No, that was not a luxury in the Spectre household. Her own parents typically woke up early, but that was due to commuting to work. Even with her mom gone on a business trip, her dad was out of the residence no later than 5 am.
And Ellie had a problem. She didn't sleep in very late ever. Come 6:30 am, her guest who was sleeping in her room soon enough would hear the sound of her knocking against the wooden door.
"Alright... time t'wake up, lazy a**!"
She didn't wait for him to get up before storming her own room, opening the door and proceeding to look through her piles of clothing on the ground. Every so often she'd lift an article up and hold it to her nose, taking a considerate sniff to see if it was still clean enough to wear.
Eventually she was able to locate an outfit out of all the scattered laundry.
Desukyun
It would have been a surprise to Ellie that Waylon was already awake and very much so pretending to still be in the deepest of sleeps. Sleeping in someone else's houses wasn't a rarity for the couch surfer but the years had taught him that beds meant school which meant waking up early. Even when he'd been up long into the midnight hours, the incessant voice of his counselor would chime in at the 6 am mark with a cheerful "a precise morning routine is calming and good for work ethic" like the world's most annoying alarm clock.
Having two voices telling you to get up didn't help either especially when one of them was Ellie. As much as he desperately wanted to ignore her, he wouldn't put it past her to do something as drastic as turn the mattress and send him toppling to the floor. That he obviously did not want. "Yeah...yeah. I'm up." He stretched, entire body bending like a Siamese cat before he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "No breakfast in bed? For shame..." Waylon chuckled as he took his hair out of it's pony tail only to redo it to pull the strands of hair falling in his face.
Having two voices telling you to get up didn't help either especially when one of them was Ellie. As much as he desperately wanted to ignore her, he wouldn't put it past her to do something as drastic as turn the mattress and send him toppling to the floor. That he obviously did not want. "Yeah...yeah. I'm up." He stretched, entire body bending like a Siamese cat before he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "No breakfast in bed? For shame..." Waylon chuckled as he took his hair out of it's pony tail only to redo it to pull the strands of hair falling in his face.
Waylon received a look. A look that seemed to hint he was pushing her buttons already. "...I don't cater t'lazy asses..." she scoffed before taking her gathered outfit and making her way to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and if it wasn't glaringly obvious, proceeded to change into the new day's clothing.
A while later, she was in her street clothes, and popping open the door to see if her guest was done lazing about in the bed. "Don't take too long... ya can grab somethin' quick from the fridge or freezer if ya want... but I wanna get goin'..." And then she was already out the door and on her way to take her own advice. Microwaveable burritos were always an excellent meal plan!
Desukyun
"Don't worry. I can feed myself." As the bathroom door closed, he slowly dragged himself out of her bed. Waylon may have been used to getting up this early but he certainly didn't want to be up and about. Still, it was better to just listen to her at this point. When the last button on his jacket was sufficiently buttoned and Ellie made her back back to her room, he was already going through the process of managing his hair. Instead of the normal style, it hung in one braid over his shoulder.
"Good lord you take forever." He stood up and stretched before making his way towards the bathroom. "Just gonna brush my teeth and I'll be down."
"Good lord you take forever." He stood up and stretched before making his way towards the bathroom. "Just gonna brush my teeth and I'll be down."
Eventually when Waylon did go downstairs again, he'd find Ellie easily stuffing her face with one of her coveted microwaveable burritos. She didn't really wait for him to say he wanted one before tossing one she had already heated up and let cool off enough to play catch with. It was very evident she still wanted to get going quickly as she explained "Put Aque in his kennel in th'garage... ya don't have t'worry about him botherin' ya while ya eat..."
Where she had made such an obvious effort to let him know they were going somewhere, Ellie hadn't really explained the exact location they were going next. Popping the last bit of her breakfast into her mouth, she walked past Waylon and began to make her way up the stairs again.
