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 Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 5:57 pm
Faustite had told Cybele that she would be left to rot, and rotting was a good word for it. Her feet were worse, not better. Faustite had not come to her recently. She could not see the damage, but she could feel the sickly heat of infection crawling up her ankles. The smell of it might have made her throw up if she'd had anything to give. Her fever-glassed eyes fluttered open and shut as hours and hours passed. It made little difference. There was nothing to stare at but darkness and darkness. Her wrists were getting thin enough that she could feel metal scrape against bone instead of flesh when she moved her arms enough that they rubbed against the manacle. Then, all at once, one of her wrists slipped through. The other followed quickly. Early on, Cybele had thought some of escape. Now, her head spun, even as she found herself partially free. It was minutes before she'd summoned her phone to her hand, minutes more before she'd opened her contacts and shakily typed out a single word to the person at the top of the list, Albireo. Slowly, she continued to type. Quote: Caught. In the city. Don't know where.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 6:34 pm
It had been three hellish days since Albireo had returned from her homeworld, utterly elated by the fact that she was safe. That she glowed and that she couldn’t have her starseed snatched away anymore.
Three days since she had come home to a completely distraught Tavi, worried that they had both been missing.
Three days of worry, and three nights of searching for Cybele, and finally, finally a message came from the other senshi…one that made Albireo’s blood turn to ice. She made her way swiftly back to Siegfried and trembled as he moistened her lips, trying to get the strength to talk. To say something. But all that she could do was hold up the phone, allowing him to see the messages for himself, before snatching it away again, closing her eyes to force back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her and sent a message back.
Quote: Cybele. Sieg and I are out looking for you. Are there any sounds you can hear that might help us? We’re looking, and we will find you.
God. Maybe they should just…get a Mauvian to make tracking devices for one another in case something like this happened again.
She couldn’t let herself fall to pieces though. Not when Cybele needed her.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 6:42 pm
The whole powered healing factor thing was wild. Had the fractures in his hand healed in the three days since Albireo had come home? Yes. Had he since refractured his hand in the three days since they'd determined that Cybele was missing? Yes. It was his nondominant hand, he would be find if he stuck to using his sword and kicking people. It just. Throbbed. A lot.
Seeing Albireo aglow with markings of Transcendance - a sure of a sign as any that her starseed was no longer going anywhere - was anything and everything he could ask for, except perhaps the cosmos deciding she could have her full power back.
(It made no small part of him want to go see what he had to do to do the same.)
(Among other things that the knight forgot do it with his wonder.)
Silver eyes glanced at the message before she replied back. Cybele was alive. Barely it sounded like. s**t, if only he could determine who on his inner radar was who, this would be a lot easier. He squeezed Albireo's shoulder.
"We'll find her, Albireo. I promise."
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 7:01 pm
Over the past week, Cybele had gotten so used to the darkness that any amount of light felt like too much. When Faustite had come in for his answers, she'd barely been able to look at him. Now that she was squinting at a phone screen, her head spun. Trying to read was almost harder than trying to write. The flash of a text message, though, confirmed that someone was there, confirmed that Albireo was there, and Cybele felt her heart lighten a degree or two as she pressed the call button. "Albireo?" she croaked into the phone. Her voice was quiet from misuse, raspy from dehydration and pain. Something caught in her chest. There was so much she wanted to say. I'm sorry. I love you. If they had the chance to say all that face to face, though, it would be better. "I think I'm in a basement. It's cold. There's pipes." Her words came slowly, too, but she put the effort into making sure each one could be heard. "Sometimes I feel auras above." A moment passed, and she added, "I can't walk. My feet-" That thought was cut off with a sniffle as the possibility of what was happening caught up to her.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 7:53 pm
“Cyb…” Albireo swallowed, pressing the phone against her ear and gripping Siegfried’s hand tightly. “Cyb honey, we’re coming. We’re on our way.” She closed her eyes, drawing in a breath. “You can’t walk, that’s all right. Are you able to crawl? Are you able to get outside at all? I know it might be horribly uncomfortable, but it could help. If you can do that, it would help a lot.”
Her voice was soft and she drew in another breath. “We’ve both been looking for you, honey. We’ll find you and we’ll bring you home, okay? Just hold on a little longer.”
She tried extending her senses, as though it would help. As though she could scan the whole city with her poor senses.
“So, it’s cold…and you’re in a basement. Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out…”
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 8:50 pm
"Does it smell like anything?" asked Siegfried, leaning close to the phone, and guiding Albireo towards where he knew some abandoned buildings would be. It wasn't a lot to go off of, but the Negaverse generally kept to the more abandoned or run down buildings. At least, that was his feelings on it. He kept the pair moving, occassionally changing directions based on what he could sense.
A few auras here, a few auras there. But it was a normal day for powered patrols. There were auras everywhere.
