[OOC][PLOT] Planning for Arc 1 - Arrivals

[Black Aeronaut]

Taking things out of order...

many of the bullet points on Ben's list: Youthful, but not underage; tiny; very intelligent; and incredibly dangerous.

If it wasn't for the first and last criteria on that list, I'd be wondering what Ben thinks of Nakano Azuza from K-On!. (And Azuza isn't going to be underage for too much longer, although I expect she'd be more interested in college than marriage once she graduates from high school. Her lack of power (other than the Power of Rock™), OTOH...)

Have you forgotten how I've made perfectly normal girls into outrageously dangerous little vixens while somehow keeping them entirely within character?  Minmei comes to mind, though I had a lot of wiggle room there.  

Really, the more I bring in, the harder this is for Ben.  And few people would really understand how bad it is for him.

If Rei mentions anything to Usagi - and I suspect she would - then Ben can expect a personal intervention after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Yes, Fate (not Nanoha's Fate) has dealt Ben a shitty hand. Yes, Ben's life has been miserable. But there is absolutely no reason why it needs to remain miserable. Ben has friends now; Usagi noticed how Ben and Tenchi got along at the Halloween party, just for one example. Ben's doing useful work and has the respect of his peers. And Usagi is willing to help Ben, or even just give him a shoulder to cry on, whenever he asks.

Oooh.  Ben's gonna pull the Kirk defensive here...

"Ben, you have to let me do this.  It's killing you!"

"Usagi...  You know that I love you all, right?"

Tears forming in her eyes, Usagi nodded.

"Then you understand, while I can love you as sisters, I could never..."  his voice faltered and he steadied himself.  "I could never have what I really want.  It's not my place."

"But... at least I can take you pain away."

Benn shook his head slowly.  "No.  This pain... it's part of what I am, part of what makes me me.  Yes, I've made mistakes.  Every morning I wake up alone and I confront those mistakes again and again.  But if I didn't make those mistakes in the past, would I be the person I am today?  Would I have the strength of character to stand up to the likes of Ryouko and tell her to chill?  Or to look down at Teletha and tell her she needs to ease up?  Or sweet little Nanoha, telling her that she needs to relax and be a kid while she can enjoy it?  Would I have the courage to do these every day things if I didn't have this pain?"

"You made Rei-chan cry," said Usagi softly.  "I've never seen her cry like that before.  I couldn't believe it.  Something inside of you frightened her so much that I'm afraid of letting you see her again.  And what's so terrible about that is that I cannot see how you can hold something that horrible inside of you when you are the sweetest, most kind, gentle, and loving man I have ever seen since my Mamourou or Rob-san."

"I know," he said, feeling like he was a thousand years old as he put his head to the doorway, his eyes screwed shut.  "I am so sorry that I hurt her.  I shouldn't have talked to her.  I should have just kept my distance.  As for what she saw?  She saw my soul.  She saw how it hungered for warmth - so much so that it feels like a black hole trying to pull you in.  That is what scared Rei - that I might consume her completely."

"Then... can we at least talk?"

Benjamin shrugged.  "What is there to talk about?  I've had my loves.  I either made mistakes, or they couldn't handle my intensity.  The one that I wish..."  He sighed and sat down on the couch.  "She couldn't leave her family behind.  She chose that over me.  She and I...  I could feel how we matched.  She not only handled my intensity, she let it fuel her own passion.  We'd make utterly bed-breaking love to each other, then tell me how much she loved it even though it made her sore.  And her mind was utterly diabolical.  She was studying psychology and wanted to be a profiler for serial killers - to get into their heads and discern what they were thinking.  She was twisted, in a ways.  Perverted, you might even say.  But it was something I could love and appreciate.

"And I had to leave her behind.

"And that was just the cleanest breakup I've ever had.  There's also my childhood.  I can go on and on about all the horrible things I've had to live through.  How half of my brothers were verging on being psychotic while we were growing up.  How my step-dad would berate me in front of said siblings, and then demand that I be a leader to them.  You would not believe the vindication I felt when my step-brother from my step-dad's first marriage called him out on how he treated me!  He could hardly believe his own dad would do that, but it happened right before his eyes and it disgusted him."

