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 Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:30 pm
It only made sense, to Daedalus, to keep an extra eye on someone who was struggling. And having a starseed ripped out, as far as he was concerned, was definitely a form of struggling quite a lot.
"You mentioned a spouse," he said, idly, as a way to fill the silence, "are they also a Knight?"
He hoped so. A partner uninvolved in the magical war would also be fine, but it would be better to know for sure. His chest still hurt when he thought of Langite, clearly no longer the Merak he had known, and he hoped that wasn't something that Selenga had to be afraid of.
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 11:00 pm
Selenga focused on keep his breathing steady as they slowly made their way nearer to where he lived. Of course, they wouldn't go all the way, not with the potential for Chaos to be lurking about and spying. But it was comforting nonetheless to have someone literally, magically stronger than him walking with him after... After he'd nearly had his starseed stolen. He shivered a bit at the thought. "Oh, no. Xie's not. I don't know what I'd do if xie was," he said with a soft laugh. "I love hir, of course, and I want hir to be able to protect vixenself, but if xie was able to follow me out here, I would probably faint. I prefer hir to be safe at home. If something ever happens... I... I don't know. I want xie to be safe, that's all."
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 11:25 pm
Daedalus nodded along, thoughtfully. That was a different perspective, he supposed--certainly not the norm before, but then, this was a very different world.
"My experience was that most Knights and Senshi ended up involved with each other--we moved in similar enough circles, and there was a sort of...understanding. Of the duty that we had, that few others could comprehend. Not always the case, of course, but...broadly speaking." Still, it wasn't as if Selenga's perspective didn't make sense. "I can certainly understand wanting to keep the one you love safe, though. Xie is lucky, to have someone like you who wants to look out for hir."
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:32 pm
Selenga blushed at that, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and trying not to stumble when a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Gods, he always got so ill after he'd... well, un-eaten for the day. Usually, he gave himself more time to sit down and recover, but he didn't feel as though he had that luxury tonight. Not after his starseed had nearly been stolen and the kindest, most beautiful senshi he'd ever met had offered to walk him home. He could tell he was sweating, though, and he shivered a bit as he rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead and hoping Daedalus wouldn't notice he seemed unusually ill. He didn't know if there was a standard sort of illness one got after having their starseed yanked and put back in, but... "I just want to do my best for hir. Xie is... the light of my life that keeps me going, every day," he said, looking up at the stars. "Nothing could compare. Not even my own Wonder. If it weren't for hir, I'd still be a massive jerk and unhappy besides. Xie... really saved me, in a way. And I'm glad xie gave me another chance. For a long time, I thought xie deserved better than me, but.... I don't think xie would have married me if xie thought xie could do better." He chuckled a bit.
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 3:04 pm
Daedalus frowned. There was something wrong with Selenga--that he could tell, beyond whatever he'd suffered, having his starseed removed. At least, as far as Daedalus knew, there shouldn't be any aftereffects from that...but he was also unfamiliar with most Earth diseases, and he wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask.
So he held his tongue, for the moment. Not something he was used to, but perhaps necessary, given the circumstances.
"Mm. I thought the same, of my partner, once. He--we--aren't together, anymore," to say the very least; Langite's sharp-spit words of hatred still rang in his ears, sometimes, "but you have to give hir the dignity of hir choice, yes? If xie wants to be with you, than you are the one xie has chosen, and you sohuld respect that."
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 3:30 pm
Relief swept through Selenga's body when Daedalus didn't say anything about how odd Selenga had behaved a moment ago. Physically, he just didn't... feel good. He knew exactly why and hated himself for it. But there seemed little he could do about it right now, when his livelihood as Ming (and for Qiye) needed the money he made as a jockey. He didn't want his wifesband to need to work, not when he could keep handling it on his own. And he could. He knew he could. He just had to get better at sucking it up. He wanted to reach out and reassure Daedalus, when he heard that he and his partner had broken up, but he pulled his hand back, figuring that Daedalus wouldn't want to be touched in that moment by a stranger. "You're exactly right. I'm sorry for your, um... loss," he said, cringing a bit at his wording—it wasn't like Daedalus had said his partner was dead... But it was still a loss, in some way.
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 3:57 pm
Yes. There was definitely something off, Daedalus was certain of it. It itched at him, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it; he wasn't Selenga's partner, or even a particularly close friend, justt someone who had happen to run into him at the right time to make sure that he didn't die.
Daedalus was, one could say, deeply aware of the transience of his place in the lives of people he cared about. Never mind someone he had only met once.
"Truth be told, it's a loss that's been repeated over and over again. Things were...tumultuous, before," he said, "and in this life, he wants nothing to do with me, which is his right. I can't exactly hold the new version of him to whatever feelings the old version had for me." And perhaps it was for the better, that way. Daedauls could bury the past, and look towards the future. "In any case, I appreciate your kindness. And I hope that you and your spouse have a long life, with many blessings."
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 4:07 pm
"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt anew with every loss," Selenga remarked softly. He probably shouldn't be giving a lecture on feelings to this much older and probably far wiser Senshi, but he just couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. "But thank you, for the well wishes. They make me really, really happy," he said, eyes sparkling. "I hope you find someone who does want many things to do with you.'
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