It might have seemed like she was forgetting something and going up to her room to quickly pick it up again, but when she was halfway up, she turned to Waylon and said "...um... come on... stop dilly-dallyin'... we gotta get goin'..."
Desukyun
Waylon should have been surprised at the fact that he had a luke warm burrito in front of him by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs but, with the way Ellie conducted herself, he was more surprised that she even gave him breakfast at all at this point. Whatever she wanted to do must have been important.
"You had a head start. Not my fault I can't eat at the speed of light!" He called out to her as she left the room. Happy that the dog was as far away from him as possible, and he was able to eat at least a few bites of his breakfast in peace, his mind started to wander a bit. What exactly did she want anyway? Senshi business wasn't something she took lightly especially when it came to asking favors.
"You had a head start. Not my fault I can't eat at the speed of light!" He called out to her as she left the room. Happy that the dog was as far away from him as possible, and he was able to eat at least a few bites of his breakfast in peace, his mind started to wander a bit. What exactly did she want anyway? Senshi business wasn't something she took lightly especially when it came to asking favors.
At the top of the steps, Ellie stopped and practically glared at the boy who remained at the bottom of the steps. "....um... dude... ya comin' up... or...?"
Apparently she meant for him to follow her up the stairs.
Desukyun
He stuffed the last bit of the burrito in his mouth, jumping up from the chair to quickly follow her. "You've got a weird way of askin' people to follow you." His voice was a bit muffled mid chew as he climbed the stairs, finding himself quite out of breath by the time he reached the landing. Breathing and chewing at the same time while jumping upstairs probably wasn't recommended by the exercise community. "So, as I was saying, what exactly are we doin'?"
Had this been any other girl, it might have been a bit more suggestive when the blonde opened the door to her bedroom and signaled for him to follow her.
However, this was Ellie, and her mind was not on any bedroom antics. Once Waylon had entered the room, she shut the door behind her and gave him one command.
"...Henshin..." She didn't give him a chance to argue back before she flicked out her own henshin pen and called out "Iris Eternal Power, Make-up!" She didn't make a habit of transforming in front of people, but Waylon was her teammate. Though the tomboy wasn't necesarily comfortable doing such in front of him, she was willing to do what she needed to in front of him.
Once her miniature light show had died down and she was no longer Ellie, but Eternal Sailor Iris, she immediately got down to business. "...okay... I need you t'pull out yer senshi phone..."
As if to show by example, she flicked out her own from that strange subspace pocket all senshi had access to merely to access their senshi phones. While looking over her own phone and fussing with a couple buttons, she began to explain.
"So ya remember how I used my phone t'take ya t'my asteroid...? Well, t'day yer learnin' how t'use yers t'take ya t'yer asteroid..." Her eyes rather suddenly shot up, gold eyes locking upon the other pair of golden eyes. "...ya ready?"
Desukyun
Seeing a girl suddenly change clothes in a blast of light and color probably should have confused and astounded him but, considering that he did it on a regular basis, it was just a minor annoyance that he didn't have sunglasses. It wasn't long before he followed her lead, changing into a much less impressive Sailor Parthenope. Nothing fancy. Just Parthenope. It was obvious that he was on a fast track to nowhere compared to the rest of the team.
His first instinct was the grab the phone on her orders. His second was to stop just short of flipping open the phone and thing about what she was actually saying. "We're goin' to my asteroid?" There was a quick glance from her to the phone back to his phone as the information clicked. "I have an asteroid?"
His first instinct was the grab the phone on her orders. His second was to stop just short of flipping open the phone and thing about what she was actually saying. "We're goin' to my asteroid?" There was a quick glance from her to the phone back to his phone as the information clicked. "I have an asteroid?"
Someone was a bit slow.
Iris said in a vaguely strained voice "...yes... it's why th'cat tends t'call us the asteroids..." With a shake of the head, she flipped open her phone and walked up to him. She firmly planted her hand upon his shoulder before she held the phone out in front of him so he could see.
