The Knights Next Door

[I think I am here.]

Rob dreamt of his father. And flames. Burning, the smell of burnt flesh and smoke suffocating him, and his father looking overhead.

“Men don’t cry, Robert,” he said, kneeling down. “A real man keeps it inside. He toughs it out. Are you a real man?”

Rob nodded shakily, the flames distracting him. Behind his father was something new - a shadow? That hadn’t been here in all of his previous dreams. Watching he saw the shadow creep up behind his father until all was a blur and Rob awoke, all memories of the shadow in his dream fading away into obscurity.

~~~

Rob awoke at the same time he always did, just as the sun was rising. Calmly he stood up and made his way downstairs.

“Hey, everyone,” he said, walking down the stairs. It was a big day today. His debate.

[+Sorana]

10 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

Rob awoke at the same time he always did, just as the sun was rising. Calmly he stood up and made his way downstairs.

“Hey, everyone,” he said, walking down the stairs. It was a big day today. His debate.

"Hey Rob!" Shana greeted. "Ready for your debate?" She asked and continued to eat breakfast. "I'm sure you'll do great. Just image that you're better than them and don't let them cow you." And may be a little more passionate she added silently, but only smiled at him. She doubted that Rob would ever be a brilliant debator. "Use logic and arguments. Just let them run against a wall when they get emotional." Maybe that could work for him. And if not - hopefully her arguments were good enough that he still passed the class. Who cared if you knew how to debate later on anyways?

[I think I am here.]

“Yeah. Logic and arguments,” Rob said.

An elsecaller would be better than him. Well, practically everyone would be better at debating than him. But Rob liked it. And that was that. And when they get emotional - let them run against a wall. Serves them right, he thought, but quickly dispelled the thought. It had been a long, long time since he’d ever criticised anyone else for showing emotions. He hadn’t only tried to apply his standards to himself. If only the same could be said for his father.

“And I won’t let them cow me. Guaranteed.”

[+Sorana]

Just now, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“And I won’t let them cow me. Guaranteed.”

Grinning Shana pushed some cereals over to him. "Breakfast?" She asked and emptied her bowl, placed it in their dish washer. Leaning against a counter she grabbed an apple.

"I feel a little like spider man. Fight the evil guys and then it's back to school and play nice and be a good girl." Except that she had to be a good girl. And that spiderman never had worried, never felt guilty about what he did. Hastily she placed the apple on the table and turned to the sink, started to wash her hands. She was about to use them to hold the apple, they had to be clean. If she accidently ate some blood. They felt raw and when she stopped they were red, hurt a little and she left the apple where it was, hid her hands behind her back.

[I think I am here.]

“You know me too well,”

Rob said and began making the same breakfast he made every day, without change. Plain cornflakes, heated milk in a simple black bowl. Perfect. He didn’t say much at the Spider-Man mention. He had always found the comparison between them and super-hero’s false. They were just kids. Superheroes... they were like an ideal, pun not intended.

What ideal do I act as? Rob wondered. An ideal of stoicism?

“Same,” Rob said. “But Spider-Man is perpetually stuck in high school, while we will grow. Which means fortunately, school will end one day.”

[+Sorana]

Shana shrugged. "If I still live to the end of school, sure." She said dryly. Right now she wasn't really sure about that. "If I even finish school and they don't throw me out before that. I mean, if I'm bad enough then in the end, maybe I'll never pass the final exams?"

Not if it meant that she had to understand maths, or physics. Which she didn't. Be logical. Wise words, but so unfitting for herself. The moment she had to try to look at some fact to act on something else but her gutfeeling she tended to make the wrong decisions. Which in the end, led to her not making any decisions at all. Or trying to avoid them, or simply being wrong. And honestly. Who cared if she knew where two imaginairy lines met, when she knew how to block an actual blade?

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

On 11/26/2019 at 6:42 AM, Hope Spren said:

Evelyn had stood and started folding the blankets. She looked up as Nym approached, flashing a tired smile. "Yeah, sure thing. Couple of things, though, I'm not sure how long it'll last, and I'll need to grab the paper for it from inside first. I don't know it well enough to draw it from memory yet." She yawned. "I could probably use it, too. Did you know there's supposed to be school today?"

