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 Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:26 pm
Though his hand was freed from its cast just after Christmas, Aquamarine found that using it was not quite so easy as before. His fingers grew stiff, his palm sore. Even after consuming a starseed, holding his rapier for an extended period of time didn’t seem feasible.
It should be. His hand was healed. The break hadn’t been so bad that he had to worry about the injury acting up again.
Maybe it was all in his head. Maybe the stress of Jet’s mission was getting to him. There were so many variables to consider and not enough hours in the day to explore them all.
They were running out of time.
Cymophane dodged a blade aimed for his stomach. A practice blade, dull enough that it wouldn’t actually cut him if it managed to connect — or so he’d been told; he wouldn’t put it past Aquamarine to lie about that. He ducked when another blade came at him from the side, backing up to put a little space between himself and his two opponents.
“You should switch weapons,” he suggested, noting Aquamarine’s fatigue but wisely choosing to say nothing of it. “If you have to fight her, you’ll want the element of surprise, yeah? If you switch weapons on her, you might buy yourselves a few seconds.”
Sometimes, a few seconds was all that was needed.
They were in one of the training rooms, practicing for a battle with a Princess that may or may not come to pass. Cymophane had the honor of pretending to be the Princess, which meant he did a lot of ducking and dodging and pretending to throw magic around, while Aquamarine and Jet got Aquamarine back in shape for a fight.
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Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 6:18 pm
Jet wasn’t sure how useful something like this would be, but it would at least give them an opportunity to figure out how a Senshi’s mind worked. Since Ganymede didn’t have any weapons on her, it meant she had to pull out her crystal if she wanted to do any real damage.
They needed to prevent her from using her crystal, and to keep as many of the others away from her as possible.
He frowned a little at the idea of switching weapons, but only because he didn’t know how well Aquamarine could handle his weapon when he was having trouble with his own. And Aquamarine had a lot more experience with a rapier than he did with the dual bladed polearm.
“Like this?” he asked, and made sure Aquamarine was ready before tossing his weapon, handle length towards him, and held out his own hand to catch the rapier thrown to him from Aquamarine. In his other hand he caught the dagger, which he flipped backwards like he used to fight with as a Captain.
“We can try that if you’re up for it. We’ve practiced before, just never had the chance to use it in a fight.” It was good that they only had to throw their weapons to each other the first time. Later they could just summon them back.
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Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 6:46 pm
Aquamarine caught the polearm with his good hand, wrapped his fingers around it and adjusted his stance. He knew how to use it, he just didn’t have many opportunities outside of a sparring match.
“Takes some of the pressure off my weak hand,” he said, which was as much of an agreement as he would give for anything Cymophane suggested.
To Jet, he added, “That’s a parrying dagger, don’t hold it like that. If a Knight comes at you with a thin enough staff or chain, you can catch it with the guard. Might be able to disarm them if you’re fast enough or they’re incompetent.”
In a fight against Ganymede, the two most likely to intrude would be Valhalla and Sessrumnir, assuming Sessrumnir was as involved with the pair as they expected. They’d already deemed Valhalla the less significant threat.
If all went according to plan, neither he nor Jet would have to deal with them. Assuming they were even around when Jet made his move. For all of Jet’s planning, they wouldn’t have much confirmation about who or what they’d be up against until the moment of.“And you probably want to keep her between you,” Cymophane suggested, placing himself between the two Generals again. “As much as possible, anyway. Come at her and don’t let up. Keep her too occupied to take out her crystal.”
That probably went without saying. Even without it, they still had fairly strong magic to contend with. Cymophane had never experienced it himself, but Jet described it enough that he thought he’d be prepared for it, if he was unfortunate enough to face her on less than friendly terms.
Once Jet and Aquamarine were comfortable with their borrowed weapons, Cymophane whirled toward Jet and threw his basic level magic at him.Quote: Leopard’s StrikeThree long, black claws of energy grow between Cymophane’s fingers. Though he does not have to make contact with an enemy to cause damage, a swipe directed at them will result in torn clothing and the sensation of lacerations to skin. The sensation of pain will last for 30 seconds and has a range of 8 feet. At player discretion, the character can take lasting damage such as mild injuries that are deep enough to scar if desired, but not so much as to be immediately life threatening. The magic can be used three times.
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2022 9:49 am
Jet tried not to roll his eyes, and flipped the knife back in the direction Aquamarine told him. But he was used to using the dagger the other way. Oh well, he would just flip it however was necessary at the time.
When Cymophane used his attack, he felt it. It wasn’t any worse than the first time he’d tried it on him and certainly wasn’t as strong as his Super magic. But it gave him enough time to teleport behind Cymophane and swing the side of the training rapier at his back.
“I guess I should practice under the assumption I won’t be able to teleport,” he signed. If they could overpower the Princess just by teleporting near her, then they wouldn’t need the whole team to help.
But the real reason he figured he should practice without teleporting was because he had no idea what state he might be in once they managed to rescue him. Not that he was going to say that out loud.
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:21 am
Aquamarine teleported to Cymophane’s other side, striking out with the polearm as Cymophane tried to dodge Jet’s attack.