"...anyways... this is gonna sound like some hippy mumbo-jumbo... but... just deal with it, okay?" She ran her thumb over the buttons before it paused over a particular one. Once it was there, it somewhat hovered over the spot.
"...so yer gonna need t'clear yer mind, close yer eyes, and jus' listen... Yer gonna be listenin' fer somethin' that nobody else can hear. Ya need t'listen fer the voice of yer asteroid. I've been told it varies from world t'world... so I dunno what it will sound like exactly. Anyways... once yer able t'hear that voice... ya push that button on yer phone." She paused just to tap the button on her own phone without pushing it down.
"...it might take a bit of time since it's yer first time... but there's a first time for everything... right?" She smirked before closing her phone and dismissing it altogether. She wasn't going to need her senshi phone. Keeping her hand firmly holding onto his shoulder, she took a step back so she was more towards his side.
Desukyun
Parthenope was about as confused as he could possibly get. Listening for a sound? The sound that his asteroid made through a magical cell phone? He really had been out of commission for a long time. Fingers roaming over the buttons, he looked back at the senshi in front of him before starring back at the little screen.
"If you say so." Phone pressed to his ear, he waited and waited. The phone eventually went from ice cold to warm against his skin, a quick reminder of how long he'd been standing there. Was it working? Was it going to work at all? Was he just not concentrating hard enough? Just as the phone was almost hurled across the room in frustration, there was a soft buzz and a loud pop like a cherry bomb had gone off by the receiver. It was so sudden and so loud that the teen jerked the phone away from his ear. "Good lord! Ow..." Was that the sound? Quite underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. He gave Iris a questioning glance before placing the phone back to his ear. He was ready to be assault by another deafening pop but instead got something he never would have expected.
A deep bubbling noise.
It sounded deep, rumbling and gurgling. Similar to how a thick stew would when simmering. Was that the sound? He couldn't be sure. Even then, there was nothing more to lose at this point. He took a deep breath and pressed the button.
"If you say so." Phone pressed to his ear, he waited and waited. The phone eventually went from ice cold to warm against his skin, a quick reminder of how long he'd been standing there. Was it working? Was it going to work at all? Was he just not concentrating hard enough? Just as the phone was almost hurled across the room in frustration, there was a soft buzz and a loud pop like a cherry bomb had gone off by the receiver. It was so sudden and so loud that the teen jerked the phone away from his ear. "Good lord! Ow..." Was that the sound? Quite underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. He gave Iris a questioning glance before placing the phone back to his ear. He was ready to be assault by another deafening pop but instead got something he never would have expected.
A deep bubbling noise.
It sounded deep, rumbling and gurgling. Similar to how a thick stew would when simmering. Was that the sound? He couldn't be sure. Even then, there was nothing more to lose at this point. He took a deep breath and pressed the button.
The female senshi of the pair could totally sympathize with how bizarre the request and instructions seemed, but she did warn him ahead of time it was going to sound weird. She didn't even move when he jerked his phone away for a moment, merely just watching him put it back to his ear and listen. He eventually pushed the button on his phone, and soon enough the pair vanished from her bedroom.
They were transported to a place which had seen better days over a thousand years prior, but she was getting ahead of herself. Once they had arrived, she let go of his shoulder only to give it a firm pat.
With a voice that had an edge of mourning lingering upon her words, she offered "...we're 'ere..." She took a step back to give her teammate room to breathe and take in the surroundings.
Desukyun
The first thing that greeted him was an incredibly hot, bogged down feeling. He slowly opened his eyes, looking over what was or had once been the asteroid Parthenope. It was quite a strange site. They were both standing on what seemed to be a massive batholith, jutting from the carcass of what used to be a huge mountain range. Far, far below them, the ground seemed to move and churn. A river of inky black sloshed it's way through what used to be a dry stream bed. Remnants of what must have been colossal trees were frozen in time; petrified with a sticky black film over them. Even the rocks below them showed signs of wear. The corroded surfaces were scared and pock marked, looking even more rough to the touch.