"OK."  Nym said, and followed her inside she wasn't sure about school, the others had said that "Doc would take care of it", but she hadn't even met this person yet.  She noticed Sahar and waved at her.  "Yeah." she replied to Evelyn's earlier question.  She wasn't really exited. @Hope Spren @WannabeWorldhopper

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Edit: Nym was raised with a lot of Amish people, and even though she will completely deny it, she picked up on their no technology ban, she'll still grudgingly use it, but would prefer not to.  (I just decided.)

(also sorry about the "doc would take care of it" line, I wanted to have a plausable reason to go to school without having to have a long conversation about it.)

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Ookla the Giant Eagle

[Merlin]

Sahar finally found the Nym, who waved her over. "Hey! You going to school?" Nym asked.

"Eh... stupid math test." Sahar half smiled. " I personally think we should be learning how to, you know, do stuff useful, but I'm sure we'll use our extensive knowledge of the weather cycle often!"

Nym laughed, maybe a little too hard. She sounded relieved Sahar wasn't giving her a death glare. "You have a cool accent, you know that?"

Sahar lifted her chin a little. "Yes. Arabic. I was born in Egypt."

Edited November 27, 2019 by WannabeWorldhopper

[I think I am here.]

On 27/11/2019 at 10:27 PM, Ookla the Dreamer said:

Shana shrugged. "If I still live to the end of school, sure." She said dryly. Right now she wasn't really sure about that. "If I even finish school and they don't throw me out before that. I mean, if I'm bad enough then in the end, maybe I'll never pass the final exams?"

“Don’t say that. You’ll do fine.”

Rob said, eating his cereal and sitting at the dining table.

“You are smart. You helped with debating, isn’t Ben helping with math? You’ll definitely pass. And there’s no way you’ll die,” he joked. “I don’t think any Voidbringer could come close to matching how you fight.”

[+Sorana]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“Don’t say that. You’ll do fine.”

Rob said, eating his cereal and sitting at the dining table.

“You are smart. You helped with debating, isn’t Ben helping with math? You’ll definitely pass. And there’s no way you’ll die,” he joked. “I don’t think any Voidbringer could come close to matching how you fight.”

"Ben helped with math." She tried to hide the desperation entering her voice. But it only meant that I could do it here. I was sitting in that test and I just forgot everything. Two of five I had no idea what to do at all and the other three, I might have solved one the correct way and the other two, at least I wrote something down."

"When I fight it's easy, I know what to do. But maths, I just don't. It's all numbers and - I mean maths made sense until 'x' got lost taking a walk and the other letters started to look for it."

Bending down she picked up her backpack, they had to leave soon. "Can't be helped though. My poor 'x' will be lost for a long time without knowing what they are."

[AonEne]

On 11/27/2019 at 4:39 PM, WannabeWorldhopper said:

Sahar finally found the Nym, who waved her over. "Hey! You going to school?" Nym asked.

"Eh... stupid math test." Sahar half smiled. " I personally think we should be learning how to, you know, do stuff useful, but I'm sure we'll use our extensive knowledge of the weather cycle often!"

Nym laughed, maybe a little too hard. She sounded relieved Sahar wasn't giving her a death glare. "You have a cool accent, you know that?"

Sahar lifted her chin a little. "Yes. Arabic. I was born in Egypt."

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Hey, unless you two planned this interaction in a PM or something, this is called godmodding and is generally disapproved of. Writing another character’s actions or words, even down to the expression on their face or them not dodging a blow, should only be done by their writer unless you’re given express permission to godmod them in special circumstances. Just something to keep in mind! 

Also, everyone, you can take the bus or Cassie can drive you, she’s going there a bit early. Or some of you could drive yourselves if you’re old enough, or Doc could drive some of you, etc. 

Cassie smiled and nodded at Shana, then fell silent when she moved on to talking with Rob. When she’d finished eating, she headed out to start up the car. 

[I think I am here.]

20 hours ago, Ookla the Dreamer said:

Bending down she picked up her backpack, they had to leave soon. "Can't be helped though. My poor 'x' will be lost for a long time without knowing what they are."

“Maths I can understand is hard,” Rob said, finishing his cereal.

“I find all that stuff about triangles pretty confusing. But there’s other subjects, like science. You’re good at science. Surges are all on scientific concepts, right?” Standing up he placed his bowl in the sink and picked up his own backpack. It was pretty light, only a few textbooks.

“And Humanities. Which is pretty straightforward.”

