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 Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:02 pm
It was still only shortly after the games had ceased and winners had been announced, but it wasn’t difficult for Valhalla to realize that his partner had gone missing. It wasn’t too surprising since people had lives and many had to get back to their homes if they couldn’t stay at the location, or even get back to jobs or school they were missing.
But it didn’t take long for him to find Themiscrya. At first he was worried about approaching her, wondering if she just needed some time to herself, but after a few moments he decided to caution some kind of interaction.
“Hey, are you okay…? You’re not feeling ill, are you?” he wondered with a grimace. It had been sunny, but not too hot… but that didn’t mean it was impossible to get heat stroke or have some other ailments arise.
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Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:59 pm
The dark-haired Page had made all the necessary cheers and whoops in post-game announcements. Kept on the enthusiastic smile--well, no reason not to be. But the moment she had the chance to steal away, she did. With gusto. With that extra kick in her step that would have had even the Flash proud. Oh no, it wasn't the call of her bed, or her family, or even her computer or comics that drew her so readily from the gathering.
It'd been Valhalla's information that whisked her away. Information that she could go to that place. To... Themiscyra. The young woman had nearly hummed with excitement on that thought. Indeed, the moment she felt she was a good distance from the crowd, had a spot of privacy to do... well, whatever it took to get to her wonder, the Page stood there. Hands on hips. Waiting.
And after a few silent moments of not moving an inch realized she had no idea what the hell she was doing.
"....Beam me up, Scotty?" she offered the empty air, raising her brows and flicking expectant fiery eyes skyward through her lashes. "Alakazam?"
Her lips pursed. Her brain whirled. It took a few moments, and a few times she lifted a finger to write in the air. Attempted a few pronunciations. Finally gave up and wrote into a small patch of soil... before trying, "Ekat em ot Arycsimeht!"
Yeah it was probably a good thing she was away from other people for that one.
Back on her feet, hip cocked to the side as frustration began to bloom, her arms crossed below her chest, head back with eyes shut. What could it be? Better question: why didn't she ask Valhalla when she had the chance?! Her brow furrowed, lips pressed thin. She would figure this out. There was something totally cool to see and maybe explore in it for her when she did. Just a question of how long it would take.
By the time she realized someone else was there, she was biting her lower lip, glaring up at the sky, and wondering if that redish dot in the sky was that particular red dot.... or if that was a plane and she was glaring too much to register the lights flashing. Or maybe she was just seeing red in general.
But realize she did, turning her head slightly to flick the disgruntled glare... only for it to deflate in a puff of air and slump of her shoulders to see the brunette standing there. Her "excuse you" look punked out into a "I give up on life" in less than half a second. "Nah, I'm not. Uh, ill, that is," she amended, uncrossing her arms... before setting them on her hips and laughing a bit. "Just um.... waiting for the Martians to beam me up, I guess..?" Okay, that sounded weird, even to her. Themiscyra winced. "Feel free to ignore that. I think something already is." She gave an accusing look towards that red spot in the sky, though she noted it'd shifted its position. Yep. A plane. Well that explained the cold shoulder, or so she amused herself with.
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Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:17 pm
After staring at her for a moment, Valhalla realized that he really shouldn’t be surprised. She had shown a lot of interest in who she was as a knight, just in their initial meeting of each other. It was only natural to want to learn more.
Well, there were some who were interested, but others took a bit longer to get to their Wonder. It took him quite a while to really convince himself that he should see what it was like. Had he been afraid of what it might be like? It wasn’t like he hadn’t been to space before… so why had it taken so long for him to visit his wonder, or even wait so long in between visits?
“It took me a while to figure it out,” he admitted, trying to resist grinning since she seemed to be serious in her attempt at getting to Mars. “It’s like… a voice you can hear if you take the time to listen… Nothing weird just… I don’t know how to explain it. It should come naturally… A lot of things do, actually.”
There were some things he was glad he learned from others, but he also knew that if he really took the time, he could have learned it by himself.
“When you get there, and want to come back, it works the same way… Just focus on going back to Earth. It’ll probably be different than you expect. I thought Jupiter was a gas planet with nothing there, but it’s very… well, it’s very stormy, but also very green. I haven’t seen any animals, though,” he shared, hoping that the little bits of information would help her figure out what she wanted to do and what to do when she got there.
“If you ever wanted, it’s possible to bring people with you. You just have to hold onto them in some way. I’ve been to others’ worlds and brought people to my own… but I’ve never heard of others bringing more than a couple at a time.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 7:57 pm
"...I've been trying homo magi spells and you're telling me it's some instinctive voice that does the trick?" A pause. "I'm not sure which part of that sentence is worse." At least Themiscyra was laughing. Heavily. She'd been standing there for a while, trying to figure out what was that driving force to get her from Earth to Mars. Apparently she'd just been missing it this whole time? Maybe her enthusiasm had put whatever forces that be in the backseat, and unwilling to speak up, just let her do as she would.
