|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2024 4:00 pm
Andreiya’s ComTech told him there was a Squire around here, and though he could get a general read of the location he’d still been procrastinating on actually locating them.
This had been on his list of things to do since he and Naeria had talked about it while at the caves–talk to the Senshi, talk to the Knights. Gather data. Find out how their worlds had restored. Try to find a way to restore Velenia.
Maybe look for Caedus. Maybe don’t get caught by the Negaverse. They were still juggling such a shaky alliance. Andreiya knew Commodore Lyndin was only doing his best to look out for them, and he knew that they were in good hands as long as Lyndin was protecting them, but Andreiya was a Commander.
If he got caught fraternizing with the enemy couldn’t it reflect poorly on the Commodore? On the Vanguard?
He had butterflies in his stomach and, uncharacteristically, he was struggling with shoving them down.
This was for science. This was for purpose. He wasn’t making friends!
And he’d already spent three weeks coming up with excuses for what he’d tell the Negaverse if any of them ‘caught’ him, anyway. They were only human. And they were young. His downfall was his inexperience in lying, but he could be like them.
The Squire moved again. He knew it wasn’t deliberately to avoid him; she couldn’t feel his energy signature because he didn’t have one. So, he needed to make the first move.
Sucking in a breath to stabilize himself, he pushed away from the tree he’d been leaning on and walked through the cluster of trees that separated him from her. He stood tall, as if willpower alone could give him the confidence to magically find all the answers he needed to save his world.
Oh–a Mercury Squire. Okay. Not what he’d been hoping for, but he could work with this.
“Hello,” he greeted boldly, though it lacked friendly warmth and sounded like he’d spent too much time practicing it in his head instead. “I am looking for Knights who have been to their Wonder. I have questions and need to speak to an expert. Do you qualify?”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:56 pm
It was rare that she experienced particularly good things during her patrols. Granted, she didn’t experience bad things all that often either. Well…most nights were good, actually, but good in the sense that it was uneventful, and all felt okay with the world around her. Sometimes she met other knights or senshi or mauvians, and she learned something new or made a new friend. On bad nights there were either youma to dust, civilians to save, or Chaos folks to thwart. But on particularly good nights, she sometimes had the privilege of being able to save some of the city’s most innocent.
Ekstrom was climbing a tree to save a cat that she heard while she was passing by on her patrol. Getting down would be easy enough as a squire, but getting up there to get the cat was its own little adventure. She wasn’t a very strong climber–and after this, she was seriously considering learning how just in case–but she did her best.
She credited her increased strength as a knight to her success, of course, when she finally got to the cats level and managed to convince it to come to her. Once safely in her arms, she held it close with both arms and jumped down, landing rather gracefully at the foot of the tree.
The cat seemed to sense that it was now safe, though, and as thanks started to lick her cheek. It even put its paws on her face, as though telling her to hold still, so she giggled and let it be. It was a happy distraction, and one effective enough that she didn’t notice that someone had come up behind her.
She jumped at the greeting.
The cat didn’t seem to agree with that and leapt out of her arms at that point. It glanced back at the pair for a long moment, and then calmly made its exit. Ekstrom watched it go, a little sad that they parted on not too great a note, but glad that it was safe. At least she could now turn her focus to this new person. A pink person, at that; she remembered Naeria and immediately relaxed.
“Hi,” she soon replied. The surprise wore off quickly at the thought of her recent acquaintance, so her usual smile had taken its place on her lips, bright and cheerful as ever. “I don’t know about being an expert, but I have been to mine. If you’re okay with that, I’d love to share.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2024 4:37 pm
Oh–she’d been bonding with an Earth creature? In Andreiya’s haste to make an introduction, he had neglected to properly assess the situation or wait for her to recognize his presence. But! She didn’t seem upset!
She was smiling, so that was the first sign that this wasn’t a very unwanted interruption.
And she agreed to share.
Andreiya’s brows had been furrowed with the force of his focus, but he was surprised by her cheerful willingness.
“Yes,” he agreed quickly. “I am okay with that. You don’t mind?”
No, he wasn’t going to question her generosity. He took a few steps forward, eager to make use of what time they had. “I have questions about the revitalization of your Wonder. I want to know the state of it when you arrived. And I want to know the state of it now,” he explained quickly. When he wasn't worrying about rejection, eagerness slipped into his voice. His eyes were a little brighter and he spoke a little quicker. “I am hoping to learn how to cultivate a livable world. I am very passionate about the rejuvenation process. I’ve been researching on Earth but I’ve hit a wall, here. I need fresh data to work with.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2024 1:44 am
Her head tilted slightly as she watched him with growing curiosity. He looked extra focused, to the point that his brows had knit together, and it made her want to tap the space between them to try and get him to relax. She didn’t, of course; it was a gesture that she saved for particularly close friends, not total strangers.
She wondered how he would react, though, if she did.
“I don’t mind, no,” she said with a little shake of her head. “Actually, I’m pretty happy to share. There’s not much there right now, but with a bit of time and attention I’m sure I could get it back to a more welcoming state. Maybe even useful, if I’m lucky.” That was the dream, anyway, for her wonder.
The squire nodded slowly as he went on to explain what his reason for asking was. It gave her pause, but wasn’t much of a deterrent to her wanting to share. She had a thought that maybe seeing would be easier, so she took a few steps toward him. “Mm…I’m not sure I’d be a whole lot of help in that area. The type of rejuvenation for my wonder sounds like it might be different from what you’re looking for. If you’re still okay with that, though, I can take you there so you can see for yourself.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2024 6:34 pm
A Squire who was happy to share? Oh, the burden that took off of his shoulders. That her Wonder didn’t have much there right now was discouraging, but she sounded like she was willing to put in the effort to amend that.
…And it was good to have some sort of baseline to start with, right? Andreiya was not so picky; he’d take whatever he could get. It helped that she seemed nice about it.
He didn’t withdraw when she approached; he stood tall and resilient. It was unnecessary peacocking given that she was still offering.
“I’d like to see it.” He thought he had a better eye than humans, anyway. She might not even understand what he was looking for. But if he could explain it to her–if he could win her over, then maybe if she did uncover something helpful on her Wonder, she might be more inclined to help him. Maybe.
It would require taking a risk, and he was ready to do that for the sake of research.
“When could we go?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2024 8:32 pm
Her smile only got bigger when he confirmed that he still wanted to see it, and she stepped closer. She’d never actually shared her wonder with anyone before, so it was three parts exciting, one part nerve-wracking. It wasn’t for lack of wanting to, but the opportunity to talk about her wonder with others didn’t present itself as often as she thought it would. So someone asking to see her wonder?
It was definitely more than welcome.
“Now, actually, if that works for you,” the squire said as she rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve never taken anyone with me before, so I’ll apologize ahead of time if it’s a bumpy ride. Hang on tight.”
With that she closed her eyes and recited the incantation she now knew by heart, and soon the two were gone from the park. The only one left was a cat, once again meowing from a nearby treetop.
Kyuseiisha no Hikari Fin! Please lmk if I need to change anything. c: Backdated to 8/2/24.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
