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 Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2023 8:34 pm
The texts had been identical to both Atticus and Elliot, as ambiguous as she could make them without sounding as cryptic as she had sounded with Cara.
Brooklyn looked over them once more, waiting at the park she had asked them to meet her at and sighed for a moment.
Quote: Hey! I haven’t seen you guys in a while, I have something I’d like to show you, I’m pretty proud of it, but I do need some help with figuring something out that seems a little faulty? I’ll be at baseball field park at eight on Saturday if you want to meet me there?
Atticus’s was just a little different, his ended with; Quote: I was kind of hoping you could bring one of your dads to see if they could help fix the faulty issue? I don’t know if it’s fully defective or still under warranty, and you’ve said that they have a lot of knowledge!
Both boys had agreed to come, now all that needed to be done was for them to get here…and she wouldn’t feel them as she was now, so after a visual search, she slipped behind a tree and powered up into Stirling, before stepping back out and continuing to wait.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:20 am
The three of them arrived together, and judging by the delicious smelling brown paper bag that Alastor was carrying, they powered up some time after going to dinner. Their energy signatures had appeared not so far away, and though they were still a little early, once they felt her aura they didn’t waste any time in showing up.
“Stirling!” Amarynthos greeted, obviously pleased to see the Squire.
“I hope you weren’t waiting long. We brought you dinner, we got it to-go. Alastor says if you’ve got something faulty, the only way to fix it is on a full stomach, so we came prepared. Is everything okay, though? I mean, good job with the cryptic message, it definitely conveyed a sense of urgency while still being totally secretive.” He didn’t seem like he was teasing; he seemed genuinely impressed
“You look like you’re doing well, though. You’re looking really good! What’s going on though, is everything okay?”
Alastor offered a polite wave even as Amarynthos enthusiastically took the lead in the conversation.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:33 am
While Ephesus was quieter than Amarynthos, his enthusiasm was no less. He smiled brightly when he saw Stirling, and while Amarynthos was talking he took the opportunity to move closer so he could reach out and give her a hug.
“You look so good in these colors. You make me want to paint,” he shared as he took a step back but-- oh, he wanted to touch the fabric of her outfit a bit more. It was so soft and didn’t look like it would be difficult to move around in at all.
“That’s my dad,” he confirmed when Amarynthos mentioned Alastor, and he beamed brightly up at him and-- oh, he probably shouldn’t be touching her clothes so much. That was probably weird. Was it weird? Yeah it was probably weird. So Ephesus let go of the piece of Stirling’s ribbon that he’d been holding and inspecting the embroidery so he could take a step back and give her some space.
Because they were there for a reason, and as soon as he remembered he frowned a little with concern. Amarynthos already asked what was going on and if everything was okay, so he did the next best thing, which was fidget anxiously until they could find out what was ailing their friend.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:57 am
Stirling felt a small pang of jealousy that the two were still stronger than she was, but it was fleeting and when both the boys came over, she gave a pleased little noise and hugged them both. “And look at you two! You’re both so beautiful! Effie you look like a fairy princess! I love it!” Gently reaching out, she fingered his cape and gave a pleased sigh. “One day you and I just need to make fashion together. We’ll blow the whole world up with fun designs. Obviously we have fashion sense if we look like this as Knights!”
That might not be true at all but…it made some sense. Ish.
“Actually, would you be terribly upset if we tried to work out the problem before we ate? I don’t want to get to know your dad too much before I try to see if that might be the key…my um. My powers are only working like half the time? It seems like it works when it’s someone that I don’t know…but when I get to know them it stops working. My friend Casablanca just ran right through the shield and I don’t know why…um. If you guys wouldn’t mind seeing if you can break through it? Just…run at me like we’re going to fight and then,”
Glancing to Alastor, she gave a sheepish smile, hoping that this wouldn’t turn him against her. There was that fear that she felt with anyone in authority who could take something away...
“If you wouldn’t mind going last, sir? Just to see if maybe my theory is true and it is that I don’t…um. Don’t really know you?”
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 3:31 pm
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Alastor promised. “It’s just dangerous to keep this food in my arms while I wait.”
He didn’t seem very serious; there was a table not so far away, and plenty of open space next to that. He’d already been glancing around–probably out of habit, just to make sure they were actually safe. With the three of them there, he was pretty certain their energy signatures were going to chase away anyone who might want to come bother them, but he was being safe.
He was in a good mood, not just because he was freshly fed, or because he was happy to see Atticus with another friend–or that she wanted to make fashion with him. He was proud of them–proud of them all. It wasn’t easy doing this when you were so young, he wanted them to be able to enjoy it, too.
“You three go ahead, I’ll be right over here.” He flashed a smile, polite, friendly–reassuring, for Ephesus, and set the back on the table. He didn’t sit, but he crossed his arms and leaned against it so he could watch the three of them.
