Heroes Need Not Speak (Peregrine x Andy)

Peregrine

Waiting for Wit
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
  3. One post per week
  4. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
On fairly regularly, every day. I'll notice a PM almost immediately. Replies come randomly.
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
  2. No Preferences
Genres
High fantasy is my personal favorite, followed closely by modern fantasy and post-apocalyptic, but I can happily play in any genre if the plot is good enough.
In the shadow of a large building, a woman was leaning against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Her dark eyes never wavered from the door of the building across the road, despite the stream of cars that passed in front of her. The words ‘Police Station’ marked the building, in large, steel-colored letters placed above the door.

Every time someone walked out the door of the precinct, the woman would study them up and down, before dropping her eyes again. It was clear that she was waiting for someone specific, but she didn’t seem impatient.

Time passed unknowingly, the woman an unexpected bastion of stillness and patience in the normal hustle and bustle that filled the city. She observed the people passing through the building one by one, until someone finally caught her attention. It seemed that the person she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

The woman straightened from the wall, fixing her dark grey jacket and tucking one highlighted lock of tiger’s eye hair behind her ear. When there was a break in the traffic she quickly jogged across the street, low-heeled shoes clicking on the asphalt with every step. Her purposeful, confident stride seemed to draw the attention of everyone in the area, although most glanced away after only a moment.

The moment the two made eye contact, the woman offered him a small smile and a greeting. “Jason Noxi.”

It was evident from her tone that it wasn’t a question.

“If you’d like answers for today,” the woman continued, voice light but filled with the trace of seriousness that proclaimed she wasn’t joking. “You should come with me.”
 
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From the moment Jason woke up that morning he knew something was wrong. It wasn’t like one of those days when you just woke up and you were just in a bad mood right from the get go..or that you didn’t feel well after you woke up..something just felt…different..not just about himself but..something about the world itself felt different and no matter how he tried to look at the situation he couldn’t figure out why.

So he had gone to work like normal..and he did his normal thing throughout the day. Made a few traffic stops, got a mix of reactions from the people he did stop, some were respectful others wanted to tell him that he was a piece of garbage and that he was just abusing his power blah blah blah. The same speech he heard at least two times a day while at work. But..even during all of that..something just felt off. It was like..whenever he touched something it just felt like..whatever he was touching was almost becoming a part of him or something like that..and he just couldn’t figure out why. Maybe he was just sleep deprived and overworked..maybe he just needed a vacation.

So when he got done with work he slowly made his way out the front doors of the police station his duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. As Jason made his way down the steps he would run a hand through his short brown hair and shake his head “What a strange day..” No sooner did he say that he would look up..and make eye contact with some woman..and she immediately dropped his name. Okaaaay..that was a bit strange. He dealt with a lot of people during this job..but he was almost positive he had never seen this woman before..so how in the heck did she know his name? And what was she talking about? Answers for today? Go with her? That didn’t make any sense in the slightest.

After a moment of silence he would slowly shake his head before he spoke “Um..ok well your right that I’m Jason Noxi but..I don’t really know what your talking about in regards to “Answers for today” and..I can tell that your being serious..but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to go with you..so..first and foremost who are you? And what exactly are you talking about right now?..”
 
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"You can call me Mirelda."

The woman, Mirelda, didn't seem either surprised or put-off by Jason's reaction. As a matter of fact, she'd seemed to be entirely expecting it, because she didn't even falter a step in continuing to speak.

"You've felt that today has been a strange day." It was another statement that could have easily been a question if she hadn't stated it with such confidence and certainty. "Things have felt different, as though there's something you've yet to realize, some fact you've yet to understand. Yet, despite all of that, it hasn't been a bad feeling. Instead, it was special, enlivening. As though you stand on the brink of something that could change your life forever."

Mirelda could speak with such confidence because she'd experienced exactly such a sensation herself once. How long had she thought about that day when her life had changed forever, wondering where she'd be if she'd made a different choice. She certainly wouldn't be standing outside a police station in middle America, talking to someone who was looking at her as though he was considering arresting her.

