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 Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 12:18 pm
For the next couple days it rained. If Percy closed his eyes and listened, he could hear it through all of the heavy walls of the Hall. It was a dull hum, and one that lulled him as much as Devyn’s heartbeat and relaxed breathing beside him.
They’d rested over the last couple of days, as demanded by Dr. Eld. Their injuries were treated to, and they were insured by the others that everyone was doing fine. Atrius came to check on them, and he stayed at the Hall that first night, along with Virgil and Madison. Celyn also stayed, but was taken back to Sessrumnir the next day by Marius. Lucien escorted them, wanting to make sure they made it back safely. And he also mentioned something about collecting some samples of rock for his experiments.
The rest of the day and following day was a blur, much to Percy’s regret. He wished he would have been able to focus more on his time with Devyn, but trying to rest enough to regain his energy and restore Sessrumnir and its Springs was taking a lot out of him. He wasn’t even sure if it was working.
Serge checked in on them. Briefly. Having followed a frustrated looking Lucien. Apparently Lucien had tried turning Serge’s request down, but the Knight of Valhalla insisted. For that, Lucien refused to leave the room. His tail twitched with agitation while Serge spoke briefly with Percy and Devyn, and once he finally returned to Jupiter, Lucien apologized for his defiance.
Virgil brought Devyn some good news later, saying he would be able to use the heavy rains to make it to the city Devyn was hoping to reach within five hours, significantly cutting his travel time. Lucien agreed to go with them, because while Percy definitely wanted to, he knew his ribs still had a while to heal well enough for that kind of travel, and Percy didn’t want to show up to places where Devyn was trying to convince people that he could be trusted with his face half bruised.
He didn’t know what time it was when he stirred from his sleep that night, but something kept weighing on him over the past couple days since the attack.
Gently, he reached up to smooth back Devyn’s hair. He kissed him softly, and then pushed himself up to sit.
“I need to go to Sessrumnir for a bit…” he whispered into the darkness, his hand around the necklace at his chest. It didn’t take much to wake Devyn up, and he felt bad about it, but if he didn’t go now, he knew he would only become more restless.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 12:36 pm
If Percy had only played with his hair or kissed him or just gotten up to go to the bathroom, Devyn could have mostly slept through it. He had a habit of half-waking when Percy moved, just to make sure he was okay. Just to make sure nothing was wrong.
Naturally a light sleeper, Devyn was used to waking up when there was a distant noise, or a shift in the bed’s weight. He was ready to go back to sleep.
But, Percy spoke, so he woke up.
Devyn had been catching up on his sleep while back here, and in the mostly-dark room he squinted at Percy.
“Now?” he asked, voice rumbly with sleep. There were no windows in his bedroom but he knew it was far from dawn. He rubbed at his face with one hand as if to brush away the sleep. “Is everything okay?”
If Percy was going, he was going. There wasn’t any question in that.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 1:27 pm
Percy felt guilty for waking Devyn up, of course. But he knew that if he just went and didn’t tell him, that he would be upset and worried. Percy didn’t want to do that to him. Not after how supportive Devyn had been to him. It wasn’t just after that recent incident, either, but in all of their time together, Devyn had always supported him.
“I think so,” he promised, and reached over to place his hand on Devyn’s arm to rub apologetically. “There’s just something that’s been bothering me. I don’t know how to explain it.”
He knew that wasn’t very helpful. He didn’t want Devyn to worry, especially when they both had enough to deal with.
“It’s like there’s something weighing on me. I just want to check something.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 1:34 pm
“Oh, well that’s okay then.” Devyn relaxed enough to yawn, and though he made a tired sound when he stretched, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and tied his robe closed. He might have slept with less on but with the chance of people coming in and out of his room now, he figured it was best to stay decent. Besides, it was a bit colder than usual, and he’d lost enough blood that it felt nice to be bundled up. He wanted to stay warm for Percy and his cold little nose.
Of course, he anticipated that he’d just power up before heading over to Sessrumnir; that was so much easier than getting dressed.
“You don’t have to worry about explaining anything. I get it.”
