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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 20, 2009 0:51:01 GMT -5
He could not stop smiling. Unlike Kunzite, Nephrite didn't seem to feel that stoicism was a virtue, though he did his best to not let his elation become overwhelmingly obvious.
However, duty came first... To be honest, even if it didn't, he would have no idea where to begin, whether to apologize to Maeve-- Makoto he corrected himself, on bended knee, to see this world for himself...
Even though he had memories of Nathaniel, the part of his soul that had thirsted for a human form for years now desired to do human things-- touch, taste, listen, all of the sensory, corporeal comforts that had been denied him.
He felt nervous, overwhelmed by the stimulus surrounding him, eyes looking all over, drinking in every sight and sound, even smell... The mix of women's perfume, and men's cologne, food, champagne, some of the floral decorations...
"My liege," he found himself saying again, still not adapted to Mamoru's new, civilian name. "I know there is much I have missed; I can sense it, just the interactions between you and the senshi. I am your servants, your guard, first and foremost... You must direct me to how best accomplish my duties." What was required of a guard now, besides keeping his master safe and happy?
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 20, 2009 1:38:58 GMT -5
Mamoru followed alongside Nephrite, watching him carefully as the other man looked everywhere. He seemed nervous, overwhelmed by everything going on around him, and Mamoru felt just a little bit bad for him. It must be hard to suddenly be thrust into a new world. He knew from his conversations with Hiroki that Nephrite would have whatever memories he had aquired through Nathaniel, but still it was probably confusing to suddenly have a new set of memories and experiences. Of course more then anything he was simply glad to have yet another of his friends freed from their stone prisons. With both Hiroki and Nephrite freed now, he had hope that the other two wouldn’t be far behind. They had to be freed as well right? Whatever was bringing his friends back to life would work for all of them, it just had to.
He sighed and shook his head in exasperation the moment he heard Nephrite refer to him as ‘my liege’. “Like I’ve been trying to tell Hiroki, you’ve got to call me Mamoru now. That’s what everyone knows me as in this time. I might technically still be Endymion, but to them ...” Mamoru waved his hand out toward the crowds in the ballroom before continuing, “to them I’m just Mamoru, the former consort of the queen.”
Mamoru glared at the ground for a moment, trying hard to shove away the familiar anger that always came the moment that subject entered his thoughts. He didn’t want to deal with that right now, instead wanting to just concentrate on Nephrite and his return.
“I think that I what I need most is a friend. I’m in short supply of those right now Neph ...”
He paused thoughtfully before suddenly asking, “Do you want me to call you Nephrite or by your other name, Nathaniel wasn't it?"
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 20, 2009 1:55:13 GMT -5
"Mamoru, Mamoru," Nephrite repeated to himself, attempting to memorize it. It felt so strange, so Japanese... It wasn't Terran, like Endymion was, and yet...
Well, he was still Nathaniel, too, wasn't he? As the shock of the melding wore down, he began to lose the exacting speech and mannerism of a shitennou, remembering just what it was like to be a human in the 21st century. Suddenly, his brain caught onto the slip of 'former.' Nathaniel had been in such a state the past few days, overwhelmed with headaches, booze, and self-treatment that he hadn't turned the television on, nor bothered to read any papers.
"Former? What does that mean? Something couldn't have happened..." No way, no how. Endymion and Serenity were eternal. If there was one thing that could be counted on... Could that explain the coldness, the distance?
Confusing new world, indeed. His liege's glare, however, did not go unnoticed, so he resolved not to press that subject too hard. He was sure if that if they had indeed broken up, it was probably not going to be hard to figure out-- though why might be a matter of much greater obscurity.
"A friend? Of course..." he was rather surprised by this request, but then slipped in slyly: "of course, the last time I saw Mamoru he let Super Cop drag me off for interrogation..." He simply couldn't help himself on that! "Nathaniel will do just fine... I suppose I will have to get used to thinking of myself that way, as well..."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 21, 2009 17:13:07 GMT -5
Mamoru couldn’t help scowling just a bit when Nathaniel asked what he had meant about being the former consort. He didn’t want to talk about that, not here at any rate. Forcing himself to relax, Mamoru just shrugged indifferently and muttered, “I’ll explain it to you later, but not now. I’d rather not go into it here.”
His countenance immediately lightened when the subject was dropped, especially when Nathaniel agreed to his request. “Is it my fault that you fell so neatly and uninvitedly into my audience chamber that day?” Mamoru smirked over at his companion as he taunted, “I must say though it was amusing to watch Lucan tackle you to the ground and have you ziptied before you had barely even hit the floor. If Hiroki had been around at the time you’d probably have never lived it down.”
