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 Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 5:35 pm
In the end patience had proven to be the key to success...
Patience, understanding and the determination not to give up when the first attempt had failed. Granted he had walked away with a concussion, but in those moments something had happened. Connections that had once been severed had woven together once more, and echoes of a past he had been oblivious towards were now upon him. They were frequent of course, he'd only had one, but it had been exactly as described - sudden and a snippet of something that had once been a part of his life.
He was grateful that it had finally worked and that in the end his own world had seen fit to finally speak to him. It had given him food for thought, a moment in which to pause and consider what had occurred up until this point and some of the individuals he may have met.
Some of those he may have dissuaded...
His lips pursed as he gazed down at the small holographic screen in his palm, it pulsed and flickered, yet gave no indication of chaotic energy nearby. For all intents and purposes this particular 'hotspot' had gone quiet and he had yet to determine if it had become dormant or if this was a mere reprieve. Yet another example of when staking such things out was a necessity, even if it was otherwise tedious.
Left largely to his own devices and with only his own thoughts for company, the senshi would be difficult to find as he reclined on the bench. His left hand bandaged and his right otherwise preoccupied, he almost would have fit in as a civilian had it not been for the attire.
He could only assume based on Orias's radar, this evening was going to be a quiet one for him.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 6:01 pm
The more Ogygia made herself get out and wander, the more secure she felt in herself. She suspected that she would never quite lose the nervous need to keep looking over her shoulder, but at least she could quiet it a little.
Today, she just wanted to purely wander. No fights or encounters with Chaos. She needed to think and to try and pull what scattered memories she had left together. And she hoped that the park would help her with that if she could find a nice, quiet spot to sit.
And well, she'd found a nice spot, but what she had to assume was a senshi was already there occupying the bench. And he had to be a senshi, other why would his aura be shining softly in her mind? But... what was he doing?
Taking a step closer, she cleared her throat rather obviously. She hated to intrude, but this spot was big enough for the both of them. Maybe she could perch in the trees and have her think if he didn't mind.
"Ummm, begging your pardon and all, but what on earth are you doing?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:10 am
"Watching you approach as of thirty seconds ago," he replied smoothly and looked up from his palm. With a flick of his fingertips he had balanced the peculiar looking mechanical bug in them and presented it to her. The little holographic screen remained in place, though now panned at an unreadable view and he smiled.
"But you weren't what I was looking for," he added and dropped the trinket into his lap. It remained settled there, undisturbed and continuing to process the information it received from around it, but just as he had anticipated it genuinely seemed like nothing would be happening anytime soon. Coincidentally this meant that Ogygia could probably do what she had desired to on this particular evening.
"You are however a much more friendly face than I was expecting to see this evening," he pointed out, smile becoming a touch more wry. He didn't make an attempt to rise or bridge any distance, but he didn't necessarily seem to dislike the company either. Quite frankly when it came to this 'profession' stumbling across people on his side had proved challenging, but he had started to make a concerted effort to make himself available if they needed his help.
A cursory glance and then...
"You must be a knight though," he observed. "You're missing some of the usual things that seem to get strapped on to these uniforms," he clarified. He hadn't intended to insult, but sometimes he did happen to forget himself and be a little too blunt.
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Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 6:46 pm
"That little doodad reads auras?" she asked with a hint of curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Handy."
Amazing what technology could cook up, she thought. And she had no doubts that a cat had cooked up this particular toy. But the senshi didn't seem too interested in explaining and she didn't want to be nosy. Besides, he was moving on to different subjects and there was potential for pleasant conversation.
"Well, I do strive to be a friendly, neighborhood Cosmos knight. Or squire, rather. If you wanted to be technical."
Wrinkling her nose for comic effect, she did a little pirouette to show off her uniform, and then, just to show off, concentrated and summoned her crystalline heels.
"Yeah, we don't really get all the bows and fancy headgear your lot seem to favor," she said agreeably. "We just get weird weapons and fancyass rings. It's a fair deal though. I'm not very fond of ribbons and bows and wearing stuff on my head."
Half smiling to show that she'd taken no offense, Ogygia took the steps needed and closed the distance btween them before putting out her hand.