“Depending on what they have, we might not be able to,” Aquamarine agreed, but he didn’t sound happy about it. He always felt out of sorts without the extra benefit of teleportation. He could fight without it, but he used it enough that not having it as an option threw him a bit off balance. At certain moments in a fight, it had become instinctive.Cymophane dodged ineffectively and the training rapier grazed his back. Then Aquamarine struck him in the side. Cymophane threw his basic magic at him, then kicked his injured thigh the first chance he got.The magic drew a hiss of pain. The kick to his thigh earned a shout of rage. Aquamarine lashed out, swinging the polearm with all his strength, but Cymophane ducked beneath it and Aquamarine stumbled to regain his balance.Cheerfully, Cymophane said, “Sorry!”
He didn’t seem sorry at all.
“I was just thinking, if Ganymede knows what Sessrumnir did to you, she might go for your weak points. We know she doesn’t rely too much on magic, right? Jet said he’s only felt that one attack, the one that’s like her crystal magic, but on a smaller scale, so you’ll either be facing magic you’ve never encountered before, or she’ll be more physical.”Gritting his teeth against the ache in his thigh, Aquamarine threw a glare at Cymophane.Cymophane did not appear fazed. Instead, he glanced toward Jet and asked, “If she used that magic on you again, do you think you could fight through it?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2022 11:13 am
He honestly didn’t know if he’d be able to work through the pain from Ganymede’s Eternal attack, depending on the state he was in at the time.
“It was pretty crippling when she used it on me before. Like being burned alive,” he frowned thoughtfully as he made his way over to where Aquamarine was so he could kneel down for a moment to check on his leg. Gentle fingers went to inspect the area he knew had been injured, and he pressed lightly to make sure there wasn’t any blood from it having reopened. He could have had Aquamarine take off his pants, just to be sure, but he doubted he would agree to that with Cymophane there.
“Probably will use our injuries to their advantage,” Jet agreed, and once he stood he gave Aquamarine an equally gentle rub on the back of his shoulder, which he was sure was aching from swinging his rapier around, and then the polearm.
“I don’t know if it only affects one person, or multiple. If she uses her magic on both of us…. We’ll have to rely on you and the others to keep her occupied until we can recover from it.”
He wasn’t looking forward to being hit with that magic again, but he knew it was very likely.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 10:18 am
Fortunately he was healed enough that he shouldn’t have to worry about any wounds reopening. He could walk without much of a limp, and he had full mobility in his arms. The only remaining issues seemed to be some weakness and a lingering ache, especially after strenuous activity.
Such as training. Aquamarine hadn’t had the opportunity to fight since Sessrumnir’s attack. He was working at a disadvantage.
And Jet wanted him to help take down the Princess.
Aquamarine glanced down at Jet. He almost made a snide comment about Jet being on his knees, but his heart wasn’t in the joke and he didn’t want to give Cymophane the satisfaction. Cymophane would just use it to tease and poke fun. Aquamarine didn’t have the patience to deal with that right now, or ever. Jet was on his feet again soon, anyway.“Would be nice if we knew how many targets to expect ahead of time,” Cymophane said.
He eased out of a defensive position since neither Jet nor Aquamarine seemed likely to come at him again. At least temporarily. Aquamarine looked to be tiring, so there was a good chance this training exercise might be drawing to a close.
“With any luck, it’ll be fast,” he said.
That was probably the best they could hope for. Cymophane would get to Ganymede, at which point Jet would take over. They’d find out what the White Moon had that made Sessrumnir’s attack with the smoke bomb a test run. There was bound to be a fight for it. Jet wanted Ganymede by the end of it. Cymophane hadn’t bothered to ask what Jet meant to do with her once he’d brought her to the Queen. From experience, he was well aware that some information was only offered on a need-to-know basis.Aquamarine didn’t want to admit that he was tiring. He didn’t want to rest, not when Jet was charging ahead, making promises, devising plans, gathering a team. Jet trusted him to have his back. Aquamarine had to return to full strength. They were going after a Princess, for ******** sake. He couldn’t afford any weakness, physical or otherwise.
His gaze dropped to the ground, expression creased with worry. His hands clutched the polearm, but he had to loosen his grip, wiggle his fingers and work out some of the tension in his recently healed hand.
Try as he might, Aquamarine could not convince himself that this would be successful. What if they didn’t even get to the part where they fought the Princess? What if she took one look at Jet and decided to go for him the way she once went after Apatite and Laurelite? Ganymede didn’t strike the killing blow to their departed General Queen, but she tried.Cymophane did not share the extent of Aquamarine’s concerns. Ganymede was new to him, and so any uneasiness he might feel over facing her was tempered by curiosity. Jet was confident, or he pretended to be, and Cymophane was confident in his General.
“Maybe we should take a break?” he suggested. Then, because he didn’t want Aquamarine to think he was pitying him (and snap at him for it), Cymophane said, “I could use some fuel before we get back to it. I may or may not have skipped breakfast this morning.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 10:46 am
Jet could sense the apprehension in Aquamarine. He didn’t even need to look at him to hear his silence and the tension that surrounded him. He was worried, Jet knew. Maybe not even unreasonably. There were so many unknowns that they could only prepare for what they could, and hope it was enough.
