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 Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 6:38 am
Follows Nothing But IceTakes place late February 2023.
From the park near Jack’s condo, Devyn took Quinn to pick up some food from some restaurant on wheels, and said it was completely normal on Earth, and actually quite popular. Apparently he sort of knew someone who had their own wheeled restaurant.
They didn’t talk too much while they made their way to the park. Mostly Devyn explained things that he’d learned. Like how currency worked on Earth, to which Quinn showed him the plastic card Jack had given him. Or explaining where would be the best places to hide if he needed to escape a bad situation. To which Quinn scoffed because he would just have to beat up whoever tried anything.
But there were other things too, like pointing out different stores for various needs, and what to look out for, like people on bikes and those cars and trucks that zoom around.
“The water is probably freezing,” he commented vaguely once they finally reached their destination and Roxy was let loose in the enclosed dog park near where they were seated. She had already found a ball to chase around with the other dogs.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 7:08 am
So far, the day had been fairly easy going. Devyn hadn’t wanted to have any serious conversation in public. It was too much of a scene and too distracting, and he wanted to give Quinn some time to think about things other than what he’d lost and was missing.
He’d made sure to get a variety of foods for Quinn to try, and more than enough for the both of them–probably. They could always get more later if they were still hungry. He was withdrawing the containers from the bags and spreading them across the table to make selection easy, and when he’d finished, he sat down across from Quinn.
It was a warm day with a nice breeze, and the clouds above them never stuck around for long enough to block the sunlight. There was a fresh, fragrant smell, not quite of flowers but of nature, at least. Devyn had been optimistic that Spring would be nice around here, and that Quinn might be able to enjoy it.
Devyn looked at the lake; it was dark, but clear enough that he could see the bottom of it when he was standing closer. “It might be,” he agreed. “We can get closer and see when we’re done eating, if you like. You look a bit small, have you been eating enough? I know all that stress can take a toll on someone. I don’t want you getting sick.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:10 am
Quinn scowled at the table when Devyn commented on him looking a bit small. “Yeah, well, you know better than anyone that I’m a little cautious about eating strange things from strange places,” he huffed, but eyed the different containers Devyn was unpacking for them.
It seemed like a lifetime ago when Quinn had eaten a piece of fruit while hiding on Alastor that just so happened to be poisonous as was about ninety percent of everything on Alastor apparently. No, that was an exaggeration, but Quinn was grateful for Devyn’s immediate assistance in getting him to a doctor, even if he had to drag those giant sleeves of his through the mud to do so.
Devyn had been so little back then. With bright, innocent eyes, yet already tragic with the loss he’d suffered and the loneliness he felt.
But now? Devyn had clearly grown up. Which Quinn already knew, but time was a strange thing.
“I don’t plan on getting sick,” he huffed again, and pulled the oversized jacket tighter around him. Even in the warmth of the sun, he still felt cold.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:36 am
Devyn laughed; it was a distant memory, but he seemed to have an exact idea of what Quinn was thinking of. “I’m sorry for that, you know. I’ve gotten much more careful with what I offer people. These will be fine,” he reassured. “I’ve eaten it before. Well–”
No, Quinn knew all the other sorts of things Devyn had eaten to prepare himself for assassination attempts and other mishaps; Devyn eating something unhealthy and dangerous was far from unheard of.
“People with a far more sensitive stomach than I have eaten it and been fine.”
He glanced briefly at the jacket Quinn was wearing and tried not to be amused by it; Quinn looked small in it. Devyn was taller now, and he’d filled out much more. Quinn was mostly unchanged, but even that felt normal. Quinn had looked the same nearly the entire time he’d known him.
“Summer isn’t too far away. It should heat up some by then. They make little hand warmers here on Earth, you can keep them in your pockets and it helps keep you warm. And if that doesn’t help, I might be able to grind up some Heat Stones and treat some fabric with them. They retain heat pretty well. I used to make them on Alastor. During winter, especially. Perce used to get sick if he got too cold. And he was always working too hard, he never gave himself time to rest. I got a lot of practice making things back then, I had to make sure he had something warm for all those times I wasn’t there.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 9:59 am
“Percy and I have that in common,” Quinn groaned. “The cold is horrible. I’m not used to seasons.” He reached to pick at some of the food in front of him, but paused after a moment and glanced up at Devyn again.
He wasn’t sure what he was allowed to ask. What he should mind his own business about, but his curiosity and need for closure was pushing at him. He didn’t know Percy as well as he knew Devyn, and Devyn he only knew as much as his council would let him communicate with a war making senshi when they were supposed to be neutral.