"So, I'm Ogygia. What's your handle?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:40 pm
"At least they come off," he pointed out with a wry smile and gave a half-hearted point to his forehead. It was safe to say he would never have the capacity to use it as a weapon and he failed to see what damage it could do other than to poke an eye out, but where there was a will there was usually a way. At most, he knew he could rip elements of his uniform off to use as bandages if necessary and it was safe to say he had done so on more than one occasion.
"I'm Athalia," he added. Normally he tended to leave his name until last in these types of conversations, but given little else was happening and the necessity for heightened caution wasn't there, he could afford more than a little idle chit-chat... and besides, Orias's little fob would flicker to life if they were about to face any particular challenges.
"Squires are...graduated from the lowest rank, yes?" he asked. He wasn't as familiar as he would have liked on their disciplines and the information he had accessed until now through the database had been sparse at best. It wasn't that the database had been poorly maintained, he just hadn't been certain of what questions he should ask. He'd only encountered a single knight so far and he had openly admitted he was in no condition to do anything useful; at least he wouldn't be until he had achieved a certain set of goals.
He paused briefly and glanced down at the fob before holding it up with his functioning hand.
"This thing?"
A shake of his head and he smiled wryly.
"Built by a Mauvian determined to give us a little more of an edge," he offered and tossed it towards her. If it fell it would be safe, it was a little more durable than it looked provided he wasn't overly abusive with it. "It can detect strong and weak auras, but much to his consternation it can't work out what type or the identity of the aura," he pursed his lips and leaned back against the bench again with a sigh.
"I think he wanted an early warning system and he did that, but he seemed to be after more," a shrug followed. "I'd say if something is pulsing with enough angry exclamation marks and dots on it though, anyone not comfortable with a battle can bolt if they need to. Alternatively they can run and call for help, so I personally think it serves a purpose," he admitted.
"Helps keep people safe too, not everyone wants to fight," he murmured softly. He had no issues with battle, he would happily stand in harms way to keep another safe, but he knew there were those out there who sought only to help people and more often that involved healing them as opposed to fighting on their behalf.
"I'd say you have the friendly down though," his smile grew warmer.
"And the knack for wandering about in parks, I'm starting to think we're all drawn to them by some cosmic force," he joked.
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:34 pm
Ah ha! So she'd been right and a cat had built the handy little whatsit. Smiling to herself, she made a note to try and talk to a cat sometime. Maybe she could talk one into building her a few toys. Her grin widened at the senshi's own warm smile.
"I do try," she sighed and allowed her crystalline heels to vanish back into the ether. "And to answer your question, I think so? I'm afraid I took something of a long and convoluted route to squirehood so I'm still learning a lot. And since I'm one of those people that would rather not fight, maybe I should talk to your kitty friend and see if he'd be willing to make me one of those."
Rocking on her heels for a moment, Ogygia decided that it was safe enough and lowered herself to the ground in a weirdly graceful and controlled thump. And then began laughing a little helplessly. Athalia was certainly right enough about the park and it's draw.
"I think people like us just appreciate a good, big, mostly empty space," she said. "I think I remember liking the park before I became a knight for those reasons. I liked to try and hide from my duties."
Not that she could really recall those duties, but she could remember the feeling of wanting to hide. To find bit of piece to simply think without having to hurt anyone. To some degree, she still had those feelings, but now it was more a sense of she might be able to find people in the park that she could help. Probably not Athalia. He seemed pretty solid mentally. But people who used to be like her? She could for sure she them hiding away in the park.
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2020 12:52 pm
"I am fairly positive he has several hundreds of these things stored in jars in his 'bat cave'," he rolled his eyes, it was clear that whoever this cat was happened to be a rather eccentric soul, but that didn't necessarily mean that the Squire would find herself without assistance. In fact, Athalia would need to be careful not to dissuade her as he was fairly certain the fluffball had explained that the more these things were used, the more accurate they became.
"By all means, if you happen to have considerable patience then I would encourage it. I would even go so far as to say you might make his day," he smiled wryly and shook his head. Was it his responsibility to warn others of the personality that boy had or was this something they had to learn for themselves? He'd certainly learned it the hard way and he was stuck with the Mauvian.
