|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:47 am
Ganymede frowned but accepted what little information Cybele had with a nod, filing away the names Sylvite and General-King Axinite for future reference.
Apatite had been replaced after her death. They knew that. Hearing a name simply reinforced that knowledge. Perhaps, one day, Ganymede would have an opportunity to see this Axinite for herself. With any luck, he’d go the way of Apatite before long.
The new knowledge that Cybele had been corrupted at a training event…
Ganymede knew she’d been running those. Cybele told her. Would it have made a difference if Ganymede had been there? Would she have been able to save Cybele then, before any of this could happen? She would never know now, of course, and she couldn’t let the guilt or the uncertainty overwhelm her. What was done was done. Their only option now was to move forward.
Smiling a greeting for Alya and returning his wave, Ganymede said, “Nice to meet you, especially under these circumstances.”
Purifications were tiring, and required a level of power that rarely went unnoticed, but they were cause for excitement, too, and celebration. With Alya’s arrival, the anticipation rose significantly. Ganymede’s heart jumped in her chest.
“If you’re ready…”
Briefly closing her eyes, Ganymede drew on her power, let it rise within her, and stood before them seconds later not as an Eternal Senshi, but as a Princess.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2021 2:31 pm
Footsteps joined the aura soon enough, and then Alya was there. Cybele's eyes brightened, and a bit more of the tension dropped out of her shoulders, at least until he was asking if she was okay. "Oh," she whispered. "You're asking that again." The wave of warmth was still rising in her chest, still threatening to burst through as more tears at any moment, but Cybele held herself motionless, and her eyes stayed mostly dry as she blinked. People caring about her like this was going to take some getting used to. "I know it might not seem like it, but I've been thinking about your question for a long time, " she said, voice mostly steady. "I found the answer about a week ago. I'm not okay. Not like this." She traced the cracks in her chest with a single finger. She wasn't sure that the purification alone could bring her back to feeling alive, the way that she had in that snippet of memory, but with Alya here, too, rushing to her side from across town, she knew that she at least wanted to try. "I wanted to thank you for asking that," she said. Her gaze flicked to the ground, but then she caught herself and met his eyes instead. "I wanted to thank you for everything you said. I heard you back then. It just took a long time for me to listen." The intense, uncomfortably bright aura of Ganymede's Princess form was unmistakable, and Cybele turned back to her. There was more that she could say, but even without the senshi flaunting her Royal power, their combined auras had to be making quite a beacon at this point. It was time. "If I forget my story, can you tell me that I never wanted this?" she asked both of them, her fingers moving from the cracks to curl around her own starseed one last time. "With you here, I don't mind the rest, but I don't think that I want to forget that." She took one step towards the Princess, and then another. For some reason, she could feel her heart beating in her throat, even though she knew she wanted this. She wanted to be able to call these people her friends without any hesitation. She wanted to fight at their sides again. She knelt a foot in front of Ganymede, letting go of her starseed to clasp her hands in front of her instead. "That's all," she said, her voice softer. "I think I'm ready."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:20 pm
The raw power of a Princess was enough to make Alya’s heart pound a bit more, and he couldn’t say that he was intimidated in her presence but there was something uniquely overwhelming and dually comforting with the energy she radiated. He felt both smothered and relieved, and it took a few seconds for him to ease next the new, unfamiliar power.
He was still processing what Cybele had said, and he’d have been lying if he said his heart wasn’t pounding. It ached, because he felt for how much she’d lost, how much she’d suffered through, how much she’d had to handle on her own.
...But she was coming home. She was saving herself.
She was stronger than the Negaverse could ever be; even after all of it, she was still herself.
There was a lump in his throat, and there were so many things he would have liked to say, but there was no guarantee she’d remember them--and no guarantee that they even had time for it.
But, they’d have the future, and he wanted to be there for her for that, too.
“I’m proud of you, Cybele,” he said softly. “I’ll always be here. We’ll get this all figured out when you’re safe. I won’t let you forget anything I know to tell.”
