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 Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:45 am
The weather this afternoon was pleasant enough--a little breezy, a little overcast, but not bad for November. Thus Toby set out to have another wander around town. Well, ride, really. He'd put on his favorite green hoodie over a long sleeved shirt, and hopped on his bike to see what he could see. There wasn't really much of interest, all told. Some unusually colored houses, a few shops he might stop at later (There was a promising looking music store on one corner that he made note of, for instance), but nothing worthy of retelling. That is, until the dog. As he rounded a corner onto a seemingly empty street, he spotted a medium sized dog crouched on the ground and growling at something in a bush. He didn't think too much of it, and simply went to the opposite side of the street to not get involved in that...but his natural curiosity caused him to slow down some and watch, wondering what exactly the dog was growling at. He found out when he was about half way there...when a deer jumped out of the bush. No, not a deer. Something was...off about it. It had some kind of weird dark haze about it, and parts of it didn't seem to line up right. Not to mention, deer don't attack if they can get away, and that one just lept out and...before he could fully follow what was going on, gored the growling dog, which yelped in pain and was slung back. "Holy s**t!" Toby yelped in surprise, and nearly fell off his bike. The dog wasn't dead, it was whimpering, and the weird deer...thing took a step toward it, then got a different idea, noticing the tasty human nearby. Toby's eyes got very wide when he realized the thing turned toward him. "Uh...crap!" He gripped his bike handles tightly, and started peddling for all he was worth. "Uh...n-nice deer! I'll j-just be on my way!" he said, in his best placating tone...which really just sounded scared. It didn't help. And the thing was fast! It caught up to him without too much trouble, and a bump from its head onto Toby's back wheel was enough to send him careening into the grass. He landed with a thump...momentarily thankful he had a helmet, but then there was some kind of monster deer approaching him now with glowing eyes. He scrambled backward, watching the thing. "Uh...h-HELP!" he managed to shout, hoping somebody out there could help him, while the creature snorted and approached slowly, as if preparing to savor a treat.
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:20 pm
Her unusual and random patrol patterns had paid off this time. The youma was too distracted by the possibility of devouring a helpless civilian's starseed and nestling it deep within its belly. Youma came in all shapes and sizes, but where they lacked commonality in physical appearance, all were incredibly hostile and aggressive towards anyone not tainted with Chaos. Poor Toby was most certainly on the "food" list. The Eternal Senshi dropped to a run some thirty-ish yards away from Toby and slammed into the side of the youma before it could get too close to its intended target. With a raspy yowl, the deer-beast fell sideways, tripping over its limbs and thudded against the cool, damp grass. While the youma was left to right itself, Kallichore used the time to check on the civilian. She rushed to his side and knelt beside the blonde. "Are you alright? Are you injured?" Her voice was steady, keeping one eye on the youma as it struggled to stand again. "I need to you stand up if you're capable, and get behind me. I'll take care of the youma."
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:42 pm
Of all of the things Toby might have expected to happen next...seeing the monster-deer get knocked aside by an older girl in some kind of super fancy dress was definitely not anywhere on that list. If he were slightly less terrified, he might have wondered where the tea party was. In fact, he did wonder that as he shook his head to clear it, and then nodded quickly. "Y-yeah, I'm okay! Thanks..." He scrambled to his feet, and did as she asked, putting the slightly taller girl between him and the monster thing. Speaking of the monster, it had managed to stagger its way back to its feet as Toby moved, and it was clearly pissed that it didn't get to have its easy meal. "What's a Y--?" Toby started to ask, but he stopped abruptly as it snorted again, and, head down, charged at Kallichore like, well, one might expect an angry buck to do, clearly intent on goring the girl for her troubles. The boy looked around quickly for something he might use as a weapon...but he didn't bring anything, and nothing jumped out at him as a possibility, so he just winced as the thing barreled down on his savior. Maybe, he thought, if she can punch that thing over, she can sumo it or something! About then he realized if she dodged, it'd slam right into him...So he took a step to the left.