Benjamin then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You take my pain away, you're going to lobotomize me.  Because so much of my life has been hurt and suffering that taking it all away would leave me a mere shadow of myself.  I'd be just a child - naive and weak willed.  Yes, I would be happier.  But I also wouldn't be able to do even a tenth of what I do now."

And then to Usagi's surprise, he got up and then pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.  "Thank you for trying anyways.... little sister."

That was it.  The straw that broke the camel's back.  Usagi started bawling against his chest.

The world really was a horrible place.  Because not with youma, but instead with everyday people, had this man been made to suffer.  And she could do nothing about it.  But Ben knew, as she wailed pitifully, that this was just how life was.  And for this bit of pain?  Usagi herself would be a stronger, wiser person for it.

Ben only hoped that his own stamina would hold out until someone would come along, strong enough to help him shoulder the burden.

And then, just because I haven't punched you in the feels hard enough, we go out on this little gem of a classic...



Egads, I'm such an evil cuss. 

Might be interesting if a seed of attraction was planted in Nanoha of all people.  Or better yet, Ruby Rose.

So... Nanoha, Ruby, and Weiss? Misquoting Mii quoting Washuu-chan, "if you were a Juraian noble, you could marry all three of them and a couple more, too."

Although I suspect Nanoha wouldn't be interested in anybody who wasn't also interested in Fate. (And, if we're talking post-StrikerS, he'd also need to be interested in being a parental figure for Vivio... but Ben's already qualified there.)

Oh man, and I had this little bit where Nanoha is getting teased absolutely MERCILESSLY by Fate, Hayate, and Signum the moment she makes her feelings known!  Let's see if I can recreate it...

(Bear in mind, this is about where they're all 16 - they're more or less done with their growth spurts, but the hormones are still very much raging...)

Nanoha:  "Poor Benjamin.  He feels so lonely.  I wish I was older so I could make him feel better."
Fate: "Hmm?  Why is that?"
Nanoha:  "Well, he kinda reminds me of my brother, Kyouya.  Only... not as distant.  He is so incredibly brave and strong... but Benjamin is also so warm and passionate.  He always gives the best hugs.  I love it when he hugs me.  It makes me feel nice."
Fate: "Oh?  And what about the hugs I give you~?"
Nanoha: (O///O) "Of course I love your hugs, too, Fate!  You're so important to me after all!"
Fate: *grinning an evil little grin*  "I know.  But this is the first time I've ever seen you show such interest in another man.  Could it be that you're not as homosexual as you thought~?"
Nanoha:  "No!  Benjamin is special!  I don't think I could look at anyone else the same way as him!"
Hayate: "What's going on?"
Fate: "Ah, perfect timing Hayate.  It seems that Nanoha is crushing on our apartment manager~."
Hayate: *thoughtful look* "And this doesn't matter to you?"
Fate: "Gender isn't important to me.  If Nanoha can make Ben reciprocate her feelings (which I don't think will be very hard for her to do~) then I feel I can come to love him as well.  Besides, she is right: Ben does give the best hugs."
Hayate: "Hmmm.  It's actually kinda tempting for me to get in on that."
Nanoha:  "!?!?!?!?!!!!"
Hayate:  "What?  You honestly thought that just because I've spent a few nights with you both that I was only a lesbian?  Have you ever even seen my ero collection?"
Fate: *raises an eyebrow*
Nanoha: *Nuclear Blush*
Signum:  "Master.  Fate, Nanoha...  What's going on?"
Fate: "Apparently we're discussing the merits of bedding Benjamin."
Nanoha:  *Steam starts to blow off from her head.*
Signum: *nodding sagely*  "He is quite the man.  Had he been born among us Belkans in the times of trouble, I have little doubt that he could have pulled everyone together while annihilating all that opposed him.  Truly he would have been a Knight among Knights.  No, I even dare say he could have been wed to the Sankt Kaiser and ruled Belka by her side."
Hayate: "Didn't Belka practice concubinage?"
Signum:  "Indeed.  In the more powerful families, it was viewed as a necessity in order to secure family allegiances.  And more often than not, it was the concubine that had the true love."
*All turn to Nanoha.*
Fate:  "Well, I leave it to you, Nanoha.  If you want him, then I can oblige.  It might actually be fun for us to take him together.  I've heard Sasami-chan whispering that he is a very... well, energetic lover."
Signum:  "This I have heard as well from Urd.  She said that she hadn't been bedded like that since the last time she dated a giant."
Hayate:  "You don't mean..."
Signum:  "Oh no.  I thought the same and Urd put me at ease.  He is merely modest in that area.  What caught Urd by surprise was how ferocious he was in the bed.  She said it was a shame that they weren't a good fit for each other - she could definitely get used to that kind of afterglow every morning."
Nanoha:  "every... morning... meaning..."
Signum:  "Oh yes.  Quite insatiable.  Even if all three of you worked together, I think you would be hard pressed to keep up.  No pun intended."
Nanoha: *Finally short-circuits completely and passes out with a slight nosebleed.*
Fate: "Hmmm.  It would seem that she is serious then.  I've never seen her with a nosebleed... at least not since our first time.  Hmmm, that was fun~.  Awkward, but fun."
Hayate:  "Though this time we'd have the advantage in that Ben apparently knows what he's doing."

