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 Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:30 am
Quote: The night is cool but not unbearably cold; somewhere, in the distance, a faint tune carries on the breeze. Whether you choose to follow it or not is up to you but the tune is vaguely familiar. Maybe you can place it, maybe you can’t, but it resonates with you and you find yourself full of emotion. If you choose to follow the music you wind up in an isolated lake in the park. It’s frozen over, but you see a figure skating across the ice, playing a violin. They will skate and play for as long as you watch, but at some point--between one blink and the next--they disappear, like a shadow on the wind. The tune echoes but fades quickly, leaving behind only a strange emptiness. The figure never communicates and never leaves the lake; they never stop playing but if anyone gets too close they simply disappear. The music seems to play on any night it snows in the park.
She knew what the hole was, of course. It was woman shaped, dusted around the edges with pearlescent, rainbow glitter. Why did missing someone touch so many other parts of her life? She had her family and her friends, other people she cared about, why did Laney's absence make everything seem a little less colorful, a little less warm? She is doing important things, Ida chided herself as she walked down the path through the park. The snow drifted down around her, muffling sounds until the silence felt profound and enveloping. I can't ask her to give that up just because I miss her.
More than miss, really. She had no idea when Laney would return, and a terrible, dark part of her tacked on 'if ever'. If it had been a clean break, it would have hurt more perhaps, but there wouldn't have been this yawning chasm of 'what if' and lack of closure. She could have mourned, maybe healed, and moved on. All that Laney-shaped hole did instead was ache like a sore tooth and refuse to go away...
A faint sound drifted through the snow, barely audible but striking for the silence it broke. Ida lifted her head as she walked, snow shuffling around her boots, and made out the strands of a song. Music? It was almost familiar. It drew her, tugging at the aching spot in her chest.
It could be dangerous to be out in the park alone for someone. She reasoned as she turned to follow the sound. She would just check on them, make sure everything was alright, before moving on. It was part of her duty, after all.
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 6:54 pm
Months and months had passed since Manu had last powered up... For a while he had gone out pretty regularly, searching for something or someone to talk to once again. He had withdrawn into himself, becoming that quiet, pained man who always had that same sad smile, one that never really reached his eyes.
And for a while, he was alright with it... The woman he ran into briefly on the rooftops hadn’t been seen again, and honestly, he missed her.
Was it strange to miss someone he didn’t even speak to that night? Maybe life would have been different by now if he had gotten over that quiet anxiety that took over him and actually spoke to her. A kind word or two, a compliment, an actual smile that they could see up close. Maybe they would have become friends, two quiet souls enjoying the company of one another side by side instead of buildings apart.
But there was no point on dwelling on such sad, lonely thoughts. Especially not when after a week of searching for her again, she was no where to be seen.
It came so naturally though, those sweet thoughts and hopes to not be alone. Before Julian came into his life, it was the same way, yet this time felt so much worse. Maybe because he now knew the sweet feelings that came with company.
He couldn’t complain about it. Manu had no right to, the more he thought about it. After all, it was his choice to remain alone.
And and it was his choice to stop powering up after exhausting himself night after night to simply distance himself from that powered world for long enough to feel normal again.
Then before he realized it, winter arrived once again... The snow fell, and the world remained quiet. Even the number of reports of attacks and fighting fell as the snow came. With it came a peace that both silenced the world around him and made everything feel maddeningly loud. The silence brought thoughts that he wanted to avoid and deny. It wasn’t so easy to drown himself in work during the holidays, especially with people spending so much money on other people, rather than themselves. Tattoo gift cards were always a hit, but actual tattoos only really came flooding in post-New Years.
Closing the shop early came more and more frequently... And tonight had him close so early that the sun was only somewhat dipping in the horizon when he left.
Somehow he was drawn to something... An urge to power up, donning the mantle of Manu and just go.
Maybe he had stronger hearing than normal but something drew him deeper into the park.... Further and further in, following the sound of a soft, sweet, and almost lonely sounding tune that danced on the wind... And eventually it led him to a lake, with a dancer on the ice. They made this music, flitting about the ice in the dark as if it was the most natural thing in the world...
How strange..
And even stranger was the beauty on the opposite side of the lake.
