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 Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:32 pm
"Betra er einn að vera, en illan stallbróður hafa."
It felt good to hear her milk tongue, even if their derelict surroundings were undeserving of it. Celadon held a strong pride for her heritage, often kept quietly close to heart, but she needed to hear it said – she craved the nuance and power of her native language where English often diluted its own power by speaking around subjects. She drew in a breath afterward, as if speaking her thoughts aloud had reinvigorated her.
Celadon yet wondered for whom those words were meant. She liked to think it was advice bestowed on the one they kept in captivity, as if it was a blessing in disguise that he was isolated here without such a congregation of bad company to keep him folded into their ranks. But, she was not entirely ignorant to her own actions; the words may yet turn into an unintentional warning to herself if following Hy-Brasil's actions led to a terrible consequence for both of them.
There would be no knowing that now. In the moment, she reminded herself, she had to have faith in their actions. She had to believe that, whatever the circumstances and whatever the costs, the outcomes of their choices would improve something. That it would all balance out for the better.
She took up the duffel bag, shouldering it as she strode toward the room where they kept the boy. She entered from a weary-sounding door after unlocking the handset; inside, she found him hogtied on the ground next to an ancient, dust-laden radiator. The rest of the room was stripped to the boards, bearing nothing but heaps of flaked-off paint from months of neglect and exposure to the elements. It was the only room in the building with intact windows, not that they guarded against the cold much.
Celadon kept the bag balanced carefully at her back as she reached down toward the boy's face. She ripped off the kinesthetic tape as quickly as she could muster.
"I have questions for you," she stated simply. Then she left the room, the door ajar to the similarly allergen-ridden hallway, where cold December sunlight filtered in as a milky grey. When she came back, she had a wooden stool in hand that she sat a few feet away from Drayson.
She placed the duffel bag on her lap. Both hands came to rest atop its closed zipper. "First, you should know that we've learned your identity, Aelius Drayson. We know you're part of the Negaverse. We know that you've killed people, and hurt countless more, to further the selfish goals of your superiors."
She unzipped the bag. "Why do you need starseeds?" She asked, her placid gaze resting on his anguished features.
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:34 pm
The cold of the room had seeped into Aelius during his bount of unconsciousness. He had no clue how long he’d been out, but when he had awakened he found himself tied up on the floor with both feet and arms behind him. To top it off his head was aching and it hurt to rest the side that had been hit on the dirty wooden floor. He was likely bruised on the left side of his face and the sticky, wet feeling warned of some other injury. Thankfully he was allotted to keep his coat on. Otherwise he’d be beyond frigid, but anything that may have been in his coat pockets he surmised were gone. Not that he could reach them anyway.
The odd language was the first thing to catch his attention in the quiet of…wherever he was. He had no idea what was possibly said, but the voice it belonged too quickly made herself known. The squire that had been with the Knight that had ambushed him.
No sooner had she entered she left again, this time returning with a stool that she placed just out of his reach. She perched on the damn thing like some queen lording over a subject she needed to pass judgement on. Problem was, as it stood, she held all of the power in this situation. It rubbed Aelius knowing this.
She was quick to lay out the details of the situation. A no nonsense sort of type. Normally, Aelius would have appreciated such an attitude. Someone who could get their s**t done and not waste time. Now though? He’d much prefer a hedger. Someone he could maybe distract from their goal point.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Identity? Starseeds? You sound like some blubbering lunatic.” He huffed out in an attempt to continue on with his charade of being an innocent. He attempted to roll himself just a bit more onto his side so he could better look at the young woman without straining his neck anymore. ******** why did everything hurt?
“How long have I been here?” He questioned aloud. Hoping to get a time frame. The darkness outside of the hazy windows gave him no context to the passage of time. “Are you part of those vigilantes I hear about all over the news?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:35 pm
"So it's going to be like that," she murmured.
Celadon spoke again in the same even tone as before. "You have nothing to gain by playing dumb, Aelius. We already found your henshin pen in your gym bag," she bluffed, "and my friend is looking into your contacts as we speak. We have your phone, too, you know. Face ID makes her job easier.
"You put your friends and family at risk every time you dodge my questions. If you want to keep them out of this, then start answering me honestly."
It was galling that he would try to play ignorance in the face of what they already knew. She was certain it was a tactic to breed doubt, to convince her to be skeptical of Hy-Brasil and her contacts, but the Knight had been up-front with her. She shared what she knew and how she knew it. After all, kidnapping was far from Celadon's comfort zone, which required more convincing for her to go along with it.