“Cymophane, would you mind giving us a moment, please? We’ll catch up if you want to head back to the office. There’s some snacks in the cabinet on the right,” he offered, because it was important to have snacks available when you didn’t know how late you would be up doing research on things with little available information.
He waited until Cymophane had departed before turning back to Aquamarine. He lowered the rapier and the dagger to the ground, and then gently took the polearm from Aquamarine so he could lower it to the ground as well.
Once their hands were free, he reached both of his up to place against Aquamarine’s cheeks instead, wanting to make sure he was looking at him.
“We have a team. A good team. The Queen trusts them,” Jet reminded Aquamarine. His hands weren’t on his cheeks for long before he let them slide back to massage his fingertips into the base of Aquamarine’s skull and neck, hoping to help lessen some of the tension.
“And I trust you above all. If the time comes and you don’t think we’re prepared. If you don’t think we’re ready then… just say the word, and we’ll find another way,” he said. Surely the Queen would understand if they didn’t follow through on their plan. They likely wouldn’t be able to use the same tactic since at that point the White Moon would realize that Cymophane wasn’t interested in purifying. Especially if they catch him with one of those smoke bombs and he couldn’t teleport out. But what then? Would they just kill him? Jet didn’t want that. He wanted this to work. He wanted to make sure they were prepared and ready with as much information as possible.
But Aquamarine was important to him. And he knew that Aquamarine wouldn’t want to live without him. So if Aquamarine said it was too dangerous, then… Jet would have no choice but to listen.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 5:26 pm
Cymophane left with a jaunty salute, followed by a wave and a perky, “Bye~!”
And if he happened to hover outside the door, who could blame him? Any sort of private interaction between Jet and Aquamarine seemed like it might make for quality gossip.A good team…
Aquamarine had to wonder. He wasn’t used to working as a team. Neither of them were. The last year had offered them opportunities to try, but Aquamarine could only rely on others for so much. Jet was all he needed. Jet was the only one he trusted. Jet was all he’d had for years, when their superiors left one after the other, and the Queen and the General Sovereigns felt like distant figures.
That was changing. Slowly. The Queen trusted them, or she trusted Jet enough to trust Aquamarine by extension, and the General Sovereigns were more approachable now, less removed.
Everyone else? Aquamarine couldn’t make himself believe they had a fighting chance.
He wanted to call the mission off, nag at Jet until he abandoned the whole thing, but he couldn’t do it, not with the expectations of the Queen on their shoulders. All he could do was offer Jet as much help as Jet would accept, and hope he could regain his strength before it was needed.
We have time, he kept telling himself.
Not a lot, but it had to be enough.
“When have I ever been able to talk you out of anything?” Aquamarine asked.
He meant it to be a joke, but the words came out soft, breathless with nerves.
His hands rose to Jet’s shoulders, fiddling with his decorative epaulets. They’d both removed their capes soon after starting the training exercise, deeming them an unnecessary inconvenience. Without them, Aquamarine was almost taken back to a time when they were both Captains.
“Swear you’ll come back,” he said.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 7:07 pm
Jet let out a soft laugh, whether or not the tone of a joke came out with Aquamarine’s words. He knew he meant it as a joke, even if it didn’t really sound like one. He knew Aquamarine meant a lot of things that he didn’t say. He knew it now. He knew it when he pushed a small box across the table and told him to wear the ring inside.
“You’re more likely to talk me out of things than anyone else. You know how to compromise with me at least. Otherwise I’m just stubborn as hell,” he smiled and leaned close to be able to press his forehead against Aquamarine’s.
They were still both young. They shouldn’t have to worry about things like this, and yet the White Moon had something that could threaten the Negaverse. A real threat if their confidence was warranted. They’d already demonstrated the power they had with what they did to Aquamarine.
“I swear I’ll come back,” he promised, his fingers still pressing a gentle massage against the back of Aquamarine’s neck. “I swear I’ll be careful. I swear I’ll make you proud, not just the Queen.” Because if what he did made Aquamarine resent him, then what was the point of doing anything at all?
“Swear you won’t give up on me?”
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 9:37 am
The war was easier when they were younger, back when it was nothing but monsters and mayhem — a joke, almost, except that they bled for it. Or perhaps it had never been easy, just different; Soren’s death ensured that it would always be personal.
The years made it worse. The worst part of all was that they weren’t particularly old now. Twenty-two and some change. Too young for any of this, and yet Aquamarine had never felt so old.
He wanted to make his usual snide comments, wanted to huff and roll his eyes and pretend as if the comfort Jet offered did nothing for him. A hand upon his neck, a forehead against his own, and Aquamarine was not quite consoled, but… he couldn’t pull away. He stood close, within range of Jet’s warmth, and he remembered the reckless boy who used to throw pebbles at his window.
Aquamarine would always open it — then, and now.
Giving up was not an option.
Quietly, so low the response would be beyond the limits of any prying ears, Aquamarine whispered, “I never have.”
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