However her remarks about hiding from her duties did make him lift a brow.
"You were something before a knight?" he asked curiously and tilted his head to the side. He hadn't quite connected the dots at this stage and the concept of purification was still largely foreign to him. What impact it may have had on her life was a mystery to him, but something had struck him as strange in terms of phrasing.
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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:59 pm
Unable to help herself, Ogygia began softly humming the old Batman theme the moment that Athalia referred to the mauvian's hidey hole as a bat cave. Honestly, the sudden mental image of a small fluffy cat dressed up as Batman was easily the best thing in the history of ever.
"I'm not sure about considerable patience," she answered cheerily. "I'd say I probably have an average amount. Also, if your little friend let's me call him Batcat, it is entirely possible that I will gleefully walk through fire for him."
Well, bit of exaggeration there, but the squire felt that it was the right sort of cheery willingness that might help her make a good impression on the unknown cat. Or, conversely, it would annoy the cat and he'd try to claw her eyes out. Oh well.
Glancing up at the senshi, she caught the lifted brow and head tilt. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts and lean back on her hands, Ogygia nodded.
"I used to be a Negaverse Captain. I'd like to think I was probably a good one, but I don't remember anything really beyond a name. And if I'm being honest, good Captains probably don't purify since they cease to be Captains."
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 10:42 am
"I would strongly advise you don't offer him up the opportunity to test your dedication in that manner," Athalia mused. His smile deepened at the prospect of the cat taking advantage of the unfortunate Squire. Quite honestly, she was entitled to be warned at the very least and if she determined that she still wanted to pursue such activities then at least she did so without the risk of being shocked.
...At least it wasn't him that had to walk through the fire though!
Nevertheless when she revealed herself as a former Captain he couldn't help but narrow his eyes. His gaze hardened ever so slightly, but it wasn't filled with malice. She had been the very thing he had no issue battling and ultimately snapping the neck of, when it got far too close. Or rather she had been, and unlike the others who spoke pretty words, she had succeeded in them.
She'd broken free.
"I would say that aspiring not to cause harm to others is arguably one of the better reasons for not being a good Captain," he replied after a moment to consider his reply. So it would seem that where there was a will there was a way, those who hadn't achieved it simply didn't want it enough, or was he missing something?
"How?" he said finally and motioned to her with renewed curiosity. "I hear a lot of pretty words but you are the only one I have ever met who followed through with them. Perhaps you can explain why they talk a good game, but always seem to claim it's too hard. You are evidently proof that success is possible."
She might be exactly what he needed to finally understand.
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:53 pm
Laughing a little at Athalia's advice, Ogygia nodded agreeably.
"I'll do my best to remember that advice. My cousin says my memory is full of holes though and truth? I have to agree."
Her expression grew sober and reflective even as Athalia's hardened. Maybe she shouldn't have told him what she'd been. But it wasn't dislike she was seeing. At least, not dislike of her. Cold comfort, that. Still he wasn't denouncing her to her face and he seemed to only want to understand. Well.
She would try.
"So, first things first," she said slowly, clearly considering her words carefully. "I wasn't kidding about my memory. I don't remember very much and what I do recall is very piecemeal and scattered. Some of what I know came from what my cousin saw when I purified. I have no reason to not believe her account since she purified too. But she came from something called a Dark Mirror Court and she really doesn't like to talk about it."
Shifting a little so she was more comfortable, Ogygia pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them before offering the senshi a tight smile. She hated trying to remember. Every time she did, she had nightmares for a week.
"So," she finally said, "as to the 'how' part, I do remember begging some shining woman to help me. Orcus said that it was a senshi named Sailor Cosmos and she burned the chaos out of me, I guess. I know I wanted her help with my whole heart. I don't think she could have done it if I'd had even the tiniest bit of doubt. But it felt like something inside of me was made whole again."
She could clearly recall that sensation of warmth and wholeness and she rather thought that it more than made up for the remembered pain. And even though she could look back now and say that yes, the Negaverse was Very Bad, she couldn't completely condemn her former compatriots.
