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Jun 13, 2016 23:07:39 GMT
Post by RYOU on Jun 13, 2016 23:07:39 GMT
RYOU I I was giddy and in over my head, but I knew there was no way for me to regret this. An uncontrollable grin was wide over my face and, once or twice, in my solitary posture beside the door, a childish giggle slipped out of me as though I was widely impressed by my own cleverness. There was nothing clever about what I was doing in the apartment, but I was certainly being bold, waiting for a B-Rank hero on her home. Would she even remember me? Probably. Thalia, now known as Valkyrie, wouldn't have forgotten about riding a dragon into battle. But she didn't know that that dragon was a human-shifter, a ten-year-old boy. I chuckled to myself again. I was being mischievous, anticipating the shock and looking forward to it. It had always come along with my powers and I was guilty of relishing at the varied reactions. Or maybe Thalia wouldn't even bat an eye. She had been in the Initiative for eight years now, having joined it as soon as it had launched. A ten-year-old human-transforming-dragon might not faze her anymore. I pictured her look when she faces me: her warm smile, her clear blue eyes, her lady-like pose and laced, manicured hands, her legs crossed and dangling a high-heeled shoe. I've seen her on television and searched her online multiple times. Thalia was the coolest superhero who always put the people before her. She represented not only superheroes, but women as well. She was a goddess. How she could exist was beyond me. But I sort of knew her before her rise. We never exchanged a conversation before, but fighting together gave us a bond of camaraderie. For a long time, since joining the Initiative a year ago, I didn't know how to approach her. I didn't give it much of thought, really. We were all busy with our jobs. I knew I shouldn't just barge into the lives of others to have a chat. But today seemed like a fitting day to reconnect and show my appreciation to Thalia. I held the bottle of bourbon with my two hands, one at the neck and one at the bottom. “Happy birthday, Miss Thalia!” I practiced in my head. I already knew what my routine was going to be. I just hoped no villains had come at her all of a sudden to ruin her special day. VALKYRIE |
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Post by VALKYRIE on Jun 15, 2016 3:44:41 GMT
 In a pleasant and unexpected turn of events, no supervillains had conspired to ruin Thalia's birthday dinner. It had been a very quiet affair, hosted in the private dining room of a relatively well-known French bistro. A few civilian friends had attended, and Thalia had spent the entire dinner gripped with a paranoid fear that someone would find out and burst through the door, that she wouldn't be able to protect them in time, and the food had all tasted like ash.
Despite her own worries (and subsequent, self-induced inability to enjoy her own dinner), it had been nice. One might even go so far as to say fun. It had been good company and good conversation, and once it was clear that they were going to leave the restaurant with no incurred casualties, Thalia had even managed to relax a bit.
So she was in a generous mood as she walked down the hall and caught sight of Ryou standing outside her door. She knew the other man by sight, and something about him pinged her memory. She stopped short of the door and smiled at him, the expression a little more shy than someone might have expected from a woman with such an excellent PR reputation.
"Can I help you?"
RYOU
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Jun 16, 2016 10:12:16 GMT
Post by RYOU on Jun 16, 2016 10:12:16 GMT
RYOU II I heard the footsteps and waited. Somehow, I knew this was the one. I beamed wider than I could have imagined, the shyness in Thalia’s smile making me feel braver. I was seeing her again. I couldn’t believe how much I’ve actually missed her when we were nothing but strangers who were forced to work together. By the way she was dressed, she must have just gone home from a dinner with her family. “Miss Thalia, happy birthday!” I gushed out, barely able to restrain my legs from bolting when I walked to meet with her. I was so happy to see a familiar face from such a long time ago that I could feel my face blushing from the joy. “Oh my God. It’s been such a long time! Hi!” Thalia was much smaller than I remembered. In my mind, she had been tall and unreachable, smashing everything in her path like a war goddess while I was her loyal, most honored steed. “You don’t know me – well, not exactly, we’ve never met. But we did once, a long time ago, during the invasion! I’m Benedict and I’m just so honored to finally meet you again. You’ve been working so hard ever since the invasion. I’ve been reading news and articles about you. I just can’t believe I’m meeting you now.” In my zealousness, I popped out my hand to vigorously shake hers, my awed, ogling eyes glued to her face. VALKYRIE |
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Post by VALKYRIE on Jun 19, 2016 4:22:59 GMT
Thalia shakes his hand, trying to process the overload of information. Together during the invasion? Benedict?