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“Maths I can understand is hard,” Rob said, finishing his cereal.

“I find all that stuff about triangles pretty confusing. But there’s other subjects, like science. You’re good at science. Surges are all on scientific concepts, right?” Standing up he placed his bowl in the sink and picked up his own backpack. It was pretty light, only a few textbooks.

“And Humanities. Which is pretty straightforward.”

"I am good at science." She said and when she saw him pick up his backpack she called after Cassie.

"We're coming!"

Before she continued to speak to Rob while walking into the hallway and putting on some shoes. "I'm good at science as long as I don't have to calculate anything. But the moment it leads to these complicated mathematical equations I am lost again. I simply have no grip on it, and I mess the whole part with the negative numbers up."

"I am good when I know what it's about, like abrasion. I know the concept, I know how to apply my surge, but these fictional problems." She shrugged. "It's simply not mine."

"I like biology though. It's straighforward and I can use what I am learning there. Or history. I always wonder if one day, pupils will be taught about us and how we saved them all."

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

On 11/27/2019 at 4:39 PM, WannabeWorldhopper said:

Sahar finally found the Nym, who waved her over. "Hey! You going to school?" Nym asked.

"Eh... stupid math test." Sahar half smiled. " I personally think we should be learning how to, you know, do stuff useful, but I'm sure we'll use our extensive knowledge of the weather cycle often!"

Nym laughed, maybe a little too hard. She sounded relieved Sahar wasn't giving her a death glare. "You have a cool accent, you know that?"

Sahar lifted her chin a little. "Yes. Arabic. I was born in Egypt."

"Right."  Nym was pleased that Sahar wasn't mad.  She had seemed like a grumpy person when they first met.  She saw people leaving and headed out the door, her shoulder bag in-tow. She glanced at her watch, it was the only electronic thing she used daily.  It was 7:00, they still had a little time, but she'd like to look around the school a bit. @WannabeWorldhopper

@anyone

Edited November 30, 2019 by Ookla the very snazzy

[WrathofaShardKitten]

Evelyn headed upstairs when Nym started talking with a new person. She dropped off the blankets, slid the books they'd been reading back onto the shelves, grabbed the aon paper and her book-bag, and headed back down the stairs. She'd used the paper again last night to create another bracelet with the first functioning pain aon she'd designed. The paper had been surprisingly useful.

Nym was already heading out the door by the time Evelyn got back downstairs, conversation apparently over. "Hey! Wait up." She grabbed a couple pieces of fruit from the kitchen and started towards the door.

@Ookla the very snazzy

[King Aragorn of Gondor]

25 minutes ago, Ookla the Random said:

Evelyn headed upstairs when Nym started talking with a new person. She dropped off the blankets, slid the books they'd been reading back onto the shelves, grabbed the aon paper and her book-bag, and headed back down the stairs. She'd used the paper again last night to create another bracelet with the first functioning pain aon she'd designed. The paper had been surprisingly useful.

Nym was already heading out the door by the time Evelyn got back downstairs, conversation apparently over. "Hey! Wait up." She grabbed a couple pieces of fruit from the kitchen and started towards the door.

@Ookla the very snazzy

Nym looked back at Evelyn, stopping so she could catch up.  When she did, they walked together out the door. @Ookla the Random

[Bookish Ocelot]

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I have no idea what time it is, only that it's the next day. 

Leona woke up to her phone's alarm at 6:15. She was absolutely exhausted after the events of the previous weekend, but it was time for another day of higher learning. She got dressed and almost fell asleep walking down the stairs. 

"Coffee?" she groggily questioned in the kitchen.

@whoever is in the kitchen

[I think I am here.]

On 30/11/2019 at 0:14 AM, Ookla the Dreamer said:

“I like biology though. It's straighforward and I can use what I am learning there. Or history. I always wonder if one day, pupils will be taught about us and how we saved them all."

“Not if we want us to remain secret,” Rob said, kneeled down and slipped on his own shoes. Simple, white in colour, not any of the branded things everyone at school. Rob’s policy with shoes was the same as his policy with cars. If it got him from A to B without breaking down, it was perfect.

“But, maybe small Radiant pupils? I’m sure when we grow up more kids like us will come. Maybe they can be taught about us. It would be nice. And I admit I would be curious what they would be taught.”

