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 Posted: Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:44 pm
Nausikaa’s eagerness to visit Mirrorspace was contagious, and once she’d decided that she was ready, Remarque was too.
The trip to a mirror took less than a minute. If she’d wanted to, she could have found the one he’d arrived through so as far as he was concerned, its cover was already blown. He decided to remain optimistic about her interest in the Court and let that be a good sign that she didn’t intend to be a threat to them.
He’d given the usual warnings before he took her through the mirror. He’d cautioned that it might feel a bit cool, that the sensation tended to feel like passing through water. He took her hand and stepped through with her.
The common room that they arrived in was as described–tall white walls, with a great black door on one side and mirrors lining the walls. He didn’t explain the exquisite gold mirror in the room, but he thought it best to give her a few seconds to collect herself. Dropping her hand, he lingered nearby but not so close that he was crowding her, or that the mirror could decide to evict her of its own accord.
A few feet away, he half-turned to face her and gestured to the room.
“Welcome to Mirrorspace. Want a chair?” he flicked his wrist almost dismissively and a comfortable looking chair manifested between them. It was white, the same color as the rest of the room, but it looked like it had texture and softness. Remarque might have been showing off.
Just a bit.
“Or do you want to take a stroll and see where we end up?”
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:06 pm
It had been just as Remarque had explained to her – a cool, shimmering feeling, like stepping through a veil of water when Nausikaa was led through the mirror secreted in the park (and she thought it was a minor miracle that no-one had found it or broken it). She hadn't known what to expect apart from what the Dark Mirror Eternal had told her, maybe something more ethereal. It wasn't unpleasant, just strange. Nausikaa looked around wide-eyed at the large white room they found themselves in, taking in all the details, from the mirror-lined and impossibly high walls to the huge black door on one side. It didn't matter, in the moment, that this might be all of it, though she doubted that; what mattered was she was on the other side of a mirror. That, to her, was amazing. She gaped at Remarque as he nonchalantly summoned a chair out of nothing, a very comfortable-looking white chair, almost antique in appearance, like a Queen Anne. Wondering if it was real or some kind of illusion, she reached out and touched it. It certainly felt real enough. Dumbfounded, Nausikaa slowly settled herself into the chair. "Thank you," she murmured to Remarque, trying to collect her wits. "I think I'll sit here for a moment." She studied her surroundings: the chair, the mirrors, the immense door. It was all so surreal – and so wonderful. "Wait – a stroll? There's more?" she finally managed, looking up at him. "I want to see it all."
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:37 pm
Remarque seemed pleased with himself, as proud of his chair as he was of Mirrorspace. Her reaction was everything he wanted and he wasn’t going to pretend like he wasn’t glad to see it. He hid any great enthusiasm well; Remarque had an astounding poker face but he let a smug little smile linger.
“Oh, I don’t know if we’ll get into all of it in one night. But of course, you’ll be more than welcome to join me again. And if you join the Court, you can come and go as you please. Well, as a Super Senshi, at least. But we’ll make sure you get there so you can spread your wings. Until then, you can hitch a ride with me whenever you want. Or any of the others, there are a good few of us who like to spend time here. It’s peaceful when you need to clear your head. Mirrorspace is very eager to give you exactly what you’re looking for.”
Although, he suspected it didn’t yet have enough power to give him what he really wanted. Though, he was asking for a lot.
“No matter how much I explore, there always seems to be more to find. I can’t get enough of it. Last week I found some ruins. I took pictures but I haven’t been able to uncover much about the place since then. Mirrorspace doesn’t ever stay the same for long. The pieces are all there, but the paths are always moving. It can be hard to find the same place twice. Not impossible, but I don’t think Mirrorspace is at full strength. It’s doing the best it can. But, all the more reason to gather energy for it when we can. The more we can provide, the more Mirrorspace can provide.”
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:00 pm
"Ruins?" Nausikaa's eyes went wide at that. "There are ruins here? Actual ruins?" The ancient history buff in her was completely enraptured by the idea of ruins in Mirrorspace. A place behind/inside mirrors that was old enough to have ruins…. She would love to see those, explore them, map them if she could. It didn't matter that Remarque said the paths change constantly, it only disappointed her very mildly. Just more to explore and discover! She slowly stood and gazed around the Common Room, finally noting the great black doors and the wonderfully ornate gold-framed mirror. There was so much more to this place than just this room, and she wanted to see it all firsthand. Of course, she would have to become one of the Dark Mirror Senshi to do it…. But was that such a bad thing, in the end? The White Moon certainly had enough Senshi of their own, plus they had the Knights on their side. And the Dark Mirror Court, while Chaos-aligned, were no allies of the Negaverse. Nausikaa didn't think one little Senshi going missing would make such a big difference in the balance of power in Destiny City. Even the energy gathering wasn't putting her off, not the way the Dark Mirror Court went about it, with more consideration to the energy donors than the Negaverse ever gave. Yes, she'd have to become one of them…. Or pester Remarque for a lift whenever she wanted to visit Mirrorspace, which she wasn't about to do. He was being more than generous with his time as it was – she didn't want to bother him. Not until she was a Dark Mirror Senshi herself. "Could we explore a little? I would love to see more!" said Nausikaa finally. Maybe they could even discover something new and exciting on their little stroll!
