Queen's note: Breather break! Then back into the feels. Lily is trying, she may not do this again but she's trying.
Garnets
Chapter Twenty Seven:
Being Brave
"Are you absolutely sure Lily?" Valen asked, the armored man kneeling down to stare at his charge. The armory was well lit so he could study her face.
The young woman nodded firmly, resisting the urge to pull on her fingers as she stared back at Valen's good eye. The obsidian one. "Yes, you'll need help with the animals. And it'll be just inside the building itself right? I can help get things moving back here faster. There were a lot of supplies, and I can write a note to anyone that comes after we leave. Or if someone comes, I can likely understand them if they don't speak Standard. Argenta."
Between Valen sharing his wraith gift and accidently absorbing the energy that John had been putting off in his brief visit back… she was definitely not going to be able to sit still for some time. Let alone rest.
Later on was another story, Lily was sure she would pass out hard once everything burned out of her system like some strange form of adrenaline.
"I don't want to be alone. Even if it's back on earth, I feel safer with you." Lily glanced away and back, admitting that in a softer voice. ah gave a half smile, "You kept your word before, I trust you to keep the monsters away."
Valen's expression softened, the Argenta man shook his head. He was smiling though as he loosened his armor. Pulling out one of the under layers that both held the souls of his wolves. "You will stay by my side, or in my sight at all times."
"To be honest, if you hadn't needed to change I'd be velcroid-ed to your side." Lily admitted, because she had been staying near Valen's side since the mummified demon. Letting herself get pulled closer and lifted her arms as Valen pulled the too big Hawaiian shirt up.
He smoothed the tank top down and wrapped the flexible metal around Lily. Valen had to take a minute to adjust it, as the underlying armor double wrapped around Lily's front. "Bend over. Good, now to the side ...and the other. How is your range of movement?"
"Mostly the same, it feels like it's trying to attach?" Lily looked uncomfortable as she reached behind.
Valen stopped her, turning his charge around to lift the shirt and check. Lining the part up and then running his thumbs up to help the under armor mold to her spine so the plate could settle correctly. "It's supposed to, but it's used to my frame. It'll help bridge the 'gap,' so to say, with the wolves and you. They'll be able to sense if you get scared."
"Is Kia' okay?" Lily asked, trying not to wiggle as she was manhandled.
"She's fine now after resting." Valen nodded, smiling a bit. He ran his thumbs up Lily's spine again, hands spread as he took a small moment to feel where her bones were. And a quick measurement of her back. Not unlike the Slayer, back when John had first come to the Sentinels. Just…smaller and leaner.
It was almost hard to believe she was full grown.
"Better?" Valen asked, at a nod he turned Lily back around to adjust the under armor again.
"Actually, yes," Lily looked a little confused, and gave an experimental wiggle of her back. Not sure how or what Valen did, but tried to move again in the motions before. "Still harder to bend forward but better."
"Good," Valen nodded, and taking a deep breath he pulled Lily closer, placing a hand sideways on her chest, his other hand bracing her back and finding where her heart was. There was a flare of Wraith energy, his eyes reflecting silver for a moment as Valen bled over some more of his wraith gift. Making sure it was active and would insulate her just in case there was a drain. "Don't make that face girl. It'll protect you."
"It feels… weird and cold," Lily half complained, trying not to wiggle.
"It's the opposite of Hell's energy, so it's natural to be cooler." Valen explained as he sat back, satisfied that the human would be protected from the awareness of most lower class and some mid-tier demons as long as she was out of sight of them.
Valen cupped his hands around Lily's face, making sure he had her full attention. "As I said, you must stay by my side or in my sight at all times."
"As long as you keep on, keeping the monsters away." Lily nodded, blinking as her mask was pressed firmly but gently against her face and triggered to wrap around her head.
"And keep that on little lake Lily." Valen added, turning to address the room as he also scanned over the older equipment, "Atlan…Vega. Do you have something that you can keep in contact with Lily like my helmet?"