“What happened? I never heard how just… just that he…”
Percy had been too young when he died. But communication with Devyn after that was practically nonexistent. He only heard whispers about something happening, about how the Senshi of Alastor’s spouse had died. That also wasn’t long before everything started getting really bad.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 10:47 am
Devyn didn’t mind questions. Most of the time. There were a lot of things Quinn must have been interested in–and Devyn was equally interested in what he’d been up to. His memories were still fresh from back then. Unfairly fresh, sometimes. It felt like picking at an unhealed scab.
The question wasn’t a bad one. Realistically, Devyn knew he should have had time to heal and get over it.
But, he hadn’t. And Michael understood that he hadn’t, and that he might not ever, so he wasn’t trying to force himself to bury his emotions and pretend like Percy’s loss didn’t still pain him.
There were no questions that Quinn was not allowed to ask. There were just some questions that Devyn didn’t like to answer.
He pressed his lips together and forced a smile; his heart wasn’t in it, but he tried to be as reassuring as possible.
“He got hurt protecting me. There was something on the blade that we couldn’t counter. Alastor has its fair share of poisons and remedies, but we weren’t able to do anything. We tried everything. I tried to pull in every favor I could, but in the end,” he shook his head. “I wish it had turned out differently. He deserved better. We were supposed to visit Enceladus. I promised him a nice getaway, we were going to try to sneak over and visit you, too. I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to.”
Finally, Devyn gestured towards the food. “Help yourself. It’s all good, I promise.”
He opened the box closest to him–something he’d ordered specially for himself, and a duplicate order of something he’d gotten so Quinn could try.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 12:02 pm
“You? Visit Enceladus?” Quinn snorted in half-hearted amusement, given the nature of their conversation already. “You know we have a lot of water, right? A lot of water--”
But he paused and seemed to reflect on his statement as his expression soured.
“At least we used to.”
Not that ice wasn’t just frozen water, but that wasn’t the point. He was still thinking about how things used to be, how they were as if it were just a week ago. Except it hadn’t been a week. It was a thousand years.
“He deserved better,” Quinn quietly agreed. He wasn’t sure if it was okay to eat while talking about Percy, but Devyn seemed to be okay with -- well, Devyn was usually eating whatever he could find, so that wasn’t a fair example.
“So, Michael,” he started instead, picking up one of the long rectangle potatoes that looked similar to what Jack bought for him before. “Is he a replacement or obligation?”
After all, if these people were so willing to help… Well, Quinn was still convinced that it wasn’t as altruistic as they let on to believe. As Senshi with their Worlds in ruins, there was only so much that could be offered for repayment.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 12:39 pm
The question about Percy hurt–it always did–but somehow, that hurt worse. Briefly, Devyn seemed genuinely taken aback. His eyes darted up to meet Quinn’s like he expected something else there.
Quinn wasn’t saying anything to try and hurt him. He wasn’t digging in any hooks or needles. He was curious. Devyn would have to text Michael, he could only imagine what the necklace had done. He reached for his phone with his left hand and rubbed at his chest with his right.
“Neither.”
He texted Michael, ‘XO’ because it was quick, and he didn’t want to be rude to Quinn.
“No one will ever replace Percy. Michael is his own person. When I met him, even before I knew who he was, I thought he seemed like a good person. And then after I found out, I still wanted to keep an eye on him and make sure he was safe, I can’t help it. Sessrumnir chose him, and he has the same starseed Percy did. I couldn’t keep him safe in his last life. But I wanted him to be safe in this one. I never thought I’d fall in love again, not before I went back to the Cauldron. I promised Perce I’d find him in every life. I told him I’d make him fall for me every time. I just didn’t think that I’d ever outlive him.”
He’d put his phone away and picked up a fork, but all he’d done was poke at the food a bit. “I don’t know when I fell in love with him. I don’t know when he fell in love with me. He’s never been an obligation. I like being with him. I like him.”
He knew he didn’t have to justify or defend things, but–it hadn’t felt like hundreds of years for Quinn. Devyn didn’t want him to think this had been a rash decision, or something that had been forced or planned. It had just happened.
“...I don’t think I’d be able to live my life right now if I hadn’t met him. I owe so much to him. He didn’t just help me out on Earth, he helped me process everything before I got here. He helped me get the Chaos off of my world, too. I’d trust him with anything, he’s a good guy. Life hasn’t been kind to him. I want to make him happy.”
Devyn was quiet for a moment and then finished, “And he knows all about Percy. He lets me talk about him. Lets me miss him.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 1:37 pm
Whatever the necklace had done, Michael had been quick to respond as well, and soon after Devyn sent his text, he received a heart in return.
