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 Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 12:37 pm
[directly follows to hunt the serpent]
A monster had attacked her. She was pretty sure she'd nearly died. And then something had happened to her, something strange, something changed--
It had only made sense to run for her brother's townhouse. It was close enough anyway, and he was her big brother, surely he'd have a way to fix it. Even if Shuangxu was probably not the big brother she'd have run to for help under most circumstances, he was still her brother and still here and--
She banged on the door, helplessly.
"Shuangxu!" She wanted to shout, but it was late, and he had enough problems with the HOA, and so she hiss-whispered. "Shuangxu, open up, I know you're awake, you ******** gremlin--"Whoever was on the other side of the door was definitely correct, Shuangxu supposed. He was awake, even if his comfortable position half-draped across Belle on the couch was very conducive to falling asleep on Broad Boyfriend Chest.
But, well, they'd been watching Arcane from the beginning, because the new season had given Shuangxu unprecedented levels of brainrot and he wanted to share it with his man, and that meant starting from the beginning, and it was a rollercoaster to watch the whole thing over again. A good one, but a rollercoaster.
Anyway, there was banging at the door quite late at night, and someone who knew his name, which made him frown and pause the show.
"Wait here," he told Belle, who was very distinctly not glamored and would have to hide if this was some civilian acquaintance.
A quick kiss on Belle's cheek later and he was on his feet, opening the door and blinking in fascinated confusion at the person in front of him. A Knight, he was pretty sure, based on the elaborate and cold-looking outfit, and the strange ivy sprig in her hand, but a total stranger.
"Uh, do I know you?""What the ******** are you talking about, Shuangxu, it's me, your baby sister! Are you drunk? Do you even drink?"Oh. Oh, no.
"Lianhua?"
Lianhua was a Knight??? Of some faction he couldn't identify???
"Okay, uh, focus on being yourself and power down, and then come inside and we need to talk. Belle! Don't worry about glamor, it's meimei and she's a Knight now."
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 3:50 pm
Belle didn’t really understand the show that Shuangxu had been showing him. He didn’t understand the title—what was Arcane supposed to mean? what was it describing, since it was an adjective? what did it have to do with anything?—and he didn’t understand the characters, or the plots, or literally any of it. Not that Belle really needed to understand more than the fact that Shuangxu enjoyed the show very much and wanted to share it with him. Getting to bask in the warmth of just……being with Shuanxu, and being wanted, and being his? That was enough for Belle.
Having Shuangxu sprawled on top of his chest didn’t hurt, either. Winter nominally meant that Belle should have worn something more than his bare skin, but like………why? Inside was plenty warm enough, and Shuangxu didn’t seem to mind that Belle didn’t feel like being fully clothed. Until someone knocked on the door, it didn’t feel like even a potential issue, and frankly, the bigger problem felt likelier to be that………well. Most humans weren’t supposed to see Belle as he was naturally. They had forgotten, as a species, that they were not alone in the universe, and it might have caused widespread pandemonium for too many non-magical individuals to find out that people existed on their planet who had come from other worlds entirely.
While Shuangxu got up to see what was happening, Belle instinctively reached for the earring that he’d gotten to provide him a civilian glamour. He made himself sit up before actually toggling with it, though, just in case he wouldn’t need to bother—and as it turned out, he didn’t. Shuangxu called for him, and so Belle moved more toward the door. Still staying out of sight for most people who might’ve been passing by, but Lianhua—it had to be her, she was the only person whom Shuangxu ever called meimei—apparently didn’t need to be avoided.
Except the person standing at the door when Belle rocked up……didn’t seem to be Lianhua. That had to be the powered glamour, since Shuangxu wouldn’t have lied about his sister being here? But still, Belle furrowed his brow and frowned, taking in the sight of her, and her uniform, and………?? Everything???
“What the Hell kind of Knight are you,” Belle said, folding his arms and regarding Lianhua Or Whoever She Was While Powered Up with the same quizzical attitude that most of Shuangxu’s neighbors seemed to use when regarding Belle. “I’ve met Knights from every world that had them during the Silver Millennium—Ida, Saturn, Lysithea, Polaris, and on and on and on—but I’ve never seen any kind of Knight like you—wait.”