"Yes, I have one of the drones bringing it to the command room." Vega answered, despite the evenness of his voice he was internally not overly pleased with the idea of Lily leaving as well. Vega understood that she was most likely able to handle the earth native animals better than Valen. "I have also started to redesign a new mask for you Lily, that has communications built in this time."
"Good idea," Lily agreed as she was released, Valen stood to look for something in the armory. She was able to freely wiggle and test her movement again. "Will you be able to still pick up the medical monitors on earth?"
"I am not sure, but the likelihood of doing so once a portal closes is low." Vega answered, "but the portal will remain open for some time as you and Valen move supplies through. There is a chance that will attract attention to anyone that can scan for them after an hour."
"We can get things ready to send back before keeping the portal open." Valen had found something he wanted, and started stripping the gauntlet into all its parts onto the table that his helmet was still on. "Lily, what is your dominant arm? Your right?"
"Yes, I'm right handed." Lily said, and then dared to come over to see what he was doing. The young woman offered her right arm once Valen turned to her. Wrapping an oddly soft metal sleeve over her arm to judge the size, and then pulled back to cut it with the energy blade in his left arm. She waited, and after a moment pulled herself up onto the table to sit. Resting as much as waiting now, but at a better level for Valen.
He took her right arm again, wrapping the metallic 'cloth', sealing it around her arm before taking some of the gauntlet parts to attach it. The Argenta man was still an excellent weapons smith, and it was showing. "I'll refine it later, but for now, flex your arm…good now make a fist… now try to do both at the same time."
Valen was staring intently at the arm and the device he was making around it. Lily followed the commands, having to do it twice before it tightened around her forearm. It was only a certain way that she had to flex, and press something to get the mechanics to work. Valen fitted one of his smaller knives into the heavily stripped down gauntlet and closed it up. "Just in case. I can't take it off until we're back, but if you need to, you can use the knife."
"This… is awesome." Lily starred in some awe as it maybe took Valen two minutes to make the thing on her arm. "Is it waterproof?"
Valen chuckled, ruffling her hair. "I'll make you a proper one that's waterproof later."
Lily hopped down, examining the new edition, though thankfully was not so senseless to look into the small slate the blade would come out of. She turned to see Valen picking up his helmet, almost expecting it to be like what John had. Yet though it was similar it was a lot more 'closed,' without the wider visor but more like the Atlan's head. A wide 'v' or rotated 'c' shape of black with optic sensors lighting up after it was put on. It even had much shorter 'horns' that stayed curved backwards and a face guard alike to the Atlan mech's own.
It made sense though, that Valen's helmet would need to be different, as he had the only one working eye. Overall his armor was alike and not exactly the same as John's, in a way. "Question?"
"Yes?" Valen asked, grabbing one of his hammers and a firearm to attach to his leg. Walking with the human once done to the command area and the portal that would be there.
"Why do… does? You're armor and John's look so alike, and the other Sentinels are different?" Lily asked, keeping up and to Valen's left side.
"His Praetor Suit?" Valen considered that, as if glancing down for a moment before snorting. "Because I made it, like this one. Though my lord's suit got more of the materials that make it almost impenetrable. He'll likely break his own bones before the suit ever cracks the under layer."
"...can he ever break his bones?" Lily asked without thinking, as the idea of John, the Slayer breaking a bone seemed impossible.
"I have never seen the Slayer have more than muscle damage," Vega noted, not sure himself if there was a way for his person to break a bone either.
Valen chuckled, shifting the hammer in his hand, resting the thicker end on his shoulder as they saw a drone sitting in the hall outside of the command room with a bag it was trying to pull. "It rarely happens. Last time I remember it happened, he fell off of a Titan's back and onto one of the carrier ships following him. But that was a good… thousand years ago? Maybe some more. Time flows strangely in hell so… at least a thousand not including the time in hell."