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 23, 2009 16:30:07 GMT -5
Nathaniel's eyebrows shot up at Mamoru's scowl. He doesn't want to talk about it...? Okayyy. But former meant... Well, former. As in, was not going to become the consort... he had been thinking, perhaps they would make him a full king, or something, although now that he was regained his memories he was of the opinion that Endymion was the rightful ruler of Earth-- however...
"You're not..." His mind flashed back to the Queen, trying to remember if she was wearing an engagement ring or not. "You, and Serenity... couldn't be... Don't tell me... You're not engaged anymore?" His level of incredulity was enormous, but what else could it mean? Or maybe he was just that slow? Mamoru was certainly in a dark mood over it, and the tension had been enormous... "That's just not possible. You two... If there was one thing anyone could count on it was... Your love," he stumbled over the words. "When? How? It must have happened in the past few days... and why?" Nathaniel just barely managed to close his jaw, shaking off his surprise. "Sorry, you don't want to talk about. Got it."
Nate growled a bit at the reminder of the memory, huffing slightly at the image of Hiroki laughing at him. "Yeah, well, I'd like to see what would happen to Hiroki if he was in my place. Or even you for that matter. That guy was... well, fast. Experienced." His outward annoyance over the reminder was to hid the fact that the encounter had made him nervous at the time-- and thinking back on it was not altogether pleasant. "And you weren't there for the, uh... interrogation, either." He at least amused himself by singing showtunes and trying to ignore the guards, who were pretty impervious to him, he found out. At the time, without his memories he wasn't exactly sure what he was being interrogated for, and the fact that it had managed to rattle his cage. "Let's just say-- I won't cross him, or you, after that."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 24, 2009 1:07:07 GMT -5
Mamoru’s scowl deepened as Nathaniel continued to talk about the subject. However, after a moment he decided that he probably deserved to know at least a little of what was going on. “Anything is possible Nate, not everything lasts forever. I still love her more then anything, but ...” He hesitated briefly before saying, “I hurt her by keeping a secret, the fact that all of you still existed actually. I thought ... I thought I was doing the right thing, but maybe not. I don’t know, I’m not sure what’s right anymore.”
He shook his head in continued amusement. “I wouldn’t want to cross Lucan for anything Nate, he’s far too good at what he does.” Mamoru shrugged and added, “I was visiting the queen while you were being interrogated. I should have come to your rescue I guess, but honestly I didn’t know who you were at the time.”
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 24, 2009 19:48:37 GMT -5
"What?!" Nathaniel stared at him. "'Nothing lasts forever' my arse, Mamoru. If you still love her, and if she has the capacity to be hurt, then she still loves you." He did find it intriguing that Mamoru had kept the secret-- he wasn't entirely certain it was the Queen's business, but then again, if she didn't know, that meant the senshi didn't either... That would explain a lot. He was certain he would be furious if he had been in their place, to not know-- Makoto's face swam before him. Nate shook his head, not wanting to get bogged down with the past. "So she's angry. People get angry everyday. They also get over it. You're not just going to give up, are you? That's not the Prince Endymion I know."
Nate settled into a small sulk as Mamoru continued to needle him over being interrogated. "Yeah, you can say that again..." he muttered, but at least had the pride to shake his head. "Naw, I survived, even if I wasn't sure I was going to at the time. Your thoughts can get pretty warped in a small space of time, let me tell you. And you're right about one thing, I technically was trespassing..." He still didn't think he deserved it, but he wasn't going to own up to needing to be 'rescued' for anything. "And as your Shitennou, it's probably a good idea if trespassing persons are questioned and scrutinized, at least I realize that now."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 25, 2009 14:09:05 GMT -5
Mamoru glared at the floor irritably while Nathaniel was talking, but he did listen. He didn’t really believe that Usagi could just stop loving him in one day, but that didn’t mean that she wanted to be with him. You could love someone and still wish to never see them again, but maybe he had given up too soon. Perhaps he should have allowed them both to cool down and then spoken to her again. “Perhaps you are right Nate ...”
He just grinned at his friend a little while longer as Nathaniel settled into a sulk. After a moment though he let it go and simply said, “If it had been any other time things might have gone differently, but everyone was upset over the disappearance of the queen at the time. You just had bad timing my friend ...”
