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The Fireflies (6) : In the warm summer nights, little glowing lights begin to bob and dart through the city. Fireflies are mating, so this isn't uncommon in itself; in the past few days you've probably seen hundreds of fireflies. What makes these lights so unique is that they seem to change color; you might see a blue one, a green one, a red one. They flicker randomly, and something just seems off with them. If you come into contact with one, you will find yourself with a strange electric jolt. They cannot be caught, and will flicker away if you pursue too aggressively. This isn’t the first time they’ve appeared in Destiny City, but no one’s been able to tell where they came from or where they’re going. No matter how quickly you chase them, they always seem to disappear before you can find any answers.
Runelucia, or Rune for short, occasionally partook in walks unsupervised. It’s not that she’s a loner per se. On the contrary, she enjoyed being around a certain company of people well enough. However, today was not that day. For one, Kalani grumbled enough to make it clear that she needed some personal space and that she harbored no intentions of stepping outdoors. She stressed that she required some “recuperation” from the ails of the outside world. Rune lifted a brow over that statement, but in the end, she considered that line of thought fair. Even her primary senshi of choice needed some level of rest divorced from the world (which includes Runelucia herself) once in a while.
Upon departure, Rune cast on her daily human glamour and decided to pivot herself to the nearest park. She happened to like that park since it had a fair amount of coverage and she could comfortably conceal herself once in a while. She also previously openly practiced a dance number with much success, too!
Eventually, she found a spot in the forested park with enough shrubbery and trees to conceal enough of the outside world away from view. A view towards the distance was still available for herself, for some light to peer through, and any prying eyes noticing a silhouette. There wasn’t much she could do about that, and the pros outweighed the cons easily. Besides the coverage, the earthy and floral scent of the earth was most welcoming. In addition, as the day began to cycle towards night, the outdoor temperature became significantly more tolerable. Personally, Runelucia disliked overly warm days, so this is fine.
Normally, she would hardly have an audience, at least one she would be able to properly acknowledge. This evening, however, she wasn’t alone. Surrounding the vicinity were a myriad of multicolored fireflies. They gently glowed and floated in the air. They even changed color as they drifted into the air like dandelions. It almost felt mystical and inviting, especially the iridescent lights. Runelucia thought of them as lovely and perfect for this moment, paying no mind to just how mysterious and unusual they were. For one, fireflies aren’t usually mean-spirited- they usually minded their business. Secondly, they’re just fireflies… what could they do? If anything, perhaps they would be her audience this evening. How delightful!
A moment after she scanned the area to ensure her privacy, she began to sway into a dance maneuver. She began slow and then began to bend her limbs to the parts of the song she hummed to herself, which was her quieter replacement for having a music player. Since she would not be in her glamour for long, it would be unwise for her to carry even a portable music device on her. How could her little self carry it back without misplacing it? Suddenly, her mind drew to a sudden blank. A shock! She felt a jolt on her back all of a sudden. ‘Where was that shock from? How bizarre!’ Rune immediately thought before continuing to dance among the fireflies.
As soon as she reached the second act of her dance routine, she was duly stung once more, this time on her wrist. She yowled slightly over the pain and quickly swiveled her gaze toward the offender. And lo and behold… a red-orange firefly drifted away without a care in the world away from its victim, possibly. “That’s not nice…” Rune uttered softly to herself, rubbing her stung wrist. “Did you do that-”
Once more, she got stung again, and again. In annoyance and frustration over being interrupted and jolted more than a few times, Rune tried to grasp and shoo away the clearly offended fireflies. However, they quickly dissipated away, their colors flickering to a wide variety of colors. If they represented emotions, then it almost felt like they were silently laughing at her.
Soon, all Runelucia could hear are the leaves rustling to the wind and some distant cicadas. Not only has evening appeared fully, the moon casting down on her, the fireflies had vanished to the unknown. Only Runelucia was left. With her daily humanoid glamour nearly up for expiration, Runelucia sighed in defeat. Those fireflies sure were pretty, but they weren’t very nice. And so, she too left the park and began retreating back to her preferred residence. Surely Kalani has rested enough by now, right?
