Faustite tl;dr: Just having some PTSD with a dash of melancholy
Seldom did he visit Destiny City without the intent to kill someone. Even when he wasn't simply looking to pick a fight with any Order face he came across, he usually ended up damaging or destroying some of the enemy as a means to feed the youma that he visited in the field. That evening was a rarity, for Faustite had neither murder nor youma visitation on his mind.
Rather, he took Heliodor back to his old apartment in a show of mercy for the boy. Having been compromised, his old life was forfeit — no longer would he be Aelius Drayson, and the time to build a new identity was nigh. While it would have been safest for Heliodor to leave it all behind and take nothing more than the clothes on his back, which were promptly discarded, the impracticality of it outweighed those safety concerns. Erasing his identity did not erase the history of his body; Heliodor needed to fetch any medical records and prescriptions before abandoning the rest. And if he knew to pick up anything else before they departed and Faustite burned the place down as he'd threatened so long ago, then Heliodor had probably gleaned that tip from someone else on the team. Someone who was a little more familiar with the combinations of being "an adult" and also "human".
Neither really applied to Faustite. Seldom did it bother him, though; he certainly wasn't thinking about that while he entertained himself by hunting down a mouse that had found its way into Aelius's warm apartment. Such was his privilege in playing chaperone and deterrent with his General-King's aura.
But a roiling, thunderous crack cut short Faustite's amusement, and the boy paused with an instinctive stillness that bespoke a few jagged scars that crossed his body. The thunder sounded far closer than he would have liked, and its ominous omnipresence drew Faustite's attention to one of the windows. There, he beheld it again — a white-hot crack in the sky, as if the firmament had begun to split.
The gap between flashes and thunderclaps plodded closed, and Faustite could do nothing but mouth expletives as if they mitigated his fears. That, and cling to any assistance proffered by his companion.
The lambent storm at once consumed his vision, and he convinced himself that he must have been struck again, that he felt nothing for it because he must have had a seizure, and then he felt the cold floor against his face. Echoes of lightning yet painted over much of his vision. Several moments passed before he felt he could trust his weight to his arms and he pushed himself up into a seated position.
Even after the storm faded from his vision, he saw mostly nothing. His flame was there, as always, but it lacked the luminosity to which he was accustomed. They hardly illuminated his hands in front of his face, let alone the floor or anything around him. He reached at once for Headache, intending to beckon the ball of bugs from the Rift, but nothing came forth; it was as if he'd been cut off from his own youma entirely.
Soon, voices carried through the darkness like stones across still water. Most of them sounded familiar; some he couldn't place, and others he recognized outright. Murikabushi proved unmistakeable in tone and character, and he recognized the voice of the agent that spoke (Chalcanthite), though he hadn't worked with him enough to recall a name without seeing a face. The one calling for a truce might have been Kerberos, but he wasn't certain of it. Heliodor was there, too, and sounded closest to him, though the touch on his arm had him flinching perceptibly.
He recognized Jet's voice, too, and he suspected that the GenOps branch's Sovereign knew that they were in mixed company.
Save for Murikabushi and known agents, Faustite decided it was best to treat said mixed company as hostile until proven otherwise. He reached for the ugly, snarling blade that was his weapon — but never did it come to hand.
Faustite cursed silently. He could beat a few senshi to death with his fists, but with no way to know the number of them by visual or auric feel, he might wear himself out long before they'd used their enemies to repave the floors.
Someone had a phone out, but it proved as useful as his own flames in this predicament. All the ones who knew of him would know him by the look of his fire, and they would know where he was looking given his burning irises, but when faced with the need to communicate, he was silenced. He couldn't even sign by his own firelight. And the thought of wrenching his dusty tablet out of subspace and trying to figure it out enough to type a message in front of an indeterminate crowd turned his nonexistent stomach.
kolina
Quote:
Other characters are mentioned, but I will only be quoting for direct interactions or if something impacts the group!
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:30 pm
Reaching up with his free hand, the one they weren't holding, and tapped Chalcanthite's shoulder. His hand then trailed up and a finger pressed to the others lips, to signal for silence. The hand then drifted down to the others hand and he pressed one of the long haired generals fingers to his own lips, letting them know he was going to keep silent. He wasn't going to be letting anyone know he was here, let those who were order not know how many agents were here. He wasn't willing to risk a senshi, or a knight, here know him by voice alone. He'd rather not give himself away..let his presence be a surprise, poetentially a nasty surprise, for any senshi and knights here amongst them.
There was a voice he knew and was pleased to here - Jet. He didn't know the general king well but he knew they were loyal, their rank alone proof of that, but they were one who took things seriously and were rational enough as far as he had gathered over the years. He might not know them well but that didn't mean he didn't read agent files, didn't know enough about those he worked with at night.
