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 Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:02 pm
Quote: Prompt 1 (Diamond Dust): This time of year, snow is common. What’s uncommon is the single, strange snowfall where each snowflake that fell glistened like tiny diamonds. For the most part, the snow seems fairly normal—it’s cold, wet, and melts just like any other snow, it just also happens to look like tiny little gems are falling from the sky. Depending on who you’re with, it’s either incredibly strange, or incredibly romantic. When the snow is coming down at its strongest, crystalized snowflakes trickle down with the rest of the snow. These are roughly the size of a quarter and are light and hollow. They are fragile, like glass, but glisten like a fine cut gem. No one can explain this anomaly, but these small snowflakes won't melt. And they are all over Destiny City. You can find them gently falling to the ground, or lying in the fresh fallen snow. There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly magical about them, but they are beautiful and make pretty keepsakes.
Her eyes were closed as she was pulled to…wherever, and for the first time in a thousand years, Kemi felt peace. It was wonderful. It was hope, it was light. It was…
…It was cold.
Why was eternity cold?
The Senshi’s eyes snapped open, and the wings on her head twitched slightly, as well as her tail puffing up in resurgence of the cold weather, and Kemi stared at the strange landscape before her. It…
It wasn’t her planet, that was for sure but…as to where it was, she had no idea.
It was snowing though, something she was sadly used to, though…the snow seemed so sparkle, and it drew her attention as she watched it glinting in the ray of some…artificial light? How strange. This was all strange…but.
It was all still so cold...and she had just wanted heat…just wanted warmth.
The hope she had felt had begun to die, though she was too wrapped up in watching the glittering snow to really feel the despair that was starting to work its way inside.
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2023 7:10 pm
Arthur had been walking the wonderful streets of Destiny City, a few bags in his hand as he went on a festive shopping trip and was headed home. A lot of people had been out taking pictures of the unusual snow which, after this many years of strange seasonal weather occurrences, was now just a quirky norm for the city. It was always explained away as some strange rare series of scientific events lining up to cause them, and honestly it wasn't causing any harm so farm. It was just pretty to look at.
With his medallion around his neck under his blue scarf, he could keep his signature suppressed for the evening as he tried to blend it. That was until he felt someone off in the park, and looking about, he slowly started to walk through there just to check it all out.
It was quiet now as the Christmas music and the sloshing of snow from passing cars died away. The crunch of snow was nice under his booths and he could see his breath. The snowflakes were glare and glittering under the line of lamp lights on the path before he spotted someone. The mauvian slowly started to feed his bags into his small subspace, crushing a few of the bags to fit before he was hands free. - Just in case he had to transform and run.
But what he saw was just what looked like a Mauvian but didn't feel like a Mauvian. What exactly was this? It felt Order - but it didn't seem that way. There was a tail.
"Evening." He said, pulling out a mittened hand from his peacoat to introduce himself as he slowly, carefully approached. Open shoulder number - they must be freezing. "You okay?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2023 7:46 pm
Kemi’s head snapped towards the voice and she openly stared at the person. A living being. The first one she had seen in a thousand years…this.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure what to do. The language was…understandable, but she felt sluggish in her ability to answer, and finally she slowly looked him over and shook her head. “I am cold. I was not. Prepared for more cold. I thought that the light would bring me warmth, not simply cold. I do not know where it is that I am. I do not understand who you are. I have not talked to another person in a thousand years. I. Am cold.”
Honestly was strange. The words felt and tasted strange. There were so many strung together, and Kemi simply didn’t know how to stop them.
She was the Senshi of Deception, and here she was, pouring out words to a complete stranger in yet another frozen wasteland.
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2023 7:52 pm
Arthur stared, not prepared for all of that to be said. He frankly wasn't sure what to do at first, but the first course of action was giving her some information and seeing if they could do something about that power signature.
"I'm Arthur." He started, walking closer now to be before them. "I'm a Mauvian - in disguise a bit right now. I'm keeping my energy signature hidden. Something you need to do too. We have enemies here."
