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 Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 6:58 am
In a lot of ways, it felt like being shipped off for their first day of school again.
Elliot and Atticus had expressed that they wanted to go back to the Moon, and now that they’d made a little time and had been able to prepare, they were ready to. And Michael and Devyn had packed their bags for them.
Each of them had a backpack full of tools and a packed meal (and extra snacks) and drinks and just about everything they might need to start cleaning up their wonders. They had a first aid kit. Notebooks and pencils, gloves, trashbags. They had cloth and glass cleaner, and shovels and garden shears and brooms and eye protection and masks and–well, maybe they had more protection than they needed, but it had been a sweet gesture and they’d been grateful. Each of them had a watch with a timer set on it so they’d know when it was time to head home.
They were both taking this very seriously, and so were Michael and Devyn, who waved them off before the boys headed out. They powered up in the park, in a hidden little patch of dense shrubbery and trees. Elliot had helped himself to some blackberries first, and he had not washed them, but then he’d been good and responsible.
They’d powered up, picked up their bags and their tools, and headed up to the Moon.
Thankfully, their wonders were right next to each other, and when they were the only energy signatures nearby it was easy to find each other.
And yet, even though they’d been apart for less than a minute, Amarynthos came trotting out of his Wonder quickly and waved when he saw Ephesus with such enthusiasm it seemed more like it had been days since they’d been together.
“Effie! There you are! There’s so much here, where are we even going to start? The walkway, maybe. I almost tripped on a vine on my way out here, so be careful. I doubt it’s going to be exciting work, but I’d like to make sure we’re not falling when we start moving big things, or drag heavy bags, what do you think?”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:40 am
It really was sweet that Michael and Devyn had thought to prepare them for everything they could think of. They went a bit overboard, but Atticus wasn’t sure what he wanted to work on first, so it was a good idea to have something for anything they could come across.
Ephesus trotted over to Amarynthos as well when they arrived on the Moon, glad that he could feel him because otherwise he would have probably gotten pretty anxious being all alone up there.
“The walkway sounds good,” he agreed, and it definitely wasn’t because he wanted to be near Amarynthos at all. No, it absolutely was. He was trying to be good with making sure they used the stuff Michael and Devyn gave them, so he carefully pulled out some gardening gloves.
They were kid gloves, because his hands weren’t big enough for adult gloves yet, but they would do the job. He was even good and pulled on a pair of safety goggles because Michael had insisted that he bring them with them. Oh, but he probably looked pretty silly.
“What are we going to do with everything we clean up?” he asked, pulling out some trashbags. “Should we find a place to make a compost pile?” It would be pretty weird to bring a bunch of dead plants back to Earth. “Maybe the Code has a suggestion. We should say hello when we get a chance.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:08 am
Amarynthos followed suit, putting on the goggles and gloves as Ephesus did. They already matched enough already, and he wanted to be responsible! And he definitely didn’t want Effie to feel silly for making sure that he was safe and taken care of while they worked.
He didn’t usually wear all of this when he was working in the garden with his fathers, but then again–their backyard wasn’t really the same as Moon ruins.
“That’s a good idea. Too bad we couldn't get a wheelbarrow up here, I bet that would have helped us move a lot of this rubble. Maybe we can use a compost pile to help us grow something up here again. I mean, the weeds and vines are doing a good job, but I bet there’s a lot more that we could be growing. It looks like there should be whole gardens. I landed back by the statue in the garden. I said hi to the Code but it didn’t say anything back. But I was running pretty fast, I wanted to make sure I could find you. I like this place! But it’s just a little spooky when you’re alone. I knew that if I was getting lonely, you might be, too.”
He smiled, glad to be with Ephesus, and not the least bit embarrassed to admit that he’d been thinking about him as soon as they arrived.
“I can’t wait until we can bring Michael and Devyn up here. But I definitely want it to be a little cleaner, I want them to be proud of us. Although, if we’re being honest, I definitely wouldn’t mind just laying here and watching the stars with you. Maybe we can when we take our snack break, I want to make sure we pace ourselves and don’t work so hard that we get worn out before we can make a dent in things.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:21 am
Ephesus pouted a bit, and glanced over his shoulder at the building behind him.
