Blaze-37 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rekindledtitan) wrote2016-10-23 09:25 pm
rekindledtitan) wrote2016-10-23 09:25 pm
Entry tags:
Excerpt 006: Aggressive Defence
TYPE: Personal log
LOCATION: The Last City, Earth
PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [rekindledtitan], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Rogers, Steve [juststeverogers]
ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Rogers, Steve; Harrowheart; Earth; Ixis Naugus; Blaze-37; Shaxx
You can’t teleport straight into the Tower, so once again Blaze and Ghost are bringing a guest aboard their ship. The Exo stands back a step as the materialize, not wanting to crowd their human friend in the cramped interior.
“So this is our jumpship,” she explains, gesturing at the little cabin. Ghost’s already powering up the lights - and the life-support, which fires up with a hiss of fresh air. It’s fortunate they’ve been keeping the place better heated since their last organic visitors. It looks pretty bare and cold right now, everything that might mark it as a living space tucked away behind patchwork metal plating. “Sorry we have to take the long way round, but on the bright side that means you get to come in the scenic route. Go ahead and take a seat.”
She has to mean the only item of furniture there: the hefty pilot’s seat with its worn padding. Blaze is going to move around it and go right for the cockpit controls. And hey, the interior decor might not be much, but the view from the big forward displays is nothing to sniff at: a sweeping window with the glowing blue curve of Earth visible below, and no atmosphere masking the countless stars above
LOCATION: The Last City, Earth
PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [
rekindledtitan], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Rogers, Steve [juststeverogers]ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Rogers, Steve; Harrowheart; Earth; Ixis Naugus; Blaze-37; Shaxx
You can’t teleport straight into the Tower, so once again Blaze and Ghost are bringing a guest aboard their ship. The Exo stands back a step as the materialize, not wanting to crowd their human friend in the cramped interior.
“So this is our jumpship,” she explains, gesturing at the little cabin. Ghost’s already powering up the lights - and the life-support, which fires up with a hiss of fresh air. It’s fortunate they’ve been keeping the place better heated since their last organic visitors. It looks pretty bare and cold right now, everything that might mark it as a living space tucked away behind patchwork metal plating. “Sorry we have to take the long way round, but on the bright side that means you get to come in the scenic route. Go ahead and take a seat.”
She has to mean the only item of furniture there: the hefty pilot’s seat with its worn padding. Blaze is going to move around it and go right for the cockpit controls. And hey, the interior decor might not be much, but the view from the big forward displays is nothing to sniff at: a sweeping window with the glowing blue curve of Earth visible below, and no atmosphere masking the countless stars above
no subject
She claps a hand on Steve's shoulder as they circle the outside of the Tower and then turn right, down what looks like a small street all the way up here. It's shaded by pillars and overhead walkways, decorated with tiled patterns and draped with hanging plants. Various craftspeople are setting up their stalls for the day, while on either side are neon signs - and tasty ramen smells - advertising the presence of quiet little stores. Aside from exchanging greetings, though, Blaze is heading right through for the open doors at the end. They need to catch an elevator.
"Don't think I'm okay with you getting hurt," Blaze is adding as they go. Now that Shaxx has granted approval, it seems she's letting her excited good cheer run free. She's setting quite a pace, too, eager to show Steve something really cool. "I'm not ignoring your limits, here. But you deserve to find out where those limits really are, same as the rest of us. Hell, you're going to do that with or without help. You said it yourself. Better if we've got your back."
"
Besides, I'm sure this instructor knows what she's doing," Ghost comments hopefully.no subject
Says the small man in a thick blue coat that makes him look more like a child set to go play in the snow than a soldier. The tasty smells are cataloged for later inquiry but for now the human is eager and ready for anything.
Well, ready to be completely crushed but as long as he learns something he's going to count this as a success. There's several stalls all along the way to the elevator--a huge industrial looking thing that may have once hauled grain before it was used to shepherd Guardians and their gear. Steve picks up his pace to keep step with Blaze and makes right for it as well.
"Have you met her before?"
Please excuse Blaze while she squees
Blaze doesn't hide the admiration in her voice. She loves getting to meet the heroes out of her elders' tales. Delights in the fact that they're her brethren.
"
She's with the Stoneborn now. They're more concerned with the direct defense of the City..." Ghost looks down at the floor, scanning through unseen records. "It looks as if she's been doing a lot of work on weapons testing over the years." They're descending steadily- and they have a bit of a way to go. Good thing the elevator runs smoothly. "We'll find her in the Titans' halls.""Yeah. It's nice to come home once in a while." Blaze shoots a warm look down at Steve. "Better to come back with a comrade, though." She's looking forward to it. When the doors clunk open to an imposing stone hallway, she's quick to point Steve's attention to the great stone statues on either side. All are legendary Titans, armored and poised for action: Wei Ning smiling fiercely, turned to look out past the Wall with a readied fist; Saint-14 with his crested helm keeping calm vigil; the Iron Lord Radegast with mailed hands folded over the pommel of his lowered sword. They're still heading out and toward the right, but Ghost has to take over guiding because Blaze is having fun pointing out different banners and the stairs down to the forges and that guy over there who kicked her ass in the Crucible. (It was awesome.)
