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 Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:54 pm
Prompt: Crystal Sickness Things seem like they are settling into a state of normalcy; Altea has not addressed the group as a whole since they arrived nor has she contacted them about making any progress about returning them to their home. It is difficult to sense any sort of time in the Castle, but it feels like a few days have passed. During that time, they have been provided for. There is no food to eat sans the crystals provided three meals a day. Their rooms are maintained and there seems to be no sign of whatever had been attacking Mirrorspace. So far, everyone seems healthy enough, but some may find their skin has begun to look slightly off. Patches of skin or small digits, such as fingers and toes or small areas of the face may look like they are somewhat shiny. Some Senshi will notice that the glistening skin resembles hardened crystal (of any color they like). These areas will lose sensation. Senshi who have interacted with more crystals (either touching the ones in the castle, eating a surplus of crystals, spending too much time around the servants, etc.) than others will likely see more of an affect, but ultimately the level of crystallization is up to the player. Everyone will be affected in some way, even if they haven't eaten the crystals, and the crystallization will worsen as the days go on. Altea has become more difficult to find and, while she is still available for interaction she seems like she is very busy and cannot make much time for her guests. You can still backdate RPs with her prior to this prompt, though! If you wish to start new RPs with her after the strange skin markings have begun to appear, please shoot the mule a PM and indicate what type of RP you are looking for!
Up until that point, the young man had been content to go with the flow and live happily in the castle with the rest of the senshi, the queen, and her servants. He didn't need money, could be as lazy as he wanted, had a room to himself with a bed and his own bathroom, and three regular meals a day. Sure, the food lacked flavor or much variety and there didn't seem to be a whole lot in the way of entertainment, but Kissling couldn't complain. Not until his complexion began to change and he began to lose sensation wherever his skin had hardened.
It wasn't that he wasn't grateful to the queen or that he didn't trust her, but once he began to notice the transformation, Kissling felt compelled to speak to Altea. He didn't believe that she was at fault, be if anyone knew what might have been going on, perhaps she would. Maybe she had even seen this happen before. She had spoken of a plague that took her people, but not what kind of plague it had been. The Senshi of Kisses began to fear that maybe he and anyone else afflicted by the crystal disease might eventually end up a crystal statue. Or...maybe even one of the servants that roamed the castle.
Kissling rarely got took things seriously, but this issue seemed urgent and he was growing increasingly concerned. With panic fueling his actions, he hurried frantically through the castle, searching for the queen. Maybe this happened every now and then and it was only temporary. Or perhaps there was a cure. Surely it wasn't permanent. Whatever it was, Altea was bound to know something about it. Even if she knew very little, the new senshi had faith that the royal would do everything in her power to help the Dark Mirror Court from whatever ailment was afflicting them.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:08 pm
Altea had been minding much of her own business; she had been a bit scarcer recently, but there was nothing nefarious about her absence. It seemed as though she was simply busy and, when asked, she insisted she was trying to understand what was going on behind the Mirror-and learn what needed to be done to return the Dark Mirror Senshi to their world. Kissling caught her as she walked with a few papers cradled delicately in her arms; she did not seem to see him at first and riffled through the papers in her arms before she paused and looked towards him. She greeted him with a friendly enough smile. “Hello.” She didn’t know his name, but paused, debating on asking, and then simply continued without proper introductions. A slight shadow drifted into her smile and she tilted her head. “Is something wrong?” she asked, examining his face. “Are you all right?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:53 am
The 5'4" young man was used to being overlooked due to both his appearance and status on Earth, so he didn't mind the fact that Altea didn't see him at first. He didn't really want to interrupt whatever she was up to, either, because he didn't want to seem impatient. However, when she did eventually notice and smile at him, his confidence grew and he smiled weakly back.
"Hi," He greeted. "Um...hate to be a pest, but I've got a question for you. I guess my name's Kissling," Holding up an arm, he removed his arm bracer and his glove. His ring finger and patches of his forearm had shiny sheens to them, glistening from light refractions as he shifted. "Some of us have started to look like this. Do you know what's happening to us?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:00 am
Altea tilted her head and squinted when she was presented with the strange patch of skin. Her head tilted to the side as she examined it, but slowly she began to shake her head. “That is odd,” she murmured, and hesitantly reached out. Just before she touched the skin she asked, “May I?” She did not really wait for permission before she extended her fingers the last bit and slowly stroked over the crystallized skin. “Is this not normal for your people?” she asked, glancing from the crystals to his eyes. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with crystals. In my culture, they are a sign of power, worthy of respect. Perhaps the Mirror is accepting you as one of its own?” she suggested. She did not seem upset or worried; instead, she seemed hopeful and even smiled as she stroked over the crystal again.