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 25, 2009 19:27:53 GMT -5
"Of course I'm right," Nathaniel declared, emboldened by Mamoru's admission-- at least, he saw it as an admission. "Look, you wanted a friend, right? And friends are honest. Friends also want other friends to be happy. Do you really think you're going to be happy if you just give up? And let the woman you say you love go without a fight? What if she's... married in ten years, how are you gonna feel looking back on this time? You'll regret it, won't you? That you didn't do everything that was in your power to hold onto her..."
Suddenly, he was filled with a bit more emotion than was comfortable. Nate glanced down at the floor himself. Makoto wasn't married or even with someone else, but she felt just as inaccessible when he was in that stone, just as forever out of reach. And who tasted the bitterness of regret more than a Shitennou that languished away, half a man, half a soul? "Trust me... I ought to know. And I've just been given a second chance, so don't squander yours."
He grinned a bit. "Yeah, but again, I wasn't helping myself... I knew she was. Curiosity killed the cat, and all that bit."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 26, 2009 17:30:32 GMT -5
Mamoru sighed softly before admitting, “I wouldn’t be happy and I don’t need to wait ten years to know I’d regret it Nate. I already regret it, but I don’t even know if she wants to fix things. I’ve made so many mistakes in the past, this was just the latest in a long line of things. She doesn’t trust me anymore ..”
He fell silent a moment before glancing at his friend and said, “Again, you could be right ... Zoisite gave me something of the same advice the other night. All I can promise is that I’ll try.”
Mamoru returned Nathaniel’s grin, but he didn’t say anything else on the matter of Lucan and interrogations.
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 26, 2009 17:59:04 GMT -5
This was a mess. Nathaniel just shook his head for a moment, wondering how things got so bad. One day they were being called, the next Jadeite popped out, now this. Relationships seemed even more complicated now that he was out of the stone, especially hearing Mamoru speak. Reaching out, he rested a hand on his Prince's arm. "Listen. If you don't know, why don't you ask her, point blank? If things can be fixed, and what it would take? What do you have lose?" he suggested, encouraged that Zoisite had said something of the same.
He returned Mamoru's grin, wishing that he had a pen and paper on hand. "We should probably exchange information, so you can get hold of me if need be. Got a pen or something?" he asked sheepishly.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 27, 2009 14:15:22 GMT -5
Mamoru glanced away from Nathaniel uneasily for a moment. There was a lot to lose actually, if he asked and the answer was no then there would be no hope. He wasn’t certain he could recover from a rejection like that, but as it was he really wasn’t any better off. Glancing back at his friend he gave him a somewhat more confident smile, nodded decisively, and said, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask, then for better or for worse I’d know right? If I get the chance to speak to her again I’ll ask her.” He hesitated a moment longer before adding, “Thanks Nate ...”
He did actually happen to have a pen, you never knew when one might come in handy, though he had to use a napkin from one of the server’s for the paper. Mamoru quickly scribbled his number and his new address on the napkin before handing them all over to Nathaniel along with a spare napkin for his own information. “I haven’t actually moved in to that apartment yet, but I’ll be there within the next day or so.”
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on Apr 27, 2009 14:37:23 GMT -5
"You're welcome. Anytime," he grinned, just relieved that he could offer some sensible advice. He had years in a stone to contemplate regret, love... Knowing that if he ever had the chance he did now, that he would pursue Maeve, now Makoto, to the ends of the earth and beyond. That maybe in this new life he could show enough fidelity and persistence to atone for the failures of the past...
Nathaniel, before he had his memories, would never have been a fount of much wisdom, but what was purgatory but a place to reflect on one's sins? Some of the things he had valued before had he his memories seemed so quaint and unimportant now.
He accepted the napkin and tucked it away into a pocket, mentally reminding himself not to take it to the dry cleaners until he had Mamoru's information safely out. He had a habit of laundering his clothes with pieces of important paper within. At least money could wash!
Taking the pen and a napkin, he scribbled down his, handing it over with another sheepish grin. "Is there anything else, Mamoru? With your permission, I'd like to take my leave of you and go about pursuing my own love." Why hide it from his Prince? If they now lived in a world where it was acceptable, he didn't care who saw.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on Apr 27, 2009 17:12:51 GMT -5
Mamoru took the napkin and pen, putting them safely into his pocket before saying, “I don’t need anything else Nate. You can go and good luck.” He smiled encouragingly and waved his friend off. He hoped that everything went well between Nathaniel and Makoto, for that matter between Hiroki and Rei, they were all deserving of a chance that they hadn’t been able to have in the past.
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