It's been eight years, but she doesn't feel the passage of time as keenly as others. She's older, of course, and hopefully a little smarter, but the invasion still feels like yesterday in her memory. Sometimes, if she isn't paying attention, she'll give her age as years younger than it is; it's hard to imagine that all of this is real and happening, that time is flowing around and through her. Everything blurs beneath that relentless current. Only the moments imbued with a real sense of urgency stand out, vivid.
The invasion is one of few such moments. Everything else is grey, hazed, but she was alive in that moment; remembers riding the dragon into battle against the invaders, remembers for the first time how using her power had felt right.
She tries to remember this man among the fray, however, and fails to place him. He simply isn't there. Unless--
"It's been so long," she breathes, laughing a little. "I'm impressed you've kept up with me all these years. It's nice to see you again." She hesitates. The PR script in her brain ends there, and it's the real Thalia who speaks next.
"I'm terribly sorry," she says, "But I can't place you. Did you look differently when we fought together?"
It's not an unusual question or an unthinkable assumption, not these days.
RYOU |
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Post by RYOU on Jun 21, 2016 7:12:03 GMT
RYOU III Her small laugh was a warm, summer breeze coming through a slightly ajar door after a leisure swirl in a garden of lilacs, scented with honey and other sweet things. She was so pretty. Thalia had that reliable, older sister vibe that I really liked in girls. Her eyes were incredibly blue – I’ve never seen anything as blue as them in my entire life. My grin was tight in my teeth. I must be looking stupid but I couldn’t make myself to care about appearances right now. “Y-Yeah, I know. I mean – ” My eyes dropped to her sandals as I scavenged for words in my mouth, a breathless chuckle coming out of my goofy smile. I dared to look at her eyes again, but mine hid back to her feet. “I know you wouldn’t recognize me. Sorry. I forgot. I’m Benedict – my codename’s Ryou. It means dragon. In Japanese. I’m the dragon.” I made my shying eyes creep to her face, anticipating a joyous reaction. “The one that you rode. That was me! I was ten at that time,” I went on, my face openly flushed with fervor. “I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was amazing. You were amazing! I couldn’t tell you at that time so I – ” One of my hands clenched in the air as if grasping for the emotion I felt. “ — You’re great, ma’m. I don’t know what else to say.” VALKYRIE |
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Jun 23, 2016 8:02:32 GMT
physis likes this
Post by VALKYRIE on Jun 23, 2016 8:02:32 GMT
Stop. Rewind. Her mind replays and replays and comes to one inescapable conclusion: Oh my god, I rode a ten year old into battle.
It sounds even worse in her head somehow. Thalia swallows in a daze, missing most of what Ryou says after that. She watches his fist clench in the air distantly, as if it's happening somewhere far away.
"You were ten?" she repeats, as if he's going to change his answer.
RYOU |
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Jun 23, 2016 11:21:22 GMT
Post by RYOU on Jun 23, 2016 11:21:22 GMT
RYOU IV I continued to beam as brightly as the afternoon sun. “Yes!” I exclaimed, exuberant. “I was ten. Hold on. Actually, let me count…” I looked up at the ceiling. 2016 minus 2008. Eight years ago. “Yes, I was definitely ten!” I was grinning to myself again. It was stupid but I admired my ten-year-old self for the decision he made years back. If he hadn’t done what he did, I would be living a completely different life right now. Besides, it was pretty cool. Though I couldn’t brag about it, I held it proudly to his chest like a badge of honor. A ten-year-old fighting in an alien invasion, side-by-side with other superheroes. Wasn’t that just amazing? VALKYRIE |
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Post by VALKYRIE on Jun 24, 2016 6:50:36 GMT
It's certainly something. She endangered a child. God, he's only eighteen now. He's practically still a baby. And he's part of the Initiative? She desperately hopes they're keeping him off the front lines, even while her sinking heart is sure that the Powers That Be would never waste a dragon, especially one who was strong enough to fight in the invasion when he was only ten years old.
Thalia smiles shakily at him.
"You were very brave," she says. "I couldn't have done that at ten."
