The silent wolf is a hurt wolf.

[greyerrant]

Who: Garviel and you
Where: Aquarius ward, Later Saggitarius ward
Summary: Garviel works with Day care, and is generally hugenormous. Later on, he gets mistreated by the citizens of Hinoto-Ri
Warnings: Introspection

Within a day care in Aquarius ward, an 8 foot tall giant, in roughly-made white clothes and still scarred from battle, white and pink markings all over his face, livid and clear is functioning as a sort of human jungle gym. Children climb his legs and are lifted up in his arms, as the warrior serves humanity in quite a different way from his normal warlike work. He fusses over the children as they scamper away, or try to play games with him, his expression always somewhat distant, grey eyes very unreadable even as he gently makes sure everyone is safe and well cared for, sometimes carrying one, two, or even three children in his arms at one time to make sure they are safe and don't run off from the day care. He doesn't react poorly to having blocks thrown at him, or little children crawling all over him, he just faces it with the same stoicism that he faced everything else, from monster to the great daemon Nyarlathotep. It is all to the same to Loken.

Later on, he arms and armors himself once more, and walks in the Sagittarius district, seemingly looking for something even in his wargear, as if stalking a ghost of some sort. Where the children of Hinoto-Ri accept their huge protector and playmate without fear or resentment, this is not the case for the adults, hurrying away in terror of the war-machine, or pelting him with stones, or whatever else they have at him. Whispered words of "monsters", other similar comments are snapped at him, and he trudges on in a silent patrol, a vigil no-one cares about as he prepares to hunt demons. He walks on through it all, his shoulders slightly hunched forward as if in a storm, completely immune to anything they can manage with blade or gun, but hurt somewhat by their words. He has always wondered if he is monster or man, and these other men, these people he has chosen to protect, for whom he struggles to be pure, to keep his honor intact, have rejected him.

Comments

Saggitarius

[electricyousei]

Ruri stares at the hulking man ignoring the jeers and rocks and shakes her head a bit, staring at the crowd with her usual deadpan and shaking her head.

"You know, the armor is probably what is driving them to do that."

Re: Saggitarius

[greyerrant]

"Your concern is appreciated, but no, they are just as cruel when I am outside my armor. I am still a giant, a monster to them."

[electricyousei]

"That's rather disheartening. I'm sorry that they are intimidated, people can be rather.... Stupid."

She shakes her head a bit and lets out a breath.

[greyerrant]

"So I have learned, to my dismay. I suspect that is the secret my grandfather knows, and why he hid from the world for so long, before there was no other choice."

He straightens up slightly, as if unable to view her sadness without looking more reassuring in his own way.

[electricyousei]

"People being stupid is a universal truth. Everyone is an idiot, even I am. I doubt that is much of a secret."

[justkeeprunning]

There hadn't really been a point to her being out other than her increasing restlessness, but she was glad she'd chosen to come by this district. She noticed the armored figure- it was hard not to -and although she hadn't noticed the words or actions at first, it soon became apparent that these people were hardly showing him any courtesy.

Femi stormed up to walk with him, drawing herself up to her full five-foot six-inch stature and glared at the bullies. "Hey, back off! Don't you have homes to go to?" She didn't like to yell, but in the defense of another, she would. She looked up to the, admittedly, intimidating, figure. "Are you all right?"

[greyerrant]

"Yes, of course."

He rumbles from his helm-mounted voxcaster, giving his deep voice a static edge.


"They cannot hurt me." But he can hurt them. Oh yes. He remembers too well the incident with the Sons of Horus, and the human crew of the Vengeful spirit. He knows exactly what it is like to take the life of someone who doesn't deserve it.

[justkeeprunning]

She pursed her lips a bit, considering. That wasn't what she meant. "Well, no, I don't suppose they can; you're wearing all that armor. But words hurt more than swords or guns anyway."