"As for the place, this is Earth. It's not always this cold. This is just winter. Exact place is Destiny City. I think we should get you warmed up. Do you know if you can somehow - hid that power of yourself you are giving off." If not, even if he gave her a medallion it would only last so long, but it could buy them time.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said as he started to take off his coat and hand it over to her to wear. Underneath he had a sweater, mittens, and a very white, sleek tail.
To this, he also took off his beanie, offering that as well, exposing a pair of bright white cat ears. "Take these. You'll turn into a ice cube in no time without them."
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2023 8:20 pm
A Mauvian! Kemi held her surprise back, but a small light seemed to return to her eyes. “You…are a Mauvian. Arthur. I am Kemi. The Senshi of Deception…and this is the Earth…that. Is interesting. Why would a light that filled me with hope bring me to Earth?”
She had heard of the Earth. Vaguely, of course but…she hadn’t known that there were still those living on it. Still people here. Mauvian’s here.
“Arthur. Can you tell me what is going on? You say that there are enemies…what kind of enemies?”
The articles of clothing, while foreign…were warm and welcome to her…though the hat was uncomfortable against the wings on her head, and took some adjusting to get it settled, her wings fluttering softly on the outside of it.
“...I want to know everything…how long have you been here, Arthur?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2023 8:30 pm
"That is a lot to explain, and out in the open like this - well, it does make me nervous for you. I'm not much of the fighting sort so I can't offer you much protection. But - well, one moment. It's better if I looked like a cat. It will help me help you to keep your signature lowered so people don't notice you from afar. Okay." He explained as to not scare her. Taking off his mittens, he offered those to her as well. "I won't be needing those."
He said, and in a moment the sleek, tall figure of a lanky, somewhat nerdish man shrank down to that of a white cat.
"Sorry for all of this, but it will hep us all. My medallion only works on myself to keep others from noticing me when I'm a person, but it won't work on you. I can't dampen your energy signature when I look that way." He explained.
"Now..." He gave a little shiver and felt the bright flame of order trickle down to that of a little small glow. One that you'd have to be right up against to notice it was a senshi.
"I do not know why you were called, but we are actively in the War with the Negaverse here. That and well we also have the Dark Moon Court. Then occasionally other players pop into the mix, but that's the main ones here. They are working to corrupt and take over this planet. Many senshi have been resurrected here to this planet and are actively fighting to stop it, but we've been in a tight stalemate for many years. While I was on this planet, I was not awakened until a few years ago. About...Oh I say 8ish?"
"We should get you back to my place. Someplace warm where you can have a nice meal and a place to rest. I can answer more without having some Earth civilians passing by. Normal cats on this planet do not talk." He explained to them.
"I have to know - where were you before? How did you get here? Are there no members of Chaos where you are from?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 1:40 pm
“I wouldn’t say no to warmth. It’s been far too long…my planet has been covered in ice for…well. It feels as though it’s been forever. Ever since the Wellspring froze, everything and everyone was killed. It’s been only me up there…up on Kemi. It used to be a beautiful planet. A beautiful place to live.”
Kemi nodded and gestured for him to lead her wherever it was that they were going. If he had warmth. Food. She wasn’t going to turn it down.
Though, the idea of this…Negaverse...and a Dark Mirror Court? That was…a lot of things to think about and focus on…and really.
“We can discuss these enemies after we reach the warmth…also. I am going to take it…since you were hiding yours, that tails are not…normal for your Earth? Is there something that you can do to assist me so that I can blend in?”
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 2:52 pm
"It's plenty warm. I keep my place very cozy. I don't get much company, truth be told." He said, stepping in front of her to gently lead the way. "I'm not far. I just wanted to do some holiday shopping. Good thing I have been getting into cooking a little. No cat food for you." He laughed as a joke.
"Ah, right. The tail. Yes, tails and your wings are not normal. Humans have rounded, small ears no wings, and no tails. Just arms and legs."
"Hmm. You'll just have to tuck it best you can and keep the coat buttoned up. I keep a long coat just for that reason - to hide a tail if I need to. The city has all kinds of people anyways, so for now you can just say you are wearing a costume for a Theater production for the holiday season. Some play featuring animals in a magical world." He said, giving her less things to think about to lie to the population. "Most people won't bother you. It's a lot of keeping to yourself." If the person seemed weird, most people didn't address it.