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 2:02 am
“Ancient ruins,” Remarque confirmed. Were there any others? “Come on, we’ll see what we can find.”
He gestured for her to follow and trusted her enough that he left his back open while he guided her down a hall. Smoke clung to the corners of Mirrorspace, like a perpetual fog that moved of its own accord. It seemed to have its own current; sometimes it bobbed in place, sometimes it rolled along the ceiling.
Remarque observed it while he led her down the first hallway but he didn’t explain what he was looking for.
Instead, he narrated, “I’ve never seen something strange or unique in the first hallway. It’s like Mirrorspace has to warm up a bit.”
Or, if there were pockets within Mirrorspace that held any significance, maybe Mirrorspace was spreading them out intentionally. He didn’t mind the walk. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes decorated the walls in no particular order.
The hallway seemed to stretch on forever in front of them but he didn’t bother to look behind. If he had, he could have observed the way the hallway back to the Common Room already seemed to have stretched much further than they’d walked.
“You seemed excited when I mentioned those ruins. Are you interested in cosmic anthropology, or is it more than that?”
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:03 pm
Nausikaa knew she sounded like an idiotic, naive schoolgirl, but in her mind there were ancient ruins, and modern ruins – anything from the late Middle Ages on was modern, as far as she was concerned – and she was hoping that the ruins Remarque was talking about were truly ancient. That would really be something! And it would be very telling of the age of Mirrorspace. The more timeless it was, the better it would be. The Senshi followed her guide down a strange, fog-shrouded hall, the walls lined with an eclectic collection of mirrors. "Oh, I'm deeply interested in anthropology, though I've never studied cosmic anthropology. I, um, I've never been to my homeworld," she added sheepishly. "But anthropology and archaeology fascinate me." She almost mentioned her major at DCU, but stopped herself. Not that she didn't trust Remarque – after all, he was showing her a universe entirely inside a mirror, something she could have easily blown the cover of. It was more like that would be giving too much of herself away. "Cosmic anthropology sounds like a really interesting field, though. I'm guessing it's the study of cultures and sites on other worlds? Or other planes of existence?" Nausikaa mentioned the last largely because of her present location. "Is it an interest of yours, Remarque?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 2:05 pm
“Very much so. I get out as often as I can. I like to know what’s going on out there. It’s interesting to see what worlds used to have, and what they lost. I can’t help but be impressed that Earth has managed to cling to life when so many other worlds have fallen. I’d like to know what went wrong.”
Obviously plenty of things that were out of their control, but if there were signs? Clues on how to stop it?
Remarque wasn’t going to lose Earth, and if he did–there was Mirrorspace. He poured so much time and effort into researching, restoring, and building it. But, Mirrorspace had its own secrets.
“We could use someone like you, with that level of interest. I bet you could help us understand more about the worlds Mirrorspace has come into contact before. Bits and pieces of civilizations that it tried to preserve when the world fell. I want to know what it thought was important enough to save. I think the key to saving Earth is in Mirrorspace. And there’s a lot to uncover here.”
Maybe Mirrorspace was trying to help emphasize this, maybe it was just luck. The hallway they entered had mirrors that appeared older, as though plucked from the walls of a museum. Some were more preserved than others. When they passed a mirror that had fallen to the ground, Remarque had renewed interest. At the end of the hallway, a great, the frame of a floor-length mirror seemed to beckon them. It had been shattered, and while some shards still clung to the frame, most of them seemed to have disappeared. There was no trace of them on the ground, so Remarque raised his elbow to brush aside the remaining pieces.
He wouldn’t have done it if there wasn’t obviously a path behind where the mirror stood. It was shadowy, but solid, and without looking too hard, Remarque could see weathered stone inside.
The last of the mirror shards fell to the ground with a deep, reverberating clink. They didn’t shatter further, but as they lay on the ground they seemed to catch a mysterious light that shined from some unseen source–like Mirrorspace was guiding their path.
Remarque tilted his head, peering through the passageway with obvious curiosity. Was it dangerous? Maybe. Was he afraid of that? No.
He could keep himself and Nausikaa safe.