[+Sorana]

"Coffee is ready." Shana called out to Leona and opened the door, stepped outside to Cassie's car when she saw, that Rob was done dressing.

"It would be interesting to teach. Although I have a hard time to image pupils, another generation coming after us. It's a strange feeling to imagine, that we will hand all of this over one day. For now I would like to keep it." Pupils. She thought of Ben, wondered if he considered to have children one day, if maybe Rob would teach her children how to fight. Shaking her head she brushed it all aside. They would deal with that when it was time and for now she had to get to school. Having children, one day for sure, but definitely not the next few years.

"Did you destroy the marble?" She changed the topic instead, to something she could deal with now.

[I think I am here.]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Dreamer said:

"Did you destroy the marble?" She changed the topic instead, to something she could deal with now.

“Oh. No, I didn’t,” Rob said, taking it out of his pocket as he followed her out of the door.

“I wanted to show it to Doc or James. Maybe after school? It seems so different from the other marbles, you know. Sometimes I think I can see something moving inside it. I didn’t want to destroy it before we know what it is. You never know, if we’ve never seen it before it could help us find a cure.” A cure to what, Shana already knew.

How great would the day be, the day they could cure a bunch of Voidbringers instead of killing them? It would be nothing short of historical.

[+Sorana]

15 hours ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

How great would the day be, the day they could cure a bunch of Voidbringers instead of killing them? It would be nothing short of historical.

"Okay." Shana agreed. He was right, maybe the marble was a solution, a way. "It would be great if we could find a cure and wouldn't have to kill them."

She opened the door of Cassie's car and started to get inside. "All of them try to kill us, but I don't think, that they really are evil, or at least were evil once. Do you remember the poliece officers? How their behaviour changed slightly once they were under the control of the violet stone? Maybe it has something to do with this. Maybe they were all good people and only got corrupted."

The thought that they were killing good people instead of bad ones, she shook her head and forced a smile on her face.

"It's just so hard to accept that at the moment we don't have a way to change anything about that. That killing them quickly is a mercy."

[AonEne]

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I’ll give it more time for anyone else who wants to to get in. 

 

[Eluvianii]

Edwin finished his toast and a glass of apple juice and went upstairs to get his backpack. Then waved at the people downstairs. "I'll go ahead." he said and left for the front door. He preferred walking to school.

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Not that he is evading people, but he has to be willshaper-y every so often.

 

[I think I am here.]

On 02/12/2019 at 1:44 PM, Ookla the Dreamer said:

The thought that they were killing good people instead of bad ones, she shook her head and forced a smile on her face.

"It's just so hard to accept that at the moment we don't have a way to change anything about that. That killing them quickly is a mercy."

“It is,” Rob assured her, taking another look at the marble - and whatever swirled beneath its glassy surface - before stuffing it back in his pocket. Following Shana he stepped inside the car, looked out of the window at their large house. Doc must have been a rich man to afford it.

“I remember the police officers. But with that violet stone gone, they returned to normal, right? I wonder if there’s something like that for each Voidbringer. Their own violet stone that will return them to normal.” He shrugged. “But for now... we do what we have to. Remember, they don’t just harm themselves, they harm others too. Not only is it mercy, it’s preventing innocent lives being lost.”

[+Sorana]

34 minutes ago, Ookla the Maybe-Existent said:

“I remember the police officers. But with that violet stone gone, they returned to normal, right? I wonder if there’s something like that for each Voidbringer. Their own violet stone that will return them to normal.” He shrugged. “But for now... we do what we have to. Remember, they don’t just harm themselves, they harm others too. Not only is it mercy, it’s preventing innocent lives being lost.”

Shana climbed into the car as well and sat down next to Rob. "I know. The earlier we kill them, the better." With a sigh she clasped her hands together. "Less people they killed and maybe we can even prevent them from tumbling into whatever it is completely."

And yet, it felt wrong. To kill instead of saving. "I simply, how does it fit? It's life before death. Not kill to safe lives." She stared at her red hands, red. Nearly red like blood. "I know that it works. because Mahad is still here, but at the same time, I ask myself, if it's right. How can I place one life above others? How can I decide who to kill?" Her voice shook and she tightened her grasp on her own hands. "I know that it's the right thing. But it feels so wrong."

=========

@Ookla the Ocelot @Ookla the very snazzy @Ookla the Random

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Do you want to get into the car with us?