corner as always, and it being hardly longer than his arm. But it still seemed to be somewhat useful, and after Mamertine had went into attack, Susquehanna followed suit, going around to the beast's other side and attempting to hit it hard with his oar.
At Mamertine's kick, the youma hissed loudly, teeth making to snap at the man's leg, but it was slightly too slow, distracted by the sudden movement of the other page from behind him, and the kick connected, sending the head crashing into the wall nearby. But that wasn't enough to keep it it down for long, for as the head was recovering, the body, rotated as well, sending a hard hind-leg kick towards the Pluto knight.
Susuqheanna's oar hit it's neck, but didn't do much, the muscles there thick and hard, so he tried again and again, wedging it between hard rib-like gaps, and hoping to do damage there.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:26 pm
The kick was enough to send Mamertine stumbling backwards a few feet but it hadn’t been enough to knock him down or send him flying. It had hurt, but he was in one piece. Which was good, because he had a lot of paperwork tomorrow and there wasn’t any way to justify these injuries and apply them towards a sick day.
He grunted and wrapped his hand around his stomach for a moment but without the luxury of time he had little chance to recuperate before he was rushing into battle again.
He figured an oar was better than a gavel, but it was what he had and he was going to make good use of it.
Mamertine wasn’t afraid of the youma; he treated it with the same cold callousness that Alexei would have treated any criminal in his court. But, youma were less that people, less than criminals, and he wanted them destroyed before they could hurt anyone.
He wanted this one destroyed before it could hurt Shiloh.
He hurled the gavel as hard as he could at the creature and slammed his elbow into any weak spot he could think to try.
The conversation was minimal at this point in time, partially because Mamertine didn’t know what to say to Shiloh—and partly because he was more concerned with them making it out of here alive and well.
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Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:49 am
Every breath that Susquehanna took seemed struggled now as he punched and kicked and did his best to try to destroy the monster before him. Fear upon fear upon fear layered into his mind but even then, his body was on auto-pilot, doing whatever he could to take the youma out. Whoever the page was beside him did the same, elbowing the creature and driving it to the ground.
He took that opportunity to do his own damage, running over to where the head flailed and stomping on it’s neck, pinning it down to the ground right below where it’s head met. He could feel every snarl and rumble and hiss it made, but he remained there, pressing all his weight there. As soon as he found some stability, he shifted, raising a booted foot up and smashing it down onto the creature’s head.
It was looking weaker by the moment, it’s movements becoming desperate as it thrashed about. It tried again to lash out at Mamertine, finding the man closer to its legs than Susquehanna, but it seemed like just another hit or two would finish it off.
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Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:15 pm
Mamertine was relentless; he didn’t stop his attack on the youma until it was twisting, gagging, and then exploding in a puff of dust. His face was set in a mask of indifference and he struggled to keep his breathing even. His adrenaline was still pounding and he lingered, poised and ready to strike in case the youma wasn’t actually gone, but as the seconds ticked on he seemed to come to terms with the fact that they could rest easy.
He turned his gaze from the empty spot on the ground where the youma had once been lying and tried to examine Susquehanna’s face.
“Are you all right?”
He couldn’t stay for long, not if he was going to pretend to be Mamertine and Alexei.
It would have been so much simpler to just tell Shiloh now and let him relax, but Alexei was nothing without his secrets, and it was for his safety as much as Shiloh’s that he held his tongue on the matter.
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Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:26 am
When Mamertine finally dusted the monster, Susquehanna fell back on his bottom, breathing heavily and trying to steady himself with all the panic going through him. Sure, during the fight, he didn't freak out, which honestly was a miracle, but now that it was quiet again sans both of their heavy breathing, all of that was coming back now like his was hit by a truck.
"I-I'm fine.. I'm just fine... T-thank you for your help, b-but I need to find my friend!" It was strange for the young man to neglect to give pleasantries, or to make sure his ally was alright, but never before had he found himself worrying as badly as he was for a civilian nearby. And not just any civilian, but his Alexei.
"I-I need to find my friend.. E-excuse me.." On shaky legs he stood, trying to calm himself down again before he had to face the judge who he prayed stayed in the car.. And he didn't wait for Mamertine to say anything else, immediately heading towards that corner where he turned before where his friend's car was at. "I-I have to make sure he's okay.."
His movements were slow, however, as the first attack let his ankle rolled, and all the stomping he didn't only aggravated the injury more, not that it stopped him. "Y-You should go see if there's anyone else who needs help..."
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 9:17 am
Mamertine moved after Susquehanna and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Stop,” he said sternly. “Right now, you're the one who needs help. You’re only going to hurt yourself. Sit down, stay here, and I’ll go find your friend. You need to catch your breath and take it easy. If you hurt yourself, you’re not going to do anyone any good. All right? I’m sure your friend s fine. So let me find him and bring him to you.”
