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 Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:50 am
[Moving On, Moving Out]
Solo: Aftermath of a Split
"We're getting a divorce."
Christa never thought she'd hear those words, much less out of her parents. Her mother had been fond of her children in her younger years, but she had been devoured by work and, apparently, her affair. Christa had lived in a camouflaged bubble of her own ignorant bliss, so much that she didn't even realize it was in place until it popped. Stephanie, mother, had been late coming home and Christa's father went into her offer to check on her, finding that she was in the arms of another man. The news had been broken to the children a week afterwards, the parents coming to the decision to part ways. Zachary was stunned at first, as was Christa, and the two clung to each other as support while the paperwork was being filled out. Stephanie was then colder and more absent in the household than usual, opting to live with her now-lover and boss. The next month was spent in shocked numbness for Christa. She simply didn't know what to do with herself, and found herself wondering why she was taking this so hard. She was nearly a legal adult, why couldn't she think of her parents as adults capable of making their own decision?
She spent a great deal of the last few weeks in her room, simply thinking. Christa retreated into her mind when things became overwhelming, and while the initial shock had lessened, she still found that the atmosphere of the house was uncomfortable at best. The shadow that had crawled over her father made him listless and morose, and it was affecting Zachary more due to his age. He still relied on his father and sister for a great deal of things, including getting to and from school. Christa opted to walk him instead, to get more time to speak with him than a car ride would allow. They only lived about fifteen minutes from his school anyway. Zachary would stay quiet for a great deal of the walks, but silently, Christa knew he appreciated the company. In a way, the siblings were like allies, clinging to each other to survive whatever was thrown at them.
"Do you think it'll... you know... be okay again, CeeCee?" he would ask, looking up at her with the brown eyes they shared. Part of her wanted to insist that everything would be fine, why wouldn't it be? But the teen knew, deep down, that Stephanie, their mother, had washed her hands of the children and would not be coming back. Her lover made more money, and stranger things had happened. Their family had simply become one of the American statistics. Christa shook her head in the negative.
"I don't know, Zach. I simply don't know." She'd love to just lie and say everything would be okay, but the more Christa thought about it, during school, after school, during the silent mealtimes she and what remained of her family shared, she couldn't help but feel the chill of depression sink into her bones. The mood, the atmosphere, it was all too much for her. She went to the guidance counsellor at school, seeking his advice on how to stave off the depression and finish the school year during a family crisis such as this one. The counsellor suggested space as being a way to focus on the schoolwork and give her time to adapt to what was happening in the home life. But, how could she gain space from the place where she lived? When lunchtime arrived, Christa called up her aunt and uncle and gave them the information. Naturally, they were both shocked and saddened by the development, but somehow knew things may come to that point. It was simply how things felt. Christa teared up to hear that, but... she needed to get away so she could pass junior year. It would only be for a few months, right?
Presenting the information to her father was another thing entirely. He was nearly brought to tears at hearing his daughter's request, but at her insistence, he allowed her to stay with his brother and his wife. Christa was upset, but grateful, leaning on her father's shoulder as they shared the couch. "It's like…like an extended stay. A vacation, dad. I just need a vacation…so I can focus on school. It'll be okay, dad. I promise."
"But what about your brother?" came the reply, tired green eyes reaching into equally exhausted brown ones. The eyes his wife gave their chidlren. Christa's heart hurt to think about what this would do to Zachary, and how he would feel about it, but the siblings had spoken about it previously. Zach knew where to find her - the house wasn't too far away from their own, but Aunt Liza and Uncle Al were good people too. They would always allow the children to come stay, and extended the invitation to Zach, who declined. It's just for a month, maybe two. Just for midterms and just for time to think, is all. Space to think, and it would benefit everyone. At least, that's what Christa thought. She would always have her phone and email, but midterms during a family crisis was not the best equation.
Christa looked down at her folded hands. "Dad, I'll be back. You know I'll be back, and Zach knows how to reach me. Aunt Liz said he could stay the night sometimes and I can stay the night here too. It's just…I need time to think and to work on midterms…It's just too much right now, you know? You know I love you, dad." she said, tears welling up in her eyes. But Benjamin understood. His daughter was a bright young lady, capable of deciding what was best for her more now than ever. It was decided then that an extended stay for Christa's own mental health would be best, and arrangements were swiftly made. The move was quick, as she didn't bring most of her possessions. It was an unconscious promise to return, she told herself. Once everything was situated in the basement of Uncle Al and Aunt Liz's home, things would settle into some kind of normalcy, right? Schoolwork and the doldrums of everyday life would give Christa the time and space to realign her priorities, consider a job and her future. She needed to be healthy enough to care for her father and for Zach when she returned home.