Quinn watched curiously. He saw the look in Devyn’s eyes and realized he must have said something that touched a nerve at the very least. He knew he had a habit of doing things like that, not always unintentionally, but he hadn’t come with the desire to hurt the only person he knew was still alive from before.
But what Devyn explained gave him pause, and he looked at him in bewilderment.
“He has Percy’s starseed?” His eyebrows were furrowed, wondering what kind of cruel joke Cosmos was playing on all of them. Other than Senshi, he didn’t think there were others who could be aware that their starseeds came from a specific someone before them, but then again, it had been a thousand years.
“And he’s Sessrumnir’s new Knight?” he clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and tightened his jacket around himself again.
A lot of what Devyn listed out made it sound like an obligation. A promise to keep him safe, since he couldn’t in his last life, a promise to have him fall for him every time they were reborn. It sounded too convenient to Quinn, but then what did he know? He only ever got to do what he was told.
“Are you happy with him? Like… not just because you owe him for helping you or whatever. You want to make him happy, but does he do any of the same for you? I don’t know. Swooping down and taking advantage of a confused Senshi that was separated from their world…? Seems like an easy target.”
Did Quinn really believe everything he was saying? Maybe. He liked to talk, and maybe he liked the confrontation sometimes, if it got people to think about things. He didn’t want to upset Devyn, but maybe he was a little upset that Percy was gone but Devyn found love already. It almost didn’t seem fair to him. Then again, it had been a thousand years, as he kept having to remind himself.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 1:59 pm
Quinn’s words made Devyn pause, but he’d eased himself out of the surprise and didn’t feel so brittle right now.
Now, he seemed almost amused. “You make me sound so young and naive. Me, an easy target? When have I ever been?” He let himself laugh and shook his head. “No. Michael’s not like that. He was very cautious around me when we first met. He didn’t have any ulterior motives, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
If he was worried about it. Devyn wasn’t quite sure this was even about Michael, or if it was just Quinn’s way of challenging how different things were now compared to back then.
“He had nothing to gain when he took me in. I don’t think he wanted anything, either. Just to see that I was safe and staying out of trouble. I admire him and I respect him. And, I love him very much. He makes me happy. Not because I owe him, not because he helped me. Because he is who he is.”
He tapped his finger on the table contemplatively and supposed that maybe Quinn was, in some way, trying to defend Percy. Maybe he thought Devyn had moved on without him, or jumped onto the next best thing, or whatever concern could have popped into his head.
“Sessrumnir was without a Knight for a thousand or so years, I’m told. It’s always been a very picky wonder. I suspect that instead of filling the void with just anyone, it waited for the right starseed. Percy made quite an impression on it, so I’m not surprised. And Michae’s doing it justice, too. It’s not an easy task, rebuilding a world you know very little about. And he has to balance his life on Earth and on Jupiter. But he’s doing well, and I’m proud of him.”
Proud of Sessrumnir, too. It couldn’t have been easy to wait for so long, but he thought it had made the right choice.
“I know our experiences have been different, Quinn. I don’t know how much you know about Alastor. It’s not the same as it used to be. It’s been quiet for a while. The storms got so bad that I don’t even know where everyone’s hiding, now. Even with them cleared up, I haven’t seen anyone. But some mountain goats were by the Hall my last trip up, so I’m going to go out and look for others. I don’t know what I’ll find. Arista took a beating, but you know how hard Atrius worked to fortify everything for the floods. A thousand years later and there’s cosmetic damage.”
When he smiled, there was a bit of sadness, overshadowed quickly by pride. “I lost everyone important to me a long time ago. I devoted my life to Alastor, to the people, to trying to fix things as they crumbled in my hands. I should have died a long time ago–would have, if I could have just let myself. But there was always something more to do. I lost track of time. I lost track of everything, except work. Constant, unending work. And no matter how much I put into it, it didn’t make a difference. Until I met him. There was a while where I just,” he shrugged. “I couldn’t, I didn’t know how to do it. I couldn’t wake up every morning and know that it was going to be another day alone, fighting against a storm that wouldn’t end. I let myself think that–it’s stupid,” he cut himself off, and waved his hand dismissively. “I let myself live in a fantasy world where everything could be fixed if I just found Percy. I let myself believe that he was still out there. And that’s what got me through it for a while. I didn’t want to face the reality of it all. I missed him, I grieved him, until everyone I knew was gone and no one could tell me that he wasn’t still out there. But then, I came to Earth, and I guess I didn’t need the lie anymore. Wasn’t doing anyone any favors, anyway.”