"It is hard," she said with the tiniest amount of heat. She might not remember for herself, but she'd spoken to some agents since. And Whistler had told her a great deal during the days she'd stayed with him recovering. "Yes, there are people who enjoy it, but most are just... people. They've been given access to power and that can become addictive. And unlike senshi, officers have actual physical leaders to face. They can reward or cause harm and their power is immense. Some people are scared to go up against that."
She dredged at her brain for a moment before coming up with a foggy memory. Well, a fractured memory anyway.
"They tell us that senshi are the real evil, that we are warriors for the Earth. And they do everything they can to keep purifying a secret. Even asking about it can lead to terrible punishments," she whispered before holding out an arm for Athalia to examine the finger-length, white and ragged scar running from her palm up her wrist.
"It's not as easy to turn your back as it sounds. And the ones who do manage it are hunted like beasts once the Negaverse realizes who they were. And if they are very unlucky, their families are hunted and disposed of too. I'm lucky that I haven't been figured out yet. And luckier that my cousin purified too because they won't ever be able to find her and hurt her."
Sighing a little, Ogygia curled in on herself until her face was pressed into her legs. Even recalling that much had hurt and being unable to completely explain everything made her feel useless. Her heart hurt for the agent that she knew must still be trapped in their service. She was sure that more would purify if they could do it without fear.
"It's not easy," she whispered.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:33 pm
She had tried and his expression softened as she gave what detail she could. Whatever she might have been through, it did seem that her remarks regarding her own sparse and unreliable memory recall seemed to be genuine. He wasn't quite sure why, but perhaps there was something about the process of pulling a person out of such corruption that caused some considerable 'damage' in the process.
...Though if he were to be entirely honest, he would admit he deemed this 'damage' to be an acceptable price if it allowed people to live freely and without the demand upon them to render harm upon others. She had done what others hadn't managed to, regardless of what their excuses might have been, and she was entitled to a measure of respect.
Her reference to addiction though did seem to trigger some deeper level of understanding in him. He wouldn't go in to detail, this subject was clearly one that caused discomfort for her, but she'd said enough for him to pick on some critical elements of her experience that he considered valuable.
"Thank you," he replied earnestly and released a soft sigh. "I can only imagine what it might be like to experience that fear and to wonder if you can rely upon those on this side to keep you and whomever you are involved with, safe," he conceded.
"But in the end you are an example of greatness and I hope you are proud of what you have achieved," he added.
A moment of silence to acknowledge her unease and he thought that perhaps changing the subject would be better, she deserved that from him.
"So what are your plans now that you've discovered a whole new world of oddities and adventure?" he asked curiously. "Other than potentially being a test subject of my beloved Mauvian, at which point I would caution you again to be mindful of his eccentricities," he finished.
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 1:30 pm
Thankful for the reprieve from the muddied waters of her memory, Ogygia smiled a little at the senshi's gallant words. Really, she hadn't done anything to seek Sailor Cosmos out. Not consciously anyway. But if Athalia wanted to view her as some sort of minor hero, well. Where was the harm?
"Making friends has certainly been easier since I purified," she murmured in an attempt at levity. And it was true. In her limited experience, senshi and knights weren't nearly as cut throat as some officers. Resting her chin in her hands, Ogygia gave a little grateful nod when the subject was changed. She didn't enjoy trying to wrangle what was left of her memory. There was always a feeling that if she delved too far she'd come up with things that she'd never be able to put away again.
"Well, for a long time I just healed. But I think I like doing things like this," she said. "Just going out and meeting people and talking. I like sharing ideas and it's nice to not have to fight and be on guard. And I would like to visit my wonder more and learn from whatever I can find there."
She paused a moment and eyed the senshi warily when he spoke of being a test subject for a cat.
"He... he wouldn't try to have me opened up on an operating table, right?"
She wasn't entirely sure, but she had a vague idea that she'd been part of some sort of test before. And she was almost certain that monsters had been involved.
"On second thought, maybe I don't want to meet this cat of yours. I never was good at tests."