All the same, she'd never truly looked back from that decision. This was her life now, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I'm offering the answers for that." Mirelda offered Jason a small, warm smile. "So you can either come with me, and get answers, or you can leave, and it will all be gone again tomorrow. I promise everything will go back to perfectly, completely, normal. Just like every day you've lived before. So, are you coming?"
 
Well at least the girl introduced herself..that was a good start, and while he was glad to know her name..he wasn’t necessarily enthused to hear her say everything from start to finish in perfect clarity of how he was feeling this day. It was as if not only was she reading his mind..but it clearly told him that she knew exactly what he was going through and that she had experienced it once herself. Now whether or not that in itself was a good thing..or a red flag he wasn’t sure.

There were definitely all kinds of warning bells and red flags going off in his head as she talked about this..and he had this sinking feeling that if he did go with her to get the answers he wanted about what he was feeling..he would regret it. But…when she gave him the option of an out..to just go back home..and that tomorrow all of this would be back to normal and he would forget all about all of this..and he would just continue to live his life as he always had..there was a part of him that was really tempted to just take that out and go with it. But..there was another part of him that had a feeling that if he did go home..he would constantly be stuck wondering who this girl was..and why he had felt the way he did..and what answers she was going to offer him. Then there was the fact that there was a possibility that whatever was going on..this woman needed his help..and he had sworn an oath not just to this city but to himself that he would do whatever he needed to do to help those in need..and if he backed out of that now..then he would be breaking his oath..and that was something he wasn’t sure he could live with.

As he stood there in silence contemplating what he should do he bit his bottom lip in thought before he let out a long slow sigh and ran a hand through his hair before he looked at her and gave a small nod “..alright..Mirelda I will come with you to hear what you have to say..and to get some answers for..what is going on..but that’s all I’m promising at the moment. I’m not promising anything other than to hear you out.”
 
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She could see the thoughts spinning through his head by the way his eyes shifted back and forth. All the things he was considering, weighing one option against another.

Logically, he should have just walked away. She wasn't offering anything extraordinary. Why wouldn't he want to go on living the life he'd lived for the past two decades and then some? Yet, he agreed. He agreed, just like Mirelda had known he would. The feeling that had filled him all day was just that profound. It was better to go with a random stranger to a random place than give up on that 'strangeness', which had already become so intimate, so personal.

"I know you aren't," Mirelda agreed, a faint trace of humor staining her voice. She didn't believe him. If he was able to walk away, why hadn't he done it already? "Let's go."

She turned then, leading the way away from the police station. Their destination wasn't far, two blocks to the south, where a small white church looked out over the street. The windows were dark and filled with dust, and most of the people who walked past seemed to look over the church like their eyes were skating across it. Mirelda, however, walked up to the door with confidence, pushing it open without a trace of hesitation and holding it open for Jason to follow behind her.

The interior of the church appeared just as empty and abandoned as its exterior. The entire place was filled with the smell of dust, and the light that streamed through the stained glass window somehow seemed to lack the proper, colorful brilliance that should have accompanied it.

"Nata, I brought him."

"Thank you." The voice was momentarily sourceless, before the figure of a woman began to materialize in the back of the church, standing on the pulpit. She was dressed in a simple blue dress, and black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, reaching all the way down to her knees. It took several moments before her ghostly form was transformed into a fully opaque body.

Her brilliantly golden eyes turned to look at Jason with a gentle expression. "It's good to meet you, Jason. Please, take a seat and we can talk."
 
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Jason had to admit..the way she answered him..how he could almost detect a bit of humor in her voice as she started to walk away..he didn't like that. But..that didn't change his position in the slightest..his curiosity was too much to ignore it. So..as she started to walk away he would just slowly fall into step behind her.

The walk itself wasn't too long..but what was definitely odd about their destination wasn't even the fact that it was some older run down church that hadn't been used in years..it was the fact that he couldn't help but notice that anyone who looked at it..almost seemed to just..not even register that it was even there to begin with. It was like it was completely invisible to them or something..but even stranger then that it was how their eyes seemed to glass over when they looked at it..but returned to normal once they were past it. That was definitely odd..and what in the heck could she possibly have to show him in a place like this?