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 2:24 pm
"We'll talk in a moment." came a stern reply, and Kallichore had been prepared for the youma to charge. Having been a senshi with six years under her belt, she'd seen quite a few things and trained to prepare accordingly. Lifting her hands in the air, she shouted the name of her attack - Surge of the Maddened! Heat waves distorted the air around her feet and with a motion of her arms, the distortion short towards the youma, engulfing its head. Stopping mid-charge, the youma seemed disoriented, confused and began to drool a thick, tar-like substance. It sputtered and stomped for a few seconds before turning suddenly and ramming itself into the nearest tree, lodging one of its antlers in between two lower branches. Calmly, Kallichore walked to the youma, keeping well away from its hindquarters, which were bucking wildly. Her movements were swift, counting down numbers under her breath. Eternal Senshi packed a serious punch. With a few solid kicks to the neck, the eternal senshi put an end to the youma, which slumped over and began to disintegrate, leaving no corpse behind. Only a little dusting of ash littered the ground, which the wind was already carrying away. With a nod to herself, Kallichore turned around to face the civilian. "I hope you're alright. I recommend an escort home - we can detect more youma at a greater distance. I'd rather you not be attacked again. Do you require medical treatment?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 2:55 pm
Toby watched in amazement as the creature was literally punched to dust. It took him a few moments to stop gawping and nod at her. "Uh...y-yes, I'm alright, I think..." He paused to check himself over...looked like he tore a pant leg some when he toppled over, and had a few scrapes here and there. "Yeah, I'll be okay, but, uh...who are you? And what was that?" He gestured to the rapidly scattering ash that was all that remained of the strange creature. He remembered the word "Youma" being said, but apart from sounding like something out of an anime, he had no idea what that meant. He was shaking some, mostly from the adrenaline rush of the last few moments (it felt like way longer than it really was since he first saw the thing), but he managed to take a few deep breaths and retrieve his bike...which was mostly okay, as far as he could tell. But he didn't want to inspect it too closely right now. Right now, there was possibly the most amazing thing he'd seen yet since coming to Destiny City, and that demanded his attention.
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 4:24 pm
Kallichore tilted her head at the civilian. Either he was playing ignorance, or he was very new. She had a theory that youma could discern the Negaverse officers even outside of uniform, but had no way to confirm such a thing. In any case, if this man was a Negaverse officer, it stood to reason that she might outrank him anyway. First, though, she wanted to help him with his bike. He seemed shaken, and rightly so - perhaps it was best if he didn't know how close to death he truly was just moments before. "That was a youma. Sometimes you see them on the nightly news, but not often. Essentially, they're monsters who hunt people, usually under cover of night." Maybe he was a recent transplant into the city? Or perhaps he was simply one of the lucky ones who never had to run into one of the many monsters plaguing the city. Kallichore walked alongside him, slowly, keeping part of her attention on scanning for more enemies. If this was a trap, she wanted to be prepared. "Are you comfortable with walking? ...I am Sailor Kallichore. Who are you?" The senshi noted this man wasn't staring at her lewdly, as some civilians tended to do. It certainly wasn't her choice to have such a revealing outfit. Then again, none of them were given the choice of what their uniform might look like.
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 4:49 pm
It was true that this "Sailor Kallichore" was wearing a very...alluring outfit, but that thought was not really anywhere near the forefront of Toby's mind. "Oh, I...guess I have seen some weird stuff on TV," he admitted. "Never really knew what to, uh, make of it." He nodded at her question of walking, and still shaking from excitement and fear some, pushed his bike along as they moved. He took a breath, and after a few steps offered, "I'm Toby! And, uh, thanks for saving me from that...Youma. My family moved here a few weeks ago, and, er, it's a weird place. Way weirder than I thought it could be..." He glanced back in the direction of where the youma had gone down. "Guess that's why Mom got such a good job offer." He shook his head again, let a couple more steps go by, then asked, "Why do they hunt people? Where do they come from? How come there isn't, er, you know, more stuff being done about them? I mean you," he looked at her, "Are obviously good at it, but...where's the police or army or whatever?" He was also burning to ask about who and what she was, but...one thing at a time.
