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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2015 21:38:23 GMT
 Nathaniel sat in his room in the Watch-tower staring at his reflection in the mirror. It was so very real to see his human form, to see and feel the flesh beneath his fingers, to feel his own heart-beat blood running through his veins and to see his very human face staring back at him. It was a face untouched by the age that had ruined and withered away his family and he disliked it. He was a handsome, strong jawed man with silver hair and bright eyes an envious physique and a pleasant smile and yet he hated himself for being all of those things for surviving the test of time due to little more than good luck. It could have been anyone selected to go upto that goddamned ship and he just happened to be the guy they sent, the guy who had been propelled through time and ended up saved from time. He was billed as the ‘hero of tomorrow’ and he felt like the hero of the past. He had no idea how to use the internet or a DVD player, his brief foray into games consoles had ended with him dismissing the whole thing as childish fantasy and he had found himself in his room sat there with Grant.
Grant mewled at him and he stroked the cat’s head absentmindedly rewarded with a purr. “You don’t see me as just another idiot d’you Grant?” the cat purred again and Nathaniel imagined it was something of a yes. But then he did feed the blasted thing and keep it warm and watered so equally it could have just been a gesture to remind him to fill its bowl before leaving his room again. Standing he reached into a small cupboard above his bed and felt around for one of the pouches. His hand came into contact with something metal and he drew it out with a soft rustle as well as one of the little pouches full of apparently nutritious food that his cat would just love. Tearing the pouch and filling the little bowl for the cat he stared at the metal objects he’d pulled from the cupboard. His medals.
There were four of them. Each one moulded into a shape, each one emblazoned with its own message to remind him what it was. The ribbons were all in perfect condition and each medal was burnished and well maintained and looked after, he must have misplaced them during a move of some sort. “S’been a while.” he said quietly to the inanimate objects and then running his warm, very human fingers over them he felt himself grow cold. These medals had all been won in a war that had long since been over, a war that was remembered in bad movies, by its heart-broken and distraught veterans and by military minds that factored its effects into modern strategic decisions. Vietnam was a world away now and Nathaniel felt that ever too familiar feeling of oddness that he was out of place in modern society. His war was Vietnam and yet he was barely middle aged, in fact he was less than middle aged according to the standard of the day.
He felt far older than that though and in truth he was far older than that. Seventy seven years had been and gone since he had been born and here he was having outlived his entire family and having nothing to show for it except the warmth of patriotism. That was all he had left now, his country and his heroic duty. That was it. Nothing else apart from a cat that needed feeding and team-mates that needed helping and yet because of him, because of his judgement call a boy had died. “Used t’be that you’d bring the mother and Father the letter y’self eh?” he said and looked down at Grant and then ran his fingers over his medals. “Man like me don’ deserve no medals… kid like him though. Jesus Christ. What the hell could I have done better?” placing his medals on his bed and disposing of the empty pouch he exited his room and continued on deeper into the watch tower intending on training.
Perhaps a little fist fighting would help with the guilt. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2015 9:37:01 GMT
Time.
Time takes it all, whether you want it to or not. Time takes it all, and bears it away and in the end there is only darkness. Sometimes we find others in that darkness, and sometime we lose them there again. Blue eyes lift up from the book she was reading and out into the vastness of space. There upon the observation deck, her favorite place to sit and relax, gaze upon the stars and the beautiful blue planet below; the serenity and silence a salve for any strife or turmoil one feels for looking out into that vast darkness of space speckled by the flecks of bright twinkling lights of planets and suns light years away makes one's own struggles seem minute in the grand scheme of the cosmos.
Delicate fingers move to the side to lift a cup of tea and put it to lips as the steaming liquid warmed her with each sip, eyes still looking out at the vastness of space, beautiful in an indescribable way and yet in some ways also frightening for the vastness and the unknown. Yet there seems to be a kind of order in the universe, in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth on axis; the changes of the seasons. Even our lives, chaotic as it seems still plays a formulaic dance. Everyone takes a stance, asserts their own rights and feelings and with each action comes an equal and opposite reaction to counter balance the scene. Just when things are going right, the proverbial rug is pulled from under you and just when you think you are at the bottom of a pit with no way to crawl out, a light is shown to guide you.
It was then and there that Diana sensed it, seated comfortably with her book and tea upon the observation deck of the Watchtower a restlessness and perhaps a bit of melancholy...not it was guilt. Regardless, it was like a trumpet to her; one sensitive and a tune to the emotions and struggles of others. Diana was compelled to seek out this feeling so the Amazonian princess closed her book, set tea aside and rose to her feet following that sense of lonely isolation, that frustration and melancholy guilt until it was that Diana found herself at one of the training rooms and Captain Atom was there.
"Nathaniel." Diana greeted with a soft warm smile as she entered. The man was the source of what she sensed earlier that much was clear and clearer still was the man's need to work out that sense of guilt.
At this point one is brought to a crossroads, ask what is wrong only such a question puts one person in a position of 'power' or standing over another. The one with the 'issues' below and the one 'without' above. Often such interactions makes one feel too ashamed in the admission of a problem or one could feel like not wanting to obligate the other with a burden of problems not their own. Thus the question of 'is anything wrong?' would be counterproductive most times as walls draw up with words of denial that only serve to force one to turn inwards rather than deal. Or one could be a friend, allow the person to work out his or her issues while being that sounding board or support all without uttering words to make one feel weak or incapable. Empowering others was what Diana strove to achieve, she wasn't here to 'fix' Nathaniel's problems but she would be there for him as support while he pieced it together himself, with her there along the way in her own silent unsolicited support.
"Would you like a sparring partner?" It was a simple enough question to ask, a gradual progression of things as they were in a training room after all. So Diana had asked casually as she stepped further into the room towards him, not looking at all like she knew his turmoil even if she could read the look of the man that seemed as though he wanted to fight through something; his guilt perhaps. By looking into his eyes though she could see...
Time.
It took it all away from him, and the bleak darkness of guilt surrounded him. But like her book said, sometimes we find others in that darkness, and sometime we lose them there again. Whatever it was he had lost Diana would help him work through that darkness. If he'd let her.
OOC: I assumed he was already at the training room when Diana crossed paths with him. Lemme know if I made a mistake in assuming that and I'll fix it  Also, first Wonder Woman post so hope it was ok. |
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Also, first Wonder Woman post so hope it was ok.