As he approached the front door and slowly stepped inside at her offer he would look around slowly. This place had definitely seen better days..there were layers of dust in here that were thicker then his bullet proof vest..but..a little dust never killed anyone..instead what nearly killed him was when she suddenly spoke out to no one..and then a voice responded. He couldn't help the jump he gave when he heard that voice and..when he looked towards the pulpit and actually saw a woman start to materialize out of thin air his face would pale and he would slowly take a step back. What in the hell was this? Some kind of magic show? Some kind of trick?

After she had fully materialized and looked towards him he felt himself freeze in place..not necessarily out of fear..although there was a decent amount of that there because..well..who wouldn't be scared stiff after someone literally showed up out of no where in the way that she did..but because of the strange feeling of calm that washed over him as she fixed her gaze upon him. After she spoke he would stay silent for a long moment before he slowly cleared his throat and slowly moved forward near the front pews..he wasn't necessarily sitting just yet..because he wasn't sure if he should sit or not mostly due to his..well..uncertainty about what was going on here..but..he was at the very least trying to appear relaxed. "...What in the heck is going on here?..Who are you?..and where in the hell did you just come from?.."
 
Unlike Jason, Mirelda didn't pause as she walked up the aisle, before she finally seated herself on one of the front pews. Despite the fact that she was sitting mostly formally, her hands tucked into her lap, there was a certain languidness to her slumped back and crossed ankles that showed she was perfectly comfortable with the strange situation occurring in front of the two of them. After offering Nata a small smile, she leaned back against the pew, pulled a tiny book out from her pocket, and began to read.

She didn't have much doubt that this explanation was going to take a while, and since Nata was here to handle it, there was no reason for her to put in much effort.

"You may call me Fortunata," the black haired woman replied to Jason's stuttered series of questions. "Or else simply Nata as Mirelda does, if you prefer. The simplest way to explain is to call myself a goddess. I am the goddess of luck and chance. What you see before you now is a body formed by a fragment of my divinity. A fragment of divinity identical to the one I granted you last night."

Fortunata paused at that point, allowing Jason time to digest that tidal wave of information. Still looking down at her book, Mirelda smirked. That had certainly been... concise, and to the point. For a moment she glanced up, wanting to check the strange expression that would no doubt be plastered on Jason's face at this point.
 
As this..Goddess or whoever she was started to explain the situation to him in probably the shortest and most concise explanation he had ever heard in the world..to..anything he would just stand there and stare at her. If this was a cartoon there would be nothing but question marks popping up above his head to go along with the expression on his face that showed that his brain was still practically buffering to understand any of what she had just told him.

After a long..long moment of silence he would slowly sit down in one of the pews and just stared up at her before he slowly began to speak “..Alright..so…first of all..let’s just say I believe anything of what your saying and I’m not just having some kind of really weird dream and this is all happening..why am I here? And what do you mean you gave me some divinity? What exactly is going on here because you know..I would think if you were a Goddess..there would be some kind of rules about conversing with mortals or something like that..so..what exactly is the story here?..”
 
Mirelda's brief pause from her book was well worth the effort. The look on Jason's face was the kind of utterly flabbergasted expression most people would only get the opportunity to see a few times in their whole life. Forcibly suppressing a giggle, Mirelda lowered her head back to her book, her lips pressed into a thin line to keep any untoward noises from slipping out, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

Mentally, Mirelda couldn't help but give the goddess a thumbs up. What a way to handle the situation!

"When you accepted my divinity last night, we entered into a sort of contract."

When Mirelda had accepted Nata's divinity a few days ago, she had already gotten the sense that the goddess was casual beyond measure. Maybe it had something to do with her domain. It might be hard to take anything too seriously when you had absolute confidence that the situation would always work out in your favor in the end.