It had done him plenty. “I could have spent the rest of my life grieving and being miserable. For a long time, I thought it was what I deserved. I’d have punished myself in any way I could if I thought it would have brought him back or undone what had happened. I could have let myself be full of hatred. Could have been the Senshi of Despair in all senses. I didn’t want that, I never wanted that. Percy would have wanted more for me. And not a day goes by that I don’t still miss him. I’ll always love him. And I’ll always love Michael. They’re different. But both of them make me a better person. Support me. Give me hope. Love me. Don’t give him a hard time, he doesn’t deserve it.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:14 pm
Quinn continued to look at Devyn skeptically, but took the opportunity while Devyn was talking. And talking. And talking. To take a few bites of the random things in front of him. Not that he was going to ask Devyn to stop talking. But he liked to talk. Maybe he liked the sound of his own voice. Quinn could understand that. Although he didn’t really like the sound of his own voice.
“Who says I’m going to give him a hard time?” he grumbled, but avoided eye contact with Devyn for the time being. “I get it, I get it. You love him. Gross. It’s just hard to believe that there are so many here with no ulterior motives. It doesn’t seem right,” he admitted.
Maybe that was what was bothering him. The lack of demand, the lack of needing repayment for favors given. This wasn’t like what he was used to. If he was supported by someone back home, he would be expected to do something in return.
Here…? Devyn was buying him food and taking time to talk to him. And talk. And talk. And Jack also liked to talk and talk, but Jack rambled more than Devyn, so at least Quinn could follow along easier with Devyn than Jack.
But he still didn’t like being alone.
“I still owe Percy for helping me with getting our seismographs better calibrated, you know, so I wouldn’t have to be thrown into a volcano prematurely.”
An inside joke, now. But when he was younger he really thought it was a danger. Maybe it still would have been an option, if the people were desperate.
“Not that it matters any more. But I still feel like I owe him.”
He hadn’t interacted with Percy much, but when he’d written to Devyn about his problems, suddenly they were provided help from Sessrumnir. It had been a huge relief and very strange for them to not want anything in return.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:38 pm
Devyn relaxed again, and finally actually started picking at his food. A fry, easy to chew, swallow. Easy to get rid of so he could talk again. He didn’t tell Quinn that he’d seen the way he looked at Michael, or the way he seemed to get a little huffy about him.
Change was hard, he understood that. And maybe Quinn was upset that he didn’t get to repay Percy.
“I hate being in anyone’s debt. I stood on my own two legs for so long, it feels strange just accepting help. No one’s tried to poison me here. No one even knows who I am. Well,” he shrugged. “I ran into Solaris, I don’t know if you know her. She’s still around. And Michael’s getting some of his memories back. And there’s Ganymede, but I haven’t spoken to her much. I should, actually. Now that I’ve been able to wrap my head around things.”
He might have been a little selfish to just focus on Michael–Sessrumnir–but there was still so much he wanted to know, so much he wanted to do.
“There aren’t many volcanoes around here. None that I’ve seen, so I think you’ll be safe here. He’d say you didn’t owe him anything, that he was just happy to help. Or tell you to take care of yourself and know that you can ask for help. It’s not weak. If that’s weighing on your mind. Although, I still don’t like it. I’d rather be helping than in need of it. But you’re the same way, aren’t you?”
He didn’t really need an answer. “I know you’re capable. I also know you’ve been dealt a poor hand. I’m sure you won’t ask for help, but know it’s being offered. I know you can do whatever you need to do on your own, but you don’t have to work that hard. You know, I’d been an Eternal Senshi before I was eight years old. By the time I’d gotten to Earth, I lost all of that. Had to work my way back up. And I didn’t know Earth customs, it’s all so different. The Negaverse, their Chaos here, they have ulterior motives. I’m sure there are people here who are no good even outside of the ones stained with Chaos. But I’ve been lucky enough to avoid them.”
Thanks to Michael, probably.
“Oh. Well, mostly. Did they tell you I have a son? His father was one of those people, didn’t deserve him. So now he’s mine, and he’s a good kid. He’s too gentle for what he’s been through. Sweet, too. I don’t know how he managed it. Earth customs dictate that I shouldn't just kill his father, so I haven’t, but I thought about dropping him off on Alastor and letting nature take its course. But I’ve been behaving here. What about you, is there anything you’ve been interested in since you got here?”
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 5:45 pm
Quinn snorted, half amused and half a little bitter. “Oh, it’s easy for someone like you to say it’s not weak to ask for help. I mean, look at you. I remember when you were shorter than me, you know,” he huffed and took another bite of… he wasn’t sure what it was, but there was cheese in it and it had a crunchy outside.