The way Valhalla described Jupiter had her staring wide-eyed at him. "You mean green... under all those storms? What about the Red Eye?" Just the idea of there being solid ground on the supposed gas giant had her mind swimming. While no science nerd, she'd been in enough science classes and watched enough shows on Discovery to know a thing or two about the other planets in their solar system. Really, she'd been half-debating if she should bring an oxygen tank--or hell a whole astronaut's suit while she was at it--to be safe on Mars. She turned those wide eyes back to the sky. "I mean I've seen images NASA's gotten of Mars but..." It was slowly dawning on her just what exactly she was trying to do. Go to a deserted planet with red sands and mountains, to see some place called Themiscyra that no science had ever seen. Ever. All because she could summon forth a Greek looking outfit with Martian symbols on it with a flick of her will.
A strange sensation bloomed in her gut. Unease. Mixed with utter excitement. Her grin was a forced one, with all the brilliance and joy she could possibly push into it to hide the sudden pit in her stomach. Her fists were clenched to hide the shaking. She turned all those masking tendencies right on Valhalla, taking a few steps towards him. "Want to come with me then? You can compare Mars to Jupiter. I could probably use someone else there to make sure I don't spend the next week or month trying to explore everything," she added in a tease, though wondered how true that statement might have been. Depended on what she was going to find, she guessed.
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 9:19 am
”I’m hoping the red spot is nowhere near Valhalla,” he said with a grimace. It was quite stormy there as it was, but thankfully nothing too horrible seemed to be happening right outside the fortress. Or at least not enough to tear it down after standing through hundreds of thousands of storms from the height of Jupiter’s prosperity.
He smiled as she mentioned NASA, seemingly repeating all the things he’d once thought for himself, all the questions he had, all the hesitation. “Don’t you think you should find a space suit before you go, then?” he wondered, obviously joking but nothing malicious. There were many things that didn’t make sense. Homeworlds of senshi named for stars, breathable atmospheres, nothing too hot or cold… as if everything NASA was picking up was under the same magical spell that protected their identities from normal people.
However it worked was beyond him, but he didn’t get a chance to voice his confusion because she asked him to… go with her?
Golden eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before he smiled and laughed softly. “You might get hungry or thirsty before that happened,” he grinned. “I’ve only stayed at Valhalla maybe a day at the longest. They’re not the most hospitable places any more. But if you’d like, I would like to go with you.”
He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it if she did want to bring him with her. “Sometimes it helps if you close your eyes… Just think about where you want to go and it should come to you…”
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Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:38 pm
"There's a vacation spot for you though. Come spend Spring Break on the stormy shores of Jupiter. For an extra hundred bucks, you too can experience the breakneck winds of the Red Spot! All participants are required to sign a health and safety waver, no refunds," she teased, hands splayed in the air in front of her as if motioning to a lit travel display. The very concept awed her, to see the actual storm that raged for thousands of years. Of course, then she thought of how she'd have a chance to see Olympus Mons and stood stupefied for a moment. Enough that she let out an airy laugh when he'd voiced her own thought of needing a space suit. "Think they rent any of those out around here?"
Her nature refused to allow her to voice her concern. In that, she was too stubborn. Forcing positive thoughts into her head--how cool this was going to be, this was totally better than what DC ever wrote lately, maybe next time she'd bring a camera and throw some real wrenches into the online forums--and pushed all her will into happy feelings. Worrying would get her nowhere. Jump. Don't ask, don't pause. Run and jump.
Valhalla gave her a lot of food for thought, but she didn't let herself analyze it. She'd see for herself soon enough how 'non-hospitable' Mars was. "Guess one of these days I'll have to lug a generator and some supplies there then," she laughed. An idea she'd love to toy with. Somehow she doubted she'd find electricity wherever they were going.
Relief flooded her face for a moment before she snapped it under the cover of an energetic grin and her hand clasped Valhalla's. "Thanks." Taking his advice, her lids slipped closed. She wanted to go to her place. Her wonder. Why was this so hard?
For a moment, there was just... nothing. Was she focusing too hard? Her other hand lifted to her earring, toying with the garnet drop and chain. Trying to force something that should just... flow? Jeeze that would be the case, wouldn't it? Shove and blunder into something that she was supposed to just... ease into. But that was her, wasn't it? Checking and wrecking other players on the hockey court, rushing headfirst into the fray and the excitement around her. Screw consequences, everything would end as it should. Life was supposed to be big and grand. Easing into something... since when was that her M.O.?