Lily paused as she was pulling the bag the drone had dragged over her shoulders, it had some water and the communication device's two parts. She had to think about what was said, making sure not to stop and just slowed the movement of putting on her ear piece. Then wrapping the other part around the back of her neck and on her throat. It was not that dissimilar to what was used in the subs.
A… thousand years ago?!
Thousand.
As in a hundred centuries?
At least?
The stories her dad spoke of were maybe a few hundred years old? Two centuries ish? When people were just getting to mars right?
How old was the Slayer? How old was Valen? Vega was what…five or seven years old, Riggs about three.
As the portal opened Lily finally looked up as she followed faithfully behind Valen. "...Is it rude to ask how old you are?"
Valen laughed at the question he almost thought would not come. "Much older than you. My son could have been your father a few centuries ago."
"That is not fair grandpa." Lily hesitated just before the portal, watching Valen go through first. She shifted and in that moment of being alone she asked as she pulled on her fingers. "It's…not going to be as bad as last time, right Vega?"
"It may, some people don't mesh well with portals." Vega spoke, not lying about the possibility, watching his human charge carefully. And then his voice seemed to soften just a little, "You do not have to go through Lily, Valen will understand."
"I'm scared of it…but not so much that I can't face it." Lily said, took a few deep breaths and walked forward. Not unlike the first time, that was that uncomfortable feeling of being grabbed by the spine and yanked forward. Although her insides did not feel as mixed up this time, it was definitely disorienting as it felt like she could not stop her stride. It was almost like she had to make too big of a step to avoid something before stumbling as gravity snapped back.
Lily was falling only a little on the other side of the portal, as Valen's hands were there to catch her. He lifted Lily back onto her feet as the portal closed, and held her against his side for a few moments it took her to get her bearings. "...I might regret my choice to come…"
Valen chuckled, but stayed as a pillar as he looked around. "Once we get what's most valuable, you will just go through one more time. And help set up the animals you need."
"Can you hear me miss Lilly?" Vega spoke through the ear piece, and the young woman nodded reflexively, before remembering the AI could not see her. He might be able to see through Valen's helmet like the Slayer but the Argenta man was still looking around.
Lily carefully stood up on her own, holding onto Valen's metallic hand for balance until she had her feet. Reaching up to carefully adjust the volume, "I can hear you Vega."
"I'm going to leave your communications line open so I can watch over you," Vega spoke, making Lily smile.
"Thank you Vega, I appreciate you doing that." So she was not alone so to say. Lily huffed and then carefully sniffed as some smells were getting in past the filters. "Is that simple green? Someone cleaned the floors not long ago."
"I will take your word for it my girl," Valen said as he waited for Lily. Then the two started to walk around the converted store together to both understand where things were, and see what was there.
Lily breathed a sigh of relief after a moment, "Okay good, I did see these on John's feed." Lily said as she found a few flat boxes. Turning them around to check the size of the dog crates inside.
"Start with your animals, and their feed," Valen said, "I'll look for raw materials we can use near. And then we will get things you can see we need right away."
"Food and stuff." Lily agreed, looking down the aisles they passed. Finding it was mostly sorted by whoever used to be here. That boy and his guardian? It smelled like cleaning things, but not really that scent of ash and burning meat char that had sometimes been on the wind before. "Okay… I can do this. Chickens, food and stuff."
"I will be here," Valen promised, and smiled in his helmet as he added, "Protecting you from the monsters."
"...could you maybe do the bulk of the heavy lifting? I'm not sure if I can do that."
Valen snorted but he nodded, he could do that.
Lily knelt down to start unboxing the dog crates. "...do you know how old John is?"
"You will have to ask him that yourself girl." Valen snorted.
"I tried, he won't answer!" Lily protested, because really. At least a thousand years ago is a valid statement with these guys?!
Reviews!
Red Viy: To be honest I'm surprised at how I'm writing these too. But also, omg you're review made my day yesterday. I'm glad someone picked up on how the Slayer is and isn't talking. I do think he'd back a pretty good range of sounds too...he's just NOT talking... because Primordial hurts to speak, no matter how fast he heals