It took a moment to register to realize that she was familiar... So much so that he froze, much like he did that day.
It was her... In all of her beauty and grace and power, just like before...
This time, though, he found his legs again, and the bravery he had been building up to speak with her ever since that moment back in the spring...
But the snow was deep, and his nerves got the better of him. One wrong step had him tumbling face forward into the snow, just a few yards from her.
Even at his age, he could feel the embarrassment building up... Maybe if he just stayed here like this, she would forget she ever saw him...
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 11:22 pm
The melancholic music lead her from the path and the trees to the open expanse of a little pond, the reeds around the edges bowed with the weight of snow where they managed to peek up through it. On the surface of the pond, frozen solid enough it seemed for the weight of a body, was a lone skater with a violin.
Captivated, she slowed to a stop and watched the lean form make lazy, graceful circles over the ice. Their skates rasped against it, counterpoint to the soft music that poured from the strings of their instrument. She couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman... or really much of anything past a lean figure in a long coat, the collar pulled up and a stocking cap pulled down. And the music... it tugged at her still, making her ache with nostalgia, loneliness, and regret. Its like they played for her, and everything she lacked, everything she was missing.
She watched with wide eyes and parted lips, and couldn't bring herself to break the magic of the small clearing filled with music and snow, the outside world silenced. It could have gone on forever and she might have watched it as long in rapt attention, if someone else hadn't also been drawn by the same music.
Ida blinked in confusion at the man sprawled out in the snow, the sharp motions of his fall breaking the spell that had caught her. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she was certain she'd never actually met this man... knight, before. Now that she had the mind to see it, she could sense his aura. A Squire. He'd probably heard the music too, and come to investigate like she had. It was concern that had her crossing the distance between them, crouching down beside his prone form. She assumed it was a He, with his broad shoulders and tall frame.
"Are you okay?" She said as she reached down a hand to touch his shoulder lightly. The music had stopped, but Ida hardly registered it, a line of concern between her dark eyebrows.
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 11:27 am
Oh goodness, no. In his wallowing, he had become distracted, the woman coming closer to him than he had initially expected. Manu had been certain that there had been enough time for him to sit back up and clean himself once again before trying that approach.
Yet there she was, concerned and gentle with him as he sheepishly peeked out from his faceprint in the snow.
"Yes... I am, thank you." Once up again, he dusted off the snow from his face and shoulders, sitting crossedlegged where he fell.
She seemed smaller than when he saw her before... More within reach and tangible.
And all the more beautiful.
"I... Well, I found myself startled when I saw you and in my haste I may have hit a branch and fell right on my face. I believe we met before... Back in the summer..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2020 9:07 pm
Ida sat back on her heels as he pushed himself up, her hands on her knees and her eyes watching for signs of injury. It hadn't really been much of a fall for someone like them, people who could leap full stories if they chose, but she was careful to look for signs of pain or favoring anyway. He seemed fine, and she was glad for that.
The eternal smiled as he crossed his legs under him, her eyebrows lifting at the mention of summer.
"Did we?" She said in surprise. Ida didn't remember him, specifically, but... there was a familiarity to him. She might have seen him before, but the when and the where escaped her. "I spend a lot of time a patrolling... did we pass each other some time? I'm sorry I can't pin point it exactly... It would have been nice to meet you more directly."
She passed so many people when she was out combing the city for the Negaverse, it was not surprising she didn't quite remember where she had seen this man before. There were many people she hadn't officially met yet, hard as she tried, and always new ones it seemed. It had been her 'job' once, to find them and help them in turn find their feet in the war. That part of her duties had lapsed, her focus shifting to other things. It was maybe time to get back into it and she carefully filed that away to think about later.
"I'm Ida." The senshi said as she offered him a hand. The silence around them struck her and she frowned as she looked towards the pond, the musician gone. "I guess whoever that was, they didn't want to hang around with us." She said softly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 7:22 am
”It was.... Well, more like a meeting in passing.... A quiet summers evening, the smell of flowers in the air. I was perhaps a bit too shy that day, so when we saw one another, we stayed apart, on the rooftops in the city.” It was embarrassing recalling the memory. He was a grown man, speaking of something that sounded like the weird fantasy of a teenager.