“I ended up outside near the old hives. I don’t think there are any bees left,” he admitted sadly. “I’ll have to say hello to the Code before we leave,” he decided, because they were going to work as much as they could and as efficiently as they could, so when they took a break they could see their progress.
Especially if he could lay next to Amarynthos and just watch the stars with him. Oh, and Earth. That was still a pretty amazing sight to see.
He picked up one of the rakes they’d been supplied with, and started carefully pulling at the overgrown weeds and dead plants along what he could only assume was the path. And it didn’t take more than a minute for him to gasp in surprise.
“Mary look! I think this is the border of our Wonders.” He knew they were close. He could feel his connection to the Wonder… somehow… so he knew he was really close to Amarynthos’ Wonder, but he wasn’t expecting to actually find anything.
Along the path there was a golden line with decorative inlay around it, as well as a script he couldn’t read, but he felt as though it must have been their names. The gold (although he wasn’t sure what metal it was) was crusted over with debris, but after crouching down to scrub off some of the dirt, he was certain the whole, thin line and script would shine again soon.
He knew the locations themselves didn’t exist as Wonders before, but they must have had some kind of separation, especially with how everything along the edge of their Wonders were covered in plantlife, both alive and dead.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:30 am
“What? Cover that up, I like to think we just share one big Wonder,” he said, teasingly raking his pile back towards the line. It was a short lived joke, he didn’t actually want to undo the work they’d just accomplished.
He leaned on his rake and squinted into the distance thoughtfully. “How far do you think this goes on for? Too much for us to clear in a day? Not that I mind raking, but this will definitely get exhausting after a while. I guess it’s a good workout, we can tell Michael and Devyn all about it.”
Amarynthos looked down at the pretty gold inlay and wanted to get closer to get a good look, but sitting on the ground was dangerous so early on, especially when the skies were already so tempting.
“Maybe when we get some flowers growing again–good flowers, not just weeds and all–we’ll get some bees. Maybe you’ll be able to make fresh honey! I have no idea how that works, it just seems fun. I wish we could read this, though. I want to know more about this place–well, our places. Doesn’t seem fair that there’s not anyone here anymore. I mean, we can ask the Code, but.”
He continued to rake and glanced over his shoulder at his Wonder. “There’s just so much I want to know. Do you think it’ll be as good of a storyteller as Devyn?”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 9:48 am
Ephesus laughed softly as Amarynthos teased about covering up the line. He would be happy to consider both Wonders as just one big one. After all, when would they ever go without one another?
“I don’t know. Maybe as far from the buildings all the way around? But this side is very obviously the best,” he decided, because if he went to the other side of his Wonder, he wouldn’t be able to see Amarynthos, which was no good.
“Do you think there will be other Moon knights that we meet? That might have Wonders close to ours? Oh, I guess the Code wants to spread people out to protect everything, so maybe we’re just lucky. I’m happy we’re lucky,” he smiled, getting back to work and raking a bit more of the debris from the path so they wouldn’t trip.
“I don’t know if the Code would be better than Devyn… but I also don’t know the Code as well as Devyn,” he admitted. He didn’t know Devyn as much as he wanted to, but he knew him enough to know he was kind and wonderful and, well, Ephesus liked him a lot.
“I’m worried about him. He’s been working on getting everything ready to get rid of the Chaos on his World…” Ephesus said after a few moments, frowning down at the cleared space, but it was still covered in dirt that they would have to clear off. “I just hope it’s not too much for them to handle.”
He didn’t want another new family. He knew the Reids would take him in, but… he’d grown attached to Devyn and Michael.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:05 am
Amarynthos paused and glanced up, pressing his lips together slightly as he processed Ephesus’ words. “It won’t be too much for them,” he promised; he’d finished raking up one pile but instead of gathering it up, he’d moved on to collect another pile. He’d rather get this out of the way and then bag and move things later.