"It's a shame about your planet. You seem to have lived a long time alone. I hope our planet can be more hospitable to you and isn't too much of a strain on you. Tell me if anything hurts you here." He had no way to tell if being this far from her planet would affect her health in some way.
"I am not sure how to assist with your appearance. Hmmmm.....that is tricky. I wonder if you have any innate ability to shift your appearance to look like a human. Just as I can change my form to look humanoid." Arthur just wasn't sure about all of this and might have to look up in the system to see what he could find.
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 4:13 pm
The coat did hide her tail, and she supposed that her wings could be taken for part of the hat she now wore, and Kemi gave a soft noise of ascent. “I suppose that’s fair. So long as your place is warm, I don’t mind hiding who I am while we travel there. I have no way of shifting my appearance, even when I am not…going around as Kemi, my people simply have the tails and the head wings.”
Of course, she was and had always been smug that hers had been the best. She was the chosen Senshi of course, so why wouldn’t her tail be the plushest. Her wings be the most sleek.
“This is who I am and I have no way of hiding it. Though I suppose I can just stay with you until we can figure out a way to fix that. Unless you have another solution. From what I know of Mauvians, they are quite crafty. I hope that is still the case.”
If it wasn’t…
Well. Perhaps she could simply find another Mauvian somewhere on Earth. If there was a war going on, there had to be others.
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 4:26 pm
"Well you are a bit of a peculiarity to me. Most senshi are dormant. It's not until we give them a trinket to channel their powers to switch to their senshi form. You seem to be a bit of the reverse here. Starting out, your dormant form IS you senshi form. I don't - well, I'm not sure if the same would apply if I provided you with the same kind of trinket to channel your own energies into another state. Maybe - maybe it works the other way about." He thought out loud to Kemi, looking them over.
"At most, it would just be a useless little bobble to you." He said and stopped in front of her, just enough to not have her step on him but enough for her to know to stop to.
"One moment. Let's give this a shot." He said, and he got a good, firm stance in the snow. "Hmmm." His eyes went up to the wings upon her head. "Maybe we don't have to be so traditional with the focus - not as much as the others are. You are a special case - and that might warrant a bit of a exception here."
Then, with a deep exhale to ground himself, the Mauvian leaped up and back, high as what should be even possible for a normal cat, kicking up a dusting of those large, glittering snowflakes as he tumbled in the air into a ball and then landed again.
In the wake of his spiral, two items dropped to the ground. One was a phone. The other, a winged hairpin. "There you go." He said, a bit out of breath but straightening up again tall as he came over to the two items.
"This one here is a cell phone. It's a way of communication between one another. The other, here, well, should be a magical focus. A way for you to see if you can manipulate yourself to another form. Maybe - instead of focusing on your power to be a senshi, you can focus to hide it instead?" He wasn't all that sure it would work, but he had the item during his performance much as he would any senshi pen. A pen was capable to powering up and the person would naturally power down. For Kemi, they needed to power down, and would naturally be a senshi as their default. A bit of like turning over the switch the other way around.
"I hope you don't mind, but I thought a hair pin suited you."
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 4:50 pm
“I was given a henshin pen when I first received my power, which was long ago. I used to be a stronger Senshi…but as the years passed…I have grown weaker. It’s. I used to have beautiful wings at my hips. I was strong. Not as strong as I suppose others are, but I was as strong as I was going to be…I hope that I can regain my strength now that I am…here. And there are opportunities to do so…”
She took hold of both items that Arthur had given her, and looked at the phone with some curiosity, but the hairpin, she studied for a moment and then slipped it into her hair, taking a moment to power down. And as she did so, the tail and her headwings vanished, leaving a rather normal looking person behind. Still with the same pale blue hair, and ice blue eyes but…
Human.
“I don’t understand the phone…I would appreciate if you could…work with me on that the next time…”
It had vanished when she had dropped her henshin, so she supposed that it had to do with her Senshi life. It wasn’t that important right now, she supposed.
“I am sure that there are a lot of things that I must learn.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 5:34 pm
"We have senshi with wings. With time, you could get yours back too hopefully." He made no promises but, considering her power must have dimished a lot, he did hope there was a way to strengthen that connection.