He hadn’t seen a purification, not really; he stayed close, so Cybele would know he was there, but not close enough to crowd. He didn’t know what Ganymede needed to do, but he wasn’t going to to get in her way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:37 pm
Ganymede liked to think few people truly wanted corruption. They were tricked and lied to, used by a power few of them even understood, forced to its will by those who knew no better. Certainly there were those with souls already tainted without Chaos, drawn to it for everything it allowed them to be, but she wanted to believe that those sorts were few and far between.
After a nod of agreement, Ganymede summoned her crystal, holding it between her hands.
She was distinctly aware of her aura like this. If no one noticed it yet, they would soon. They were lucky no one had been in the area to sense them congregating. Ganymede could not let herself rely on luck for much longer. Luck was fickle. Chances were it wouldn’t last.
Ganymede stared into Cybele’s eyes, took a calming breath, and said, “This will be over soon.”
Then she drew upon her power, all the glorious light she carried within herself, and with her crystal, she channeled it into Cybele.
Having never been corrupted, Ganymede never had the opportunity to be purified, so she couldn’t be sure what it felt like. She often thought of it like the light was burning the Chaos away. Her magic was like that on its own, in a way. With purification, she was filling the shadows in one’s soul until there was no darkness left — only light.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2021 3:47 pm
It turned out that the healing burned. It was as if all of the brightness and heat of Ganymede's aura, which had made her breath catch even with the Princess a few feet away, was shoved all at once into her battered soul. Her eyes were locked on Ganymede the whole time. Cybele was not afraid of pain, but she was not immune to it, either. She did not flinch, or run, but the tears that she'd held back began to flow freely again. She could feel something shifting in her head, some kind of weight being lifted. That helped the tears flow, too. The cracks in her chest and head sealed shut. The black drained from her bodice, replaced by soft white. One by one, the withered thorns that were on her wrists and tiara burst into bloom. For a moment, the wings at her back feathered out. Then, they dissolved into nothingness. Cybele's aura was weaker when she took a step back from Ganymede. Her starseed throbbed with each heartbeat, even once the intensity of the purification itself was over. She put a hand over her chest and sank to her knees, the tears still fresh on her face. It wasn't easy, or perfect, but for the first time in eight months, all of the tension left her shoulders.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 7:01 am
Hearing about a purification was one thing. Seeing it was another.
Alya felt his eyes burning and had to blink a few times to clear them, and he didn’t know if it was a natural side effect or if he just had emotions creeping in.
It didn’t register to him at first that Cybele wasn’t the Eternal Senshi he’d come to know her as; he was too busy being distracted by the Order signature, and the way the black disappeared, replaced by her colors.
Ganymede must have been some comfort to her; they’d seemed friendly enough when he arrived. He didn’t know what relationship they had, but for the brief second that he looked at the Princess, he expressed worry for her well-being too.
Alya stepped quickly to Cybele, kneeling next to her and gently placing his hand on her back. “Cybele,” he said gently; he didn’t want to startle her, but he wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone--she wasn’t going to have to be alone. “Welcome home.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 8:23 am
Ganymede was careful. She didn’t rush it, even though she knew they were pressed for time, congregating out in the open like this. She kept channeling her magic until all evidence of Chaos was gone, until Cybele’s starseed was healed, and she was free from the darkness.
Hopefully for good.
When all was as it should be, Ganymede pulled her magic inward again, cut off the flow of it and allowed Cybele to get her bearings. At first, Ganymede kept her crystal between her hands, just in case. Only when Cybele’s aura seemed stable to her, pure and bright, did Ganymede banish her crystal and return to her Eternal form.
A form Cybebe no longer shared. Those hard earned feathered wings were gone.
But she’d been saved, and the wings would return, in time. Ganymede was certain of it.
While Alya went to Cybele, Ganymede took a moment for herself. She breathed slow and deep. She redistributed her weight from one foot to the other. She flexed her hands and rolled her shoulders. Purification required a significant amount of energy. Ganymede could already feel the fatigue, bone deep and growing stronger.
Steady enough for now, Ganymede ignored the creeping tiredness and joined Alya by Cybele. Tentatively, Ganymede reached for one of Cybele’s hands, offering more of her energy if Cybele should need it.
Ganymede could always go to her homeworld later to restore her reserves.