"Can you tell anything about the auras? Whether something feels stronger than another?" he asked, shifting directions slightly again.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 5:33 am
" Siegfried," Cybele whispered, a weak smile coming to her face despite the rest of the situation. It felt like a million years ago, now, but she remembered how they'd talked right before she'd been captured. She remembered how he'd been in a spat with Albireo because she'd been reckless. They'd made up, though. They'd have each other, even if Faustite teleported in right this moment and knocked the phone from her hand. Good. The thought of crawling, on the other hand, did not make her smile. It would be up stairs, most likely, and it was already taking nearly all of Cybele's strength just to whisper raspily into the receiver. With the state she was in, unconsciousness was ever tugging at her. Although, as she listened, another thought did break through the brain fog. It was something Ganymede had shown her, and she pressed another button on her phone, the distress signal. "That should show where I am," she said. "Just," she swallowed dryly, "It smells like infection and urine, Siegfried. It's not pretty."
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:03 am
When the distress signal popped up on Albireo’s phone, she gave a noise of surprise, but then relaxed. “Stay awake, honey. We’re coming. You don’t need to keep talking, just stay awake with us. She turned herself and Siegfried in the direction of where the signal was pointing and tried to keep herself steady.
Cybele was hurt. Most likely very hurt. What could she do? Could she call someone? Did she know anyone who could heal?
Ilse did. She could call Ilse. This would be okay. Cybele would be okay and they could get her to the hospital. Then they could bring her home and take care of her and just…make everything better.
They would make everything better.
“We’re coming honey. We love you. We’ll be there soon.”
It was so hard not to panic, but…they didn’t have to not run, and as the signal grew stronger, she felt a rushing sense of relief. “Almost there, Cyb. Just a few more minutes.”
They were right at the area, the signal was strong, but she looked to Siegfried for some advice, for some thoughts of how to get underground to get to her.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 4:13 pm
His blood roiled in his veins. They'd hurt her, they'd hurt her badly. If who ever had done this was still there, Siegfried would make them pay ten fold in kind. Albireo guided them towards the distress call, glancing at him when they were practically on top of her. Right, how to get under ground.
He scanned the area, eyes focusing on a side door close to the signal. Bolted shut, but he was Siegfried.
"There's going to be a loud crashing down, Cybele. I'm kicking in the door," he said into the phone. He gestured for Albireo to stand a few feet away - in case he missed - and summoned all the strength he had into his legs.
Then he kicked the door at the lock and it swung open with a crack and a bang. Light flooded down a set of stairs. And gods the smell...
"Almost there, hon. Almost there."
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 4:39 pm
In some ways, speaking took energy she didn't have, but in other ways, having the conversation to focus on was something that was keeping her awake. Hope pulsed through her like adrenaline. It wouldn't last long, but in the meantime, her eyes stayed open. "I'll be here," she murmured a few times while she heard footsteps through the phone, and the occasional assurances that they were coming. "I'll be here." The hope grew stronger when she felt two strong auras lingering overhead. It was good that Siegfried gave her a warning. Otherwise she might have flinched away at the sound of the door crashing open, but as it was, she called out as soon as she saw the light. "Albireo? Siegfried? I'm here. I'm here." Her breath shook, and not just because the sudden brightness was making the pounding in her head grow stronger. Relief in her chest mixed with fear that Faustite would catch them, or that this was just another dream. There was a smaller fear, too, that they would be angry with her. "I'm sorry."
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 6:33 pm
Albireo felt an overwhelming sense of relief when she saw Cybele, and when she ran over, all she could do was swiftly, but gently throw her arms around the other senshi, kissing her cheek as softly as possible. “We’re here. Don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong. We’re going to get you out. Going to fix everything. Siegfried,”
She looked to her husband and nodded to Cybele. “You’re stronger than me, please carry her, I’m going to call Ilse and get her healing friend to come meet us at the park close to the house, Cybele, honey. Just hang on, you’re safe, so you don’t have to hold on quite so tightly, we’ve got you and everything will be okay.”
Albireo wished that she knew Ganymede’s contact information but…
That was okay. This would be okay. They would be okay.
Swiftly, she drew out her phone again, ready to get things moving, and hoping that they could get moving so that whoever did this wouldn’t catch them in the act.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 6:42 pm
"Already on it, love," he said, nodding at Albireo. Cybele looked like someone had tortured her. Stars what had they done to her feet? "I'm going to pick you up now, Cybele. I got you. We got you." His voice was hushed, his movements slow. Who knows what those bastards did to her otherwise. Siegfried slipped his arms under Cybele - stars she felt like she weighted nothing - and picked her up bridal style.
He looked to his wife. "Let's go," he said, moving to the door and outside. He paused, briefly, to shift Cybele in his arms so he could drape his cape over her feet and help protect them from the outside air and sun.
Then it was off to the park they knew well.
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