It wasn't hard to see why Parthenope was the element of tar. It seeped from everywhere. Even between what seemed to be solid, unmoving rock, bubbling rivets of tar covered the rock faces, building up to the point where many looked completely flat. It looked like a landscape of melted ink or asphalt.
Parthenope glanced at his companion after taking in the most wondrous sights. "And now we're finally here. Is it everythin' you hoped and dreamed it would be?"
It wasn't hard to see why Parthenope was the element of tar. It seeped from everywhere. Even between what seemed to be solid, unmoving rock, bubbling rivets of tar covered the rock faces, building up to the point where many looked completely flat. It looked like a landscape of melted ink or asphalt.
Parthenope glanced at his companion after taking in the most wondrous sights. "And now we're finally here. Is it everythin' you hoped and dreamed it would be?"
Iris took another step back, this step onto a rock which seemed to sink slightly under her weight. It had been years since she had been on this world. Much like the other worlds she had visited with her other teammates, she knew that this world was only a shadow of its former glory.
"...naw... it ain't what I dreamed... but that's because it's been over a thousand years since this world has had any visitors. It is... long dead..." She rolled her head slightly to the side, once to the left and once to the right, as if she was trying to loosen herself up for some sort of physical activity.
"I take it... ya don't remember anythin' 'bout this place... I mean... it's not surprisin' or anything... but...maybe... we can shake some'a those memories loose..." It might have sounded like some psycho babble coming from the blonde, but it didn't seem to matter.
She readied her stance, taking up her loose defensive position as she narrowed her eyes at him. She was grinning.
"...Come on Parth... let's see if ya can take me!"
Desukyun
"A thousand years?..." It certainly looked like. Though the entire place didn't really look like any could have lived on it in the first place. Whatever happened after the inhabitants left must have really been something of cataclysmic levels. Unless they were a people that had someone been able to figure out how to live with a home that was literally bubbling under their feet.
Not remembering was an understatement. The only thing this looked reminiscent of to him was the wing of impressionist paintings he'd seen the few times they'd gone to museums as homework. "I'm sure I'd remember a place like this." It wasn't everyday that you saw a landscape that could be describe as a monochromatic lava flow. Hell, even the rocks that weren't covered in black looked like they'd been stripped of all color by something.
Still, there was a reason she'd brought him here. He eyed her stance quizzically as he thought. Was it to unlock a hidden power? Did it give him a power boost being here? Was it just to spar? Either way, he chuckled, rolling his shoulders with an audible crack. "I guess the term 'any time, any place' has new meaning now doesn't it?"
Parthenope didn't give her time to mull it over as a bullet of tar sped towards her.
Not remembering was an understatement. The only thing this looked reminiscent of to him was the wing of impressionist paintings he'd seen the few times they'd gone to museums as homework. "I'm sure I'd remember a place like this." It wasn't everyday that you saw a landscape that could be describe as a monochromatic lava flow. Hell, even the rocks that weren't covered in black looked like they'd been stripped of all color by something.
Still, there was a reason she'd brought him here. He eyed her stance quizzically as he thought. Was it to unlock a hidden power? Did it give him a power boost being here? Was it just to spar? Either way, he chuckled, rolling his shoulders with an audible crack. "I guess the term 'any time, any place' has new meaning now doesn't it?"
Parthenope didn't give her time to mull it over as a bullet of tar sped towards her.
That little glob of tar would have met its target at her chest level if the eternal senshi hadn't whipped her hand out and caught the black spot. There were advantages to being an eternal senshi against a regular senshi. Though, when the senshi was Parthenope, Iris already knew not to underestimate him.
Holding her hand out after she caught the tar, which now was forcing her hand to remain closed where she had clenched onto the projectile, she mentioned "Yeah... time has a way with messin' with yer memories, Parthenope. Don't worry... I'm sure you'll remember somethin' eventually..."