“You might be tired and disoriented, and your magic will need time to recover,” Ganymede told her. “But you’ll be alright. We’re here for you.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:08 am
The gentle voice and the hand at her back were a comfort. Cybele leaned into Alya’s touch. Eventually she sucked in a deeper breath, and her eyes fluttered open. She was still silent for a few drawn out seconds, gaze flicking from Ganymede to Alya. She still clutched at her chest with one hand as her starseed ached under the skin. The auras were the first change that she noticed. Before, the brightness and warmth had burned at her senses. Now, although they still felt powerful, there was something softer about them, somehow. All that warmth was just comforting. When Ganymede offered her hand, Cybele took it instinctively, holding it like a lifeline. The transcendent energy had the same type of warmth to it, and it took the edge off of Cybele’s exhaustion. She managed another breath afterwards, and then she spoke. “What was that?” she asked, her shaky voice barely a whisper. “What did they do to me?” She finally looked down, and saw that her chest had sealed over, that her bodice was white, and that her wings were gone. “That’s rhetorical,” she added quickly, looking to the others again. “I remember at least some of it. It just feels off, like I’m waking up from a nightmare.” The more she thought back, the more her head spun, and she began to rub at her chest as if there was something there that hadn’t quite been burned away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:33 pm
Alya was inclined to think that she had awakened from a nightmare. He didn't know how much of Cybele was known to him, or herself, even. He didn’t care for her any less, and he cast Ganymede a worried look. Transcended or not, he couldn’t imagine that amount of energy was something she could have given often, and he felt a bit guilty that there wasn’t more that he could do.
...But, Cybele was back--free, at least, from Chaos, and able to make her own choices again. And in the hands of someone who clearly cared for her.
He felt fortunate just to get to be here, to know she was back.
“I don’t want to rush you, but I can’t help but wonder if you two don’t need to get somewhere safe where you can rest for a bit.”
He looked to Ganymede, “Do you need help getting somewhere? I want to make sure you both get home safely. Just. Before anyone can get the idea to give you a hard time.”
He didn’t think they wanted to fight tonight on top of all of this, and maybe it was paranoia, but that energy signature had been strong, and he still felt tingly from being in such close proximity.
He wanted to celebrate, wanted to take a moment to be happy, wanted to appreciate that Cybele was here and in one piece.
He just didn't want to risk losing her so soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2021 5:33 pm
“You’ll be alright,” Ganymede said again, calmly, comfortingly.
She had to believe that, for her own peace of mind. Cybele had been through so much. Ganymede couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like, the things she could remember, what she might recall later, once she had time to rest. But, terrifying as it all was, Ganymede had to trust in Cybele’s strength. It was enough to bring her here, to help her make this decision. It had to be enough to carry her onward, to help her recover from her ordeal.
Alya’s concern brought Ganymede’s growing fatigue into the forefront of her mind. She would not regret giving Cybele the energy, but Ganymede felt more drained by it than she did the last time she offered.
It’d been a while since she purified anyone. Exhausting as she knew it could be, Ganymede almost forgot the extent of it.
“I can go to my moon after,” Ganymede said reassuringly. “It’ll help, but…” She glanced back to Cybele. “Where would you like to go?”
Perhaps they should have discussed that before they began. Cybele had no one, now — no one but them, at least, and those allies who might have still been holding out hope for her return. Ganymede knew what she intended when offering Cybele friendship and family, but she did not know how much Cybele would want to accept.
“We can go home,” she offered, “to my home. Or if you’d rather not deal with a few kids running around, I can take you somewhere else that’s safe, where you’ll be cared for, if you’d like some peace and quiet while you recover. The choice is yours. If you’d rather spend some time with Alya...”