(Words: 1,077)
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:33 pm
[In the Dead of Night]Battle: Awaken, Sailor Soldier!One Rough AwakeningSummary Christabelle ceases to be a "normal" civilian in Destiny City, awakened to a new existence by one kitten named Derpreline and a senshi by the name of Albali. Things aren't going to be the same anymore, and how would Christa explain this to her aunt and uncle? Should she?
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:31 pm
[Desk Doldrums]Regular: Finding a FriendOnce a Page-TurnerSummary After a rather rough and shocking night, Christa finds herself trying to analyze the information while trying to act as normal as possible. She decides to catch up on her reading during lunch before being distracted by one student named Sydney.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:37 am
[Tea-Sippin' Gentlemen]Battle: Voices and Tear Gas!Part-Time Ninja, Full-Time NegaSummary Kallichore learns the hard way that, like senshi, the Negaverse has ranks of its own, General being the highest. She meets Zinkenite for the first time and finds out just how powerful Negaverse agents are. She needs a lot more training in order to do her job, but they both make it out with their lives.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:25 pm
[Thoughts Late at Night]
Solo: Putting it All on Paper
How could she manipulate her thoughts into something resembling sanity? How could she rearrange the events in her mind to form some sort of coherent time line? Christabelle sat on the edge of her bed, favorite (and most current, since all the others were used up and archived on her bookshelf) diary in her lap. She curled her fists over it and stared straight ahead, mind racing with the day's events. Even in her wildest dreams, she didn't imagine she would ever be a part of something as big as this was. Perhaps part of an editorial house, maybe, or taking part in a small company doing who-really-knew-what, but this? This?
Releasing her grip, Christa stood and went to sit at her desk. She wanted to try and make sense of it all, perhaps take each event, each bit of information, apart and analyze it. How did it all fit together? Where was she in the grand scope of things? The Meadowview High student, whose life revolved around her studio and her Creative Writing Club and the fledgling Arkham Horror Society, found herself standing before something almost insurmountable. As many other teenagers, she had entertained fantasies, idle fantasies, of finding true love, making a difference in the world, saving the dolphins, and the list went on.
But to be told that the one part of it you knew was impossible was actually real?
Christa had placed mental bets that the Great Old One was out there somewhere, slumbering in the city of Ry'leh and was laughing, manipulating the puny and insignificant world of humans with his maddening thoughts. That, to her, was much more real, more tangible, than the responsibility handed to her. Could she cope with all of that? Christa sighed and laid her head down on her desk. The clock chimed and announced that it was now early morning, but the teen didn't feel tired at all. While her body was exhausted, drained and was begging for sleep, her mind was ablaze with more questions than she could coherently process. Soldier. That was what she was now. She was a soldier.
She had to be a soldier in addition to Christabelle. Christabelle by day, soldier by night. What worried her most was that she was now part of some sort of war. A war with very real consequences - one that other civilians were perhaps unaware of. She didn't know how many others were involved in the war, or how many of them knew about each other. Did any of them know? Did any of them know that Christa was now a pawn on the great checkered board? She was a white pawn on this side of the battlefield, a soldier on the front lines, awaiting the presence of a black pawn on the horizon. Would she be able to take on her duties? It was all so much to comprehend.
Christa sat up straight in her chair, wheeling around to grab the diary she'd left behind. Thumbing through the first few pages, they recalled a past English assignment, history readings due on some certain day, and how a passing comment in the hall made her rush to the bathroom in shame. All of that seemed completely mundane now, when it used to be all that she was. What Christa wrote about that day - that was her life. But now, she had another identity, another self within her, with her own set of responsibilities. This other self played by another set of rules. She couldn't be seen by others if it was avoidable, had to defend herself, had to protect.