And yet it was real, just as real as the woman before him was. For a moment, it felt as if fate was spoiling him.
“Hello, Ms Ida. I am Manu. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your kindness... I suppose you are right. But perhaps it was an illusion this whole time. The world is always magical and mysterious during this time of the year.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2020 8:22 pm
"Were you the Squire on the rooftop, during the meteor shower?" Ida said with surprise. She hadn't gotten a good look at him then, but she'd felt him. Surprise shifted to shyness suddenly and she waved her fingers.
"You don't have to call me Miss. It sounds very formal. Ida is fine."
Pushing down her sudden shyness, she rocked back and pushed herself to her feet, covering the awkward feelings with the business of brushing off her skirts and offering the man on the ground her hands.
"A lot of weird things happen in Destiny City, especially around certain times of year or unusual celestial events. Its worth keeping an eye out for it, because I never really know what strange thing is going to crop up next. I've heard people discussing them before, worried about it, but... it usually goes away when the time passes. They... could have been something like that." She said as she glanced back to the pond again. Nervously was too strong a word for it, but... uneasily maybe? It hadn't attacked them, so there was that.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2020 1:22 pm
To his own embarrassment, Manu could not recall the meteor shower that night. he was far too focused on the woman who was so close, yet so far.
How could he not be when her power could be felt so vividly in his mind, even at the distance they were at?
"Yes, that was me. It was a bittersweet time, so I was perhaps... Less willing to approach then. It was very pleasant, being in your company, despite the distance there. I am glad I have the opportunity to meet you again, Ida." His voice dropped a little bit, as if that tiny bit of honesty was too awkward and forward to admit. But he wasn't ashamed of what he said, and happily took her hands as he stood back up.
"It's a very strange city, but it's still home. I will have to do as you say, though. Who knows when the next time something like that would happen again. And you're right... Perhaps it's not such a good idea to linger nearby, in case that figure decides to return in a more... Malicious form. Were you heading somewhere, or just out on patrol?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:42 pm
His hands felt both cold and warm as they closed around hers. His skin was chilled from the snow, and damp with it, but in moments she felt the heat that radiated up through it. Ida pulled when he had a good grasp on her, helping him up with little effort, even for such a tall man. In contrast, her smile was still shy, shyer even now with his words.
"Well. I'm glad I made good company. I don't get a lot of that these days either, but I suppose that's my own fault. I'm sorry it wasn't a good time... last time." She released his hands after a moment, tempted to linger, and turned away from the pond.
"I wasn't headed anywhere particular." Just wandering around like a lost puppy. "Patroling, like most night. The park isn't necessarily my usual route, but I heard the music and wanted to check it out. It almost always pays to check out things that feel odd... it usually pans out as something that needs to be dealt with. Sometimes I'm lucky and its a couple of kids doing something silly and I don't have to."
It didn't happen often, but sometimes.
"What about you?" She asked as they stepped onto the path away from the pond, her boots crunching on the ice and cement. "Same thing?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:02 am
"Strangely enough, I think that might have been the case for myself as well... A hard time for us both. I'm happy to see we both pulled through it." If not pulled through, then atleast managed with whatever they had been dealing with.
And for Manu, managed was a very loosely used word. Even now he still suffered, but at the very least, the pain and emptiness had dulled to what was familiar before he became powered.
It was only natural for him to follow her. especially given that his bare feet crunched the snow beneath him. Thank goodness for Magic, if it weren't for that, he'd have been frostbitten a long, long time ago.
"I believe it is the same for me. Not my normal route, but hearing the music I came. But... Would you perhaps like some company on your patrol?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:24 pm
Ida waved a hand as he followed, a smile moving across her face in the dim light of the park.
"I would enjoy the company, Manu. I used to patrol with partners, but its been a while since I've been able to connect with anyone and figure out a time to go out together. I know its not very safe to go alone, and I highly discourage you from going that, but I'm not always a great role model." She admitted. Which, considering how she used to try to be just that, was a bit of a needling. She should be better. There were people out there who needed that, and it was better for her as well.
But it was easier, somehow, to tempt fate and neglect. Part of her suspected maybe it was what she deserved... but she felt the downward turn of that and drew herself up straight, clasping her hands behind her back as she walked down the path.