Combative, high-strong, stubborn, moving ever forward. A fighter with a smile. She pulled a little at the piercing, wrapping her finger in the chain of a weapon she totally refused to call a weapon.
These thoughts swam through her brain, condensed in her blood and surged. An echo from deep beneath the brine and murk, an echo she pushed away so often in favor of thrills and events in the moment. It pushed back against the surge till it met her lips and burst with a wave of renewed excitement.
"I pledge my life and loyalty to Mars, and to Themiscyra. I humbly request your aid, so that in return I may give you mine."
The wind caught her off guard.
The sensation of dust and sand buffeting her exposed skin made her jerk.
Eyes flew open, startled anew by the scene that surrounded her. Red land, far as the eye could see. Rocks and mountains broke the otherwise even terrain before her, the sun so much smaller than she was used to. She could breath. She was breathing Martian air. Pieces of rock poked at her shoes, and as she took a step back, made her footing a little unsteady. Peering down below her heeled sandals, she realized it wasn't just random rock. They were carved--or had been. Pieces of a carved road, it dawned on her, taking in the wide expanse of smooth, shattered bits around them. Larger slabs, with their carvings still somewhat visible under the erosion of the Martian dust and wind, greeted her as her eyes trailed. "Oh.... my god. We're really here."
Letting go of Valhalla, she took a few steps off to the side, eyes wide and amazed by the natural landscape. Where did this road go? It was so wide, from the looks of it. Had traffic once come by here? People? Where to? Where from?
"That stuff seriously worked, it actually-- Wow. But why just this road? I mean is this seriously all I'm going to find here? What a jo-- oh...."
She'd turned around to look back at the Knight. Her eyes had snagged big time on the way there. Snagged on a massive rock wall. The wall that had stood behind her since she and Valhalla had arrived. A massive construct, she could see features she could only attribute to Roman design. Strict lines and flowing curves contrasted and graced the layers of the wall. A flat mass, tiers were clearly visible atop it. Rails were carved into the rock itself, tiny slits serving as vantage points on the two lower tiers. Archer points. Higher up, sloping archways gave over to the definite Roman vibe. Broken arches, cracked rocks, gaps in the walls of the tiers. Yet the mighty wall stood strong. Reliefs were carved into the stone, depicting scenes of combat and conquest. Many showed horses, alone or ridden. Accents of flame designs curved up arches and around pillars. Dominating the scene, it took Themiscyra a long moment to finally look into the broken gateway that lay before them. Crossing the wide road with a gaping mouth, she could see only broken reminants of what must have once been a truly massive door.
Beyond?
She gulped loudly. "Oh my god..."
Structures stood, lining more rock-paved streets. Buildings. A large square stood far beyond the gate, past more buildings she couldn't see properly from where she stood. A place for arrivals to gather, she guessed, before going down the wide streets that broke off at three points along the outskirts of the open area. She could see statues within the center of the square, standing atop and surrounding a... well. A fixture of some type. But she squinted. All were women. Each figure carved from red stone stood in armor and holding wicked looking weapons-- chain weapons. Each clearly female. Each clearly a guardian to this place. Behind them and their harsh and judging eyes, she could see more rooftops stretching out. How big was this place?
Her breath came out light and in awe.
"This is.... this really is it, isn't it? Themiscyra. The... the city of Themiscyra."
Guine Expect a lot of my posts to get long with city details lalalala...... -shot-
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 4:46 pm
Whatever Valhalla had been expecting of Mars, well… this about summed it up. Windy, sand everywhere… Not that he had anything against the wind since Jupiter was rather windy, but at least there wasn’t sand to get in your eyes.
He looked around as she did, first at the road, and then towards the structure behind them. It was similar to his first trip to his Wonder, except he’d been standing between the entrance of a cave and large doors leading into the fortress, and the labyrinthe it held within.
“Just be careful, okay…? After being on their home worlds or Wonders for a while, they start seeing… uh… memories, I guess. If you were reborn you might start remembering who Themiscrya was in the past… but I know others who have ancestors, who guide them during their visits…”
Valhalla was sure he’d sort of explained a little of it before, and she might have heard more about what it was like from others, but he wanted to make sure she had the heads up before getting too drawn into the excitement of exploring.
It would suck to ‘remember’ a balcony that was no longer there…
“Uh… welcoming bunch, huh…?” he muttered to himself as he glanced around at the statues. Kailey Koreco XD That’s perfectly fine with me! Have fun! <3
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Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 10:30 pm
It took a long, long moment before Themiscyra was able to pull her eyes from the wall stretched out before her to the Jovian knight. Right. She wasn't alone here. Gawking at the wall wasn't... what she was here to do.
Only it was. In a sense. Gawk at her Wonder. Her city.
Her city. That was a head rush of a concept.