His bones cracked when he got up and stretched, and he placed a hand over his side instinctively as if that alone would be enough to ease the ache. It must have worked because he didn’t groan dramatically or sigh heavily. He reached for a glass of water by the side of his bed and chugged it, and then sleepily groped around for some of his hidden snacks.
If he was up, he might as well have a nibble. He found dried jerky and a few biscuits and nibbled as he walked to the other side of the bed. As he offered Percy one hand to help him up, he also offered him some of his snacks to share.
“Do you know where you want to go?”
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 6:20 pm
Percy smiled softly and watched with such fondness as Devyn got up and stretched and shuffled around. He knew he could have tried waiting longer to get up, but his heart felt like it was racing.
He took hold of Devyn’s hand when it was offered to him, and once he was out of bed he gave it a kiss. He took an offered biscuit, but doubted he would eat much of it.
“To the vault,” he said, looking up at Devyn with sadness in his eyes. He knew things could have happened differently, but they’d had a couple days to process everything. He wasn’t sure what else he could have done that would have resulted in any better ending.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 6:23 pm
For a few seconds, longer than it might have usually taken Devyn, he looked at Percy like he was trying to read his mind. He didn’t ask ‘are you sure’ because if it was bothering Percy enough that it had woken him up and he needed to go now then of course he was sure.
Even in the dim light, he could see the emotion that had collected in Percy’s eyes.
Such a miserable look. It didn’t belong on Percy.
“All right.” He pushed the rest of his snacks into Percy’s hands but the second afterwards, he powered up. Pajamas or not, his Henshin Pen was always within reach. Outfitted to go out in public, although still unmistakably sleepy, Devyn took his snacks back.
“Can I carry you or do you want to walk?”
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 6:55 pm
He took the snacks when they were handed to him, watching with awe as he always did when Devyn powered up. Percy thought Devyn was incredibly handsome, no matter what he was wearing or what they were doing, and he didn’t try to hide the adoration that settled into his expression to chase away some of the sadness.
Devyn was so supportive and good to him. Of course any misery he would feel would only be temporary.
Percy took a step closer to him after handing back his snacks. He reached out to place his hands against Devyn’s chest, and then down to his stomach, one hand sliding over the wound he knew was on Devyn’s side.
He knew Devyn liked to push his limits, but he promised he would take it easy. He wouldn’t ask if he could carry him if he didn’t think he was able to without issue.
And Percy loved being carried.
“Carry me…? Just until we get there, I think.” He would have to get down then, but he wanted to stay close to Devyn for now.
He closed his eyes and powered up himself. It was a little more appropriate than the long shirt of Devyn’s he wore to bed.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:17 pm
Devyn made a little face when Percy’s hand went to his injury. It had been healing and he had been careful. He was prepared for Percy to reject him and tell him he was pushing too hard. He braced himself for it.
Percy didn’t.
He breathed a sigh of relief and held his last biscuit in his mouth. He’d probably get some crumbs on Percy while they walked but that wasn’t really a problem when they could just magic it away. Once more he handed him the rest of his snacks, though he was down to only two strips of dried meat.
Dr. Eld would scold him if he saw him pick Percy up like this but he couldn’t help it. Gently, so as to keep his word, he was careful. He didn’t push himself too hard.
His stomach was warm with pain but it was no more than a dull ache. Nothing tore. He was a fast healer and Dr. Eld was a good doctor. It was a good combination. That, plus his infinite desire to please and spoil Percy gave him all the strength he needed to scoop him into his arms.
He had to chew for a moment before he could swallow the too-large bite, but by then he was already walking to the doorway to Sessrumnir.
“I could carry you for longer, you know. I wouldn’t mind.”
It was late enough that no one would see, probably. Sessrumnir and Alastor had nearly the same day-night schedule so he was sure everyone must be sleeping there, too. Hopefully.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:25 pm
“I’d let you carry me forever,” Percy hummed, making sure he didn’t drop anything he’d been handed and wrapped both arms around Devyn’s neck to hold him as he was in his arms. Also to help ease some of the weight on Devyn’s injuries, but mostly he wanted to be close to him.