She then pounced from her spot, rushing towards him with a fist aimed directly for his face. Her footing was pretty sturdy despite the fact the ground had a bit of give.
Desukyun
"Not if you knock me out before I can remember anything!" He laughed as she caught what was an admittedly flimsy attack. He was just a normal senshi after all. No matter what he did, he'd probably end up with a gigantic bump on his head and a fair bit of pain for the next few days.
The senshi barely felt the give in the earth as he twisted on his toes. It may have been an unfair fight when it came to more supernatural methods but a fist fight was even playing field. "Or I guess it also goes both ways." Parthenope nearly slipped as the small piece rock his toes rested on shifted over the molten tar within. Without missing a beat, the senshi pivoted towards her and away from her fist. "If remembering things is the point then you wouldn' knock me out any way. Even if you could."
The senshi barely felt the give in the earth as he twisted on his toes. It may have been an unfair fight when it came to more supernatural methods but a fist fight was even playing field. "Or I guess it also goes both ways." Parthenope nearly slipped as the small piece rock his toes rested on shifted over the molten tar within. Without missing a beat, the senshi pivoted towards her and away from her fist. "If remembering things is the point then you wouldn' knock me out any way. Even if you could."
For being a basic senshi, he really was quite agile. In all honesty, it was a bit of a relief that Parthenope was actually a fellow teammate and not some sort of Negaverse Agent or heaven forbid a Senshi corrupted into the Negaverse. Her fist whiffed the air, but the yellow suited Senshi didn't hesitate to keep moving.
"I don't think you'd be so fragile to get knocked out after one hit, d**k-face!" She sneered a bit as swung at him again, this time aiming a bit lower.
"...ya know it wouldn't be any fun fer ya if I wasn't actually tryin'!"
Desukyun
He was honestly glad that he seemed to be a bit more agile than the other senshi. There was no doubt that he would probably spend the next few days with an ugly bruise even in a simple sparring match if anything connected properly.
The uneven ground and the fact that the crust still moved about over it's liquid center made it hard to plant himself anywhere for too long. Keeping on the move was key to his art but too much unnecessary movement meant less control. It was evident when her hit glanced him, sending him hopping back a few steps.
"I've been in enough fights to know that I'm not too fragile," he chuckled as he found a particularly hard spot to perch on. "The ground is fragile enough for all of us, eh?"
The uneven ground and the fact that the crust still moved about over it's liquid center made it hard to plant himself anywhere for too long. Keeping on the move was key to his art but too much unnecessary movement meant less control. It was evident when her hit glanced him, sending him hopping back a few steps.
"I've been in enough fights to know that I'm not too fragile," he chuckled as he found a particularly hard spot to perch on. "The ground is fragile enough for all of us, eh?"
She chuckled a bit as she managed to get a subtle hit in. It was interesting to observe this Parthenope on this world. He truly did not have the knack for movement here like the person he had been in the past did.
"It's not too bad once ya get used t'movin' along th'surface..." By this time, his magic had faded and her hand was once more able to open and shut. She did such a simple motion to let him know she had full use of the hand again.
"Gonna shoot some more tar at me... or ya gonna actually take a real shot at me?" He had been more on the defensive so far, and she was easily calling him out on such a tactic.
The ground beneath her feet seemed to start to ooze, but before any could get on her pristine white boots, she hopped out of the way and landed on a nearby spot which had yet to give way to her weight. "I mean.... if ya want me t'get over there and start givin' ya th'business... I don't mind... it's up t'ya though..."
Desukyun
The ground around them was slowly becoming a plane of semi-solid rock overflowing with a thin layer of inky black ooze. Tar began to stick to the bottom of his shoes as he hopped from one place to another. “Used to and adapted to are two differen’ things, unfortunately.” Thankfully, he found another small portion that could hold his weight.