She flipped to a blank page and grabbed one of her beloved pens out of a jar sitting near the edge of the desk. She twisted the cap over and over, mulling the thoughts in her mind. She had been brought into this war because she was meant to be there. She looked up to see her favorite authors' books smiling back at her. They were comforting, and at the same time then felt alien. Nothing seemed normal anymore now that she'd been awakened. There was an entirely different world running completely parallel, and yet intergrated into, the world she had thought was alone. But if this was what she was meant to do, then she would do it, and do it gladly. To the best of her ability. That was what Christabelle did. She was dedicated and thorough if nothing else. The teen chewed her bottom lip, twirling the pen in her fingers. Her eyes swam through the divided lines of the spiral notebook and pondered what, or how, she would write about her experience. Could she put everything into words?
For a moment, everything stood still for her as she sat, listening to the rhythmic ticking of her bedside clock. The weekend was fast approaching and she was then more thankful for it than words could describe. She could rest and think and cope and be, hopefully without the disturbance of anyone else. She didn't want to think about school then, as it seemed so infinitely less important then. Term papers, essays, pop quizzes, they all paled in comparison to what she was now a part of, and what she was meant to do.
Christa picked up the pen at that moment, her thoughts slowing down and becoming more coherent, more real. She tilted her head as she always did when she began to write, and the pen struck paper. For a few blissful moments, all ceased to exist in the world except for her words. Her writing was her entire focus, and words poured from her pen like it were a fountain. Ink filled line after line and the teen didn't stop for a moment to consider what to write next. It was all feeling, bursting forth from her like it had been trapped there for years, just waiting for the opportunity to glimpse the light of day.
After she was finished, Christa sat back and wondered at herself, admiring what she had managed to put down on paper. It had a nice ring to it, she thought, and summed up everything she had wanted to say very simply.
My name is Christabelle, and I have a foot in two worlds...
(Words: 1047)
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:41 pm
[Seeking Answers]Regular: Streetlight PeopleScheelite and a Park BenchSummary Kallichore comes across a Nega who is not at all interested in fighting. Surprised, she stops and chats with him out of curiosity, hoping to gather more information from the opposite side of the fence. This time, her conversation with a Nega is much better. No tear gas!
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:04 am
[The Trap is Set]Battle: Rough NightNegas Do Not Play NiceSummary She finds out the hard way that Negas are not the civil and talkative individuals that Zinkenite turned out to be. After a trap was sprung, Kallichore's opinion of the Negaverse is again proven to be in line with others senshi's - they're the darkness plaguing Destiny City.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:10 pm
[Rooftop Musings]
Solo: The Stars are Watching
It may be completely beyond normal human convention to try and sum up the thoughts in her head at that moment. Christabelle, no, Kallichore, clad in her senshi regalia, sat alone on a rooftop at the end of her patrol sweep that night. The stars twinkled above her, completely indifferent to the war going on, or were they? Perhaps they were watching, waiting, judging, or perhaps they were laughing at all the participants trying to tear each other's throats out. Kallichore sat with her feet tucked beneath her, gazing out at the sleeping city below. It was about ten past eleven by her calculations, though the senshi didn't feel the least bit sleepy. This patrol had gone smoothly, with no blips on the energy radar at all. Not even a single youma decided to rear its ugly head. All seemed right in the world for the unpowered citizens below, sleeping in their warm beds, not having to worry about whether or not they would die the next night. Her encounter with two more Negaverse agents taught her that life was fleeting, and someone could swoop in and snatch it away from you within the blink of an eye.
That was what was so frightening.
She briefly considered revealing her nighttime activities to her immediate family before she realized that doing so could endanger not only herself, but them as well. The Negaverse and senshi factions were all hiding in plain sight, but nobody knew who was who - that's what made revealing one's identity so dangerous. Who knows, Zachary might tell a friend, who tells a friend, on down the chain until those two Negaversers suddenly knew where she went to school, knew where she lived, and could teleport in and kill her in her sleep without a moment's hesitation. No, while it fostered paranoia, Kallichore decided it was safest to keep her identity to herself.
In many ways, she felt like the superheroes in comic books her brother read - masked and caped individuals charged with protecting mankind while being cursed and gifted with magical powers. What always intruiged Christa was the fact that normal individuals didn't understand why having powers was a burden in the slightest. Whenever Zachary would explain a plot point to his sister, she would ask, "But why did the regular people not give the heroes a break?" Something was always happening that needed immediate attention from the heroes - there were no breaks, no quitting, no retiring. That was exactly how Christa felt about the war. She could power down and choose never to don her senshi uniform again, but that would mean letting down Destiny City. She couldn't do that. Something in the very fabric of her being called to her, willing her to do what she was doing at that very moment.