“I might need to do something on my own, though,” he admitted, hoping Devyn wouldn’t be too upset. He’d seen the way Devyn sighed in relief, having obviously expected Percy to reject him. Maybe some other time in the past he might have, worried instead about Devyn’s well being. But Devyn knew what he was doing. And even if he didn’t, Percy was going to trust him to tell him if he needed a break.
To apologize for any discomfort Devyn had with carrying him, Percy brushed his fingers through Devyn’s hair, and pressed kisses against his jaw.
If he didn’t already know he needed to do something, he would have liked to just stay in the room with Devyn.
But they passed through Percy’s room and his office without any incident. The halls were dark, but there was a faint glowing light in the stone that greeted them. It flickered sadly, still worn down, but maybe a little stronger than before. Instinctively, Percy reached out to touch one of the walls, as if to greet his Wonder.
“We’ll fix all this,” he whispered mostly to himself, or maybe it was to Sessrumnir. He didn’t mind Devyn hearing, of course. Soon he tipped his head to rest on Devyn’s shoulder as he carried him through the sleeping halls.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:27 pm
As always, Percy was a perfect fit in his arms. He carried him proudly, but was far more cautious than usual both to spare himself and Percy any unnecessary pain. He could have glady carried Percy forever, especially when he was so mindful and put forth such an effort to make it easier on him.
Even if he’d wanted to be upset at Percy needing some solitude, the kisses and gentle touches would have placated him.
He didn’t quite know the way but he knew that if Sessrumnir couldn’t guide him, Percy would. He kept it to himself that he was a little disappointed by the lack of guards in the area at this hour, but it was a benefit to them for now so he could fuss about it later.
Devyn knew Percy was speaking to Sessrumnir so he didn’t interrupt. He knew there was something mystical about this place, and though he kept his words to himself the sentiments were the same. He’d have poured any energy he could have into it to help out. He stepped gently, as if he carried his full weight in each footstep it might hurt the Wonder.
It was a silly thought, but he intended to be as gentle to Sessrumnir as he was to Percy.
When it didn’t seem like Sessrumnir would answer–if it had a voice, Devyn had never heard it–he kissed Percy’s forehead–and stole a bite from one of the jerky strips. “What are you planning to do?”
He understood, of course; he took no offense to Percy needing to handle something alone. His goal from that point on was just to make sure he knew how to support him while he was busy, even if it was just keeping guard outside.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:31 pm
After making sure Devyn had as much of the jerky as he wanted, Percy reached down to fuss at his tunic, pulling out the fang that hung there. He’d seen Princess since the whole ordeal. He’d given her pets and hugged her and cried into her fur and told her he was sorry for not protecting her better. She didn’t seem to mind any of that, but her ears drooped a bit sadly and her tail only wagged in sympathetic understanding.
He called her now, and she joined them in the hall. She shook out her mane and purposefully bumped into Devyn before looking knowingly up at him. Her tail wasn’t wagging as fast as it usually did when she saw them in times of peace, but she was still clearly content with keeping them company.
Percy reached out to pet her head and scratch behind her ears, then glanced up to where they were on their trek.
“I’m not sure yet. This is all new to me,” he admitted, maybe a bit guiltily. He hadn’t needed to do anything like this before. And he wished he knew what else Serge might have been hiding from him, but he’d promised that he wasn’t.
“I feel like it’s calling to me. The Code piece…” he explained, tipping his head back to look up at Devyn. “I guess it’s like the Core of your world, in a way. I just want to check on it.”
They would reach the room to the vault after a few more turns and flight of stairs. It looked as though the blood had been cleaned up from the halls, at least.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:32 pm
Devyn had never had a need to visit the vault before. His feet didn’t quite know the way and very little looked familiar. If he thought hard enough he might have been able to summon flashes of his time here but he was not fully awake and didn’t want to call upon some half memory, half dream to guide him. Especially when he didn’t know which parts of his memories it would bring with it.
Percy didn’t want him to feel bad for what he’d done. Devyn wasn’t. He was too tired to care right now. He just didn’t want to invite any of Tieran’s memories while his guard was down.
