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 Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:15 pm
The sensation or Mirrorwalking was no doubt strange; transportation through a mirror? It was It felt a bit like falling, and a bit like you'd jumped into a cold pool that quickly warmed up to your temperature. The first few times Remarque had done it, he'd been a bit disoriented—and the transition from darkness to the bright white of Mirrorspace certainly didn't help.
They'd left the park behind, and only Mirrorspace lingered in front of them. Walking into Ares' throneroom saved the time it would take to locate it once in Mirrorspace; mirrors adorned the walls, though one in particular stuck out.
The Black Mirror stood, a strange, subtle sort of beacon.
Remarque's eyes immediately went to it, wondering if it was calling to the girl next to him. If it would accept her as it had Amytis.
"You all right?" he asked, only now releasing her hand.
There was no escaping from Mirrorspace; all he could do now was hope she could make herself comfortable while the Mirror worked its magic. Assuming it was going to.
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 12:28 pm
It was a good thing that Remarque had a firm grip on Ruan Ruan's hand when he tugged her through the mirror in the alley for the moment she stepped through it only to find that there was no solid ground at all, her basic instincts began to kick in and demand that she kicked out with her legs to maintain some semblance of buoyancy much alike what one would do in a pool. The fact that the experience of mirrorwalking felt closest to being in a body of cold water didn't exactly help matters any either. The brown-haired female had resorted to relying entirely on the guidance of the Eternal Dark Mirror Senshi beside her in the end, her entire attention focused on placing one foot after another in front of her like what he did until they eventually arrived in Mirrorspace itself.
The room that they had arrived in was large, everything contained within so unbearably bright as if she was looking at things on a screen that had been toggled to its maximum brightness setting. Blinking a few times, Ruan Ruan nodded her head absentmindedly at Remarque's question, curiosity getting the better of her for now as she gave the decor of the room a quick look over, trying to discern for herself what this place was or its intended use at least before returning her gaze to him again. "Yeah. Where are we really and how did you do that walking through the mirror thing?"
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Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 12:19 pm
Remarque crossed his arms over his chest and took a leisurely posture, relaxing now that there wasn't a cat to meddle. "Well. We're really in a fancy little place called 'Mirrorspace'. I don't imagine you'd have heard of it, it's not a place we take a lot of people for show and tell."
Well. It was, but only when they wanted energy. It had been a while since Remarque had last dropped anyone in here to tap for energy; for as short as his temper could be, no one had pissed him off just enough for him to lock them up here instead of just leaving them ditched and hidden between two garbage dumpsters. "But. I don't imagine you're like]/i] 'most people'. That cat talked to you, picked you out for a reason. She was going to try and manipulate you into some dead-end goal. It's a long story. Long." One he was still getting used to telling, even after all this time. "And we got here because we have a gift—an ability that lets us walk through mirrors as easy as any door. You'll learn, I'll teach you. But I can't do that until you take the final step. I just need you to head on over here." He gestured towards the great mirror just across the room. "Just take a good, long look into it."
See if it would draw her in and spit her back out as something better, something greater than that cat ever could have made her.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:56 pm
It was getting increasingly tempting to step away from Remarque's side and explore this Mirrorspace, as he had called it, on her own initiative. Yet Ruan Ruan squished that urge from whence it came from, taking just one step away from the Eternal Dark Mirror Senshi before turning back to him again. She was a guest here and it would be so very rude to plainly ignore her host unless he gave her due permission to look around this place within the mirror that he had just brought her into.
Inclining her head towards the huge black mirror that he gestured to in the course of the rather skimpy introduction that still told her little despite seeming like a fair amount of information to process, she looked back at him and simply stayed put. "I have time." A quick flick of her wrist to check the time on her watch before she continued with a smile on her face.
"Slightly over seven hours to be exact unless time works differently here. And I believe that if I'm recalling things correct, that you'll explain to me just what is going on as well as how exactly you'll be able to help me rewrite my life, start things over on a blank new slate?" If she wasn't going to get any of the answers he had sort of promised her prior to getting here, she didn't see why she should cooperate and comply with any of his instructions from here on.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:51 pm
"Time works the same," Remarque reassured, attempting not to sound exasperated that she hadn't already leapt through the mirror. It wasn't that he was feeling impatient, it was that he was excited. He wanted the satisfaction of having stole a senshi right from under a cat's nose—he wanted to see her power up, to join their ranks.
"And you recall correctly." He was reluctant to explain any more than necessary on the off chance that she didn't want to go through the mirror, or that the Black Mirror rejected her.