She turned over to lay on her back for a moment, watching the stars twinkle and glitter in the night sky. A few clouds obscured her view, but the moon shone brightly as if it were daylight. The moon. Yes, they were supposed to find some princess or queen or something from the moon, but no one had any information on her whatsoever. All anyone knew about her was that she was out there somewhere, and could bring peace to the world once she is found. But what bothered Kallichore the most was, if she had all this incredible power, why did she not use it now? Why did she not stop the war on the spot and set herself up as queen and reign in peace? It didn't make any sense, and no one could give her any answers. No one had them.
It was beyond frustrating as far as she was concerned. What research she'd done on the moon for which she was named did little to ease her need for information. Kallichore, as a moon, was tiny and orbited Jupiter at a great distance. It was only recently discovered, and even more recently named. According to Zinkenite, all senshi had a civilization on the celestial body for which they were named, but how could that be? Thinking about it made Kallichore frown and sit up, listening to the crunch of her boots and fuku against the grit of the rooftop. The grit was real, the sound was real, but a home in the stars? Could that be possible?
And what great calamity befell those civilizations so long ago? What caused them to fall and have their children be reborn on earth? It made no sense, but as with most things, Christa assumed there had to be some logical reason. She just didn't know enough. But in the past few weeks, she'd met several people who provided some pieces to the puzzle - Eternal Sailor Ares, Captain Scheelite and General Zinkenite, but the latter two were questionable at best. Ares, while not quite the same type of senshi as herself (the girl passes through mirrors!), she could still provide some insight and said never to trust the Negaverse. They were black to the senshi's white, and they could not be trusted with anything. The great calamity may have been caused by the Negaverse itself in some fashion, Christa thought, though without more evidence, there would be no way to know yet.
Christa sighed, turning to rest her cheek on her knees, tucking herself into a tight ball. If anyone would come strolling by, the shadow of a billboard hid the senshi well enough from view. She learned the hard way that stealth was key, and she was practicing weekly. While her body wanted to patrol every night, she had school to contend with, and that was getting to be a sore spot. Keeping up with schoolwork was difficult due to the lack of sleep, but patrolling was so exhilerating. There was nothing like the rush that came from chasing a Youma halfway down a city block before smashing it to dust with the lid of a trash can. It was satisfying in a unique way, something that the normal life she left behind could not fulfill.
What worried her most was how to balance her normal and senshi life. What could she do? What happened if her grades started to slip more than they have? How could she explain it? The divorce crisis excuse could only cover up so much, and without that, she had no excuse. What would Aunt Liz and Uncle Al say to her if she told them she was out at night, protecting the city with powers that made people go insane? While she loved, adored and appreciated her powers, how could she explain it to anyone else?
Would a dispenser of justice feel right knowing that she could drive others to the brink of madness? Christa shook her head. Time to head home.
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Sneaking in through the side window was difficult, but Christa was getting better at it. Once it was lights-out in the house, she could sneak out of the basement and head outside through a nearby window. The window itself lead to a fenced side area of the house, so it was hardly ever locked. Still, Christa made sure to be as quiet as possible, though it seemed that people didn't recognize her in her fuku, even though she didn't wear a mask. A very odd phenomena, but something she would consider a blessing for now. A red boot finally hit floor after a few tense moments, the window shutting quietly behind her. The cats in the house didn't make a sound, which was a relief - none of them were obviously Guardians like the one who awakened her. Sighing, she slipped quietly into her bedroom and powered down, pulling out her desk chair and turning on her computer.
She had a great many things on her mind then, and wanted to start an archive of what she knew. Opening up a fresh Word document, her fingers flew over the keys as she emptied her mind onto the blank canvas. All things from the point of her awakening, to the research of her moon, to what their ultimate goal as a faction was. Searching for the moon queen was supposedly a major goal of the senshi, but not the goal of the organization known as the Blood Moon Court, headed up by one Eternal Sailor Ares. What exactly the designation of 'Eternal' meant was to be debated, but Ares had one impressive fuku and wings to boot. That was something else she would need to get further clarification on. Ares was a great deal more powerful than Kallichore, and a great deal more experienced. She'd been in the war far longer and was granted more power because of it. She could easily deal with youma.
Setting up another document, Christa began a list of things to do, in order of importance. Upon that list was to gather more information on the Negaverse, and gain more power. The more powerful she was, the easier she could protect the city. But how could she do that? Christa wrote that down in the "information needed" catagory and started to plan. She needed to have a goal in mind, not just mindlessly patrol the streets, hoping to either be jumped by the Negaverse or killed by a youma. No, she needed something to keep in mind at all times.