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 5:39 pm
"Toby," she started, for a moment looking off to their left. Someone was skirting on the edges of her mental radar, but their power signature was that of a low rank. It felt like a Negaverse Lieutenant was giving her a wide berth. "...I would recommend not traveling alone at night, if at all possible. Youma seek to hunt down stragglers, and don't tend to attack in heavily-populated areas often. More senshi patrol downtown as well, so it's generally considered a safer place." Now that she thought about it, that was a terrible way to introduce a new person to the city. With a sigh, the gray-haired senshi pinched the bridge of her nose. "I apologize. That's hardly any way to welcome you to the city. Still, it's best you know the dangers, lest your family lose you. The news isn't going to tell you everything you need to know." Such was the way of things with the Negaverse having its claws in the media. "Youma hunt people to devour their souls. Basically. I suppose that doesn't sound so strange, considering what you've just seen. Humans don't stand much of a chance against a youma. They're much more susceptible to magic than they are to bullets. My kicks are effective because my level of strength is much greater than that of the average police officer. Speaking of..." The senshi reached out her gloved hand to him. "I can give you some of my excess energy if the adrenaline is wearing off. Please don't let my markings dissuade you. I assure you, I mean no harm."
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 6:24 pm
"Yeah, uh..." Toby resplied, lightly scratching the side of his neck. "I'm getting that impression...Some, uh, spiders welcomed me to the city, since my parents dragged me off to some fancy public party...and it got weird." He looked around some. "I hadn't meant to stay out so long..." Time had this annoying tendency to slip by him while exploring, it always seemed. He nodded silently at the idea of 'devouring souls,' eyes wide with worry. That lead to the question of what she meant by souls, of course, but perhaps now wasn't the best time for an existential discussion, he decided, so stuck with more concrete things, like... "What are those glowy things, anyway?" he gestured toward her in general, clearly implying all those lines. "Are there other people like you? Like..." he paused, considering. "Waitasec. Are you one of those, er, terrorist people from the news?" He looked at her again. "You don't seem so bad..." He held out his hand, and gently grabbed her offered one, even as he said that.
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 7:20 pm
The senshi seemed surprised momentarily, though Kallichore wasn't as emotive as most people. Her version of surprise was raising her eyebrows. "You were there as well? Unfortunately, things like that are rather the norm, rather than the exception." Then there came the terrorism accusation. Negaverse media work at its finest. Kallichore sighed deeply and forced herself not to roll her eyes. "Yes and no. The media is controlled by... let's say, less-than-savory individuals, who would love nothing more than to remove people like me and our allies from the city so their monsters could roam free. Having us as scapegoats makes their public relations campaigns that much more effective. I would say more, but... please understand, like superheroes in comic books, we have identities to protect. I apologize, but I'm afraid I can't tell you too much." Toby placing his hand in hers facilitated a great deal of trust, something Kallichore would not take lightly. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the energy transfer. Her luminescent tattoos pulsed brightly once before fading, energy flowing from the senshi to the young man. He would feel energized, like just having woken from a nap. "We're not bad people as a whole, Toby. The senshi and our allies are trying to save the city, and eradicate the monsters so that Destiny City can breathe again. Do you feel better?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 7:38 pm
The feeling of her touch, and this 'transfer,' was surprising to him. He'd never felt anything quite like it. He took a deep breath, and did feel a lot better. He nodded. "Thanks...and, uh, yeah, I was at the gardens. Stabbed a huge spider, even. It wanted to eat this girl..." He gestured vaguely. "I'm just glad they all disappeared when they did." "You're definitely not a bad person, I dunno what all that news stuff is on about," Toby said, looking less rattled already. "Somebody's gotta be lying to them." He couldn't believe that the people reporting the news would knowingly say the wrong stuff. But he also couldn't believe someone like Kallichore was some evil mastermind. She seemed like a hero to him! "You're a.. 'senshi'? What's that mean? And...what'd you do with your hands and, er," he waved a finger around a little, "that glowy stuff? It was really cool! Amazing, even! I feel great!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 5:46 pm
The senshi returned his enthusiasm with a chuckle. "I'm glad you're unharmed. I don't know whether or not those... less-than-savory people were behind that attack. If they were, I wouldn't be surprised. Unfortunately, that lead has gone cold, for now." Toby's belief in her, while naive, was appreciated. He was lucky she wasn't one of the Chaos agents, and that this wasn't all an elaborate con. "I have a few theories on that: One, there are agents high up in the media that control what news outlets can report, or Two, they're being deliberately misled or even bribed. Investigating that lead is very dangerous. Instead, I try to let my actions do the speaking for me." Her stride kept up with his, the young man feeling peppier and more energized thanks to Kallichore's donation. "A senshi is a soldier, of sorts," she explained, eyes drifting to the twinkling night sky above their heads. "I gave you some of my excess energy, essentially. Those of us with markings like this have that capability. I thought you might be too tired to walk home after a scare like that. I could carry you easily, but... I don't know how amiable you might be to such a thing." Toby may not have believed her, and why should he? It was difficult to describe the power boost an Eternal senshi had over a civilian, but Kallichore was not one to show off.