Amarynthos’ smile reached his eyes, but that wasn’t so uncommon. “He won’t actually eat it,” he promised her; he knew how desperate she could be for food, and he didn’t want her to think they were just teasing her. “We figured you might not be hungry so we got stuff that’ll keep so you can take it back with you. Let us know when you’ve got your magic going and we’ll try to break through, okay? I’m ready when you are.”
He glanced at Ephesus just to make sure the feeling was mutual, but Amarynthos already seemed like he was having fun with this mystery.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 5:42 pm
Ephesus felt his cheeks flush at the compliment and he bashfully ducked his head down as he looked over his outfit. He liked it. A lot. But there was a part of him that wondered if he should like it. He’d grown out his hair ever since he became Atticus, and how it was at a comfortable shoulder length. People at school did a double take, but knowing he was Elliot Reid’s boyfriend helped curb the bullying he might have received.
Besides, Devyn and Michael were always encouraging him to wear what he liked and was most comfortable wearing. And Elliot didn’t seem to mind, either.
His bashfulness only lasted a while longer, but he was already making plans in his head to see if Brooklyn would really like to help design things with him. His attention, however, was pulled to the fact that her magic didn’t seem to be working.
He was glad that Amarynthos seemed eager to help, but Ephesus was already worried about someone getting hurt. Oh, but he could use his magic to help.
Still, he twisted his hands together a little anxiously, but they were there to help Stirling, so… he would just have to do his best. He nodded to Amarynthos to let him know he was ready as well.
“Be careful,” he warned, not sure if this was such a good idea but--
“Wait…” Ephesus frowned, looking from Stirling to Amarynthos. “If you’re worried about your shield not working, um… let me do it? Since… I mean, Mary is a faster runner, but if I break through then I might not hurt you as much? Not that I think Mary would hurt you on purpose.” Maybe he wasn’t making sense and just making things more difficult.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 5:54 pm
Stirling nodded, pleased that they wanted to help, and the fact that she would get some food to bring home after this too! That was a very unexpected side effect. “You always know the way to my heart! I actually got to take someone else to lunch today but, that’s a story for after we figure this out, and Effie, if you’re up to it I’d love if you’d both try…the more we can get…uh.”
She forgot a word, and for a moment Stirling simply stared blankly. “...Yeah I was going to say something but it’s absolutely gone now, I trust you to though, I know you’d never hurt me on purpose! This is just a friendly running at me with the intent of pushing me or something. Think of it like a carnival game, or! Oh! Or like a super over eager hug! Just hug me too eagerly…with the threat of violence behind it.”
Waggling her eyebrows, she grinned at her friends, hoping that Effie wouldn’t be too upset by her words and then took a few steps backwards. “Um. Effie’s Dad, when they’ve either been stopped or not…you do the same please, I appreciate your help in all of this!”
Summoning her dagger, she paused and called out again. “If you do end up eating all of the food I promise i won’t be mad too, so. Don’t worry about that!”
Okay. Drawing in a breath she slashed her dagger through the air and watched as the shield went up.
So far so good…now to test it. Hopefully…if it was just knowing the person…Atticus and Elliot would come right through and Mr. Atticus’s dad wouldn’t…and that…would be a mystery solved…maybe.xKyuseisha no Hikari Stirling holds her dagger in her hand and slashes through the air, a whimsical shield of ten feet by ten feet manifests five feet in front of where she slashed. The shield is translucent so she can see through it; only those she trusts can pass through it. Those she does not trust will be met with a solid wall to protect against physical attacks. The shield will move with her and will always stay five feet in front of her; it will pass through solid objects and will only be solid when it comes into contact with someone she doesn’t trust. She can use it to push back at her enemies but it can do blunt force damage if a player chooses. Stirling can channel her magic for forty five seconds at this stage.
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:26 pm
Oh. Oh. He volunteered to attack her, didn’t he? Well, hug her too eagerly with the threat of violence behind it.
Ephesus swallowed nervously, but nodded his head to let her know he understood. He would do this to help her. If this was what she needed then of course he would try.
He drew in a deep breath, dug his feet in, and rushed forward.
Taking a leap of faith and hoping Stirling would be right, he held open his arms so he could try and, well, hug her… but maybe not with so much violence behind it. And closed his eyes right when he was going to crash into the shield--
But didn’t, and gasped as he collided into Stirling instead!
“Are you okay?” he gasped again, a bit winded but not hurt, himself.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 8:41 am
By the table, Alastor had pushed off of it like he meant to come over and check on them, but he was trying not to hover. He watched, he waited. Ephesus seemed fine–and Amarynthos was already running over to check on his friends.
He was more focused on them than he was the shield; if it was still up, he passed through it without any sort of issue.
“Hey,” he blurted, and offered a hand to each of them to help them stand up and get balanced. “Are you okay? –Effie, you went right through that.” He hoped that Stirling was getting what she wanted out of this; he didn't want her to make all of this effort to figure things out and only wind up with bruises, instead. Of course he'd worry that they might have gotten hurt.