Being defensive was one of his greatest qualities. His powers were useless when put up against the majority of his team and while his strikes were truer than most, getting within striking distance was still a good way for him to get hurt and badly. Still, it was a sparring match so he had nothing to fear right? He chuckled, finding his balanced once again as the rock started to crack underneath him.
“You know me. Not many animals get killed when they get attacked by a rogue predatory tar pit. They sit an’ wait.” And so he waited. “Besides, it’s not like you’re known for sittin’ there an’ lettin’ people get away with being defensive right?" He was already dragged out of bed at an annoying hour, hurled through space and ended up on what seemed to be molten ball of nothing. She was going to have to work for this one.
Being defensive was one of his greatest qualities. His powers were useless when put up against the majority of his team and while his strikes were truer than most, getting within striking distance was still a good way for him to get hurt and badly. Still, it was a sparring match so he had nothing to fear right? He chuckled, finding his balanced once again as the rock started to crack underneath him.
“You know me. Not many animals get killed when they get attacked by a rogue predatory tar pit. They sit an’ wait.” And so he waited. “Besides, it’s not like you’re known for sittin’ there an’ lettin’ people get away with being defensive right?" He was already dragged out of bed at an annoying hour, hurled through space and ended up on what seemed to be molten ball of nothing. She was going to have to work for this one.
It might have been Iris' first time visiting this world in a long time, but she remembered how to get along on Parthenope's asteroid. At one point, the senshi in front of her also had the same ease of movement on the surface. However, it didn't seem that way anymore.
"...yer bein' too careful if ya ask me..." she said with a slight edge to her voice, though what she was specifically talking about was not specified. With that, she leaped forward, the spot she had been standing upon suddenly gushing up with tar the moment she jumped off the spot. She landed one time between, landing delicately for a hint of a second before leaping up again and causing a similar splash of tar to come to the surface as she went for Parthenope.
She had never been the sort to fight with her legs, so soon enough a fist was rushing towards his face.
A glowing fist.
Desukyun
He’d expected the same sparkly rainbow nonsense from hundred times before. It was so familiar to him that he expected, with a bit of concentration, he could probably do it himself. It was easy. A quick dodge, a jump and a soft landing on a piece of solid ground.
Expectations and outcomes can be two different things. The rainbow vortex sped towards him until it coalesced into a long shimmering form. In just an instant, the rope of light began to crack and unravel, tiny black tendrils spiraling out from around the multi-colored light. It all but swallowed it. Swallowed everything. The light began to dim and bend around it, feeding it. Giving it life. The rope it had once been was long gone, replaced by this giant black mass.
Time was at a standstill or at least Parthenope felt like everything but the thing coming towards him was slowing down. Even the ground under his feet had stopped shifting at every shift of his weight like before. If he could even move at this point. At this point he felt solid. Heavy. Unable to do anything but stand there and watch, rooted to the spot like the shells of trees that lined the area.
It kept growing, melting and rebuilding itself over and over again until it blocked Iris’ entirely from view. Parthenope felt his heels begin sinking backwards, digging into the think earth beneath him.
“This isn' funny!” He yelled. Could Iris even do something like this? Doubtful? She would have told him about her crazy darkness powers if she could?
Instead of a response only to hear the sound beginning to reverberate around him. The sound continued to distort as it bounced around. The pitch dipped and rose from demonic backwards talk to something more decidedly feminine. Even his echo seemed to be mocking him. The high pitched voice continued around him, yelling nonsense. Was that even English?
STOP
His eyes snapped open at the sound. He wasn’t aware he even closed them. Though it was just in time to see a set of long, sharp teeth erupt from the darkness in front of him.
The senshi let out a startled cry as the teeth snapped closed around him. Instead of the inevitable unpleasantness of being ripped apart by ethereal jaws, he fell backwards to the ground. No darkness. No teeth. All he could see was Iris, the inky place they ended up on and a dull, stinging pain somewhere on his abdomen.