"You get my fragment of divinity, and the power that accompanies it. In exchange, you become my Champion, and agree to represent me in the competition between the gods."

Fortunata shook her head slightly, causing her long hair to wave, and she walked down from the pulpit to kneel in front of Jason. Her eyes, which seemed to glow with their own internal light, locked on to his own. "I will explain things more fully to you, if you wish. However, should you wish to refuse and return to your normal life, the less you know the better. The more you hear, the harder it is to get out. These competitions... while not physically dangerous, can unquestionably be mentally straining or even damaging. I have no intention of forcing you into this."

On the next pew over, Mirelda snapped her book closed with a sharp noise, and her dark eyes turned to stare at Jason as well. There was clear judgement in her gaze as she stared at him, but her other thoughts were inscrutable as she waited for his response.

This was Mirelda's last chance, and she had no intention of entrusting herself to someone who would shy away from a bit of danger. She'd rather try and fight alone than work with a team member who would hold her back or even sweep her legs out from under her at the wrong moment.
 
Jason would remain silent as Forunata..or Nata slowly moved forward and kneeled down in front of him to further explain the situation. But..none of it was making sense..when did he accept any divinity from her? That’s what was really throwing him off..and as Nata finished her explanation of the situation..or at least as much as she would tell him right now unless he asked for more information he couldn’t help but feel a chill go down his spine. The silence that followed after she finished speaking was deafening..and it only was made more apparent as Mirelda suddenly slapped her book shut which caused Jason to jump in response and quickly look over at her..and meet her hard stare..she was clearly either not impressed with him right now..or she was just eagerly waiting to see what his answer would be.

Jason would look back towards the supposed Goddess and fall into silence again as he looked down in thought. There was at least a little relief in a way to know that he wasn’t going to be in any physical danger..but at the same time he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly these competitions were..and why they needed champions to begin with. He dealt with mentally straining and damaging things every day..every day he saw the absolute worst of humanity..parents and grandparents molesting their children, rape victims, murder victims, and so so so much more..and every day it was a taxing experience on his mind..but..he had swore that he would pay any price..sacrifice anything of himself to see that the victims had their voice..that the victims got the justice that they deserved..and he had to assume that he was being chosen for some grand reason..what it was he couldn’t think of..but..if this Goddess needed him..well..then he had no reason to turn her down.

“..Alright..as long as you promise to answer the rest of my questions..and to give me the full explanation..I’ll agree to help you out. Clearly you chose me for some reason..what that reason is I don’t know..but..I swore an oath to myself that if someone needs my help and I can give it..that I would. So..you need my help..well..you’ve got it.”
 
A sweet smile bloomed across Nata's face as she listened to Jason's response, her eyes lingering warmly on him. "Yes--" she began, before the warm, two person world created between the man and the goddess was abruptly interrupted by the sound of muffled giggles coming from the other side of the aisle.

Mirelda had lost hold of her book, which was now sitting half-open on the pew next to her, one page awkwardly folded from the drop. One hand was pressed to her side, the other half covering her mouth, as she failed to restrain the laughter that was pouring out from between her lips. Nata sighed slightly, turning to cast a disapproving look in the other woman's direction.

"Mirelda," she said softly, her voice containing all the rebuke of a disapproving parent.

However, Nata's response did nothing to stifle the laughter pouring from the brown-haired woman. Instead, it only caused her chuckles to break the dam, transforming into full-on laughter. "Haha, Nata, I can't... can't take it. Him sitting there—having just become a demigod—so confidently proclaiming that he's the one helping you! If he ever said that in a challenge I'm sure he'd win on the spot, simply because... because... because everyone else would die laughing as soon as they heard him!" If Mirelda intended to say anything else, the words were completely swallowed by the next wave of laughter that came from her.

Nata shook her head, sighing at the laughing woman. "He is helping me," she rebuked, before turning to smile at Jason once more. "You both are doing something I can't do by myself, and I'm grateful for it."