And, if they weren’t, he knew Stirling had to reset herself to have Alastor try. He just hoped she could actually get some answers out of this–not just bruises.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:25 am
Honestly, Stirling hadn’t really been expecting the shield to keep either of them out, but when Ephesus actually came at her as though he were going to hug her, she couldn’t help but laugh and put her arms around him when he got there, terribly amused by how well that had gone. She would keep it in mind for later if she ever had to deal with someone who didn’t like fighting.
Amarynthos came through as well and Stirling just laughed harder. “I’m fine. That was adorable, and I did pretty much figure it wouldn’t work for you, now we just have to have your dad try, Effie and hopefully…since he’s still stranger danger…he won’t get through…”
She paused and twisted a lock of Effie’s hair around her finger as she thought for a moment. “...That is kind of…convenient though. If I can make a shield that lets through the people I know and want to protect and stops…people that I don’t know. It would be kind of shitty if the person that I know is just someone I know because I fought with them before though…”
Glancing to Mary she shrugged. “It would mess people up, seeing some run through the shield, I bet I could get enemies to just…cartoon face smash into it if they think it’s…you know, for magical attacks or something…don’t you think?” Lifting her head she called to Alastor. “Can you just…push against it to see if you come through or if you don’t?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 10:38 am
The laughter was good to hear, and Effie gave Stirling another hug and sniffled a bit in relief that she was okay. He was glad that Mary was okay as well, and he quickly reached over to take hold of Amarynthos’ hand and gave it a squeeze to silently tell him that he was okay.
Of all the people he thought could have been threatening, it definitely wasn’t his dad. Maybe Alastor looked intimidating, but once anyone got to know him a little, they would realize how wonderful he was. Same with Sessrumnir. But he was also a high school teacher, so he had to have a lot of experience with teenagers, and had to like them to want to work with them, right?
But for Stirling’s experiments, he understood needing someone she didn’t know. He gave Alastor an encouraging smile, but stayed next to Stirling and Amarynthos.
“That would be pretty silly if someone just ran into your shield, yeah,” he giggled. As long as they didn’t continue to try and hurt her…
The one they’d run into before was relentless… ruthless…
Subconsciously, he lifted his hand to rub at his chest, but tried not to think about it.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 5:40 pm
Alastor returned Ephesus’ smile, but it was brief and there was something playful in it.
He didn’t crack his knuckles or roll his shoulders like he might have done if he were facing a real challenge, even if he was tempted to make a show of it.
Even if he seemed laid back, he walked with long strides; he knew Knight magic was limited and didn’t want to ruin her experiment by taking too long.
When he approached the shield he put his hands out in front of it, at first just to feel how sturdy it was and then to push on it.
Alastor was strong, so moving something shouldn’t have been an issue in most cases. Magic was always a little different though, it was unpredictable.
As he pushed, and as the shield didn’t budge, he asked, “Does it change if you decide you want to let someone in? I know some magic can be manipulated by the wielder. Although, I don’t know how much practice that might take for a Knight.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 1:36 pm
“Can it?” Stirling frowned slightly, that wasn’t something she would have ever thought about…if she could truly control who entered and who didn’t…that would be…
Kind of epic, honestly. “If you think that…I mean.” He was Effie’s dad, so she should trust what he said…and he clearly knew what he was doing, he as old after all. Anyone who got to middle age doing this stuff had to know what they were doing to an extent.
“I mean…I trust you if you say that’s what can happen, It would be pretty neat if it were the case!”
If she could figure it out, that would make her truly useful to have around in a situation. “I’ll keep practicing.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 5:42 pm
Ephesus knew that the magic probably wouldn’t last much longer, so they needed to take advantage of every little moment they had.
“I bet you could use this as a way to surprise people too! Oh, but be safe about it,” he added, his smile shifting into a worried grimace. “But, I mean, if you were keeping people protected behind your shield, they could run out and attack whoever was on the other side!”
Maybe it would be better to just show what he meant than try to explain it. He gave Amarynthos’ hand a little squeeze and offered Stirling a smile, before launching his attack by jumping through the shield at Alastor!!
In the form of a hug around his waist, of course.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 1:05 pm
Alastor blinked at the sudden attack, and maybe he predicted it because he moved his arm up so Ephesus had room to latch onto him.
Amarynthos laughed from where he stood next to Stirling. He knew that they were there to help Stirling figure out her magic–and honestly, he understood that because he’d struggled to figure out his for a while. She was already doing so good–and honestly, a shield for her sounded good. Safe.
Even though she didn’t like to be worried about, he couldn’t help but want to make sure she was safe. He wanted to know that she could keep the Negaverse out–away from her starseed.
Alastor gave Ephesus a few seconds to hug him, and then he twisted just slightly so he could pick him up completely and hold him under one arm, and after a second of contemplation, he lifted the boy up so he could hold him in both arms.
“Stirling, what happens if I’m carrying him but I try to come through your shield?”
He gave her time to prepare to analyze the situation, and then he tried to step through while holding Ephesus. And, maybe he was tickling him a little while he held him.
He didn’t try to rush through the shield–just in case. He didn’t want to crush the boy in his arms, but they might as well have a bit of fun with it.
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