“Want to check it out?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2024 1:26 pm
Nausikaa peered at the light in the mirror shard, beckoning them forward, then at the darkened pathway behind the shattered floor-length mirror. She too could see stone inside. Her heart leapt at Remarque's words. "Yes! I'd love to check it out!" she said, her voice filled with excitement. She didn't care that it might be dangerous – the thought didn't even occur to her. This was the opportunity to explore ruins on a different level than the handful of archaeological digs she'd gone on already as a grad student. "I'm dying to know what's in there…" As they cleared the entrance to the pathway, the Senshi thought about what Remarque had said. We could use someone like you… She could be useful with the Dark Mirror Court, helping them explore Mirrorspace and puzzling out what happened to the civilizations that were once here. That was more than she was to the White Moon faction; there, she was just another warm body to throw at the Negaverse, nothing more. It was a stupid, futile effort on both sides, in her opinion. The real solution would be found here – she was as certain of that as her guide was, she realized. Here in Mirrorspace. Her mind was almost made up. She just needed to see what the possibilities were for exploration, for discovery… For really ending the stupid war and saving Earth. Finally the way was clear of broken glass. "I think I should let you lead. As much as I want to see what's down there, you know the ways of Mirrorspace best. I… I trust you. To lead the way." Nausikaa didn't say that she was seriously beginning to trust Remarque in general. This was all sounding better and better.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2024 1:17 am
Once more, the corners of Remarque’s lips twitched into a little smile.
Thank you, Mirrorspace. For all the grief it gave him, at least there was still a good side when it mattered.
He extended a hand to her. “Here, just in case. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
In the end, it was an unnecessary offer, though; Mirrorspace was courteous and presented no tricks. Remarque passed through the mirror first and was glad to find solid ground. The shadows were dark, but only briefly. Easily, he navigated around the large stone wall, and as soon as he did he stepped into a well lit room.
The ceiling was different from others; rather than that solid white he’d grown accustomed to, broken mirror shards of all shapes and sizes stuck out of the ceiling in an array of angles. He couldn’t tell where the light source was coming from, but it looked like it was slipping from small cracks in the ceiling and walls. The broken mirrors at the ceiling reflected each little source of light, spilling a rainbow of color on the ground below.
The room was large and the walls stretched to all sides, as if Mirrorspace was trying to give them ample space to investigate the ruins. The stone monument was tall, but not so much that he could have climbed it and reached the ceilings. He didn’t try.
Once, this was some building. Mosaics, tinted with color but bleached white with a pale dust, decorated some of the walls. Large parts were missing, but it almost looked as if it was meant to mimic constellations in the sky.
There were celestial symbols carved into the molding, and a broken pedestal before a barely standing fountain.
The ruins looked as if they were on their last legs entirely, standing out of determination and willpower in the face of absolute destruction.
Though the walls and pillars were a pale white, they didn’t match Mirrorspace–and when Remarque brushed a thumb across one of the mosaics, the powdery white dust wiped onto his thumb and revealed an opalescent tile–like a rainbow, caught in the mirror.
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:48 pm
Taking the hand offered by Remarque, Nausikaa followed him through the mirror, through the eerily dark shadows, around the stone wall. And there she stopped, releasing his hand and gazing into the vast room she found herself in. “Oh…” she breathed softly as she took it all in, as if making any louder sound would somehow shatter the fragile-seeming ruins and shards of mirror glass in the ceiling. She ventured slowly and cautiously into the room, studying the walls with their delicate pastel rainbow hues, the carvings on the molding, the pillars, the fountain, the statue. It all painted a compelling portrait of a once-magnificent civilization, long gone, and she wondered who these people were. Remarque had said that these places were shards of lost worlds. What happened to them? Who — or what — destroyed them? Nausikaa wanted to discover all their secrets. She noticed at about the same time Remarque did that the bits of mosaic seemed to be covered with a thin, fine dust. With one gloved hand, she carefully wiped the dust from a section, and nearly gasped at the opalescent rainbow-hued tiles that were revealed. “This is… magnificent,” she murmured to her host. “Is it safe to explore? I just want to see it all. I want to know what it means!”
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2024 4:23 pm
Remarque was satisfied with Mirrorspace. This wasn’t the first strange space he’d found, but it had been a long time since he was this pleased with it. He’d have been happy to find it on his own, but it meant more that this room revealed itself while he was here with Nausikaa.
“Safe enough. I’ll watch your back, go ahead. You won’t have any trouble while you’re with me.”
Well, not much trouble, probably. If anything did happen, he was sure he could find a safe way out for them.