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Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:01 pm
Toby's eyes followed up to the stars briefly, but, not seeing anything, he figured that it was just something this glowing lady did, and didn't ask about it. He did laugh lightly, though, "Carried home by a lady in a tea dress?" he asked. "Woo, that'd be...tough to explain to my parents!" He laughed a little more, and shrugged. "This is probably better, though! And, uh, I still dunno how it worked, but, I guess it's hard to explain, huh?" There was no reason to doubt what she said--he could unquestionably tell she did something...supernatural. But how it worked? No idea. It probably was super lucky he didn't meet an agent of chaos tonight, all things considered, but he didn't know that at all. Still, he pressed on peppering her with questions. He wondered about where money would come from to bribe the news briefly, but figured if they eat people, they can probably take their money pretty well, so decided to ask other things...as he figured he'd lose his chance to ask 20 100 questions as soon as they got to his house. And that wasn't too far off, he was navigating without any real difficulty as they spoke. "Soldier, huh? Why the, er, pretty dresses?" he chose to ask. Perhaps not the most earth shattering of revelations to inquire into, but nobody ever said he was a particular efficient interrogator. (Or an interrogator at all.)
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:21 pm
"A tea dress?" The senshi looked down at herself- at her three-tiered skirt and long sleeves. She supposed it might be tea-length but what was a civilian to assume? Each senshi's outfit probably looked more ridiculous than the last if one had nothing to compare them to. "...I suppose. Tea dress will do. Each of us has a uniform, but none are able to choose what we wear. We're given what we're given. Some are incredibly intricate, more so than my own." All scans turned up negative, or had Order signatures in the distance. All was clear. Kallichore lifted a sleeved arm and gestured to a moving shape in the distance, jumping from roof to roof in the neighborhood the pair was moving towards. "It looks like someone else is watching over you, too." Another senshi, with a long and trailing bow, was a silhouette against the moon high in the sky. "It's out duty to protect the civilians from the monsters and other people who might want to do you harm. You might see us from time to time. Perhaps she patrols your neighborhood at night, and you haven't noticed her before?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:37 pm
Toby looked up in the direction Kallichore indicated, a bit wide-eyed. He was pretty sure he saw something flutter, but wasn't sure... "Well, uh, I never, you know, thought to look for anyone before," he said, scratching his nose lightly as he frowned at the shadows. "I'm...glad to know you're there, though. I'd have been dinner otherwise!" It was true--he really hadn't thought to look for superheroes in the night. Though, in hindsight, it's weird he hadn't, since he knew there was weird stuff going on here, and he loved supernatural animes and other tv shows...Though, he decided that gushing about that to his savior was probably not the best of impressions, so stayed quiet on that point. He did bounce around a little as he walked, like, well, an excited child. Not that he would like being called that. "So, uh, thank you..." he settled on instead, somewhat awkwardly. "Are there..." he looked back in the direction of where the rooftop runner had bin. "A lot of you guys?"
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