Belle squinted at the silver bow symbol on the Page’s tiara, at the matching ones holding her cloak together, around her waist, and on her strappy sandals. Along the hem of her green dress, he spotted several embroidered versions of the same symbol.
“Cybele?” One of Belle’s eyebrows arched so high, it might as well have tried to escape his forehead. “Since when does Cybele have Knights? Their senshi was never even a Princess.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 11:09 pm
Oh.
Oh, wow, okay.
Karakorum hadn't know what to think, when Shuangxu told his ridiculous boyfriend to not worry about "glamour"--what even WAS that, it wasn't like Belle was gonna do his makeup or something--but what she had not expected was to be staring at a massive slab of fine prime beef, half naked, who happened to be <******** pink. Pink. With broken-looking horns. And elf ears. And a ******** tail.
"Ohhh," she said, "what the hell are you.""Meimei, don't be ******** rude," Shuangxu said, and he tugged his sister inside, shutting the door behind her to stop any cold drafts. "Belle is an alien. He came here from outer space because his planet is messed up. That's the short version." Which did sort of sound wild to say.
"Now power down," he demanded, "before someone notices you here and tries to come looking." What if one of the neighbors was a Nega, or something? That sounded dangerous as hell. "Magical people give off magical energy when they're powered up, like you are now. Other magical people, including very evil bad magical people, can sense it and kinda use it to track you? It's not super precise so we're probably fine, but like.....be careful?""Uh," Karakorum said, and then she remembered--right, right. Focus on herself, or whatever. So, in a moment, Karakorum of Cybele disappeared, and Lianhua Feng was in her place.
"Okay number one, rude," she turned to waggle a finger at Belle, "and number two, yes, apparently, Karakorum of Cybele. What does a Senshi or a Princess or whatever have to do with anything? There was no Princess when an awful snake thing attacked me and I got all magical to punch it into dust."
Honestly, Lianhua thought she was handling the situation remarkably well. A minimum of screaming and fainting, which she thought was probably a pretty rational reaction to everything going on here.
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 11:30 pm
“What did I say that was rude,” Belle balked, feeling like there was probably a genuine answer to that question—there usually was an answer, whenever questions of his behavior toward other people came up, he’d noticed—but also very strongly feeling that he didn’t want to hear it. In all likelihood, whatever the real answer was, Belle probably wouldn’t like it very much.
Coming over closer to Shuangxu (and also Lianhua), because Closer To Shuangxu was always where Belle wanted to be, he slouched against the wall. He wasn’t trying to make himself less tall or less intimidating, the way that weirdos like Murikabushi and the new Kaifeng did when talking to shorter people (which was honestly infantilizing and sort of weird behavior on their part, like……what? Short people didn’t need to get intimidated or whatever the weirdos on this planet though). But still, it was a bit easier to look at Lianhua for the sake of conversation while slouching so he didn’t need to move his neck so much.
“Knights and Senshi are the two kinds of magical people someone can be,” Belle explained, not putting much effort into going slowly or gently about this because Lianhua was smart enough to keep up just fine. “Senshi like me and Cybele, our starseeds—our souls—are magically tied to our homeworlds, out in space. We protect our worlds, they protect us, and our magic reflects something about those worlds. Ida, senshi from one of the Koronis asteroids like my own world? She’s the senshi of orchids. Me?” Rummaging in the pockets of his sweatpants for a moment, Belle pulled out his henshin pen. As he held it out for Lianhua to see, he tilted it so she couldn’t miss his symbol, the six-petaled red flower of Corvina’s senshi and royal house. “Sailor Corvina, senshi of windflowers.
“Most of the senshi running around today died a thousand years ago and got reincarnated on Earth. Demeter of Agriculture is like that. Murikabushi of Hunger is like that.” But he is also stupid and terrible and you don’t want to talk to him, Belle left unsaid because Shuangxu wouldn’t like it and for no other reason. “Ida is like that, and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard people say the same of Cybele? She’s the senshi of the hunt. And her predecessor never achieved the rank of Royal Senshi, which is where Knights like you and A-Xu come in.”