He knew, first hand, what it was like to take on a royal and he knew they'd not only taken one on but had captured one. The royal in question might have escaped, something worth mourning, but the fact they had captured a royal and held them was something worthy of respect and note. With his message to Chalcanthite given, and hopefully recieved, he hoped the other would understand when he guided the others pointer finger to his arm and started to trace out letters - words.
'Best be silent. Family now. Keep safe.' It was broken english, for the sake of ease, but the idea was there. He knew Melody, the others sister, planned on marrying into his family...a cousin or someone. That meant Chalcanthite would be family, it was just a matter of time, which meant they should keep each other safe and work together as family always should. He wasn't aware if the other knew of his sisters intentions, perhaps something to tell the other once they were out of this place, but that was neither here nor there. Right now they had the seemingly impossable task of figuring out this mess and escaping.
Sara Draconia
Beni hopes you can understand what he's saying.
Guine
For mention.
Sleet Tempest Snape
Noble Vampire
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Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 7:36 pm
In the pitch dark, Aquamarine cared much less about maintaining even the illusion of propriety between himself and Jet. When Jet’s arm went around his waist, Aquamarine settled closer—more protective than relaxed, given their circumstances, but still less concerned with protocol than he would have been in a similar situation in broad daylight.
Then Jet’s hand sank into his chest with little warning. Not too deep. Just enough to ensure it could be done here, when all their other options seemed limited. Aquamarine knew the sensation well by now and relaxed into it, repressing the gasp that nearly tumbled through his lips. He wheezed quietly when it was done, covering the sound with a cough.
Maybe the others wouldn’t have to die slowly after all. Not all of them, at least. The glowing ones would still have to suffer, but the rest could be dispatched more efficiently.
The problem, for now, would be in finding them.
“Laying it on a bit thick,” Aquamarine murmured directly into Jet’s ear, more amused than he wanted to be by Jet’s apparent benevolence.
Guine
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 8:00 am
The thick, oppressive darkness clung obstinately to the room. Like a dense fog with nowhere to go, it smothered them.
With such dim light available to them, the sudden spark in the distance was difficult to miss. It came in broken pieces, like the light was peeking through cracks.
But it wasn’t the only light in the room.
The longer they stood still, the more something seemed to build. Occasionally, there was a small spark in the air around them, like static desperate to build.
Then, a glow.
It started at their feet, only small pinpricks of light. Dim, suffocated by the darkness, but it grew cautiously as if hesitant to disturb the shadows. A silent hum reverberated throughout the room, almost imperceptible to the ears but certainly felt by the low vibrations in the air.
The light grew wherever there was pressure so it followed them if they moved. Timid, at first, just a glowing echo of where they’d once stood, but then with greater vibrancy. Sometimes, small sparks of purple light kicked up from the ground wherever they’d stood, but they were painless and quickly dissolved.
The shadows were stubborn but retreated slowly, repelled by the ever growing illumination. As the pitch black wave was driven back, a stony room was slowly revealed. They stood in the center of a sizable room and while it was difficult to make out many fine details, it seemed as though things were slowly coming to life.
Six walls surrounded them, broken up by six hallways. The path was open to them, but the shadows lingered like a fluttering veil, still testing its resolve against the ever-growing light. The only unnatural darkness that remained in the room was the shroud of black fog hovering at the ceiling, just barely untouched by the spreading glow.
A great deal of effort had gone into this room. Each stone had been meticulously placed and even under close scrutiny there were no flaws to behold. The floor was perfectly smooth, undisturbed since it was first laid. These rooms were untraveled. Despite the staleness, there wasn’t so much as a single spec of dust.
There was almost no air flow but occasionally, accompanied by the very distant whisper, there was a faint air current from one of the hallways–the only one with the occasional flash of broken lightning.
Something else stirred in the room.
The floor pulsed faintly in its own pattern, with a light just barely too dim to make out any details. It looked like it was trying to charge itself but was struggling to build the energy.
On each of the walls, shapes briefly manifested and then flickered away before they could take form.
Electricity surged in the air but it felt less like danger and more like desperation.
Quote:
The room has slowly begun to illuminate; pale spotlights of up to three feet can grow around a character if they stand still. If they move, the light will diminish to just their footprint. They can leave a trail of footsteps that will gradually dim behind them. Moving can create more light but standing still makes a steady pillar of up to three feet wide that will allow them to clearly inspect whatever is in front of them.
