|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2024 3:39 pm
Luke was very out of breath by the time he got back to his room, and he entered and closed the door behind him, leaning against it and just breathing. The General hadn’t followed him, and he had been sure to power down as quickly as he could so that he couldn’t be followed, and then had made his way back to his dorm with hardly any hesitation.
That…had been stupid. Attacking the guy had been absolutely idiotic but…his feelings were hurt. And the guy was an absolute abhorrent jerk, so he didn’t feel guilty about attacking him…but…it hadn’t been the smart thing to do, he knew that much at least.
Finally, he gave a sigh that felt as though it went down to his ankles and opened his eyes, giving a sheepish, guilty smile as he saw his roommate staring at him. Well. Great. Cool.
“Uh. Did a stupid thing. Picked a fight that I don’t think I should have…but the guy…was a real jerk…and I’m…”
He shrugged and shakily walked over to his bed, pulling himself up onto it. “...I don’t take well to being bullied…”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:16 pm
Julian sat up, visibly startled by Luke’s sudden entrance. He’d been sitting cross-legged on his bed as he pored over some notes. He held his breath, thinking it was obvious that he wanted to ask what was going on, but he wanted to give Luke a few seconds to compose himself, first.
“Are you okay?” he asked, partly a whisper. Just in case someone had followed him, or they were supposed to be lying low!
He carefully threw his legs over the side of his bed and slid off.
“What happened, can I get you anything?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2024 6:14 pm
“No, no I’m not hurt or anything I just…I’m angry?”
Luke scratched the back of his head and flopped back against his pillow, narrowly avoiding smacking his head against the wall as he did far too often. He never meant to…but boy was he good at misjudging the amount of space that he had.
“I don’t…like bullies. And I’m always the type that stands up to them if and when I can but like…I’m also not used to being the one being bullied? And I just…lost my temper with some strong guy from the Negaverse…a real creep in blue and black…he kept laughing at my outfit. I love my outfit…it’s definitely different...but…it’s still wonderful. And it’s mine…so like…”
He drew in a breath and let it out through his nose in a rush. “...There’s no need to be a jerk. I bet he was just jealous.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 7:27 pm
Julian nodded instinctively, eager to please and quick to agree. “Probably.”
He’d winced in preparation for Luke hitting the wall or something, but thankfully the thud never came.
The Negaverse could be called many things, bullies included, but his heart still skipped a few paces when Luke said he lost some temper with a strong guy.
“How did you get away?” he asked, trying very hard not to worry about Luke being followed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:33 pm
“I um…I attacked him. And then ran as fast as I possibly could…and then powered down when I knew I was out of sight…and then ran again…”
He swallowed, feeling his heart finally slowing as he began to relax. “...I’m really glad that you’re here. Like, sorry if this is awkward, but you make me feel safe, Julian. And I appreciate you…and I just…can’t believe I did that. But he was such a jerk…just…stay away from a guy named Zinkinite, okay? He’s…an absolute jerk and…strong. And I just…don’t think he’ll be too happy to ever see me again, so I hope that he doesn’t!”
Luke looked up at Julian and blew out a breath. “My magic…is so fun though. Watching the unicorn go for him…it was great…”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:47 pm
Julian’s lips were pressed together and his brows knitted tightly.
Hillworth was a big school, it would be easy to lose someone once they got inside. Julian looked at the window and drifted away from the bed to make sure the blinds were properly closed. Just in case.
“I don’t approach Negaverse Agents,” he promised. “I don’t like fighting.” The only time he really had was when someone else was in trouble, but Stirling’s starseed was on the line. Necessity demanded action, but if he could avoid fights…
He didn’t have room for violence in his heart. Against youma, sure. Sometimes.
He really wasn’t cut out to be a good Knight. One day someone was going to find out and he was going to lose all his magic.
“Why did you attack him? What was he doing?” He didn’t have much to offer but he got a bottle of water out and passed it over. He hovered, like he was ready to get anything else Luke might think of.
Luke said he felt safe around Julian–which was strange, because Julian knew he could offer very little protection. He was a good listener, and good for small errands, but he wasn’t good at making sure people were actually safe, no matter how much he tried.
“I’m glad your magic was fun, though,” he added, just to make sure Luke knew he was listening, but he was just so worried! Luke was so reckless, what if he’d gotten seriously hurt!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2024 6:24 pm
“He approached me…and he was just taunting my outfit. He started out by taunting my outfit. It just.” Luke shrugged and reached out for the water, opening it and taking a small sip. “I’m not used to people taunting me, and honestly, I had no other ideas for how to get away…I wanted to leave…and so I just…did my best.”