The thought crossed her mind that she may have to hurt him. She'd seen it done before. While the idea did not sit well with her, she understood that war may call her to actions that she would never normally take.
She had a javelin, though. That was hardly a weapon of torture.
Celadon left her stool and seated herself near enough to his face that he could look up at her. Impassive cherry eyes rested on him. Scuffed-up thing. He still had so much defiance in his gaze. "I won't ask you again. Why do you need starseeds?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:36 pm
This girl was persistent with her needling. To say they have found his henshin pen was nothing more than speculation as she damn well knew the small devices were well glamoured. His only downfall was the lack of items in that bag that typically just housed dance attire, shoes, a few wraps and bandages, and small menagerie of random bits nad bobs that included chapstick, pain meds, phone charger, etc.
Even if they did figure out which was his pen, it wasn’t doing him any good anyway right now. With the amount of effort they went through to kidnap him, they likely weren’t just going to hand over his main mode of power.
“You and your friend are crazy.” He remarked. Doubling down on his game of deceit.
The threat to his friends did give him pause. His mind quickly skirting through any recent messages that may have given things away. He couldn’t recall any damning evidence, having always been careful with keeping things a clean divide between his civilian and powered identity. This was why he always got aggravated at Albite for teleporting right into the apartment. It was too much a risk.
Anyone messaged often were typically those who could hold their own in a fight. Unsurprising since Aelius didn’t socialize much beyond his small circle. But was he willing to gamble with them? Waru was highest on the list of those to worry about right now. Any text messages would clearly mark out their current affinity for one another.
But, what were the odds that these two would attack someone willy-nilly? Would they require more evidence than a connection? For all they knew, every single person on that list was an innocent. And considering he’d not been touched beyond a clubbing, perhaps they weren’t sure of him, as well? Perhaps a doubt still ingered.
He stared up at those cherry red eyes as best he could as she crouched in front of him. Her question hanging in the small space between them like an anvil.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The words slipped between clenched teeth. Whether he confirmed the beliefs or not, anyone on his contact list could be targeted. Best to keep sewing that doubt so that there’s a hesitation in retaliation.
He tugged at the restraints some more, trying to free his hands. Even inch them towards freedom but there was no give from whatever it was they tied him with. “How long do you think you’re going to keep me here asking these insane questions? A starseed? What even is that?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 1:43 pm
She was afraid it would come down to this. It would've gone so much smoother had he simply answered her questions.
Celadon took in a slow, steadying breath. She stood, then walked around him and leveraged a sandaled foot against his hip. With a firm push, she coaxed him entirely on his side.
Walking back toward where she knelt before, she sat down next to the back of his head. She pressed a forearm to the side of his head, just above his ear and across his temple. When she leaned her weight against it, she thought she pinned his head fairly firmly in place. It wasn't likely that he could turn it side to side, nor could he bend his head backward with her thigh in the way.
She reached over him with her free hand and summoned her dull javelin. Turning it around and keeping it firmly in her grip, she pointed it directly at one of Aelius's eyes. There it hovered, a couple inches from his eyelid.
Even if he got away, an injury like that had to stand out in a crowd. They'd be able to find him again by description alone. Her stomach churned at the possibility of having to perform such an act, but she soothed herself with the understanding that she might yet get him to talk without having to follow through on the threat.
So she tried her level best. "Aelius Drayson," she began again in the same quiet, even tone as before. "Also known as Sailor Heliodor, Senshi of Ryuto. One of many on General-King Faustite's team, including notable members like Sailor Albite, Sailor Fulgurite, Sailor Celadonite, Sailor Alkmene, Sailor Lilith, and Haymitch the Mauvian. Your magic is water-based. Don't pretend that you can mislead me.
"This is your last chance to answer my question."
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 2:22 pm
If there was something Aelius wasn't prepared for, it was for the woman to be both thorough and determined.
Her manuvering of his body and head was made easy with his restraints. Try as he might to twist or bend away, it was all futile. The squires rough handling put him into perfect position for her. His squirming to get away hindered by the pressure she forced on his head. Where she was going with this position was a mystery until he found himself trying to focus on a weapons that was far too close to his face.
His nostrils flared as he sucked in air, audibly exhaling as all of his movement froze. As she went through a list of information about him and some of the members of the team the knowledge that playing dumb wasn't going to win him anything in the end was a blow to the bit of hope he had at squirming his way out of this situation.
He was silent for a moment. Two. Weighing his options.