She didn’t know how long they might have known one another, or how close they might have been, or what brought them together in the first place, and now didn’t seem like the time to pry. All Ganymede knew was that if Cybele requested Alya’s presence, and Alya dropped everything in order to get here, then he had to be trustworthy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:15 pm
A few seconds passed. Cybele was still in her head, looking somewhere off in the distance with blank eyes. The first few seconds of the others trying to work out some place for her to go was lost on her as she took a few breaths to steady herself, but she eventually calmed and refocused in on their conversation, glancing between the two of them. Although Ganymede saying that she could go home, to her house, like it was the natural, easy solution, was almost enough to start Cybele crying again, with her emotions already as frayed as they were. She swallowed hard instead, and then a softer smile crept across her features. She couldn't remember even being in a house before. She'd been put in the barracks because she'd needed somewhere to sleep, but nobody had invited her to be anywhere nicer. Nobody had let the acquisition anywhere near their families. Although it was still a little strange to think about other senshi having an outside life. Unless she'd forgotten something more. As she thought about the question of where she should go, she began to find more holes in what she knew. She squinted. "I had a camp set up somewhere, but," she paused, spending a moment trying to put the pieces together, "I think I was hiding in the woods, but I don't remember where." The heaviness was still clear in her posture as she looked between the two of them. "Whatever is easiest. I trust both of you. If either of you have a couch, or an extra mattress, or something, I'd be forever grateful." There was a slight shimmer, and her newly white dress shimmered and shifted into jeans and a flannel that had clearly seen some wear. "If you don't think I'll scare the children? I don't think I've showered since the fight." Not that she knew much about children, or what would bother them, or what questions they'd ask. She had a lot to learn again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:39 pm
Alya didn’t know what fight she was referring to, and it didn't really seem like now was a good time to try and ask. He was usually so careful with his identity; he didn’t want anyone to know who he was.
...But he was far more concerned about drawing attention to Cybele, so when she powered down, he did too.
Thankfully, he had decided to actually put on real clothes when he’d gotten out of the shower earlier, so he was spared needing to walk home in pajamas or a bath towel.
“You’ll be welcome with me if you ever need a spot on the couch, but I’m afraid that’s all I’d have to offer. It’s just me, so it would be peaceful and quiet. I could probably even give you my room if you wanted to be somewhere where you could close the door.” He looked back to Ganymede, because he wasn’t going to fight over who took Cybele home--as long as she got there safely. “If you go home with her, I want to make sure you have my phone number. If you want to go out for lunch or something, let me treat you. I feel like you’ve had a pretty stressful time recently. I sort of just want to take you to the spa and give you the opportunity to relax a bit, if you’ll let me.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2021 1:27 pm
Ganymede followed their lead and powered down as well. Her frills and corset were replaced by leggings and a loose Destiny City Comet’s t-shirt. The disappearance of her magical makeup exposed a pale, tired face, and the lack of heels led to a lowering in height by several inches. Like this, perhaps she didn’t look anything like a Princess, but she felt more like herself.
“I’ve got extra rooms,” she offered, then winced, hoping what followed didn’t seem like a brag, “and a guest house on the property if you’d prefer more privacy. Theoretically, the kids should be in bed by now, so you wouldn’t have to deal with them until morning. I doubt they’d be scared. They like to meet new people, as long as you don’t mind them talking your ears off. We have a couple of pets, too. A dog and a cat. And a guardian cat. I hope you’re not allergic.”
She winced again. There was a very real possibility Cybele wouldn’t even remember if she was or not.
“My name’s Paris, by the way,” she said, introducing herself to both the young woman who was Cybele and the young man who was Alya.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” she added.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:46 pm
"Oh, no," she said to the powered down Alya, quickly shaking her head. "I would never ask to take your bed. I can go with Paris." She looked to the other woman, a questioning sort of hesitance still in her eyes that had nothing to do with the size of her property. Having not one, but two houses was something that was difficult to wrap her exhausted mind around, but she was still somewhat stuck on the thought of being invited into any house at all. "For now, if that's all right," she murmured, just to make triple sure. "I like cats and dogs." A quick search through the pockets of her shirt revealed a phone and wallet, but the phone was little more than a brick in a floral case. She tapped all the buttons, but a week in the woods had sapped any traces of battery life from the thing. "I don't remember the phone number, either," she said, the effort of trying to dig for memories after everything else making her face twist a bit. "But we've got the senshi ones. I can text you there. I do want to be your friend, Alya, spa days or no." She didn't even want to leave him now. She would have stayed and slept there on the sidewalk with both of them watching over her if that had been practical in any sense of the word. As it was, she slowly stood and made her way towards Paris.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