First order of business, though, was to keep her normal life in check. The homework started to pile up, and quickly. Christa sighed, staring at her laundry list of things to do - essays, reading assignments, math worksheets. Shaking her head, she hated to admit it, but homework should come first. It helped smooth over many problems that may arise in the future, and the last thing she wanted to do was have a bad report card be mailed home to her father, who would in turn come calling to the house, demanding to know what was going on. The entire reason she was in her aunt and uncle's house to begin with was to focus on school. Accusations might start flying, encompassing anything from drugs to boys to other deviant behavior.
How would explaining that she could transform into a magical superhero go over? Not very well.
If she were any other person, Christa would have planted her face firmly into her desk and sighed, feeling the weight of two lives on her shoulders weighing her down. But no, Christa was Christa, and nothing but a frown and a furrowed brow graced her tired face as she picked up a math workbook. It was nearing midnight and the homework was due later that day. She cursed herself for desperately wanting to patrol, especially on a school night, but it couldn't be helped. What was one sleepless night in the grand scheme of things?
Three hours of work later, most of her homework was ready to be turned in for a decent grade. She could get a few hours' worth of sleep that night before having to be to school. Her bruises were healing and her scrapes were starting to close. Perhaps she could put off classmate's questions for another day and hide her injuries with higher socks. Yes, that would do. It was so unlike Christa to be battered or bruised, but she was not one for athletics. People may start to ask questions if she had an injury she couldn't hide.
But that was for another day. Christa decided to cut back on her patrolling, whether she wanted to or not. School had to be taken care of. Once she graduated, being a senshi full time may be a great deal easier if she found a flexible job.
As she laid her head down on the pillow, her brown eyes closed to the waking world and she slipped into the world of dreams, where things like super powers and great universal catastophes were all the things of science fiction. Visions of what she believed the moon princess looked like danced in her hazy vision, beckoning to be found, to be freed. But what could one lone senshi do against the vast sea of darkness?
(Words: 2,031)
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Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:16 pm
[Writer's Block and Other Things]Regular: Chatroom DiscussionsIRL Can Be a PainSummary Christa finds an unlikely friend in KitsuneTrick as part of an online chatroom devoted to fanfiction and writing. They strike up a conversation about life getting in the way of finer things.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:14 am
[Hello There!]Regular: Walk in the ParkSoccer KidSummary Christa is busy reading in the park after being told to get some sun by her aunt. She runs into (or rather, was run into) by a little bubbly girl named Ridley. They start to talking about books, soccer, school and life. It's a welcome distraction from the world of responsibilities.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:16 am
[Consoling the Wounded]Regular: Terrible NewsThe Passing of BradleySummary Christa's family gets some terrible news - Bradley Reese, cousin to the children of the Calloways, has passed away from leukemia. Christa calls up her cousin Melinda to talk to her about it. Together, they try to be each other's shoulder to cry on.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:17 am
[Not the Best Reason to Shop]Regular: Mall Run-InUnlikely MeetingsSummary Having a funeral to go to is never a good thing, and having to shop for one is even worse. While out at the mall looking for a dress, Christa runs into another Meadowview student by the name of Andrea.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:18 am
[Mirror, Mirror]Battle: AmbushedOn the WallSummary While chasing a Youma that proved to be too much for her to handle, Kallichore is rescued by someone named Eternal Sailor Ares. Their meeting is interrupted by two Nega officers - Alkaid and Serandite. While running for their lives, Kallichore manages to impress the much more powerful senshi, and they narrowly escape by falling through a mirror.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:19 am
[On the Run]Regular: Meetings in Dark PlacesA Battle AftermathSummary After narrowly escaping with their lives, Ares mirrorwalks herself and Kallichore to a foreclosed house on the edge of the city to recover and talk. Kallichore has a lot of questions for the one in charge of the Blood Moon Court.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:38 am
[Initiation by Moonlight]Regular: Joining RanksOne Fateful GatheringSummary Ares had given her an offer - meet by the fountain near Crystal Academy at ten o'clock and questions will be answered. Kallichore couldn't resist the calling and felt indebted to Ares for helping save her. Taking a notepad with her, Kallichore decides to take Ares up on her offer, and goes to the fountain that night.
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