"I'm happy to be of service. It's what I do, and I haven't had a senshi with me in a while." They had all moved out.
"Right this way then." He said, happy to see that they had powered down and weren't as noticeable now. It made him relieved to not worry about attracting unwanted attention. A fight when Kemi was this confused would be the worst timing and a good way to get them greviously injured or killed.
It was much too nice a night for all that.
It was a easy walk the blocks it took to get to his residence and once there, he went to the door where a cat flap was locked. There he looked up and his eyes were registered, and he slipped inside the now unlocked flap. After a moment, the door clicked open and slowly eased a few inches ajar on it's own.
"Come in. Come in. Leave yours shoes by the mat by the door." Came Arthur's voice inside the apartment. Slowly lights started to tick on one by one. The downstairs had a large living room with shelves of books, chairs, a soft couch, TV, and coffee table. A laptop and a tablet sat on the table. Across the entry way on the other side was a kitchen area.
From the kitchen, Arthur (not humanoid again) started to unload bags from his subspace to put in the fridge.
"I can't be this way for much longer, but I brought food to eat and I have TV dinners. If you'd like something hot, we can order takeout. I do it all the time. How does that sound? A hot meal on a cold day. Would you like some tea or coffee?" He asked, setting things in the cabinets and finishing the last bit to put in the fridge.
"Have a seat anywhere you like. There are plenty of blankets to warm up with. Sorry about the cat hair." He said as he set the coffee machine up with fresh water and grounds.
"It's just us here by the way. I live alone. I used to have a senshi but they grew up. You can use their old room upstairs."
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 7:03 pm
It was warm...and honestly, that was all that she cared about. The trip to the home was a long one, but honestly, Sylvie didn’t mind. Though…
“I should tell you, and it has been a long time since I have had to use my…old name. But I am Sylvie. When I am not powered up…”
Honestly, his words confused her, not the idea of sitting or blankets, but everything else…
“I’m. Not sure what any of that is. I know what food is, of course, but…something hot, yes would be preferred…ah.”
Her eyes roamed around the room and honestly, she wished that she could have some time to explore…or at least question Arthur about what all of the things were. It was so different, but the warmth…
The warmth was honestly delicious.
“I would love that, thank you. I am very glad that I was able to run into you.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 8:02 pm
"Well, that's what Mauvian's do. We run into senshi. I'm glad to have found you before anyone else did."
He started to coffee machine up for them and went into the living room, and slowly shifted back to his cat form. He had wished he could have stayed humanoid longer. He always did. He wished he could just BE humanoid all the time, but for now this is all he could do.
"Sylvie is a lovely name. I'll call you that then. If any person comes knocking at the door, I'm the house cat. I'm owned by Mr. Arthur Celestin. I had fun with the last name." He said with a smile. "Mr. Celestin is a very busy businessman who often isn't home. Comes and goes to take care of the cat and grab the mail. I'll work on getting you paperwork and a ID. You'll need to have that to navigate the city. They document the people when they are born and move about, and you will need that to appear from here. Alright." He said, leaping up on a couch and curling up on one of the throw blankets to get warm.
"Hmmm. Who is open. Ah. Let's try Chinese then. Dearest!" He called, and a tiny tune chimed in. "--Yes. How may I help you?--"
"Place order at Mr Yuans. A 3, 12, and a 4 should do it." He said. The command came and a pleasant yet robotic woman's voice spoke through a distant speaker. "--Understood. Your order has been place. Estimated time of delivery is 35 minutes.--"
"That should do it. Someone will come to the door in 35 minutes. Don't worry. They know to leave it at the door. For now, you just be cozy. Now then, I'm sure you have plenty more questions."
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 8:15 pm
Questions? That was absolutely an understatement. Everything was so different but…
“I think…I would like to hold my questions until after I have eaten. It has been so long since I have had something warm, and I would like the time to gather my thoughts, if you do not mind. This…is all very overwhelming, but…you seem to have a grasp on everything…I will think and gather my questions and we can reconvene after the food arrives?”
Thirty five minutes was absolutely nothing. She could wait that long for food. She could wait that long for almost anything, and it would give Sylvie some time to simply think...which.
Was very much needed.
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