He didn’t seem like he wanted to give Shiloh much of an excuse to argue, and truthfully he was ready to power down and return to his side as a familiar face. He wasn’t ready to reveal who he was—and truthfully, he was still processing what had just happened.
Powering down and getting home seemed like the best idea—and making sure Shiloh stayed off his foot.
He moved away quickly, hoping Shiloh would debate what he should do for just long enough for him to do what he needed to do. Mamertine moved out of the vicinity quickly, until he could just barely feel Susquehanna’s energy signature and powered down. He didn’t bother taking any time to make himself look presentable and immediately rushed back to where he’d left Shiloh and just hoped he’d listened well enough to stay put.
“Shiloh?” he called, rounding the corner.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 9:51 am
Instinct had Susquehanna freeze in his tracks the moment that the hand rested on him, and he even straightened up slightly when the other knight's stern voice started to tell him what to do. He turned his head to look at the other after a moment, confused by his concern, the almost familiarity about it, but he said nothing more and let the thought pass. After all, he was never one to refuse and order, and those definitely sounded like orders.
"Y-yes sir..." Without question, he went to the wall that they had rounded to fight the youma, and put his back to it, sliding down slowly with a wince as the pressure was taken off his leg. It did feel awfully good finally be off of it, but that relief didn't last for long as more worry began to spring up for his friend. Part of him expected a scolding for having run off like that, but if he was safe that was all that mattered.
Unfortunately being left alone allowed for more and more worrisome thoughts to cloud Susquehanna's mind, and the moment that he could no longer feel Mamertine's signature made him panic. He was alone, and... And where was Alexei? Had the older man really left him all alone out here? It didn't make sense... Why would he..?
Before his thoughts could go any darker, the sounds of rapid footsteps on pavement reached his ears, and a few seconds later, Alexei appeared, calling his name and the hugest wave of relief hit Shiloh. He could almost feel those tears of relief creeping at the corner of his eyes, but he held them back, in favor of beaming at his dearly beloved friend and struggled to his feet.
"I'm so glad you're alright! I was so very worried for you. I ran off without thinking because I wanted to make sure you stayed safe!" It was strange to see Alexei so disheveled but endearing in a way too. It probably wasn't true, but it was a sweet thought to think he looked that way because he was rushing back to see him. Once he was standing, he let the guise of Susquehanna melt away to reveal the normal, freckled, Shiloh underneath. Standing didn't last for very long; all of his body weight swerved and he leaned against the wall with a soft 'oof!'. "Where is the man who went to go look for you? Did you see him? He was knight too, but... I don't think I caught his name... Do you think we should wait for him to come back so he knows we're alright?"
It seemed almost wrong to just leave like this... But there was no real way to find the knight he just met that he knew of... And if he had gone so far as to not be felt by his energy signature anymore, then who knew when he would come back.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:11 am
Alexei rushed to Shiloh’s side, wrapping one arm around him to help stabilize him. “We don’t really have time to wait. I called the police, they’ll be here any moment. You aren’t making much sense right now, so we’re just going to get back to the car and leave before someone starts asking questions we don’t want to answer. Are you all right?” he asked, but it was mostly rhetorical. He knew that Shiloh wasn’t all right, and he would have assumed even if he hadn’t known he was injured.
He didn’t wait for a response; instead, he scooped Shiloh up and began walking towards the car.
Alexei kept a brisk pace despite the fact that he had not called the police; he just needed a reason to get out of there, fast.
He didn’t seem to have any issue carrying the younger male and maneuvered quickly. He took a slight detour only to ensure he had his briefcase.
“I’m taking you home with me tonight,” he said when the car was within walking distance. “You’ll forgive me if I have questions.”
And if he wanted to make sure that Shiloh was okay.
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Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:29 am
"Thank you.." Alexei seemed so rush, that Shiloh didn't dare open his mouth after he began to talk. The arm was welcomed though, and he leaned against him, the touch making him blush ever so slightly. It was so very strange being worried over and Alexei always seemed to be doing so. It was only right to give into whatever he said in exchange.
A soft yelp escaped his lips as Alexei took him into his arms, and his arms naturally went around his shoulders, the other hand curling up around the front part of Alexei's suit. "B-but..."
This wasn't the way he planned on going to Alexei's house in the least! He was hoping so badly to just have a non-worried filled night and maybe... He didn't know what else he wanted but having his friend upset was not the plan. Atleast he wasn't panicking himself anymore, and Shiloh decided that he'd enjoy what he could.
"I was.... I was going to ask to stay with you before this happened, so... I-I mean, I'm sorry for assuming you'd say yes, but I already packed some clothes so this works out, I suppose..." He smiled just a bit up at the man, hoping that atleast the other could see that he wasn't upset... So often he was panicked and crying but right now, he was just happy to be with him, even after that terrifying monster came up and fought with him.
"I'll answer anything you ask, Promise. I-I'm just really, really thrilled that this time, I could protect you. I was brave for you... Or atleast I tried to be... S-so don't be too mad at me for running off, please."
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