As the light illuminates the room, electrical items may flicker and malfunction. They may restart or shut down. Magical items may become uncomfortably hot. Characters still lack access to any magical abilities but they may feel an uncomfortable spark in their chest. While characters cannot contact anyone outside of the room, if using sparkling earrings they may find that the words are blurred, sometimes drowned out by a low grumble and heavy breathing. They may feel a heavy pressure in their head akin to a headache. Characters might feel a dull ache, or as if they are a bit motionsick.
The shadows in the room have been driven back, however a dark haze covers the ceiling. There is something there but it’s impossible to see beyond the shadows. The six hallways are accessible but it feels as if the room is trying to keep you here. For now.
Characters can explore the room but will find themselves repelled if they try to slip into the darkness; it is possible to pass through but it will feel incredibly uncomfortable, like someone is trying to push back. It will be smokey and difficult to breathe. Flashes of lighting are occasionally visible down one hallway, where a faint whistle is barely audible. This hallway seems to be the only one with any air current.
It is encouraged to explore the room before trying to leave but players can do whatever seems most natural to them. Of the six walls, each of them appears to have different flickering different images, but they and the markings on the floor are struggling to manifest. The room seems as if it is trying to sputter to life.
The next prompt will be posted in about ~48 hours. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM The Space Cauldron or message Xigglet on Discord!
For a moment, she could only silently pat Encke's arm where she'd previously poked at his oddly dulled Transcendence markings, not exactly arguing with his view but... The shorter senshi pulled down on his shoulder and got up on her tip-toes to hiss as quietly into his ear as she could, "If you want it over yours, be my guest if you think it'll change anything. I refuse to remain trapped or die till my world is free." The venom in her voice was, admittedly, less aimed at Encke in particular, but at the situation at large. It didn't help she'd glimpsed what she was sure was a very specific fire-featured figure...
Her pulse had already been uneasy, but the icy sensation in her veins realizing Faustite was in the room lit her temper into a fridged flame of its own.
Still with her mouth close to their ear, she gave a soft huff of a sigh and squeezed Encke's shoulder. "...but if you ask me, you do a lot more good alive and kicking, instead of your starseed collecting celestial dust in the Cauldron." She released him then, going back to the flats of her feet, and again angrily smacking her flashlight against her thigh as if a second attempt to jostle more light out of the crystal would do anything.
She could hear another calmer voice call out (Jet) though nothing of it was familiar--a dark brow did rise in question on repeating her sarcastic bit about teleporting, since she'd only commented that due to that one person identifying themselves as a Captain... was it all Chaos agents in here, or was that person referring to other means--like the kind the senshi phones used to get them to their worlds and back to Earth? Genuinely, she wasn't sure. The only person she knew here, and therefore trusted, was Encke. She knew Faustite, but well... that familiarity was beyond absolute zero levels of trust.
Yeah. At this point, till she could visually see each person, she didn't trust anyone so far as she could throw them under Solarian gravity...
Her mulling didn't need to wander on for long, though, as little fragments of lights began to peek through. Snaps and sparks, which at first she wondered if they were just her brain malfunctioning in the low-light, trying to make sense of things it couldn't actually see, or perhaps glimmers from other devices like her flashlight trying to brighten the area but failing. But then she saw the ground beneath her feet actually began to glow in areas. She shifted about on her feet, trying to get a better look at it--was the ground fracturing? Was it like the dark ice on her world and they needed to move--? But it moved with her, and she was fascinated by that. Little purple sparks kicked up as she moved her feet more and more in haphazard patterns to test this discovery, scuffing her heel against the ground lightly and marveling at the resulting tiny lights.
Maybe it was her eyes adjusting, or maybe it was the light actually shoving back some of the overwhelming darkness, but more of the room became apparent--and the halls, least until they vanished into the darkness.
Light moved by her side, and Solaris frowned, turning to face the wall she'd just been leaning against and trying to peer closer at the shapes forming by the light, lifting her hand to carefully touch the smooth stone to see if she could trace or follow the movements, figure out the image that was... well, it looked like it was trying to show something, anyway.
"Looks like something needs a few new batteries," she said softly to Encke, though really, anyone close enough might have been able to overhear her half-jest, half... observation.
Seiana_ZI
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 6:09 pm
Jet snorted quietly at Aquamarine’s whisper. In his defense, the others had offered suggestions first. And now? Everyone was being so amusingly shy, it seemed. Despite the call for a truce, no one seemed to really want to agree to it.
Maybe the others realized what a stupid idea it had been to suggest.
The sudden spark caught his eye, of course. He didn’t tense, but he brushed his hand against Aquamarine’s arm to make sure he saw it, too, before releasing him. He didn’t let him go very far, but being able to stay on the defense was important. For now.