Expectations and outcomes can be two different things. The rainbow vortex sped towards him until it coalesced into a long shimmering form. In just an instant, the rope of light began to crack and unravel, tiny black tendrils spiraling out from around the multi-colored light. It all but swallowed it. Swallowed everything. The light began to dim and bend around it, feeding it. Giving it life. The rope it had once been was long gone, replaced by this giant black mass.
Time was at a standstill or at least Parthenope felt like everything but the thing coming towards him was slowing down. Even the ground under his feet had stopped shifting at every shift of his weight like before. If he could even move at this point. At this point he felt solid. Heavy. Unable to do anything but stand there and watch, rooted to the spot like the shells of trees that lined the area.
It kept growing, melting and rebuilding itself over and over again until it blocked Iris’ entirely from view. Parthenope felt his heels begin sinking backwards, digging into the think earth beneath him.
“This isn' funny!” He yelled. Could Iris even do something like this? Doubtful? She would have told him about her crazy darkness powers if she could?
Instead of a response only to hear the sound beginning to reverberate around him. The sound continued to distort as it bounced around. The pitch dipped and rose from demonic backwards talk to something more decidedly feminine. Even his echo seemed to be mocking him. The high pitched voice continued around him, yelling nonsense. Was that even English?
STOP
His eyes snapped open at the sound. He wasn’t aware he even closed them. Though it was just in time to see a set of long, sharp teeth erupt from the darkness in front of him.
The senshi let out a startled cry as the teeth snapped closed around him. Instead of the inevitable unpleasantness of being ripped apart by ethereal jaws, he fell backwards to the ground. No darkness. No teeth. All he could see was Iris, the inky place they ended up on and a dull, stinging pain somewhere on his abdomen.
Even Iris knew he'd be able to dodge the attack. Yet, that was not what happened at all. It was almost like watching a deer in the headlights, frozen in place, completely unaware of the danger speeding towards it.
Her magic, as a result, had managed to claim its target briefly before she dismissed it altogether. She had visited her own home-world enough times to recognize the signs of a senshi experiencing an unplanned memory. This was Parthenope's first time to his world, so it was probably overwhelming.
However, her teammate fell backwards rather suddenly. Rather than continue the fight, she made her way forward, ignoring the gross black goo that got on her white boots as she closed the distance between them.
He looks pale... what... did he remember?
Once she was immediately next to Parthenope, she knelt down, extending a hand to her teammate. "...let's call it a day on this... you okay, dude?"
Desukyun
Glued to the spot was an understatement. Even with the tar slowly starting to creep along the fabric of his outfit, he wouldn't have been able to move anyway. A deer in headlights through and through. His eyes were stuck forward, chest stuck rapidly rising and falling and fingers digging into the tar beneath him. Even the heat of the bubbling liquid didn’t wake him from whatever nightmare he seemed to be having.
It wasn’t until Iris spoke that he snapped out of it. Or rather snapped out at her.
“Get away from me!”
The senshi all but swung at her, scrambling away from her inviting gesture like she was the subject of his fear. All he knew was that he had to get away from whatever it was or what it came from. Even if that meant crawling away from the one person who could probably help him the most. When the panicked feeling finally compelled him to act, he stood shakily on his feet and turned once again towards Iris.
His yellow eyes were dull and lifeless as they darted about trying to make sure whatever it was was gone before focusing back on his friend and superior. Through the confusion, he'd at least been able to gather his surroundings though his face was completely enveloped by fear. Knees threatened to cave out from under him as tremors shook through his entire body. “What the hell was that?...” Even his voice betrayed him, as distraught as he looked. It was almost like a whimper. Such a strange sound to come from the normally confident man.
It wasn’t until Iris spoke that he snapped out of it. Or rather snapped out at her.
“Get away from me!”
The senshi all but swung at her, scrambling away from her inviting gesture like she was the subject of his fear. All he knew was that he had to get away from whatever it was or what it came from. Even if that meant crawling away from the one person who could probably help him the most. When the panicked feeling finally compelled him to act, he stood shakily on his feet and turned once again towards Iris.