Mirelda shook her head a few times, finally getting her laughter under control. "You're so easygoing, Nata," Mirelda stated, the words hardly sounding like a compliment. Instead, her eyes turned to Jason. "Can you not imagine how many people out there would kill for the chance to be given a piece of divinity? And, if you do well, you're going to be earning more. You've just stumbled your way into an incredible opportunity, you know."

Still crouched in front of Jason, Nata sighed again. "Ignore her. I promise I will do my best to answer your questions. What do you want to know first?"
 
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Jason would give a weak smile as Nata smiled at him in response to his agreement to help her out..however that moment between him and the goddess was quickly ruined by the sound of laughter..and when he turned his head he would find Mirelda laughing almost uncontrollably…to which in response he could only manage a small frown and a glare in her direction. Especially as she conintuned on with why she was laughing and saying that if he said something like that in a challenge everyone would die laughing. What was so funny about what he had said? It was the truth wasn’t it? She came to him asking him for help..yes he got this..divinity from her and that she could take it away just as easily but the fact of the matter was at the end of the day she was asking for his help because he could walk away from this situation..the Goddess couldn’t.

Turning his attention back to the Goddess he would follow her advice and simply ignore Mirelda before he slowly spoke “..Well I think a good place to start would be the beginning. What is all of this exactly? What is divinity? What is all happening? You haven’t really explained anything other then you need my assistance in all of this and that if I had wanted to I could leave and I would forget about all of this..so..maybe that would be a good place to start.”
 
It was impossible for Mirelda to miss the expression of distaste that Jason cast in her direction. She responded by blatantly ignoring him. She was far from convinced about this supposed new partner of hers, and doubted he was particularly sold on her, either. He seemed like the innocent, optimistic type, someone who'd just waltzed out of a hero's storybook. Whereas she... she was the bitter veteran of a war story, full of spite and sarcasm.

Every god had their type, the kind of person they considered suitable to be a champion. Some were dedicated, some held immense willpower, some were downright cruel. Few, if any, were nice people. But she'd never seen any god who brought together two such different people, and she didn't know what Fortunata expected from the two of them. It didn't seem like a harmonious combination in the least.

If Nata knew anything of Mirelda's thoughts, she didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, after her previous rebuke, she was now putting into practice her own advice, and seemed to be acting as though Mirelda wasn't even in the church. Instead, her focus remained on Jason.

"Divinity is the common power of the gods. It is... an infinite source of energy and mysticism, and reacts to whoever wields it. This means that a god's power grows stronger the more divinity they possess. The gods have been fighting each other for divinity since the moment they understood what it was capable of. However, the fights eventually grew so devastating that it almost came to destroy our realm.

"The gods knew they couldn't continue the war if they wanted to survive, but their greed for divinity did not lessen. Therefore, the most powerful gods came together and created a war by proxy. Each god could use their divinity to nominate Champions, who will compete against each other in challenges. To the winner goes a fragment of divinity, taken directly from the loser. The only way to reclaim divinity is to find a Champion strong enough to take it back."

It was a comprehensive summary, Mirelda decided, if more than a little superficial. However, it was much cleaner and more concise than Mirelda herself could have managed, and the details would come out slowly as they progressed.
 
The way Nata was explaining the situation to him it was definitely making a lot more sense in some ways in other ways not so much. Mostly in the sense of why did the Gods start fighting each other for the divinity in the first place? If they knew that they all needed it why start the war to begin with? But then again..humanity wasn’t one to talk. These Gods only knew what wars had been started by humans..and for likely much less then this divinity meant to the Gods. While he still didn’t understand completely what this divinity stuff was he understood just from her tony of voice that it was still incredibly important and that at the base whatever it was it made the Gods more powerful the more of it that they had.