She WAS better than that, and she did deserve better than that.
"How much have you done as a knight?" Ida asked abruptly, changing topics. "I mean, have you gone to your wonder yet? Do you have your knight signet and the upgrade for it? Ah, I'm sorry... you're a squire, so maybe you've heard all this before, about your Code piece and whatnot."
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 7:46 am
"Sometimes, you have no choice. Either obligation settles in, or it feels uneasy to just let things go on without knowing you could have made a difference." That was his own reason why he still bothered to power up all this time. He couldn't stop caring just because his personal life was strained.
Crying, hiding himself away, and gorging himself on cheetos like he did before wasn't going to help anyone, least of all himself.
"Huh-- Oh. I've gone a few times, but it was for a brief moment. And... No, I do not have my signet. I must confess, I've been slacking, as I searched for my why in all of this. I apologize, I don't know much about Senshi, but I take it given you have wings that you've done alot in your time?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2020 4:33 pm
The senshi waved a hand to dismiss his claim of 'slacking', the bracelets around her wrist tinkling together.
"This isn't a straight forward war and its not something that will be over quickly. You're not slacking just because you haven't done things yet. Especially if you're trying to figure out your motivation." She said. Motivation was a hard question for anyone to answer, one that was very personal. You couldn't force it onto anyone... it would be wrong to do so. They were risking their lives and sacrificing so much already.
"If you can find the time, I do highly recommend giving your wonder another try, even if its just to find your signet ring. Its a very useful tool... did you know you can send messages to people with it?"
She ran her fingers over a strand of hair that had fallen free of her hood, letting the dark length curl between them.
"I've been a senshi for a few years now... Seven, I think?" She had to think about that, counting the years in her head. Such a long time... almost a third of her life. "I suppose I've done a lot... but that makes it sound like accomplishments. Mostly, I've just... survived, and met the challenges that came to me. I've succeeded and failed... learned and grown. I've even... well, broken under the pressure of it, and ran away from it for a while."
Three months she'd been on her planet that time, hiding from the world. Hardly any time, compared to how long she'd been captive on Alkaid... the thought of that making the night seem darker and the air colder. The small silver scars on her hands itched with remembered pain.
"I have scars from my time fighting... I don't begrudge you taking your time to get your own." She said softly, watching the gravel path before her feet but really seeing only the crystal prison that had dominated months of her life.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:37 pm
Manu remained quiet for a time, taking in what the senshi said... And after a moment, he smiled.
"I think you are very wise. You speak from experience, it sounds like. Good and bad, you've seen it all, I'm sure. And it's like you said, you've survived. There are times where it feels like just surviving isn't enough, but I have come to learn that over time, it really does matter." He stopped his walking, settling in the quickly deepening snow, and took Ida's hand into his own, as gently as he could to stop her from going any further.
"I've heard this time and time again, and it feels so cheesy to say it outloud, but taking your time, no matter what path you take, puts you in this moment, right here and now. And in this moment, even after we've both run away from things and tried to push it all behind us, we are together. ... I, personally, can thank all of that, because it ultimately led me to you. Twice even!" For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Manu laughed at himself, the kinda laugh that started deep in his belly and came up as a hearty sound that echoed around the otherwise quiet forest.
"Yes, in this moment, I can be happy here with you, cheetoes and terrible movies or not!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 8:19 am
She paused when he took her hand, already turning towards him. The kind words he had for her made her feel warm inside, chasing away the chill of her memories and trauma. She hated to admit she had trauma, but that didn't make it go away... didn't change the fact that she was a scarred and broken person, pieced back together through sheer stubbornness. Hearing him with admiration in his voice smoothed the hard edges and made her feel younger.
His bright laugh swept away the rest of it and she found herself blushing, dark eyes wide. It drew a bit of a shy smile to her face and her fingers to play with the tails of the bow at her chest.
"I'm... glad you're happy. I'm glad I could help." Ida said softly. Gosh, he was handsome when he smiled like that, and his hold of her hand gave her all sorts of flutters she hadn't felt in so long. And he was so warm and kind...
"Do you, um... want to have some tea, to warm up before you go home? Or coffee maybe. I think maybe we could both use it."
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