It felt as though all the wind had left him, and all of the adrenaline that had kept him going was just…gone.
“It was the only thing that I could think to do. And it worked so…I’m just glad I had the magic to use. I’m not sure what would have happened if I had been a Page still…”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2024 2:12 pm
Julian’s frown deepened, and though he was sympathetic to Luke, his worry was more overwhelming.
“I’m glad you weren’t a page. I just hope it doesn’t cause any trouble for you. It’s okay if people taunt you or try to bully you,” he suggested slowly, hesitantly. He was tugging at his worn sleeve and not quite looking at Luke. “I mean, it’s not okay, but…it doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s just words, from people who are trying to get under your skin. It’s okay not to listen. If they aren’t people who are important to you, it doesn’t matter what they think, right?”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek.
“I mean…I think your outfit looks really nice. You can just ignore someone if they’re saying things like that. You can just walk away. I’m glad things worked out! But I hope you don’t think too much about him. He’s not important. You're here, and safe. That’s the important part.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2024 5:15 pm
Luke gave a small smile. “I…I know. I just. It bothered me. I normally do ignore it…but…this was just different. I don’t know.”
He was feeling a little guilty, and was glad when Julian changed the subject and finally nodded. “Yeah! I’m glad I’m here. I don’t ever plan to not be here…just. Be careful if you ever run into a Zinkinite. He’s rude…but vulnerable to unicorn magic, I guess.” He gave a small smile and rolled slightly to look at his friend. “We should take some time soon to figure out your magic, if you haven’t already…if you’re up to it?”
He knew that Julian had different ideas, but that was fine. He wanted his friend to be safe, and wanted to make sure that he was as protected as possible.
“Your lute is more useful than just as something to hit people.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:25 pm
Julian nodded in understanding. He probably had more experience than Luke when it came to ignoring bullies but this was a topic he neither suggested on his own nor was encouraged by Luke to expand on so he mimicked Luke’s smile and let it be.
“I’m always careful. I’ll be extra careful around Zinkenite.” Luke had insisted twice, so he understood this was a very serious concern of his. “I want to figure out my magic. If I have any. I’ve been trying,” he promised, and even if everyone else had some, it was still easy to assume that maybe he was different. Maybe he wasn’t good enough. Maybe his lute was only useful for hitting things–well, and for playing, though he still had a long way to go. The strings sounded pretty when he plucked them, in any case.
“I want to be able to help protect people. But, um. If I have magic, I must not be strong enough to access it yet. What did it feel like, when you first used your magic? How did you know what to do?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 1:57 pm
“I…it just felt like instinct. When you and I were out and that youma came at us? I didn’t…I just went with what felt right, and it was the right thing to do.”
He gave a small smile. “I…feel like that’s the whole thing about being a Knight is that you just…feel things and they happen? I kind of wish there was like a step by step instruction book so we could read up on this but…I know you have to have magic, me and my brother do, my cousin, she’s still a Page so she doesn’t have anything yet but…hopefully when…if she gets stronger…”
Luke was sure that Almere would get stronger, she just…hadn’t yet. But…it would happen, he was sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2024 1:33 am
Julian nodded, and though he wore a polite smile, it was still a little uncertain. Just because Luke’s family could get magic didn’t mean he would. His family had their fair share of problems, maybe he wasn’t destined to be as strong as they were. He thought he’d acted on instinct before, but maybe he wasn’t listening.
“I’ll keep trying,” he promised, because Julian was nothing if not resilient. He might not have had a very high opinion of himself but that never stopped him from trying. His imposter syndrome was always looming over him, and it was easy to convince himself that him being a Knight was a mistake and one day the Code would wake up and realize it passed Dering to the wrong person.
“Maybe I’m overthinking it,” he admitted, which wouldn’t have been so difficult to imagine. “I’ll have to try to clear my mind and, um. Figure out what instinct is. I think my instincts might be a little broken, though. Just, um. A warning. But I’ll try!”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2024 3:26 pm
“You don’t have to try alone, for real, Julian, we’ll go ahead and try it together sometime soon.” Luke’s voice was gentle, and he looked at his friend with such a fond expression. “Broken or not, you have the instincts, and we’ll figure things out together. I believe in you. We’ll just find a good time to go and do this.”
Luke would be a good enough target, and if Julian didn’t want to try and use his magic on his friend…then they’d figure something else out, but…they would figure it out, and then both Squires would be able to be sure to take care of themselves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