"I suppose the simplest way to describe it is by way of magic. Which, you must understand, I wouldn’t try to convince you was real had you not already experienced some of it earlier. The talking cat, the magical world between mirrors. You know. Suffice to say, magic is what will set you free. That mirror over there, to be precise. The way this works—the mirror will grant you a power. It will unlock that which the cat saw in you, but at a small price. That price being your identity."
He took a moment to let that sink in. "Whereas the cat was kind enough to identify you to me, she also saw your face. She could identify you to others, if she wanted. They are a tricky breed, so every moment you wander, now, you are at risk for her treachery. Unless you step through that mirror. In which case, it will pull you in—painlessly. You will be the same, sans two vital things. The first, you will be as I am. With great power and purpose. The second, perhaps of more interest to you, you will be free of whatever social constraints you currently feel. You will remain yourself, though you will be unrecognizable to others. Friends won't see you as you—but a stranger. Enemies won't suspect a thing. You will be a fresh face to them." He was not the most educated in what happened, but he knew a bit. Mjolnir had shared much of her knowledge, and he hadn't been shy to ask other members of the Court for such information. "You will need a new name, a new identity. But those will be provided. A social security number, driver's license—ID, and a place to live can be provided to you, in return for your service to the Court I serve. We ask nothing more of you than to join us. In return," he shrugged. "There are a lot of perks."
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:13 am
"My identity. Is it really that simple?" Satisfied somewhat with Remarque's explanation so far, Ruan Ruan began to slowly make her way across the room towards where the black mirror was, curiosity piqued with regards to what it supposedly could do for her in exchange for her identity. It sounded relatively simple enough if he put it that way. Furthermore, what more could she ask for when all this magical mirror needed in return from her was something that she was already more than glad to sever all ties with way before she came to this point in her life?
"Nothing in this world is ever free. That I already am aware of and understand..." Magic. She had to admit that the Dark Mirror Senshi had a point. Had none of that happened at all, she would likely think him mental and high tailed out of the alley without even giving him a chance to explain anything. It wasn't much of an explanation for her to work with really but she could at the very least believe in the credibility of his words by far based on the recent series of events.
Standing before the mirror now, she made a small frown when she found her reflection distorted by it. Queer. It was tempting to reach out and place one of her hands on its surface to try to discern for herself what could be causing this phenomenon. And that was when she heard it, a voice beckoning her to come forth and take a closer look at the mirror. "The mirror... it's calling out to me like the pen from earlier. Is this normal..?" She gathered up the courage to ask eventually.
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:00 pm
"Yes," Remarque replied simply. Not that he really had any idea just what was normal for the Black Mirror; he hadn't ever been particularly close to Ares, but if ever there was a time he'd wanted her around, it would have been now. She should have known more about what the Mirror wanted, what it was doing.
He certainly didn't have any idea. But it had worked out well before, so he was willing to ride this train for as long as it would let him.
"It wants you. Wants to help. Every bit as much as I do," if not more. The price for a clean slate was minimum, he figured. Ruan had nothing to lose. He didn't know who she was before, or who she wanted to be now, but the Court would give her the fresh start she seemed to want. It would give her the ability to grow to become someone.
Someone powerful, someone wonderful.
His hands were balled at his side, not in anger but anticipation. He willed his heart to calm, though beyond outwardly appearing a bit calmer, it did little to soothe him. The mirror wanted her—it had to, if it was calling to her.
"All you have to do is step forward."
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:50 am
Ruan Ruan did not require any further prompting from Remarque or anyone at this juncture, already taking one step then another until she now stood before the black mirror. This... contraception wanted to help her? She smiled to herself, almost tempted to scoff at the idea had it not been in line with what she herself wanted in the first place. If at least half of what Remarque told her was true... She pondered, a slender hand lifting to tentatively touch the mirror surface, eager to see for herself how it would react to that.
A ripple.
Glancing briefly back at the Eternal Dark Mirror Senshi, she turned her attention back to the mirror again, letting her palm rest entirely on its smooth surface and then pushed much like the way she had witnessed him doing earlier on. Another ripple followed by the feeling of something giving way so as to let her in. She blinked, suddenly realizing that half of her arm was inside the mirror except that Remarque had nothing to do with it this time round. A symbolic display of the dark mirror's acceptance of her with the lulling voice even stronger than before as it encouraged her to take that last step into it so that the magic could be completed.
So this was it.