“You’ve got your phone on you, right? The Senshi one. You can take pictures. If you were in the Court,” he shrugged, “I wouldn’t even mind if you want to take some of this stuff with you to research. But I’m sure you’ll understand if it has to stay here in the meantime. But look around while you can. It might be hard to find this place again.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 11:55 am
"My phone, right!" Summoning her Senshi phone, Nausikaa began to snap pictures of the rainbow tiles, brushing the dust off them with one gloved hand while aiming her phone at them with the other. She worked fast; given the apparently mercurial nature of Mirrorspace, she didn't want to waste any time lest something happened and the room changed and the ruins and tiled walls and mirrored ceiling disappeared again. Then what Remarque had followed with sunk in and caused her to stop in her tracks. Straightening, she turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "Did – did you say I could take some of it with me to study? If I was a Dark Mirror Senshi, I mean, of course not now, I'm not in the Court. Technically," she smiled wryly, "I'm the enemy." Though if she wasn't the enemy…. If she was one of them…. Nausikaa went back to taking pictures, focusing on the ruins and the celestial carvings on the bits of broken masonry that littered the floor. It was all well and good to fantasize about leaving the White Moon for the Dark Mirror Court, but it was a big move, and she didn't know what all that entailed. The temptation, though, was so very strong. What she could do here…. She stopped and turned back to Remarque. "I.. I think I want to talk to this Prince of yours," she said quietly but firmly, her mind made up. "I think I'd like to join the Court. Could you take me to them?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 10:40 am
Remarque didn't correct Nausikaa; she wasn't really the enemy. There were antagonistic White Moon senshi, sure, but she'd been nothing of the sort. He'd found her company pleasant and he was glad she'd decided to join him for this trip.
He tilted his head just slightly and resisted the urge to laugh.
"Oh, right now? Aren't you afraid that if you tell him you want to join, he might expect you to do it on the spot?"
...Was she ready to do it on the spot?
Were ruins really such a deal breaker in getting people to join? He'd have to push Mirrorspace to put in a little more effort if all it took was a good tour.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 3:14 pm
"As soon as you can arrange it, if he's available that is," Nausikaa nodded, a determined expression on her face. "You have to understand something about me, Remarque. Once I've made up my mind about something, I'm going to go through with it. I've been considering this, or something like it, for a while now – getting out of the White Moon. I gave this a lot of thought, believe it or not. I could have decided to just… not power up ever again, but I want to do some good in the world, you know? I can't in good conscience stay with the White Moon because I feel worse than useless there. Joining the Negaverse was out of the question, for obvious reasons. So when I spoke with Lacerta and she told me about the Dark Mirror Court, I realized for the first time that there was another option." She spread her arms, gesturing around at the ruins. "This has just sealed it for me. I want to explore this. I want to make Mirrorspace viable for the people of the Court as a safe haven. I want to know everything about it. I… I want to give it energy so it can show us more wonders and become more available to us. And I'm willing to harvest energy to make this happen. I know, this is pretty counterintuitive coming from a White Moon Senshi, but as I said, once I've made up my mind about something, I follow through." Nausikaa met Remarque's gaze with a firm resolve. "I'm not afraid to do this on the spot. I'm not afraid of becoming the type of Chaos that the Dark Mirror Court represents. I'm not afraid of gathering energy to improve Mirrorspace – to me, that's a worthy cause. And you can tell the Prince I said that." Standing straight and tall, she huffed a settling sigh. "So what do you have to do to contact him? Because I'm ready now."
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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 5:42 pm
She might say she was ready, but Remarque wasn’t willing to let her jump into a major life changing decision just because Mirrorspace showed her some fancy debris.
“I don’t doubt any of that.”
She spoke with conviction and confidence. She seemed unswayed and determined.
And, oh, how badly he wanted to bring her over tonight. He could make it easy for the Court. She was willing, she’d made up her mind, but that was for tonight.
Even if she sounded like she was ready for it, Remarque didn’t want her to have regrets. Things like this were best done when planned, when prepared.
“So I’ll make you a deal. If you join tonight, you’re going to lose access to that phone, and any pictures on it. I don’t want all your hard work to be wasted, I want to do this right. So why don’t I let you stay here for as long as you want, you can take all the pictures you want, and if you find something important enough to take back with us, I’ll hold onto it and keep it safe for you. And then, you go home, you back up those pictures, you get everything you need in order. Take some time to think about what you need, get it all together. If you need a place to stay, I can help you find one. If you need a job, I can help you with that, too. Anything you need, we’ll be here for you.”
From his subspace, he extracted a simple prepaid phone and held it out for her.
“There’s one number in that phone and it goes to mine. So after you’ve gotten everything ready, you text me and we’ll pick a time and place to make this happen. That way we don’t have to rush through this,” he said, gesturing to the ruins. “All right?”
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