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:43 am
"He's relatively fond of explosives," he replied with a small sigh. There was some measure of warmth in his voice, but a weariness as well. Orias was certainly something, but in the end his heart was in the right place. "That being said he does enjoy finding people who can donate their time to less deadly pursuits," he added. Whether this gave her some comfort remained to be seen but at the very least Orias did learn who he could and couldn't blow up fairly quickly.
"I know his latest mission has involved him seeking out other worlds," he added and pursed his lips. He wasn't sure what his Mauvian was up to as he wandered about but he was sure that at some stage he'd find out. "And then the ones where he just throws things at you and asks you to use them and let them know if they work."
He clucked his tongue.
"If you aim to see the very thing you protect perhaps that would be a slightly safer option than letting him take the lead though," he mused. "I've always found other worlds fascinating, though the vast majority have been a little desolate," he admitted. "At least to begin with, it would seem that given enough time they come out of their shells which is certainly...interesting."
"Maybe yours will be the same, eh? The interesting part that is, not the absolute desolation bit..."
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Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2020 1:47 pm
The mental image of Ogygia flying through the air, like some unholy lovechild of Team Rocket and the Mythbusters, due to a cat's experimenting was more than enough to make the knight's eyes glaze over as a giggle burst out of her. And just like that, most of her worry dissipated. Giving Athalia a sunny smile, she shrugged a little.
"At least he keeps himself usefully occupied?" she offered. "Though if he's as enamored with explosions as it sounds, I don't think I want him anywhere near my wonder. At least not until I have chance to root around. After that? We'll see."
More giggles escaped as she suddenly imagined a feline demolitions expert. Apparently, she'd gone stupid for her latest trick. Whatever must Athalia think since he seemed kind of serious and thoughtful?
"I promise I'm not normally this odd," she murmured. And then hoped that there never came a day where this senshi would meet her cousin. Because Orcus would read chapter and verse of just how weird Ogygia could be.
Clearing her throat a little, she pushed herself up from the ground and stretched. She needed to go before she really said something stupid.
"I think," she said, " that even in ruin, my wonder is going to be wonderful. I know it's waiting for me and I hope it knows that I'm going to love it no matter what. And if I can see it someday in a state of non-desolation, well, that just makes it worth the trouble, right?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:05 pm
Athalia gave a dismissive wave of his hand at her reassurances that she wasn't quite so strange as she came across. It was safe to say that given the last several months of his life, she was far from the 'oddest' thing or individual he had encountered. Her good humour and eccentricities weren't a cause for alarm and to be entirely honest, every now and then a little bit of optimism and positivity were exactly what the world required.
"You have no need to promise anything," he added and shook his head. "If anything, you are probably exactly as you need to be," he pointed out before releasing a sigh. The reference to her Wonder, and her musings over a time when it would perhaps be less depressing were something he could relate to... she might not have seen her's, but he'd seen his, and if there were ever a time where he could see it spring to life then he would likely be overjoyed!
However the rest of what she said did give him food for thought.
Simple as it may have been, there was something to be said for whether or not the source of one's power felt the same care and kinship that they might afford to it themselves. He'd thought it had only been him that had felt a natural protectiveness, an affection for it. Something that had simply been born from nothing, one moment he hadn't been aware it existed and then in the next...
One step had been all that it had taken.
"I believe that in some capacity, your Wonder knows," he replied after a moment. He couldn't say it with any certainty, but surely there had to be something there, right?
"And even if it doesn't you are perfectly capable of revealing the truth to it," he smirked. "At which point I would strongly suggest you avoid any demolition experts and maybe recruit a gardener instead," he teased.
"Mine remains desolate but there are signs that something is there, a breath of life deep inside... so perhaps in time we'll be able to update one another on our progress," he raised a brow. "Compare notes and potentially compete for which one is better," he gave a wink, a reassurance that he was jesting and did, in fact, have a sense of humour in there somewhere.
"It will make for a fun and more positive distraction than what normally occupies me," he finished.
"Provided you don't mind the intrusion in the form of a few messages now and then," he squinted thoughtfully at that point. "If I remember correctly you can receive missives from me, your kind just don't carry phones...?"
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