Poor Nanoha...  

Really, the only ones that I can see going for him are the ones young enough that he leaves a strong impression on them and, because they tend to be a lot less jaded, can see his limitations for what they are and are willing to give him the benefit of a doubt.

Which, in your SI's complex, might include Sayaka Miki and Mami Tomoe - but they're definitely still too young. (Homura Akemi is already too jaded despite her youth.)

You think so?  

Akemi Homura lay awake in bed that night.

This was nothing new to her.  However, the reasons for it were quite radical: Kaname Madoka was in her arms entirely of her own volition.  And this was very much so her volition.  The three-bedroom apartment unit that Benjamin had given them had bunk bed sets in the two larger rooms, and a loft bed in the smaller room.  Initially, Homura had wanted to take that smaller room with the single bed - it would have been sufficient.  But Madoka would have none of it.  She felt that Homura needed all the company she could get after being alone for so long.  Instead, Sayaka had taken the smaller room, feeling that Mami and Kyoko had a lot of patching up to do.

Suddenly, Kaname shifted and Akemi felt her lips press gently to her own.  "It's alright," said Kaname softly in the dark.  "I can understand why it's so hard for you to sleep.  I feel the same way right now."

"That it's finally over?" said Akemi.  "That we can finally lead normal lives?"

"The first part, for sure.  The second part... Nothing is ever going to be normal for you and me, ever again.  But that's alright.  We're no longer caught up in that hell.  And no, it was not your fault.  You didn't know any better, and once you did know better, you did everything in your power to make it right for my sake.  How can I not love you for that?"

"I've still been wondering that myself," said Akemi sullenly.

"Hmm.  Maybe we should give you to Benjamin for a while?"

"... He-ehh!?"

Kaname chuckled.  "Why so shocked?  He is so much like you that it almost hurts for me to look at him.  Didn't you see him?  His eyes are just like yours once you've committed yourself to action.  He is our very own Black Knight, Akemi-chan.  He uses his pain and rage and grief, turning it into his armor and weapons.  It is a sad and terrible thing to see, but it gives him incredible power.  And every day, he struggles not to be consumed by it.

"So very much like you."

"But I was consumed..."

"No.  You weren't.  You were always there for me.  Always at each and every time.  Even those times I began to turn to a witch, you were still with me.  You never gave in.  Even- No.  ESPECIALLY when things were at their most hopeless.  You.  Were.  There.

"This is what I want you to do, Akemi-chan.  Go to him.  Live with him in his home.  Come to understand him.  He will heal you in a way you never thought possible.  Despite how he suffers, there is a profound wisdom in the ways of his heart.  Because even if he has been hurt, he has never forgotten how to love."

"But Kaname, what about you?"

Kaname chuckled softly.  "I'll be right here, Akemi-chan.  And this time, I'll be the one watching over you, praying for your heart to be healed."

Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh...

Teletha might have been nice as she'd be the type to sit down with Benjamin and match wits with him in one way or another.  But again, too young, and also carrying a torch for Sosuke - in fact, after the Halloween Party she'd probably form some kind of pact with Kaname.  While a bit annoying, Kaname can certainly appreciate Teletha and have her as sister-wife.