If his hands had been free, he’d have scratched behind Princess’ ear and given her all the love she’d deserved. He’d tried before but it was hard to do when he was supposed to be taking it easy. He’d given her all the love and praise he could and promised to make it up to her when they were all feeling better.
“New could be good,” Devyn suggested. Sessrumnir had a way of guiding people to where it wanted them to go. It had taken care of Marius, and himself, already. Percy had a greater connection, so if it wanted him somewhere for any reason, it could call him.
“For both you and Sessrumnir. Will you take Princess with you?” She was of Sessrumnir so maybe she could go with Percy and it could still count as him doing this on his own. He’d feel better with her looking after him, anyway.
A flight of stairs kept Devyn’s words brief as he began to navigate up it with great diligence and care. He trusted in his abilities and was certain he wouldn’t trip and send them both tumbling to the ground, but just in case he took extra focus to maneuver up safely.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:33 pm
“Yes,” Percy answered easily about taking Princess with him, but he paused and glanced up at Devyn curiously. “Will you stay with me?”
Maybe he’d said something before that made it seem as though he didn’t want Devyn with him, but that wasn’t the case. He just knew he might need to be on his own two feet for some part of whatever was going to happen.
“I would like you to,” he clarified softly, lifting a hand to gently brush any loose hair from Devyn’s face behind his ear. Looking at him rather than the halls that he feared he would see shadows around corners. “I don’t want to be alone.”
The lights were there, flickering faintly. Leading the way to the vault. Princess, too, seemed to take at least some amusement in trying to eat the lights as they flickered in front of her feet.
With the vault itself sealed by the Knight of Sessrumnir, there were still no guards as they reached the room where the large reinforced door stood. As much as he tried to ignore it, Percy thought he could still smell blood.
“I’ll need my hands… if you want to put me down,” he said, although he didn’t sound like he was very happy about it.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:35 pm
“I don’t want to put you down,” Devyn answered honestly, thinking Percy could very easily use his arms without needing to move. He acquiesced regardless, carefully dipping Percy so he went feet first towards the ground. He held him for a few seconds after he was standing, too.
It was good to see Princess with a bit of spirit in her, and he was grateful that Sessrumnir still had the energy to guide him. If he’d been choosing directions himself he would have taken a left a few hallways back but the lights had kept him on track.
“I thought you said you had to do something on your own?” He had blinked most of the sleep from his eyes and knew it could have been easy to misunderstand or assume. He wasn’t going to argue if Percy wanted his company. “If you’ll have me, of course I want to be with you.” He didn’t want Percy to be alone here, either. “I’d rather stay with you than be out here on my own. I’m sure it’s safe.”
Sessrumnir wouldn’t guide him into trouble. He just couldn’t help but be a bit protective after everything that had transpired here. It looked more ominous in the late hours. If there was something dangerous hiding in the vault, he’d rather be there to support Percy than out here any day.
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 7:36 pm
Percy smiled softly up at Devyn when he was set on his feet. He stayed close, placed his hands lightly against Devyn’s stomach, and leaned up to kiss him. It was soft and sad. Sympathetic and resigned.
“I did, or rather… I might need to do something while on my own feet,” he clarified, hoping Devyn hadn’t been too upset for too long, thinking Percy didn’t want him with him. “I want you with me,” he confirmed once more, and reached over to rub Princess’s head again.
He gave Devyn one more kiss before he was satisfied, but even as he took a step away from him, Percy gently took Devyn’s hand and led it to his waist. With Devyn at his back, he looked up at the vault door, and placed both of his hands on it.
Green light flickered around the touch, but then pulsed and moved, the mechanisms within the door unlocking. It took nearly a minute for everything to click into place, and once it was finally done, the door slowly swung open.
Inside was a large domed room with some unknown faint lightsource making the whole place glow softly. There was an entryway of sorts, and in two rows that followed the circular shape of the room were large safes, each supposedly assigned to Senshi or Knights who requested to keep their secrets safe there.
In the center of the room, placed on a pedestal, was a glowing orb.
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