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 Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2024 3:32 pm
Kerberos nodded. "I can see how it might have been," he acknowledged. Irit always seemed so lonely--but perhaps that was by choice. And back then, at least, there had been plenty of people who knew what it meant to be a Senshi. To share the burden with. And there hadn't been nearly as much separation between Irit and Kerberos as there was between Keiran and Kerberos.
A separation made necessary by the ever-present threat of Chaos. Would it be different, if he could live openly as a Senshi? Kerberos wasn't sure.
"Ten for me," he admitted, "and given everything I lost when I purified--it feels like that's my whole life." And like maybe he wouldn't know what to do if the war did end. Did he go back to being Keiran, who sometimes felt like only parts of a person cobbled together to make a convincing enough mask? Devote his life to restoring Kerberos? "It's like we find new fronts every few years. New ways that Chaos is out there ******** things up."
Which made whatever Cosmos was doing all the more important, it seemed.
"When you put it like that--that might well be why she doesn't show up here much," he said. "Diving into the most dangerous place in the universe--the place where Chaos seems to be thriving--is probably not a great idea when you've got the responsibility for the core of the whole galaxy in your hands. Cosmos is obviously powerful, but is she immortal? I don't know. I really don't want to have to find out, either."
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:37 am
“Do we know this is the most dangerous place in the universe?” Ganymede wondered.
She stopped staring at her glowing palm to glance back at Kerberos. Her frown was small, pensive, anxious. She did her best not to dwell on things, aware that it could all become very overwhelming very quickly, but some concerns were unavoidable. She stewed in them—all the time. They were a constant dark cloud over her thoughts. She couldn’t banish them even when she tried. Maybe she didn’t try as hard as she should. The less she dwelled, the less prepared she’d be for the next tragedy.
Years ago, she’d believed in possibilities. Now she felt stuck. She knew what needed to be done but didn’t have the power to do it. Even as a Princess, she was nothing against Metallia—and if she was nothing against Metallia, then she was even less than that against the forces of the wider universe.
“We've thought it is because for so long Earth is all we’ve ever known,” she said. “Now we’ve saved other worlds from Chaos. I know I should be inspired by that, maybe a little reassured, but… I think sometimes we get ahead of ourselves. We succeed at something and we let hope turn to arrogance. We come together, we do what needs to be done, and then we part ways without any consideration for what else might be out there waiting for us, because we’ve convinced ourselves that nothing could be as bad as Earth, and we use those other worlds as proof.
“But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that nothing is safe.” Ganymede tipped her head to stare into the night sky again. “Not here. Not out there. Chaos is everywhere, and Cosmos is one Senshi guarding the most important point in the galaxy. What happens if she’s not strong enough? If there's something worse than Metallia lurking out there...”
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2024 2:24 pm
"I suppose we don't know that," Kerberos acknowledged. Maybe it just felt that way--because so much of their struggle was concentrated here. But Lyndin had said there were things far beyond them, things they weren't ready for. And they'd already seen some evidence of that.
There were dangers moving in the cosmos.
"The Chaos on those other worlds is different, too, isn't it? It doesn't do to people what Metallia does. It's not...making new,. weird kinds of officers or youma. At least, I haven't heard about it doing that." And Kerberos couldn't be sure what that meant, really. "I don't know. Every success moves the needle, or...it should, I hope. But you're right. We get ahead of ourselves. Decide we understand, when....I really feel like we don't have a great grasp on the scale of what we're dealing with. But...I don't know. All we can do is keep carrying that torch. Keep moving that needle, in whatever small way we can. And know that there's bigger and badder out there. But it's hard to prepare for what we barely understand."
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 2:08 pm
Ganymede sighed heavily.
She brought her hands to her face, scrubbed at her cheeks and forehead like she was trying to relieve some of the tension. The more she considered all of this, the worse her stress grew. There was so much left unanswered. Even after everything she’d learned, even with all she knew, the knowledge and experience power afforded her, she felt impotent. She wanted solutions. They didn’t have to be easy. They didn’t have to be quick. She simply wanted to know what they were so she could implement them when the time came.
“Sorry,” she said.
Ganymede dropped her hands and offered Kerberos a wry smile.
“I feel like I’ve just dumped a bunch of anxiety on you. I wish I knew what to do about any of it. Taking things as they come has been…” She released another gusting breath. “I don’t know. I know what to do in the moment. Take me out of it and I can’t make up my mind. It’s helped me get by, but… I don’t know how well it’s helped anyone else. I hate the uncertainty.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2025 10:45 pm
Kerberos met Ganymede's wry smile with one of his own, shaking his head.
"I'd rather share the burden a little. At least you know you're not alone." He glanced up at the sky, at the tapestry of stars up there--points of light scattered across the universe.
Yeah, at least they weren't alone.
"I like to hope we learn a little more from each encounter, but every new thing that happens is so weird..." He sighed. "But if you ever need to talk, I'm here. Even if it's just to share your anxieties. And if you come to the bench and I'm not at it, just message me and I'll show." He tried not to be predictable, but having a spot where he was open to meetings was inherently so. Still, it had its benefits. Like being able to offer a space for a friend.
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 7:27 am
Ganymede’s smile warmed.
At the start of all this, when she first became a Senshi, she had felt very much alone. The Jovians had taught her otherwise, but after a while they too had scattered, and she had been reminded of the dangers of war, how fleeting these moments of camaraderie could be. She cherished them now in a way she hadn’t before. Friendships came and went. Bonds that once seemed unbreakable could snap beneath the strain. What mattered was what they made of them in the moment.
“Thank you,” she said, very purposefully, like she was trying to communicate more than simple gratitude but didn’t quite have the words. “I don’t have a favorite bench, but… I’m only a message away, too, so if you need anything, or you hear anything, whether it’s concerning or not, let me know. I promise I’m not always a ball of stress and misery. You’d be surprised how annoying I used to be.”
Ganymede hopped up onto her feet, too haunted by tragedy and laden with responsibility to be anything more than a shadow of the rebellious girl she used to be.
“I won’t be a stranger if you won’t,” she offered.
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Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2025 2:13 pm
It was impossible to miss the way Ganymede's smile warmed, or the weight that seemed implied in such a simple expression of thanks. Perhaps that was what came from doing this for so long--knowing how to see what people meant, and understanding how much these things mattered.
"Of course. Ideally, I'd like to be able to share good news more often than bad." And maybe there would be a time when that was easy. "But I'm taking that as permission to send you cute pictures of space animals. Positive updates, you know."
A little laugh, and he stood up to wave her off.
"I promise, I won't. Stay safe," which seemed as fitting a goodbye as any, in their world, with everything they faced. "And I will too."Sunshine Alouette and fin! tysm, this has been such a great rp heart
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