I can see Sosuke/Kaname/Tessa... with Teletha being the noble (Whispered plus command experience should be enough to qualify for a minor Juraian noble rank, I'd expect.)

Of course, nobody's brought in Full Metal Panic. Yet.

It's in the works...  Really, that's the next thing I plan on doing...

Running gag:
Tessa: "Teletha Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."
Fate: "Fate Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."
Person being spoken with: "Are you two related?"
Fate or Tessa, trading off: "We don't think so."

EDIT: Or, for somebody who actually speaks Italian:
Tessa: "Teletha Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."
Fate: "Fate Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."
Person being spoken with: "Testarossa? But you're both testa rubia."
Fate and Tessa: "Okay, that reply's new."

Ah yes.  I remember this one from the DSKS threads.  

Since it's come up: What I'm thinking for my SI's building - and plans change as stories are written - is the dynamics settle down into a few different families, official or not. Usagi would insist that laws regarding polyamourous relationships apply to everyone equally (not just the nobility), and she and Mamoru together have the power and lineage to make their claim to the Sol system stick if the Juraians complain. Whether that means group marriages for everybody or for nobody remains to be seen.

Really, I think that polyamory in general is more or less, if not the norm, then socially acceptable in the greater galaxy in the Tenchi-verse.

• First Family (with a Head of State and everything): Usagi, Mamoru, and Rei, with Chibi-Usa as a dependent.
  
• All alone because of that thrice-dammed curse: Minako. (Just ask her. Everyone else will consider her to be part of the building's first family, especially Usagi, Rei, and Mamoru.)
  
• Second family: Luna and Artemis, with Diana as a dependent. Yeah, going with canon here - there aren't a lot of talking cats out there to add to this dynamic, and they seem more comfortable in feline form than in human form.
  
• Third family: SI-Rob, Mii, Ami, and Makoto.
  
• Fourth family: Kamijo Touma (who hasn't shown up yet), Mikoto, Kuroko, and Misaka Niiko (sister 10032), with Index (who hasn't shown up yet) as a dependent. Touma/Minako is canon. Touma/10032 is strongly shippable by canon; he saved her life specifically and the other clones' lives generally, she was the first person who he ever gave a gift to, and she canonically has feelings of some sort for him.
  
• Fifth family: Ruiko, Kazari, and ... somebody. (Not Accelerator.)
  

Makes sense to me, except the bit with Venus.  What's this curse that you speak of?  I may have heard it before, but it's slipping my mind...

As for the Jack of Kinrowan characters, Jacky's canonically in an on-again-off-again relationship, Kate is single and wants a relationship, and Finn hasn't expressed an opinion on the matter.

I'm gonna have to go find these books...

I don't know (or am not sure) what to do with Accelerator, Misaka Kokono (10339), Misaka Nana (13577), Misaka Rei (19090), Misaka Misaka (20001, a.k.a. "Last Order"), and Kazakiri Hyoga (who hasn't shown up yet but by canon has a connection to Misaka Misaka). All I am sure about is (a) Misaka Misaka and Kazakiri Hyoga stay together, and (b) that Accelerator isn't about to marry the sisters of the clones girls he killed, even if he does Get A Clue™ and stops being an asshole all the time. (Luckily for him, it's canon that helping to look after Misaka Misaka is giving him at least part of that much-needed clue... but he might end up alone anyway.) It would be reasonable for spoilers-regarding-canon to include a Misaka Sister in each of the first, third, and fifth families listed above; the girls might even be interested.

Accelerator kinda strikes me as the natural loner anyhow - the one who is just fine being on his own, and having only limited contact with people.  Though I'm sure Misaka Misaka won't let him get away with that entirely.  

(And if I get any urges to add more "friendly" characters to my corner of this, please whack me over the head with a paper fan. More foes are good; more people who I'll need to write on an ongoing basis are bad.)

Kek.  I'll keep that in mind.

---

Dartz, the new story post looks great!  I love where you're going with it.

---

Rob, just saw your new one, too.  Hoo boy, he's about to have a whopper laid on him by those two, isn't he?