"Congratulations. You know some information on me."
His focus remained on the weapon pointed so close to his eye. "You can't honestly expect me to believe you went through all of this trouble to capture me to ask about starseeds?." It was silly honestly. Their use of starseeds wasn't really a secret, at least, he didn't think so. Was this girl new to their orders cause?
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 3:11 pm
"Starseeds are where this conversation starts, not where it ends," she explained to him.
Relieving as it was that he had begun to open up, it became clear that she would have to weather some insults from him in the process of garnering that information. She reminded herself that she had to accept that cost. He knew far less about her than she did about him, and he likely didn't even know her name. Perhaps he didn't recognize the symbols on her uniform, if he had gotten a chance to see them at all.
Celadon remained steady over him, though her javelin did not budge from its position. "The sooner you answer me, the sooner I will leave you be. Think about what you could do with some time alone."
She paused, then, allowing him a few moments for that thought to sink in. He was smart enough to play dumb, after all.
"I want you to tell me why the Negaverse needs starseeds. Then I want you to name your personal motivations for getting starseeds. Anything and everything that would move you to take them, whether it's happened or not."
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 6:44 pm
Oh. He could think of several things he'd like to do, and very little of it required alone time. If only he was powered he could give the officious girl a personal demonstration on the want and needs of starseeds. "You must be new." He huffed out as the pressure on his head began to become a mild nuisance.
It galled him to answer her and he was sure his distaste and obstinance showed as he again attempted to free himself from her with careful, forward motion to try and avoid that damn javelin. He had no leverage though, not with her leg keeping him from going backwards and her weight pushing down on his head. Upwards, he might have been able to accomplish but that was an extremely dangerous move that he wasn't sure he could accomplish without losing his eye in the process.
"So, are you in need of more reasons to condem me?" He ground out between clenched teeth. "Make it easier for you to stab that thing into me? Give you less remorse?"
What he hoped to get out of stalling he wasn't sure. He didn't even know how long he was out. Was it possible anyone even noticed his absence yet? Aelius hadn't even been sure if Waru was at the apartment to note his late return so he had no clue if there was even a chance at a recovery yet.
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 8:41 pm
Celadon didn't comment on her newness. Perhaps it never occurred to him to check his sources. He was in the Negaverse, after all; she could only imagine how they lied to him to persuade him to join their ranks.
"No," she answered simply. In the hand that was nearest his face, an ethereal javelin began to form. It took only the bend of her wrist to embed that magical approximation of a javelin into his neck. He wouldn't feel it, she knew. Likely, he wouldn't even see it out of the corner of his eye -- not the end of the javelin nor the symbol it would leave behind. "I never asked you about what you've done.
"And I don't need to cushion my own remorse," she explained as she drew her very real javelin away from his face. She turned her weapon about, then jabbed the butt of it between his legs as swiftly as she could. "I don't need easy, Aelius. I need answers.
"So answer as thoroughly as you're able," she continued, as her javelin returned to its initial position, only a margin away from his eye, "Unless you want to lose your depth perception.
"Make your choice swiftly."kolina Celadon forms an ethereal, magical javelin in her hand and hurls it at a foe. If it connects, the foe becomes marked with a glowing Cybele symbol where the javelin struck, identifying them as a hunting target. The foe takes double damage from any physical and magical attacks for the duration of the channeled magic.
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 2:39 am
What? Did she really think asking about his personal motivations wasn't a way of asking about what he'd done. Surely she couldn't consider him so naive. Knowing his reasons as to why he pulled starseeds would likely sit as well with her as him saying how little he cared for those he pulled from.
Aelius was about to let loose another snarky remark exactly stating his thoughts on the matter when the javelin was lifted. Out of relfex he flinched, thinking the weapon was going to come down on his face.
Pain he had never felt before erupted in his groin. His body attempted and failed to curl in on itself thanks to the restraints which only seemed to intensify the sensations form below. An audibly groan eeked out between his lips and teeth as the air in his lungs left him. If his eyes weren't closed already, likely his vision would have blacked out.
Never had he felt such intense pain there before. It was worse than taking a foot to the groin, something he had unfortunately experienced before. But it didn't stand a candle to whatever the squire did.
Whatever the Squire said after her hit was missed by the young man. His entire being and focus on stemming the pain and also fretting that some real damage had been done.
Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out.
It took some time for him to come back from the low blow. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to him but likely was only minutes for his captor Aelius was able to focus on something besides the pain. "That was ******** low." He croaked out, eyes opening to one again find the woman poised with her weapon at the ready.