Corvina tilted his head. “……Any questions so far?”
He sort of, kinda didn’t care if Lianhua had questions or not, but it was apparently some kind of Earthling custom to pause important lessons in the middle of teaching things so the person being educated could ask questions. Weird, honestly, and definitely not how they’d done things on Corvina. But Lianhua seemed like she wasn’t in the right state of mind to handle things as they would have done on Corvina-That-Was at the moment, and A-Xu probably preferred Lianhua as uninjured as possible.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 5:21 pm
"Oh, like what the hell kind of Knight are you isn't a rude question," Lianhua said, as if that wasn't maximally hypocritical. Whatever. Not the point. She crossed her arms, taking in Belial's explanation as he went and trying to decide if it sounded totally insane or perfectly normal.
Somewhere in the middle, really.
"I feel like I don't even know where to begin asking questions," she said, honestly. "So just....keep going and I'll tell you if you lose me."
Which he probably would at some point, but.....whatever. She'd figure it out.Shuangxu casually moved over to where Belle leaned against the wall, tucking up agianst his side because "with Belle" was his favorite place to be. Interjecting seemed like it would probably just create more confusion,so he kept his mouth shut--but he definitely hadn't heard of any Cybele Knights before. Maybe Kaifeng would know? He got out a lot.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 9:56 pm
“It was a shocked question, not a rude one,” Belle protested, easily accepting Shuangxu’s presence against his side and completely ignoring the idea that intent on his end automatically translated to the impact that Lianhua had picked up on. This was, incidentally, also one of Belle’s favorite places for Shuangxu to be, and Belle happily tucked an arm around Shuangxu’s shoulders. Well, as happy as he could manage while he needed to explain very important things to a newly minted Knight. “I’ve been around for over a thousand years and I’ve met Knights of every kind. Ida Knights like A-Xu. Saturn Knights like his friend Liánlí. Jupiter Knights, Lysithea Knights, Chronos Knights, the list goes on.
“Until tonight, I’ve never seen a Cybele Knight and after a thousand years of experience?” Belle huffed pointedly, trying to give Lianhua an equally pointed look and mostly succeeding in blowing his bangs off his face. “Maybe you can understand why it’s shocking to suddenly see a Cybele Knight running around.”
Honestly, Belle thought that he was handling this quite well. Like, well enough to indulge himself in nuzzling at Shuangxu’s hair and bending to kiss the top of his head before he tried to go on with the serious things any further. He deserved that.
“So, Knights,” Belle picked back up after that moment of indulgence. “Knights answer to and are empowered by a cosmic force called The Code. A-Xu can tell you more about it because most of what I know came secondhand from my one best friend who was in love with a Ganymede Knight, back then. Alys learned everything she could about Knight things, but she wasn’t a Knight herself, so what she could learn was a bit limited.
“One thing she did learn, though: the Code puts Pieces of itself at different places of deep significance on different worlds. Like, A-Xu’s Wonder is an important library. Kaifeng, the Wonder, is a massive graveyard on Saturn. So is Aokigahara of Saturn, though I think I heard that Wonder has a forest around it? Instead of a big field like Kaifeng? Another old Saturn Knight who worked with Liánlí’s predecessor as Kaifeng of Saturn, name of Asshai? His Wonder was a sprawling temple complex, but Asshai of Saturn was also completely devoid of a moral compass outside of sometimes behaving for Xingyi-Kaifeng when Asshai thought it was funny, and his loyalty to the senshi he loved.”
Something that Belle absolutely had the right to criticize anyone else for, in light of how his own moral compass was dictated primarily by Lanting, trying to do things that made Lanting happy, and trying to avoid doing things that made Lanting upset.
“The Code splits itself up into Pieces like this for safety reasons, as far as I understand,” Belle explained, temporarily shelving his own questions about why or how it could ever possibly be safer for the Code to split up like that. Questioning the inner workings of cosmic forces rarely ended well for anybody, so Belle didn’t want to traverse too far down that path. “And when it chooses places to entrust with those Pieces, it goes to worlds whose senshi have become what we call Royals. Ida out in the Koronis asteroid family? Royal senshi are the most powerful kind of senshi, so they’re the ones whom the Code entrusted to protect its Pieces.