Below them, pinpricks of light. A strange vibrating noise around them. He made sure to focus on the frequency, not because he thought the sound meant anything, but as a musician, he would be able to report it accurately. Just in case.
As the shadows began to retreat, Jet immediately took note of those in the room, before observing the room itself. He couldn’t help the small grin that tugged at his lips. Whatever trepidation he might have felt about the mysterious others in the room immediately evaporated.
The room itself was interesting, but other than the broken lightning flashing down one of the halls, and the floor with its light pulsing patterns, there wasn’t much to see.
“Well now. Isn’t this a pleasant surprise,” he hummed, one arm crossed over his chest, resting his other elbow in his palm as he placed his hand below his chin in a thoughtful stance.
The other officers (Benitoite, Chalcanthite, Faustite, and Heliodor) received small nods of acknowledgement, before he turned to look at the others.
“Murikabushi; all in white and with wings, I see. Kerberos—or was it Blossom? I remember your magic and how… creative it was.”
He offered them both a pleasant smile, before turning to glance at the remaining two. He studied them for a few moments, then snapped his fingers like he suddenly remembered.
“Encke. That’s it. How’s our darling Pendour? I haven’t seen her in a while. I hope she’s doing well. You, though…” Jet paused as he looked at the Senshi (Solaris) with strange ears and what looked like wings on her back. Actual wings, not the fake Eternal sort.
“I hope you’ve been enjoying Earth’s hospitality. I suppose this,” Jet gestured to everything around them, “is your realm of expertise, then. Since a truce was requested…”
He paused and gestured towards the hallway where the broken lightning was flashing.
“Please. After you.”
It was very clear that a truce would only benefit the White Moon. If they were smart, and Jet had his doubts, they would agree and choose to follow directions.
Jet certainly wasn’t about to suggest any of the Negaverse officers there risk their lives trying to explore more of the unknown building. Not unless someone went in front of them.
amorremanet
Noir Songbird
Kaefaux
Seiana_ZI
Guine
Crew
Lonely Explorer
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Seiana_ZI
Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 7:46 pm
Encke knew the thought of over their dead body wouldn't necessarily be a popular one, so they were woefully unsurprised to find that Solaris didn't agree. And after living as long as she had, perhaps that wasn't surprising so much as expected. Still, she was the one he trusted with that thought, moreso than anyone else in there.
That being said, considering who else was in there as he could slowly interpret with increased light, he was willing to be sacrificed for it. Was that ... Faustite? Oh <********> this s**t entirely-
"Perhaps my last good deed can be making sure all these general-sovereigns don't make it back to Earth." There was no missing the way his voice dripped in sarcasm, or the way he was glancing over the room as he spoke quietly, giving up on getting his flashlight to work to the level he needed. Maybe the room would resolve it itself.
Maybe Faustite would burn a hole in the ground and that would glow as bright as the sun they needed--
Encke's lip lifted in minor amusement as Solaris noted that maybe the wall needed batteries, too, and he opened his mouth to respond to that as one of the aforementioned general-sovereigns decided to address him directly. He looked over his shoulder, leveling him with a neutral expression at the mention of Pendour even if he boiled internally at him bringing up Pendour.
Tapping into the same acting skill he had used to lie that Basiluzzo was no one he even knew, Encke's response was simply to flip Jet off. He then turned back to Solaris, muttering only under his breath to her, "GK."
Instead of signaling directly what he was doing to the said GK, or any of them, he instead took his flashlight, smacked it a few more times, and took a similar move to Solaris, looking at the detailing on the walls. He wasn't about to go down the hallway at the urging of a general-sovereign especially, considering how little he trusted here.
If anything, let that be them, first.
Kaefaxx
Guixe
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 1:39 am
As the room started sparking into something more illuminated, Murikabushi tried to take stock of who all had shown up in whatever this place thought it was. Seemed about halfway split between people he recognized (Encke, Faustite, Heliodor, Jet) and people he didn’t (Aqua, Beni, Chal, Solaris)……and oof, a 60-40 split in favor of the Negaverse. Muri refused to let himself wince over that, now that people could see each other more clearly. For the first moment or two, he kept his face into the same sort of trained neutrality that, under other circumstances, Murikabushi might’ve needed to rely on while listening to a customer try to argue that they deserved to be allowed to break health and safety rules just this once.
Jet deciding to run down the introductions—or at least some of them—currently sounded a lot like that to Muri. It didn’t start that way, but as soon as Jet drew attention to Murikabushi being an Order senshi now? As soon as he made it noteworthy in a way that would definitely out Muri as a purification case to any of the three Negas who didn’t already know him, assuming they had any brains? Murikabushi was still listening, but part of him was distinctly hearing the teacher voice sound effect from the old Peanuts cartoons.