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:21 am
Kissling didn't seem to mind in the least that the queen had not waited for his permission. She had fed and housed them for so long that as far as he was concerned, she could do whatever the heck she wanted. She was queen of the place and this was her castle and her hospitality they were taking advantage of, after all. And it wasn't like he could feel her fingers as they passed over his hardened skin anyway.
"Nooo," he answered, a hint of a whimper in his voice. "This isn't normal for us! But...it's not normal for you, either?" He glanced toward one of the statuesque crystalline servants and pointed. "What about them? Did the Mirror 'accept them' as its own, too?"
He ran a hand through his hair in distress. "But what do crystals have to do with mirrors? What if it's Solamnia that's 'accepting' us and not that Mirrorspace place? Will we be stuck here forever?"
Her hopeful gaze calmed him somewhat, but a note of panic still stuck at the back of Kissling's mind. "Queen Altea...I wouldn't mind so much if you think it's a good thing. But I'm getting scared because wherever it's getting crystal-y on my body, I can't feel anything there anymore." He tapped one of the patches with a fingernail for emphasis. "And I can hardly move this one." The blonde held up his stiff ring finger while his others flexed.
"Am I...are we going to become stuck?" he asked, gazing at her sadly. "Not just here on Solamnia...but not able to move our bodies anymore?" His shoulders drooped, his arms at his sides, the picture of dejection and hopelessness as if he already guessed that her answer would involve the worst-case senario.
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:47 am
Altea tilted her had for just a moment and then smiled again. “I can see why you might be worried. But you should give it a little more time. Perhaps you are going through a pleasant metamorphosis? I don’t know if you have them on Earth, but we have creatures here—small, winged insects. They don’t start that way—instead, they start as little caterpillars, and then they cocoon themselves up, and then they emerge a beautiful butterfly. Perhaps it is only your body getting stronger?” she suggested. “There are creatures that molt, also. They shed their old skin and adopt a new one. As long as it isn’t hurting you, I think you’ll be fine. But we should keep our eye on it, just in case.” Her eyes went to the crystals once more, contemplatively, and pursed her lips. “Perhaps, your imagination is the most dangerous thing about all of this. Do not fret.” She smiled, kindly. “All will be well.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 2:46 pm
"Oh." He hadn't thought of that. But then again, what could they be metamorphosing into? And did he really want to morph into anything else? He doubted the others did, especially if they didn't know what or why. Kissling didn't really feel he had much to lose if he were to change, but he knew others would likely prefer to stay the way they were when they returned to Earth.
"We have those on Earth and they do the same thing," he answered brightly, still wanting to stay positive. It really could have been a good thing. Maybe when their metamorphosis was completed, they would look the same and only be better for it and no one would have anything to complain about. The only things left that gnawed at the blond was that this change was being imposed upon them without their consent and Altea wasn't sure about this change. But...hadn't becoming a senshi also been something unknown that they hadn't asked for, but probably appreciated now? And Altea seemed confident that this was not something to be alarmed about, so it couldn't have been anything like whatever plague had affected her people.
He was still curious about a few other things, however. "Do you...know if anything like this happened before in Solamnia? I know you said that as long as it doesn't hurt us, it should be okay, but did the plague that you talked about before hurt people? What did it do to them?"
The young man glanced at a few crystal servants as they passed. "Do you think we might turn into the crystal people like the ones that keep you company in your castle if the crystals continue to spread?" he asked. "Is that how they became like that? Did they look like us before they metamorphosed into crystal people?" Kissling didn't sound scared, angry, or even worried; merely innocently inquisitive. He may not have enjoyed his current state, but like a child with complete trust in an adult, as long as Altea didn't see any reason to be concerned, it didn't seem like any answers she could have given him would have concerned him, either.
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 11:02 am
Altea seemed just slightly alarmed and looked towards one of her crystal servants. “They are my people,” she said, sounding perplexed. “There is no curse upon them. They are perfect and healthy, as they have always been. The crystals on you bare no resemblance to my people.” Her brow knit and she returned her gaze to the Senshi before her. “No, the plague was a sickness that spread through the land. It came with fever and fatigue and cold sweats and pain. The immune system weakened, and organs failed. My poor people, those affected by it, suffered. The life was drained from them and they wasted away. We could find no cure, and nothing to soothe their ailments to at least ease their passing. There is no resemblance to that plague within these walls. You are safe from whatever it was. At least, in here,” she insisted—and she seemed certain of it. “I cannot guarantee the same for out there. But I would not wish that sickness on anyone.”
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