Taking a breath--a breath of Martian air, holy s**t--she tried to focus on what he was saying. And groaned. Openly. Softly, but openly. More of this.... past life stuff. Starseed stuff. Stuff that sent creeps down her spine. "Start seeing.... memories? How? Can you stop them?" She felt a little sick to her stomach, eyeing the magnificent city with a new, less enthusiastic light. Her gaze flickered to Valhalla. "How do you know if you're this... reborn, or if you have an ancestor hanging around?" The moment the words were out of her mouth however, logic caught up. And she frowned, and stared again at the city. "Wait. How are they alive? Are there still people here?"
Didn't they just go over the 'everyone is dead' thing?
It was enough of a curious thought to pull her forward, heeled sandals crunching against sand and stone. The clicks and clacks echoed louder as she drew closer to the archway, and for a moment.... Danika felt very, very small. Immense. There was no other word for it. The walls were immense. Not a structure easily climbed, but one clearly built to defend. Carefully, gradually, she drew closer to one side of the road, letting her hand slide against the worn, red stone. Patches were still rough against her palm. Warm though. From her new vantage point within the entry, she could see far clearer the buildings within.
Time was... not all together kind to the city. Pieces were missing here and there from roofs or walls. Nothing covered most of the windows there--had cloth at one point in time? Wood?--but some were so slender she was willing to bet it didn't matter much. The layout of the square made it clear her first assumption was right. It was a place for new arrivals to become accustomed to the city. Most of the buildings that outlined the square looked like they might be inns, or open and closed markets with various stalls visible here and there. Again, no cloth hung, but she could see how pillars were arranged, and smaller ones to form what looked like open-faced buildings here and there. Shelves made from stone hung between some of the smaller pillars. Displays? Storage?
Or maybe she was reading too much into the shapes.
The stone was standing strong at least. Further back, down the three main streets, she could see more buildings stretching out. A hill began to slope upward, making it difficult to see each individual building, but as her eyes followed upward, and her feet brought her further into the square, she began to see what the wall had blocked from her view at the angle she'd been standing at. A hill--or a mini-mountain rather, for how tall it was--seemed to stand towards the center of the massive city--and indeed, it was a great expanse, for only now could she begin to see where it looked like the walls began to curve and curl around the sides of the city. Atop the hill? A large building, one that almost reminded her of a Roman temple. It seemed more filled in though, from what she could make out at such a distance. Were those wings..? Was it a temple? Or something... else?
"You... explore all of your Wonder, yet?" This place was huge. Could she bring a bike here? Leave it here at the entrance, and use it each time she came? There was no way she could explore it all reasonably on foot. "Do you always come back to the same spot?" Themiscyra had wandered far enough through the entrance to finally see into the closest buildings, and eagerly she peered.
The shape was... surprising.
Long halls met her eyes on either side, pocketed by smaller rooms barred off by slender slabs of stone that seemed to be slipped into place over the entrances. Doors. Some even looked like they could swing open. "Whoa. Stables..?" Walking in to the one on her left, she certainly felt like she was looking at one. Long stones sat at two corners of each small room, dug out and looking very similar to troughs in her translation of the scene. Red sand covered everything in a fine dust, and as she walked, the material was kicked up into the sunlight. Further in, she could see the halls opened into a large single room with stone steps carved out of the walls heading up to a second story. Meeting space? Merchant space? Other? "Any idea what this stuff could have been?"
From that large central room however, she could see back out into the square. See the fierce looking women carved from stone. Something Valhalla had said came back to her, and she called to him, "They're guards. Wouldn't you want to make sure people got the message not to mess with your home?" It was hard to not feel defensive of her city.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:19 pm
Valhalla gawked just as much as Themiscyra, wondering if he should feel this intimidated by his own Wonder — then again, he felt a lot more comfortable on Valhalla, and the fortress itself seemed to like him… in whatever way a building could like a person.
“I’m not sure how it works,” he admitted sheepishly, following her as she explored, definitely not wanting to get separated from her and possibly lost and trapped there. “It just kind of happens…” If he knew how this whole thing worked, surely there could have been a solution to the war by this point, yet more and more mysteries keep cropping up.
As for coming back to the same spot. “Not really,” he shook his head. “I’ve been a few times, but I don’t usually show up at the same spot. When I go with Ganymede to her world, a lot of times we end up in a hall of mirrors… and I’ve been to Valhalla enough to know where certain rooms are, but the place is huge.”
Going with her to her wonder had definitely been worth it, and he was glad she was getting so much out of exploring. He laughed nervously when she came back around to pointing out how the statues were guards. “No kidding,” he mumbled, that eerie feeling creeping back up on him. Something was telling him he wasn’t all that welcome there, but he couldn’t put his finger on why he felt that way.
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