A Different kind of Museum Experience
The pace has slowed considerably once they're out of the elevator and in the stone hallway. He isn't sure where to look first and so follows Blaze's directions and studies each of the statues in turn as they pass. Every banner has a story. A person who wore those colors.
For it being some version of his own world, Steve has a hard time imagining this place as Home. But Blaze calls it as such. He wonders if people would view his place in Brooklyn much the same way. An alien place with unknown customs.
The heat from the forges keeps the halls from being too chilly, much to the human's gratitude. He has to remove his hood before long lest he overheat.
But past the statues and down to the right there is more noise than there was when they got off the elevator. He squares his shoulders and tries not to look as small as he feels.
"Okay. You can do this, Rogers." He's not nervous. Shut up. Okay, maybe a little bit.
no subject
Ghost takes a moment to drop behind his Guardian and bob encouragingly at Steve. He can sense his friend's nerves. “
Don’t worry," he whispers. "You’ve got this.”The terrace they head out to is much busier than inside. There are Titans gathered at (or sitting on) a couple of long tables, passing around big canteens of tea or coffee; holding up a fallen flagpole so a tech can bolt it back into place; playing Go against their Ghost. A couple of the newer recruits are tussling on the grass. On one of the other lawns stands a Titan bracing herself beneath a shield. Not a round shield like Steve’s: this looks like a short tower shield, slightly kite-shaped. Its wielder lifts it with ease that seems to belie its apparent weight, meeting the fists of her sparring partner and even turning it sideways to bat away a blow, step in and clock him on the helm… if he wasn’t bright enough to step back.
“Guessing that’s our woman, huh?” Blaze remarks, taking the lead as they head over. She and Steve – mostly Steve – draw a few curious looks as they pass through the others. But the sparring pair don’t leave off until she steps onto the grass and salutes. “Ma’am? Lord Shaxx sent us.”
The woman lowers her shield and leans on it, tapping her blue helm to turn the visor transparent. Dark eyes study the pair of them – cheerful Exo and determined young man. Mainly the latter. Her voice is light and calm, slightly altered from being relayed through her suit. “Blaze-37 and Steve Rogers, yes. You are here to present yourselves for training.”
“Uh, well, I’m not much of a Defender. Steve’s the one with a shield.” Blaze shifts back half a step, nudging Steve forward. The elder Titan looks amused behind her visor. Her Ghost has materialized to take a look at the arrivals, its shell patterned in stormy blue.
“Well met. I am Tarana Parvin, captain among the Stoneborn. Since you’re to be my student, you can call me Tarana.”
“And I’m Jie,” says her green-armored friend. He gives the newcomers a wave, his Ghost appearing beside him with a little spin. “Hi!”
no subject
Steve stops and salutes her as he had Shaxx before, standing as tall and straight as someone with scoliosis can while he tries to remember all of these new names and faces. Armors.
Whichever, really.
It's not until the very perky Ghost pops up that Steve relaxes even in the slightest. He steps out of attention to see the little Ghost, a smile flickering across his face.
"I..it's good to meet you. All four of you." Because he does consider each's Ghost their own person. It would hardly be fair not to considering how close he is to Blaze's Ghost.
"It's an honor to train under you Tarana, Ma'am."
no subject
"Let's take this somewhere quieter," she says, gesturing for them to follow. They aren't going far, just through a couple of archways to a more private little sparring courtyard. Aside from the banner hanging overhead it's much less decorated, the walls thick bulkheads lined with heavy-duty padding and the floor a little springy underfoot.
Tarana props that big tower shield against a wall, moves over to a sturdy bench and immediately removes her helm. She turns to face Steve as she sets it down and starts unlatching the rest of her armor. She looks like she's approaching middle-age, dark-haired and strong-boned.
"Shaxx tells us that where you come from is a secret," she says to Steve, now that they're on more even terms. "It is enough to understand that you aren't from the City. But I want to know now everything about how you have fought before. What opponents you have faced and how you fared with them. This is not a matter of judging you, you understand. This is about knowing the ground in which we plan to set down our roots."
Jie has drawn Blaze off to lean against the wall and gossip: although the Exo and her Ghost are keeping a close eye on their friend, it might be easier for Steve not to have such an obvious audience hanging over his shoulder.
no subject
Nothing like thinking she would be weaker than Blaze or anyone else either. With her heritage, Steve figures she understands the weight of a life more than others around here. It's not nearly so simple for his kind to come back after dying.
Something simmers hatefully beneath Steve's skin. Who has he fought?
"Bullies and louts, mostly. The occasional mugger. I get knocked down a lot. The best skill I've got is getting back up." With his medical history, giving up is tantamount to death.