Nodding a few times to herself, Ruan Ruan took a deep breath then stepped entirely into it. The sensation akin to floating in a body of cold water was still there and exactly the way she remembered it from her prior experience with mirrorwalking. There was no hesitation or fear on her part though, only a feeling of calm and acceptance of whatever was waiting ahead for her as she let the voice guide her to where she needed to go.
There was nothing but darkness all around her initially, spanning as far as her eyes could see. Just as she started to ponder over for how long more she was supposed to walk on and on like this, she saw something in the distance. A mirror with someone in it. That someone being a young lady who looked about her age, dressed in the colours of black, red and gold with her hair done up in two pigtails.
"... so are you the product of the magic? The one that I'll be starting a new lease of life with?" The girl smiled kindly at her, nodding just once in response to her questions with an expectant look in her eyes. The voice was entirely gone now, replaced by an almost deafening silence as time seemed to come to a stand still while awaiting her decision on this. Ruan Ruan already knew her answer now that it was right there before her, reaching out to press her hand on the mirror surface. "I'm ready. Tell me how I should go about this." The girl in the mirror smiled wide at her, her hand lifting to meet hers on the other side, the very same voice that had guided her all along coming from her lips now. "You've made a very wise choice. Now let me show you how much more we can achieve. Together..."
...
She didn't know how long she was gone for. Was it only a couple of minutes? Maybe an hour? Ruan Ruan had no way of knowing, a quizzical expression on her face when she emerged from the dark mirror to stand before Remarque, her civilian clothes now replaced by the sailor fuku and an aura that would identify her as one of them. A Dark Mirror Senshi. "... was I gone for long?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:23 am
Remarque was standing in almost exactly the same position he had been when she'd left; his eyes had remained on the mirror after she stepped into it until she stepped out. He was holding his breath, so it couldn't have been for that long. A part of him had worried that nothing was going to happen—that it was going to spit her out just the same as she had been. That they would have lost a senshi to the White Moon and couldn't do anything about it.
He didn't know how it would have worked if she'd powered up—if she'd used the pen to awaken the senshi inside her before the Mirror had time to fix her. He didn't know how they were supposed to do that without Ares.
But this had worked.
He could be happy about that.
"Not long," he replied after taking in the sight of her. "Did the Mirror give you a name, tell you anything? Or do I need to go find another cat to finish the job?" he asked, though figured given whatever transformation she had undergone in the mirror, perhaps he could put aside business for a short while.
He didn't want to have her join only to feel like she wasn't wanted.
"…Or, I suppose that can wait. How are you, how do you feel?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 5:43 am
"No. There was a girl in yet another mirror within this one. Said that she'll show me how much more we can achieve together and the next thing I know is me stepping back out into this room." Ruan Ruan shook her head a few times, still feeling very much lost as to what should follow next after everything that had happened until she saw her own reflection in one of the distant mirrors from across the room.
She blinked, momentarily confused by what she saw. Was that girl in the mirror standing before Remarque actually her? "... this outfit. It's exactly the same as hers. I take it that this is all part of the magic you told me about?" She looked down at the dress that she wore now, her hands clenching and unclenching slowly as she turned them this way and that, making sure that these were real before lifting her gaze to the Eternal Senshi for an answer.
"I feel... alright I guess. Not really sure as to what this really strong vibe that I'm getting from you is about and what do you mean by finding another cat to finish the job?" A small frown crossed her face with her posed question, a sudden feeling of dread that this all might have been a big mistake beginning to make its presence known in her heart at what seemed like a discrepancy in what she had been told so that the other could get her to go along with everything. "Aren't cats supposed to be bad like you've said?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 8:30 am
Remarque nodded, trying to absorb as much information as he could. He hadn't awakened like these new senshi, and the mirror was all but a mystery to him. He listened intently, though there was little he could take from her account. He didn't pry, instead focusing on her concerns.
"Not all cats are bad," he clarified. "But now that you can sense, that will make more sense. The 'strong vibe' is me. Eventually you'll be introduced to others, ones who have a different aura. I'll teach you how to tell the good from the bag, how to distinguish who is what. The cat you were speaking to was a bad one. A minion of the White Moon, who scours the nights looking to suck in more warriors for their lost cause. Once they get their hands on a senshi, they trap them. Brainwash them. Force feed false thoughts and ideals down their throat."
He shrugged. "So it isn't so much the cats are the problem—there are a few cats on our side that I would consider friends to the Dark Mirror Senshi. They assist us in a number of ways. But I'll make sure we get you a good one, not one of the trouble makers." Dahlia would probably be the best choice given that he didn't trust Lyssa not to scare the girl away. "You can either stay like that or power down. Which—will put you back in normal clothes. Though, I don't know that you'll recognize your reflection or not, now."