Devyn was obviously strong, and had grown tall and trained himself to be able to carry the burdens he needed to. Quinn…? He’d always been smaller in stature. His people weren’t built for fighting, so neither was he.
But he could fight. If he had to. Even if it meant taking lessons from an eight-year-old.
He paused to stare at Devyn with curious surprise when he said he had a son.
“Could drop him off on Enceladus,” Quinn suggested under his breath, but was still watching Devyn curiously.
“Why?” he finally asked. And then shrugged because he figured it wasn’t really a question for debate anyway. “I mean… can anyone just take children from people that don’t deserve them? Is that what Earth is like? Or rather… why you? Did you want a son? Or is it just--”
He avoided saying the word obligation again, and went with, “Wanting to protect him? But then he could be with anyone else, right? I don’t know. I haven’t really had time to be interested in anything. Jack kinda left me to fend for myself while he went to do his baseball thing. I’ve just been trying to keep warm. Oh, but I ran into one of those Negaverse people. A Captain. Even with my magic not working, I’m pretty sure I could still kick his a**,” he nodded confidently. “Jack says I’m underestimating them, but I don’t think he’s actually met one himself.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 6:03 pm
Devyn kept himself quiet while he made a dent in his meal; he watched Quinn while he talked–listened, and then answered only when it seemed like Quinn was ready for it.
“I don’t think they’re all dangerous. But I know there are some that are worth being cautious around. They teleport, that’s the part I don’t like about it. Doesn’t matter how quick you are when they can be anywhere they want. Most of them seem like they don’t know what’s going on or just don’t know how to tap into their full power. They seem disorganized, but there’s just enough competent ones out there that you have to be careful not to underestimate anyone you run into. Atticus’–my son’s–birth father was making deals with them to try and kill him, so it’s not even just the ones you can feel that you have to watch out for. Earth doesn’t take kindly to child abductions, I suppose. But his father worked with their lawmen, so he was getting away with mistreating him. I’ve been told you can’t just take children if you deem their caretakers inefficient, they have a whole system for that, but it’s not like this world even has a proper system to deal with Chaos. It just seemed easier to do it myself. There was a Mauvian involved, he helped get him a disguise. A whole new appearance, a whole new identity. I don’t know, I wanted to help him.”
He shrugged. “I hated seeing a sweet kid in a bad place. If it had been Alastor, I would have just taken him back to the Hall. I don’t like all of Earth’s rules. I’m not used to having to live by other standards. I like when I’m in charge more.” He huffed, but shrugged, like this was enough to dismiss his annoyance. He could be diplomatic, he’d had to be. He was just pretty sure he could run Earth better than they were.
“I didn’t go into it wanting a son,” he admitted. “But I wasn’t unhappy to come out with one. Percy would have loved him. He’s got that same, gentle demeanor, and an eye for beautiful things. He does art, too. Maybe I just wanted to protect him before the world could take that away from him. I don’t trust anyone else to protect him. Well–Michael, but.” That didn’t really count when they were living together.
“I might have lost my mind if I’d been left alone.” He had before, in a way. He didn’t want to go back to that. “We should do this often. I can show you all the good places I’ve found around town. Not just food. Although, if you want to get taller than me again, you’ll definitely need to eat more vegetables. You’ve got time to beat me, yet. I’d invite you to go swimming, but,” he paused so he could look over Quinn’s jacket. He’d absolutely be bringing him something warmer for the next time they met up. “Probably too cold now. They have heated pools, though. It’s not quite the same thing as swimming under the sun, but summer will be here soon.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 6:49 pm
Quinn huffed and kicked his feet under the table, and took another bite of whatever he was eating. He wasn’t sure, but it tasted good enough so he kept eating.
“Definitely too cold now. But a heated pool sounds nice.” Anything with warm water sounded nice. He could only sit so long in a bathtub before he got bored of not being able to swim around.
“Somehow I doubt I’ll get taller than you again. Do your sleeves still drag on the ground?” he teased, but it was good to know that Devyn had gained back his energy. Maybe that meant he could, too.
“But… yeah, I would like to see you again,” he added and shifted a bit uncomfortably. He was staring down at his food and then sighed.
“You know, I kinda had a crush on you. Not when you were shorter than me. When we were writing to each other years later. You were always nice to me and I hated that people just assumed what they wanted about you. I hated Percy at first, you know. I didn’t think it was fair, because I knew you longer. But I was wrong, and I’m glad you found each other. And I won’t give Michael a hard time, but he has a lot to live up to, you know.”
His cheeks felt warm, but at this point, with Devyn married twice now, and had a son… again… on top of aging faster than Quinn did before all the Chaos stuff, he figured it wouldn’t hurt anything to admit it.
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