RYOU |
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Jun 24, 2016 10:06:49 GMT
Post by RYOU on Jun 24, 2016 10:06:49 GMT
RYOU V “No – I – ” I chuckled breathlessly before I could humbly deny the praise, my teeth showing each time my lips parted for an embarrassed laugh. “I – thank you. Or maybe I was stupid and crazy,” I jested, looking at Thalia’s sapphire eyes, feeling a tingle down my spine. “I was ten. I don’t know how I got my parents to let me go. S-since, you know, alien invasion and – I lived far from here – from the Philippines. So it was a long flight. Other side of the world. I was stupid and crazy, right?” I was aware of my babbling. I wanted to let Thalia know the details. She was like a friend that I wanted to make, and there was an entire world for me to share to her. “Here, I got this for you.” I showed her the bottle of bourbon. It wasn’t the most original gift, but it was classy and lasted long to be shared with any of her visiting friends. It was useful and mature, fitting for a sophisticated woman. Having an older sister almost ten years older than me had helped let me know these things. Did Thalia drink though? It struck me that I never bothered to find this out. My heart skipped a beat. VALKYRIE |
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Jun 26, 2016 12:38:33 GMT
Post by VALKYRIE on Jun 26, 2016 12:38:33 GMT
Oh, bourbon, she thinks. This is turning around, a little bit.
"Thank you," she says on instinct, good manners kicking in without thought, and reaches to take the bottle from him. She's reading the label--it does look very good, actually--when something occurs to her. If he was ten when he fought in the alien invasion and that was eight years ago...
"Did you buy this yourself?"
RYOU |
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Post by RYOU on Jun 27, 2016 0:34:26 GMT
RYOU VI I had a sneaky smile on me. It was nothing to be proud about, but by culture, we Filipinos defaulted to laughing at our adventures and at ourselves. “Yes,” I replied, stifling a laugh. I became a little worried that Thalia might not be pleased with me about what I did, but I wasn’t going to lie. At least I was being honest. “I can shapeshift. I turned into an older guy to buy it. But eighteen’s the legal age in my country! I’ve never drank though. I don’t think I ever will.” VALKYRIE |
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Post by VALKYRIE on Jul 1, 2016 5:56:01 GMT
She wants to disapprove, but it's a gift. Gifts are near sacred. She snaps her mouth shut like an iron trap on what she was going to say and smiles again instead, cradling the bottle to her chest.
"Thank you," she says again, slightly more sincerely. "This was very thoughtful of you. I didn't realize I'd developed such a reputation as a drinker, but if it means that people will buy me nice bourbon, I'm not complaining."
RYOU |
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Post by RYOU on Jul 1, 2016 8:05:49 GMT
RYOU VII My eyes widened. I chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "Oh, that's not what I..." But I still laughed; she was probably joking. Probably. Sensing that our conversation was coming to an end, I started to wonder how I could tie in a goodbye. Thalia must be tired. I didn't want to keep taking her time and I knew she was being polite. It was more than enough for me to be able to say hi again. Who was I to act like a familiar friend to her? I imagined that not many could follow the archangel and be by her side. Just this was more than enough. "I hope you enjoy it. You had a wonderful night?" VALKYRIE |
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Post by VALKYRIE on Jul 4, 2016 6:22:58 GMT
She thinks of the dinner that didn't end in flames, her friends who with her, the quiet realization that nothing bad was going to happen, not tonight. The kid waiting for her at her door with a present.
"It was a good birthday," she says. "And you were certainly part of that."
RYOU |
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Post by RYOU on Jul 5, 2016 10:33:59 GMT
RYOU VIII Another polite remark, but I wholly accepted it. So this was Thalia de Luca, the Valkyrie. I was still awe-struck but my time had probably ran out. I wanted to skip away now and repeat the encounter in my memory with a stupider grin. I might meet Thalia again - who knows? I was not that high up in the ranks of the Initiative, but maybe one day, I would be able to fight by her side again. I wanted to hear more from her – reminisce together, talk about the Initiative, know more about her. But this was enough. I couldn’t keep her all night. “Aww. Thank you!” I said, sincere, my heart ready to explode. “I hope you enjoy the wine. Thank you so much for giving some of your time to me. I hope you continue to have a wonderful work.” I didn’t know exactly what I said there. My mouth was moving faster than I could think and my meaning was not translating to words as proper anymore. Still, I smiled. I was really happy no matter my stupidity. Should I go for a handshake? I hesitated and decided to leave things as is. Formal. Go formal. “Goodbye, Miss Thalia.” VALKYRIE |
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