Theoretically if everything had worked…then all they had to do was figure out who to talk to about getting her some fake documents.
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 9:15 am
Blinking slowly, Ruan Ruan nodded a few times, letting Remarque say his piece as the frown on her face shifted to one of reflection while she pondered over his words. "I see. I should be thankful to you then that I'm not in that unpleasant situation right now." She tilted her head and offered him an appreciative smile as she spoke, innately glad by the fact that she had a choice in becoming the Dark Mirror Senshi she was at the moment as opposed to the fate that awaited her had she went with Laoise instead.
"Them cats assist us you say..?" Again another question. Her gaze lingered on him for a couple of seconds, a pensive expression on her face as she went over what she already knew in her mind, looking down briefly at her own fuku again before focusing her attention entirely once more on the Eternal Senshi. "So how many of us are there and what are we supposed to do? This fancy attire isn't all just for show, right?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 11:15 pm
"No, no. Definitely not just for show," Remarque promised. "The outfit is just our uniform. So we can identify each other. Right now our numbers aren't as high as they should be, but with the addition of new members like yourself, we should be fixing that in the near future. The numbers are no matter—there will be more. We just hit a few…bumps that slowed us down."
Ares disappearing being the most inconvenient of all of them.
"But, that just means there's a lot of room for progress in the future. As to what we're supposed to do…Where to start." He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and leaned back on his heels, planting his hands on his hips as he thought. "We have a sort of cosmic obligation, you know, to make the world—the universe—a better place. There's more out there than just Earth. And there was a war—a bad war, caused by the White Moon, that was the downfall for all things good. We're still cleaning up there mess, today. Earth has its own problems, but the universe? …Nobody knows what's out there. So it's our duty to make it our own. To make the perfect paradise. To save the senshi blinded by the lies of the White Moon—those who have been misled and abandoned—who are either unable to see the error in their ways or are just too afraid to separate themselves. We try to save them. We want to bring them over to our side, if we can. Have them help us in our quest to extend to the far corners of the universe. Help us rid our world of the pests that pollute and endanger it."
He shrugged, but relaxed quickly. "It's a large task, I'm not going to lie. But in the end, it'll be worth it. Besides—the perks! I love mirrorwalking. Saves so much time. In one mirror, out another. Plus, the new life is a perk, right? Start over, be whoever you want—no strings attached?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 5:08 am
It was, in all honesty, quite a lot to take in at once from Remarque and Ruan Ruan couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that was suddenly thrusted upon her on top of the answers to her original questions. She blinked a few times, a puzzled expression on her face as she found herself grasping straws at what the Eternal Senshi had just mentioned to her.
What was it that they were supposed to do on top of bringing as many White Moon senshis as possible over to their side?
"This task... I'm um kind of lost but how are we supposed to go about it? How do we save the senshis who have been misled by the White Moon?" She inquired tentatively, looking a little hopeful that she wouldn't be reproached for indirectly asking Remarque to rephrase everything he had just said for her own benefit of understanding the role she had to play in all this. "So you're saying that the moment I step out of here, no one will be able to recognize me as Ruan Ruan?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 11:28 am
"By talking to them," he clarified. "By letting them know what they can do to redeem themselves—by showing them that there is more to existing than what they have. By bringing them to our queen and letting her show them their true path—by setting them free through her mirror." He gestured towards the one in front of them despite not actually knowing how Ares intended for them to save the White Moon in her absence. He just assumed she'd be back before they needed her—hopefully.
"But I understand that there will be some skepticism until you see how we actually work. Don't worry if you don't understand it. I wouldn't have believed anything our queen said had she not awakened me first. You can worry about the senshi after all of this. Don't think we'll throw you into a job without giving you time to settle in. Let's just focus on the here and now." She would be more grateful afterwards, wouldn’t she? After she had her new identity it wouldn’t matter how much the Court asked of her—she'd do it out of gratitude, right?
"The answer to your other question is—yes. You step into that mirror and Ruan is gone. You never have to worry about her problems, her failures, her losses. You have only to focus on what new life you want to take in her place. It is a fresh start unlike one you will receive anywhere else. "You can do anything you want—be anyone you want. It's the most painless thing you'll ever do. You'll be set free—free to be the person you want to be, and nothing less. Nothing will ever hold you down again."
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