This was a lot of work they were going to have to do, and he knew they were limited on how often they could come up here.
“If there are going to be other Moon Knights, we’d better work hard so we have a presentable place to show them. And, if we get our Wonders looking good, maybe we can help with them. But holy cow, there’s so much here. I’m glad I’m here with you, this would be so daunting by myself. I don’t want anyone to feel like they’re alone.”
Especially not Ephesus.
The moon was beautiful, but it was lonely.
Not with Effie, here. But without him? It might have even been a little spooky.
Amarynthos wanted to fix that. He wanted to get stronger. For himself, for Amarynthos, for Effie. For his parents. For Devyn and Michael, too.
“Even Devyn.” Who wasn’t a Moon Knight, but who kept going up to his world alone. They only had Wonders, small places on a whole world. He’d heard stories about Alastor, but he hadn’t seen it–and he couldn’t imagine what that must be like. “The more we finish here, the more we’ll be able to help out there, too. And I bet he’s going to need a lot of help. I want to go with him when he goes to fight the Chaos. I mean, I know I don’t have magic, but. I will. And maybe we can do something to help. He hasn’t talked to me about his plan, but I know he’s been talking to Michael about it. Has he said anything to you?”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:27 am
Ephesus nodded to let Amarynthos know he heard him and he was listening, but he was still frowning at the ground. He knew they all wanted everything to be okay, and for it to not be too much, but what if it was?
“Not much. He just smiles and tells me not to worry,” he said quietly, although it was clear that he was worried. Ephesus continued cleaning up the leaves from the path, following Amarynthos’ example by putting them into piles out of the way to be collected later. It was definitely easier to see how much they’d done when they had a path starting to be cleared.
“But I hear him and Michael talking. I can’t make out what they say, but Michael usually sounds like he’s concerned. I think Devyn tells him he shouldn’t worry, too. And, I mean, Devyn knows Alastor best, so maybe things really will be okay. I want to help too. When they go to fight the Chaos, I mean. If you’re going, I’m definitely going,” Ephesus insisted as he looked pleadingly up at Amarynthos.
He knew he didn’t have much fighting skills, and without magic, there wasn’t much else he could do, but he was slowly learning things like first aid! He just wanted to be useful, and prove that he wasn’t going to be a burden on everyone.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:33 am
If Michael was worried, that was usually a good reason to worry, but Michael also had a pretty big soft spot for Devyn, and Elliot was wondering when he should really start teasing him about it. Probably when things were a little less worrisome.
“Well, on one hand, I’d say that they both know what they’re doing and if they say not to worry, they’ve probably got it under control. On the other hand,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and glanced at Ephesus while he continued to rake, just to make sure he didn’t need a hug or something, “I totally expect that both of them would just say that things were fine so we wouldn’t worry. But they’re not very clever if they think that’s enough to stop us. We’re smart and observant, of course we’re going to know when something’s wrong.”
And, based on what Ephesus was saying, that was all the more reason for him to want more power.
He felt something tingle across his skin but mostly just figured it was probably the wind or something. Even if everything still felt pretty still around here.
“We’ll do our best, too. Nothing’s going to stop us. They both get kind of reckless, I think. They’re better off with us around, we’ll be there to remind them that they have to take care of themselves, too. Can’t just go running off into danger without considering the repercussions. I mean, if it gets too bad, run away–right? Live to fight another day. I’ll badger Michael about it when we get home. Maybe we can squeeze in some more training, too. I can ask Michael to teach us some more first aid things.”
He was sure that Atticus could ask Michael! But he was also shy, and Elliot worried that he might get nervous and talk himself out of it. If they were learning something together, Elliot could ask all the questions.
He certainly had no shame in curiosity; both of his parents were teachers.
And, he loved asking questions.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:50 am
Ephesus always needed a hug, especially from Amarynthos, but he was trying to be good and productive and not cry after being on the Moon for only a few minutes.