“Alright..so to summarize..the Gods have been fighting for this divinity for who knows how long. Since they almost destroyed each other and their realm as you put it..they stopped fighting for it directly and started getting champions to fight for them instead. Each time you win..you get divinity from the loser and the more divinity you have the more powerful you are..am I correct so far? If so..then here are my next few questions..you mentioned challenges..what exactly are these challenges? I mean…are they contests of strength? Like fights to the death or anything like that? Then my next question would be..you mentioned that us as champions get some divinity in return for becoming champions but what exactly does that divinity do to us? I’m assuming it gives us some kind of..special ability or something like that but..how so? I mean…does it differ from person to person? Or is it pretty much generalize in terms of increased strength and speed and stuff like that? Then there’s the question of what happens not only to you..but to us if you lose all your divinity? Then there’s also the question of how many other champions do you have? Is it really just me and Mirelda?..and then probably the most important question at least from a personal stand point..why me?”
 
As Jason's questions continued to tumble out of his mouth, Nata leaned back, a trace of amusement in her eyes as she waited for him to finish speaking. Mirelda, on the other hand, quickly went from amusement to exasperation. "God's above," she said when Jason finally stopped talking. "You know you have to shut up in order for people to actually answer a question, right? Do you even remember half of what you just asked? How do you expect someone to respond to all that in one go?"

This time, Nata didn't rebuke Mirelda's outburst. Instead, there was a trace of an awkward smile on her face as she hushed the other woman with a wave of her hand. "I will try and answer what I can. First, and most importantly, challenges are absolutely not fights to the death. As I said, they are not physically dangerous."

Mirelda's eyes averted slightly, a momentary flash of discomfort crossing her face. Technically, Fortunata's words were a lie. However, the difference was that challenges only became deadly if the Champion and their corresponding god actively chose to make them so. Perhaps Nata was trying to keep them safe by pretending that option didn't even exist. After all, they couldn't participate if they didn't know about the deadly challenges.

"However," Nata continued, at the very least acting as though she was unaware of Mirelda's mometary flash of guilt. "Other than that, challenges can be almost anything. They are not consistent, and can cover as wide of a range as finding an object, to defending a location, to racing to a point. All that is guaranteed is that there is at least two sides to every challenge, and a clear winner and loser."

"You missed the important part, Nata." Mirelda straightened herself proudly, glancing over at Jason. "Challenges don't take place on Earth. Instead, they take place in worlds made by the gods themselves. That means challenges can also include things you'd never see on Earth. An example being stealing something from a dragon's nest. So don't count on the fact that your common sense will always work in a Challenge World."

"Ah, yes. That is correct." Nata nodded slightly, offering Jason a reassuring smile. "But don't worry. Challenges may be somewhat randomized, but I am the Goddess of Good Luck. You and Mirelda won't end up in a challenge you're completely unsuited for.

"Speaking of, you asked about divinity, correct? Just like for the gods, any fragment of divinity will react differently depending on who wields it. That means the abilities it grants you will be entirely dependent on your inherent nature. It cannot be changed, and there is no standard for it. Even I cannot predict how divinity will react with you. You'll have to slowly learn and explore it for yourself."
 
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Jason would shoot a look towards Mirelda as she went off on him again and this time he found that he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself and before he could stop himself he started speaking "Well sorry that I'm a curious man and that this is all quite a shock. I mean seriously this isn't every day life that I'm dealing with here. And how am I supposed to know what's easy to answer and what isn't? Also I don't necessarily want to hear this from you. You've had plenty of time to come to terms with all of this and get to know it and understand it. If your going to sit there and tell me that you were perfectly cool calm and collected the entire time when you were first introduced to all of this I'm going to have to call you a liar because this completely shakes and practically tramples upon everything that we believe to be real and natural in the world. I mean seriously..we're talking about Gods and divinity and..all kinds of other stuff. So excuse me for having questions and being a little excited with my questions."

He would then turn to Nata as she continued on to explain the situation to him. "So to summarize...the challenges can be literally anything anyone can think of..and they can take place in any kind of realm or..setting..or..what have you. So pretty much all terms of common sense need to be thrown out the window and you constantly need to be willing to evolve and think outside the box. And as far as the divinity goes..divinity reacts to people differently and it has nothing to do with the actual divinity earned. And for how I need to figure out how the divinity you gave me effects me..I just pretty much need to go out and try things out and try and figure it out for myself correct?"