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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.
Working to finish disassembling the engine before daylight was fully gone, Reese did her best to ignore the flickering insect life, the fireflies as they were called. The first few times she'd come across them at night, she'd try to capture a few, especially after the little shocks they'd given her! She'd wondered if they'd work with the Leyden Jars she'd made. She'd considered the option of breedable energy within moments of that interaction!
But sadly, they simply weren't to be caught, and she had a frustrated feeling that they might be magical in nature.
At home (well, her former home) utilizing life forms in such a way would almost definitely be frowned upon. But after hearing about the whole situation, and one of the key solutions being encouraged was at the cost of a life, Rhysi's view on such means had quickly adapted. It was a matter of need, context, and priorities. Survival, to her, was not a matter of either morals or ethics. You simply achieved it or you did not, and the means used were the only factor by which you could control that outcome.
The fireflies teased close to her, lighting up the clipboard listing out the desired parts and the battered service manual that had been given to her by the junk...no salvage yard owner. They'd come upon her several times over the past week, catching her taking apart and examining the lot's cars and appliances with dexterous ease. After finding out she was doing so simply for the fun of it and little actual knowledge of the specific objects themselves, they seemed to desire to test her. It was really kind of them to freely give her this sort of challenge and activity, without even being a parent or instructor, they still thought to teach.
Mr. MacGrubin even said she could keep the manual, which to her was absolutely a reward worth her time and effort. Not to mention the dangly decoration she's found on the vehicle's inside floor. it was a clear glass tube with a tiny woman inside, and when Reese tilted it, the clothes floated right off of her! It was very whimsical, and she felt it'd look very nice in her room. The salvage yard was full of little items like this, and every visit meant her subspace was crammed full of new finds. Tonight even included another of those shiny star charms from the festival! Of course, the actual salvage materials she took away were bought and paid for, the money from the nice powered human with the holes stretching further and further as she bargained and fought over every penny spent.
It was amazing the amount of resources that were simply left unused on this world. They took up space, and from what she'd overheard from other visitors to Scrappy Dawgz Salvage, many found these abandoned items to be dirty, unsightly, and generally unpleasant. The thought filled Rhysi with such intensely sorrowful emotion that tears had come to her eyes, lower lip trembling in intense sorrow for all the abandoned things of this world. It had alarmed the nearby attendant enough to offer her some candy.
This meant that she immediately tried crying elsewhere around the city and among the Vanguard, to mixed and often confused results. (She was really not very good at fake crying.)