He didn’t like thinking that Devyn might not consider them capable enough to handle knowing more. Maybe if there was something he could be good at. Something that was useful, then maybe he could go and help. He didn’t want to be left on Earth while Devyn and Michael were fighting for Alastor to be purified.
So of course he nodded in agreement when Amarynthos suggested they ask for some more training and learn more about first aid. Anything that could help! He knew he wasn’t a fighter, but he wanted to support the people who he loved.
Realizing he was raking the same spot that was already cleared, Ephesus carefully stepped a little further down the path to continue the clean up.
“What if something happens to them? I mean, I know they’re getting other people to help. But… It’s not just getting rid of the Chaos that I’m worried about. I… I mean… Mary, what if there aren’t any people left?” he asked, his eyes feeling hot. “Devyn wants so badly for people to have survived, but… I’ve been to Sessrumnir. And we can see everything here… I’m afraid he’s going to be hurt if he’s the only one left.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:00 am
“Of course he’s going to be hurt if he’s the only one left, he cares a lot about his world. I don’t think he’s honest with himself though, you know, about the possibility of someone else being up there. I mean, Devyn’s the Senshi, and he’s really stubborn. But from what I’ve heard, I can’t imagine that anyone else would have survived up there when no one else survived on the Moon, or Jupiter. But, that just means he’s going to need us more than he knows. Just because he’s used to being alone doesn’t mean he has to be. And Michael’s emotionally constipated sometime, he’s got this whole macho vibe. Don’t tell him I said that, I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
He turned to face Ephesus, because this was obviously very important to him. He cared very much for Michael, he was family; he’d known him since he was young, and obviously that meant that he was qualified to talk about him in this way. Affectionately! He would never say anything about Michael with the intent to hurt him.
“But I know he cares a lot about Devyn. So I know he’ll take care of him and look after him. Michael’s like, the best kind of friend you can have. He’s real ride or die. Oh–but nobody’s going to die, Effie, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean, they’ll be so busy doing all the cool, badass stuff that maybe they’ll forget that they’re only human,” –well, sort of, Devyn looked human enough– “and, you know how important a hug is. But I don’t think either of them will ask for it. So, it’ll be up to us. Even if there aren’t people on Alastor, there are people on Earth who care a lot about him. And we just have to make sure he knows that so he can’t get too sad, or try to fix his whole world up on his own. I don’t want him to get reckless and think he’s got something to prove. I mean, I don’t know. He’s family, right?”
Amarnythos stopped for a moment and leaned against the rake thoughtfully. Of course he was family, he was Effie’s dad. On paper, at least. And better than any other father he’d had. “Maybe someone did make it,” he said hopefully. “I mean, we don’t know. And if Devyn wants to be optimistic, that’s okay. We just have to be there in case he can’t find anyone. I mean, I know he’s homesick. But. Well, we’ll do our best to give him a good home here, too, right? And I know we can’t be like Alastor was, but. Maybe we can do things for him so that it still feels like home? I want him to tell us more about holidays and festivals and stuff. He likes food so much, I wish we could make some recipes or something. Or find some music sheets. I don’t know. But he’s going to be okay, that’s the important thing. We’re going to be there for him. Even if we can’t fight, even if we’re not good healers, we’re going to be there for the long run. But I want to get stronger. I want them to know they can rely on us! And I want to be strong enough that they can trust us to look after each other, and them, too.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 12:37 pm
Ephesus sucked in a breath when Amarynthos said how Michael was ride or die -- he knew it was a phrase! But he was busy worrying about what could happen to Devyn and Michael and Amarynthos and everyone else.
Amarynthos reassured him, of course, but he was still shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. He didn’t know what would happen, but if the people he cared about got hurt, what was he supposed to do? Just stand there?
It took only a little more talk about family and how they would make sure Devyn had a home with them and made sure he was reminded about the good things from Alastor for Ephesus to take a few steps forward and reach out to Amarynthos for a hug. Just for a little bit!