His yellow eyes were dull and lifeless as they darted about trying to make sure whatever it was was gone before focusing back on his friend and superior. Through the confusion, he'd at least been able to gather his surroundings though his face was completely enveloped by fear. Knees threatened to cave out from under him as tremors shook through his entire body. “What the hell was that?...” Even his voice betrayed him, as distraught as he looked. It was almost like a whimper. Such a strange sound to come from the normally confident man.
The blonde narrowed her eyes as her hand was swatted away and Parthenope seemed to scramble desperately to distance himself from her. She didn't budge from her position, but she seemed to consider his words carefully.
"...Dude... it was jus' my Rainbow Ribbon attack... you've seen it before dude... nothin' different from usual..." Her voice was paced, as if she was trying to tread carefully through the conversation.
She finally began to straighten herself up to her feet, black grim from the ground clinging to her white boots. Her hands were up, as if trying to feign innocence for the whole ordeal (because clearly sparring with a teammate wasn't anything horrific in her mind).
"...now... tell me what you saw, Parthenope..."
Desukyun
“It was…it was…somethin’ terrible…” There was no way Iris could have produced something like that. Rainbows were light. None of that was light. It ate light. It was still so real. Disturbingly real in fact. Though there was no trace of it left behind. Not even a shadow. Even the overwhelming feeling of dread was fading, evaporating into the air around him. He sighed, rolling his shoulders to relax his tense muscles. It was then that he became acutely aware of the pain in his side. “Wha’ever it was, I think’ you still hit me pretty hard.” Thankfully it didn't seem to have gone through the fabric. Just the burning feeling left behind. He could deal with that.
Parthenope chuckled weakly, slowly making his way towards her. “Can we jus’ go now?...”
Parthenope chuckled weakly, slowly making his way towards her. “Can we jus’ go now?...”
Well, that was a vague response. Iris' lips twisted a bit, as if she was trying to figure out how she felt about the lack of information. However, her teammate seemed to be easing himself back into reality, slowly growing more comfortable with her presence again.
"...you'll tell me at some point... whatever..." With a puff of air from her lips, she blew her bangs out of her face for a bit. With a partial shrug, she added "...ya know I don't pull punches, Parth-Vader..."
With her attacking hand, she tightened it into a loose fist and held it out towards him, forming half of a fist-bump. "...We'll continue this some other time... we only stay as long as you stay... I can't get back t'Earth without ya from 'ere..."
Desukyun
He would tell her. Just not now. Not while they were still here. Something as normal as her attack summoned a giant shadow mouth full of gigantic teeth. Who knew what talking about that would bring.
“Yeah yeah. I know.” He returned her fist-bump, although with less enthusiasm than normal, before his phone once again materialized in his hand. “I take it I gotta use this thin’ to get back?” It couldn't have been too hard to get back. After a few moments of inspection, a one too many experimental button presses, Parthenope let out an exasperated sigh. “So do I jus’ click my heels three times and wish I’m home? Easy as tha'?” If that’s how they got there then it couldn't have been too different to get back home.
“Yeah yeah. I know.” He returned her fist-bump, although with less enthusiasm than normal, before his phone once again materialized in his hand. “I take it I gotta use this thin’ to get back?” It couldn't have been too hard to get back. After a few moments of inspection, a one too many experimental button presses, Parthenope let out an exasperated sigh. “So do I jus’ click my heels three times and wish I’m home? Easy as tha'?” If that’s how they got there then it couldn't have been too different to get back home.
"This ain't Oz, dipsh*t... no heel clickin'... please..."
Apparently there were polite words in her vocabulary on rare occasion.
"...it's basically what ya did t'get 'ere before... but in reverse... so rather than thinkin' 'bout this place... ya concentrate on Earth... much easier... ya know... still a living world, so it gives off a lot more energy..."
With the given instructions, the male senshi nodded his head, and soon enough the pair were sent back to Earth.