“Through the Code and its power, Knights can manifest a weapon and magic, and their magic usually aligns with their senshi’s magic somehow. I have no idea why that works or how? But Ida Knights often summon orchids while using their magic. A lot of Jupiter Knights can summon thunder and lightning because their Princess was the senshi of storms. Mercury Knights have ice magic, Saturn Knights have magic related to the dead, Lysithea Knights have unicorns. If I had ever been a Royal senshi, Corvina Knights would have magic related to windflowers, but I had too much going on to worry about such things. Plus, my world was extremely volatile. Even with magic, I doubt the Code Pieces would have been entirely safe from our weather and our geology.”
Belle hmm’d, tilting his head and giving Lianhua a long, pensive look. “Cybele is the senshi of the hunt. If she’s become a Princess and gotten Knights in this life, I’m curious to know what that looks like as magic for her Knights.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2025 5:04 pm
"Whatever," Lianhua grumbled. Ugh, the disgusting display of affection between her brother and his Giant Alien Boyfriend was truly more than any little sister ought to have to bear, but here she was, bearing it anyway. Truly she was a martyr for meimeis everywhere.
"Okay, so I'm a weird freak Knight that didn't used to exist a thousand years ago." Maybe that made her cool and exciting. Maybe that made her something entirely new. That sounded pretty exciting, actually, but she wasn't gonna let Belial know that she thought so. Ew.
(Had he been promoted to "basically older brother number four?" Yes. Would she ever tell him that? Absolutely not. She liked him better than her eldest brothers' wives, anyway.)
She nodded along with his continued explanation, glad that there was someone here who knew what the hell he was talking about. Because, well. Lianhua knew Belial had said Shuangxu was a Knight, but she knew her gege. He was definitely just fumbling through and hoping. That was his way.
"Okay. So Royals protect Pieces of the Code which go on Wonders and that's how the magic happens," she said, "and since my Princess is the Sensgi of the Hunt, I probably have magic related to that?"
She paused, briefly.
"....I didn't feel like I could use any magic. I just punched the monster a lot. Can I?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2025 5:50 pm
“Not yet,” Belle said, keeping his tone helpful (in his mind) and (relatively) neutral even as he deliberately held Shuangxu closer. Lianhua’s grumbling and her disdain for Belle treasuring Shuangxu as he deserved? That merited no serious consideration. The only thing Lianhua would earn with that was Belle making sure that Shuangxu knew exactly how much Belle adored him.
“Senshi have magic at their first stage of power, but not Knights,” he explained. “Instead, the Code gives you all weapons. A-Xu has a cane when he’s powered up as Lanting of Ida. Liánlí has a staff as Kaifeng of Saturn. The little branch you had, with the leaves? That’s your weapon, and it’s going to grow with you. When you advance in power, it will help you channel the magic that awakens within you.”
Belle huffed. Considered whether or not to be nice on purpose. For most other people, he would have abstained…but Lianhua was different. Aside from being Shuangxu’s sister, she reminded Belle of Alys in some ways. Significantly less so in others—Alys hadn’t been quite as interested in fashion as Lianhua, and Belle sort of expected that Alys would have known much more about Knights even on the other side of reincarnating—but like, the feisty spirit, they had that in common.
“Anyway, would soup help you calm down about everything,” Belle said, tilting his head again. “Or some dumplings, maybe? I’ll reheat some leftovers from dinner if you want.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2025 6:29 pm
Lianhua nodded, slowly. Okay, all of that made sense. No amgic yet, but she had her pretty silvery ivy strand. That could work. She could work with that.
"Okay, so I've just got to get stronger, and then I get a better weapon and cool magic?" Ugh, that meant she'd actually have to care about this magical girl thing. So much extra time, she'd have to cut...something out of her routine and replace it with this. Maybe sleep, because it sure wasn't gonna be gaming time.
The offer startled her a little, but then she nodded.
"Sure. Soup and dumplings sound great. .....Thanks, Bel-ge."
If she was chill about it, he was legally obligated to be chill about it too. That was how it worked. Obviously. Whatever.
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