“I want to get stronger too,” Effie said with a small sniffle as he pressed his face against Mary’s shoulder. “I don’t want anyone to be alone. It sucks. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He would definitely be alone, but right now he didn’t have to worry about that. He had a family now. And Elliot. He just wanted to get stronger so he could protect them.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 1:29 pm
Amarynthos had been expecting the hug–had planned to initiate it, even, if Ephesus didn’t make the move soon. He wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his back, even as he leaned against the rake a bit to make it a little more comfortable.
“You’re already getting stronger, Effie. I see it every day. And I’m really proud of you for it. You work so hard. I mean, I know what you mean. I want magic. I want power, and strength. I want to have enough to fight off people with weapons and youma. I will go wild on anyone who tries to hurt you or anyone I care about, don’t get me wrong, but it would be really nice to have the power to back it up and not rely on bluffing and luck.”
Maybe he would ask the Code what they could do to get there quicker.
“We have a lot of cleaning to do, maybe we can talk to the Code afterwards. Although, I could probably put up a good argument now. I mean, think about how much more energy we’d have, and how much harder we could work, if we had magic now? And maybe our magic is, I don’t know, leaf blowing! I’m going to ask Michael for a leaf blower for the next time we come here.”
He felt the burn and tug of something again, but he figured it was just how much energy he had; he was driven to get this done and to get this done right! If they got stronger, they could bring Michael and Devyn up here to help, too! Or his parents! They were great at gardening!
“But we’re gonna do it, Effie. We got here, so that’s already the hardest part. We’re Moon Knights, even Devyn was impressed! And we might only be pages now, but I know you’re putting your whole heart into this, and so am I. I believe in us. And I hope we got stronger faster because there’s a lot that I want to do. There are people that are counting on us, and I’m not going to let them down.”
With or without magic, they were going to do their best. They’d been knocked down before; nothing was going to stop them from getting back up again–stronger, and better, every time.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 5:14 pm
He could feel something there. Maybe it was the strength he felt when he was near Mary, because he always made Effie feel like he could do anything. But it was tugging at him, persistent, like there was something more waiting.
“Oh, a leaf blower would be good. Maybe one of those bush trimmers,” he suggested as he lifted the safety glasses up onto the top of his head so he could press his face more fully against Amarynthos’ shoulder as he hugged him.
“I’m proud of you. You are always so brave and know what to do. Oh, but I wouldn’t want you getting hurt if you tried fighting someone,” he sniffled again, but he was doing good! He wasn’t fully crying yet!
“We’ll find a way to be stronger. We just have to do our best,” he agreed, because he wasn’t going to let anyone down if he could help it. And if Amarynthos believed in them, then Effie did as well.
“Yes, we should talk to the Code once we get as much cleaned as possible. And have a snack.” Maybe the Code will have more guidance for them.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 5:26 pm
Amarynthos was more determined now than ever, and he tugged Effie closer so he could wrap both arms around him. Mindful not to hit him with the rake, he planted his feet solidly on the ground so he could give him a good hug. He rubbed his back a bit and said, “If I get hurt, you’ll put me back together. I’m pretty sturdy. I’ve been hit with so many baseballs, and I’ve never broken a bone. I drink lots of milk and eat all my vegetables. If I get hurt, I’ll be okay. Partly because I’m durable, and partly because you’ll take care of me. And we’re only going to get better at this. So good that Michael might even give me a weed-whacker,” he teased.
Michael might not, but he was sure that he could convince Devyn to. If they needed it. They were supposed to be getting a workout out of this.
“We’re going to make the Code proud. Come on, let’s fill five bags each and then we’ll take our break and talk to it! If we work together, it’ll be faster. You can hold the bag and I can scoop it all in, and we can trade when my arms are tired. And then we’ll get this line scrubbed up. I might not like anything dividing your Wonder and mine, but if it’s going to be there, it might as well look pretty!”
He rubbed his back again, though; he wasn’t going to let him go until Effie was ready to get back to work. Until then, he was just going to squeeze him as much as he needed.
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