Teasing sucked, no matter who was giving or receiving. "Why do you walk around in that anyway? I mean- not that you're not allowed to, I'm just curious." After all, she did everything she could to avoid the creatures that came out at night seeing as her Persona didn't seem to specialize in fighting and Femi herself certainly didn't. She couldn't really see why anyone would want to fight.

[greyerrant]

"It is as much who am I as my flesh, blood, or form. I wouldn't part with it for any reason, really. Except honor."

I'm sure this will go well.

[likescats]

[Death is watching and ends up falling in stride. Have a voice appear in your head from a skeleton. Any rocks seem to pass through him if they make it that far]

ARE YOU AWARE PEOPLE ARE THROWING THINGS AT YOU?

Of course

[greyerrant]

[ Loken seems unmoved by death. He's been rejected by him so very many times. ]

Yes. It doesn't matter.

[likescats]

YOU DON'T MIND?

[He's just curious because that seems strange. Also he's pretty sure he knows you from Mayfield, but apparently people don't have memories all the time, so this information is kept to himself.]

[greyerrant]

No. If I minded, I'd stop them.

[ It would likely not be a gentle stopping either, given what he's made to do ]

Saggitarius Ward

[photonicfighter]

As a bit of an odd-looking one herself, Dakki is no stranger to the whispers and mutters and odd looks. Ones that seem more pronounced, since they've come back from being away. It hasn't quite become mundane enough to become background noise, but it's at least kind of normal... so Dakki isn't paying it much mind as she comes up alongside Garviel.

"Hello, Cerberus." ...it still doesn't feel right to be calling him that. "Do you have time to talk?"

She never had made too much effort to explain herself. Here was a chance to do that, maybe.

[greyerrant]

"Briefly."

He growls at Dakki. He still doesn't like the abominable intelligence.

[photonicfighter]

Briefly. Okay. She could work with briefly.

"I haven't been very clear with you, about some things. I'm sorry about that. I'd like the chance to explain myself. With the way this city works, we may end up forced to work together again. I'd like to be friends. If that's not possible, I'd like us to at least be... professional with each other."

If he wouldn't strike at normal humans throwing objects at him, he wouldn't strike at the 'abominable intelligence' just wanting to co-operate. Right?

[greyerrant]

"I haven't killed you yet." And that's all he can really offer for the moment.

"But I can never trust. Nor can humanity as a whole. And I must defend them. Always."

Just like he told Nyaralathotep when he got that far.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

In the northeast area of Sagittarius, near Scorpio, there's another commotion... similar, but louder, a bit more urgently aggressive. Some gang's squabble, perhaps?

And then a sound like a bird's squawk, though far too loud to have been one of the rather normal birds, shrill and off-key with distress. Perhaps it was a demon, or--

Nope, it was the blue, bird-like person who'd visited him in the hospital, as he came running out from a side-street some ways away, fleeing further into Sagittarius, to try to escape the natives who'd turned on him. He ran, leaning forward, using his long legs and feet to his advantage, wings up above him and spread slightly, for use as something like an airfoil, to give him better traction with the ground... and then one of his pursuers threw something at him, a rock, likely, which managed to hit him, and caused him to jump a bit, stumbling. Suddenly, the speed which had been helping him to escape was now working against him, and his surprised flaps weren't helping either. He tripped up, his boot sliding in a small patch of snow on the ground, and hit the ground face-first.

He didn't move to get back up right away; whether he'd been knocked out or simply stunned for a moment wasn't readily apparent. What was, was that he was on the ground, and the humans who'd been harassing him were already coming into view, a couple teenagers and an adult apparently looking to prove themselves tougher than not by taking someone else down. One of them clearly had issues. if they were going to be hefting that sizable-enough rock like they were. What were they intending to do with that, hit the bird while he was down? And the things they were still saying... yelling at him to go back where he came from, that it was bad enough weird humans were getting brought here, they didn't need even more weird demons too, and hey, demon-hunting wasn't a crime, right? so no one would care anyway.