He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "Starseeds are energy sources for us. Think of them as crunchy energy candy that gives up a boost in strength and healing." He paused a moment to wet his lips. "Keeping a few on us is standard practice for emergencies." A quick and dirty explanation.
He shifted his hips just a fraction and groaned at the escalated reminder of the abuse to his nether region.
"There's no reason why I'd take starseeds beyond when I need them. A starseed is a starseed. They all do the same thing."
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 7:26 am
Þetta reddast…
Celadon didn't have to resort to anything worse than was already committed, which was a relief that she tried to keep guarded. His response was honest, if callous. That cool disregard for life — souls — and for treating them like currency to power a bottomless machine. That corroborated what she had previously learned about the Negaverse.
His snipe was disregarded. No matter what she knew of him, she didn't know him, and he didn't know her. None of this was personal.
"And your allies?" She tried to determine how to phrase her next question. "Would they take any starseeds for reasons besides yours? Would anyone order someone specific to be starseeded?"
She didn't care about names. But if he could bring her a step closer to answering the riddle about her best friend's death? Then she would strip every scrap of knowledge from him that he would yield.
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 1:47 pm
“You’re annoyingly persistant. I can’t speak for anyone else. We’re all individuals and do what we want.” Aelius shifted his hands, trying to squirm his hands free. The only thing he managed to do was increase the bite of plastic into his wrists. He was loosing patience quickly, especially with the echoes of the attack upon his manhood still pulsing.
To top it off, she was tiptoeing towards topics that Aelius was going to have to weigh a bit more heavily on his want to answer. If she pressed for any specifics then this might turn into a more difficult interrogation. But for now…“I am sure people have been targeted before.” He stared up at that weapon as well as he could. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were a few I’d gladly take because of who they are.”
It was nothing more a threat. Aelius knew it considering his current position. But a threat was a promise and he intended to keep it once he got out of this mess.
Because he was getting out.Gotcha!
It was just a matter of how.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2024 9:19 pm
She knew she couldn't outright ask about Eileen. If this man escaped, the Negaverse would only need to target a handful of people who were notably close to her best friend, and Kaðlín would all but top the list if the Negaverse kept track of when individual knights or senshi appeared on the scene; they could easily connect Celadon's appearance to when Kaðlín moved to the city. It galled her that she had to bite her tongue about the question she most wanted to ask.
"Does the Negaverse keep a record of the people they kill?" That might prove to be another salient lead, but it seemed just as likely that the Negaverse treated people as a disposable resource, to be tracked by numbers alone. "Or their targets?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 3:23 pm
Well. That was curious question and one that began to paint a picture of why this squire was so curious about starseeds and the people the negaverse exploited for the commodity. The image was still hazy though with a few differing possibilities. Aelius wondered if the woman was capable of misleading him. With her more direct approach to this so far, he leaned towards no.
"A list like that would be impossible to track." He sighed heavily, as if exasperated with her now. "Perhaps someone, somewhere keeps track of any starseeds we gather from senshi and knights, but I imagine that would be their own little pet project or something well past my clearances." The mere thought of doing something like that was mentally exhausting to Aelius and considering the full scope of the Negaverse and what they did, it honestly seemed like an impossible task. "Honestly, I am not sure what good it would do us anyway to keep a record like that."
Golden eyes watched her with interest now. "Are you looking for someone in specific?" A grin. "Friend? Family? Perhaps another Knight or senshi that's been missing awhile?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2025 1:14 pm
Leave it to the Negaverse to make light of human lives. It was as others had told her — they were crude, callous, and more worried about their bottom line than the people they harmed to get there. Part of her wondered if this boy spoke of cruelty for the sake of seeming cruel, if he had a reason for wanting to come off as aloof and uncaring. Part of it might have been a defense mechanism. Part of it might have been a hope for a quick death.
Celadon sat up, though she retained her javelin in her hands. Drayson was talking, after all, even if his speech left much to be desired.
He spoke of clearances, so some aspects of Negaverse life and planning must have been off-limits to an Eternal like him. "I'm looking for someone, yes." She couldn't deny that. Her line of questioning was sloppy enough to lead him right to that answer.
"I used to think she must've been a knight, or a senshi. But now I wonder if she might've been part of the Negaverse."
Celadon stood at the sound of a soft shuffling at the door. "One day, it'll be someone you love following the same path as me, wondering what happened to you. Wondering who might've gotten to you. Remember that."
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