The fight was entirely one-sided here, and the hunted hadn't landed all that far away from Garviel. He could reach them before the others did, easily enough, if he had a mind to.

[greyerrant]

Loken just stares at the humans, then at the birdman. He does... nothing. He doesn't trust the strange being. However, he is terrifying, and simply looking at the people with his forbidding helm is enough to stop them cold. He says nothing, waiting for the Blue one to rise.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

It took a moment, but Avitus did stir again, whimpering faintly, to push himself back up somewhat and bring a hand to his nose, which came away darkened with blood. He made a face, staring at it a second before it seemed to register that he'd been in danger, and then he twisted around quickly, trying to get back up to his feet and tripping over his own robes before he could manage to do so. Those wings were floofed, and their feathers probably weren't going to settle back down any time soon.

He looked back at the humans that'd been after him, and then to Garviel -- and stepped closer to the big man, wings sinking down around him while he wiped the rest of the blood off his face. At least his nose wasn't leaking any more; the few drops had been enough. Now to go cower behind the giant, to keep away from the locals.

At least said locals were starting to take a hint, and backing off. This group might've been brave enough to go after an odd little teenager-looking bird person, but not the space marine. They weren't suicidal.

Not yet, anyway.

[greyerrant]

Loken shifts slightly, laying a hand on his chainsword.

"Everyone. Leave. Now."

He growls, and stares at Avitus.

Saggitarius Ward

[screwattack]

If the citizens of Hinoto-Ri didn't take very kindly to Garviel's hulking stature and armored form, they probably didn't take much better to Samus's intervention.

Just as another angry citizen was about to throw another rock at the soldier, the hunter stepped in his path and stared him down, brandishing her weapon intimidatingly.

"Civilians should return to their homes immediately, it's almost curfew."

The citizen just sneers at her and calls her something particularly nasty before spitting on the ground and leaving. Samus watches him go. She doesn't turn back to Garviel just yet as she speaks up.

"... I would ignore them. These people aren't used to strange things. Strange things to them equate to monsters."

Samus turns around and faces him, putting one hand on her hip.

"I've been looking for you, Cerberus. You said you wanted to talk once we returned to Hinoto-Ri, correct?"

[greyerrant]

Loken looks at Samus for a momentm watching as she brandishes the weapon, then acknowledges her greeting, and says, "Walk with me, Samus Aran. Walk with me and I'll tell you what I can of my world, and why I am to slow to trust, well... anyone."

He takes a side-street, away from people, leading them both into shadows and the less maintained, flickering lamps that play down the alley from higher up, his long strides taking them away from other people.

[screwattack]

Samus lowers her weapon and gives a very casual salute in agreement to his request, following alongside him as they move away from the people lining the streets.

"... You aren't required to tell me anything, Cerberus, if it isn't necessary to our future cooperation. I wouldn't consider myself the greatest person to confide in."

She isn't exactly the sympathetic type... She tries, of course, but it's not something that comes easily to her...

[greyerrant]

"It needs to be said. I am from a world where humanity was... on the verge of falling into the Long Night. Where we were but slaves and food and cannon-fodder for xenobreed masters. Where we danced to the tune of corpse-whisperers and destroyed ourselves in a frenzied series of wars of techno-barbarism. Where AIs enslaved us,and where warp storms made interstellar travel almost impossible."


He holds up a hand, as if to halt that explanation for a moment. "Until one man stepped out of the shadows. My gene-sire's father, the Emperor. He created an army of unification, bringing secular enlightenment and unity to the scattered humans, pushing back the darkness of ignorance and the xeno until the galaxy itself was ours. In all that time, we met no aliens who wished any good to humanity."

He looks at her armor, then into her eyes. "So naturally, hearing your nonhuman connections was... disturbing to me."

He turns away, continuing to walk. "However. I have seen your dedication in battle, your willingness to fight for the people here. I have... decided to trust you. But I wanted you to know who I am. What I was created for."