(Which wasn’t fair, and Murikabushi realized that. It wasn’t as though he’d sent Jet a dissertation about his reasons for purifying ahead of doing so. Or met up with him in a park on New Year’s Eve with holiday gifts and heartache to spill. But on the other hand, he’d only given Remarque an exit interview because it had come up while discussing something else entirely. Murikabushi didn’t owe that to Jet—or anyone else, for that matter.
At least, Muri supposed, he could take some very slight comfort in the fact that none of his former Mirror senshi found-siblings had gotten wrapped up in this. Really, most of the ones he’d met didn’t seem to want to be senshi at all. They’d gotten stuck with those powers as an accident of birth and nothing more; making them endure something like this would’ve felt like cruel and unusual punishment. Even the ones like Lete and Hybris, who more or less enjoyed being senshi and having that kind of magic, didn’t enjoy being made to, like, do things, man. Or ever being asked to take things seriously. Better for them to not be here and not at risk of ending up on the bad sides of two General-Sovereigns, two Generals, and an Eternal Nega.
Also, Murikabushi could imagine the useless popcorn gallery commentary Lete and Hybris might have gotten up to, and they would’ve made this particular Struggle even more Real than it already was.)
“Hey, King,” Murikabushi drawled, on one hand meeting Jet’s passive-aggression with a(n obviously strained) smile and the same bright, sparkling tone he would’ve used to greet any of his former drag sisters with hey, queen! On the other hand, he pointedly emphasized the second word because Muri sure wasn’t the only one between the two of them whose outfit looked different and more intricate than the last time they’d met. More intricate in the way that spoke to more power—so, it seemed Muri had good judgment for picking out potential General-Sovereigns.
Honestly, it was a good look on Jet. Whoever he was interested in wifing up—had possibly already wifed up? maybe? who knew? not Muri, and it wasn’t his business anyway—they had snagged themself a certified snacc. Differing opinions on magical girl forever war factions didn’t mean Muri could or would deny that Jet looked fierce in his cape, longcoat, and decorative shoulder-pieces.
“I really dig the new ‘fit, don’t you,” Muri said, fully expecting that the answer would be “no” and refusing to be shamed into shrinking himself or apologizing for his choices. “Getting it required asking myself ‘Hey, gurl, you wouldn’t put up with some pathetic man making you feel so fundamentally wrong for being yourself that you’d rather die. So, why are we tolerating that sort of feckless, trash behavior from Mirrorspace, diva?’ Decided I deserved better than Mirrorspace, so I went and got it.”
Was the dramatic swishing out of his ponytail necessary to punctuate this little “what Muri has to say for himself”? Objectively, no. But not doing it would’ve made Muri’s nerves itch.
His expression softened, though, as he turned to focus on Faustite. Since his senshi phone didn’t seem to want to work anymore—first, it started heating up, and then it flickered once, twice, thrice before going black—Muri shoved it away and freed up his hands. Are you and Heliodor okay, he signed to Faustite. You don’t look hurt, but appearances aren’t always true.
With that asked, though, Encke and the other girl didn’t seem to want to cooperate—at least, not judging from how they were doing their own thing, ostensibly ignoring Jet aside from one stray middle finger. On the other hand, Jet was trying to take charge over everyone with an idea that Muri thought sounded pretty bad (not to mention being low-key bigoted against the space-senshi). Well……okay, then. Somebody else was gonna have to put up the actual walk of the whole working together to get out of here since nobody here was responsible for this predicament idea.
“All due respect, Jet,” which, based on Muri’s tone (overall sympathetic, with a hint of Come on, King, you are both smarter and better than this), was a considerable amount even if he didn’t respect Jet’s current idea, “but are you listening to yourself? ‘Hey, there’s a hallway over here that sure seems volatile, let’s just charge in with no idea what could be down there? Apart from lightning and something that makes the wind create a whistling sound?’ It’s giving Freddie Jones when he’s on some ‘Let’s split up, gang!’ nonsense. And I don’t think it’s fair for you to act like the only way to honor the idea of ‘Let’s cooperate until we get out of this mess because nobody here wants to die’? Is to ignorantly run ahead into danger that is also going to come for Faustite, Heliodor, and…I’m sorry, I don’t know the rest of your names?”
As a hopefully placating gesture, Muri held up both hands in the universal sign of Let’s all be cool about this, nobody do anything hilarious. He added, “But also, White Moon senshi and self-admitted Mirrorspace-hater over here? So, no pressure to share names if you’d rather not.”
Left unspoken, because some people (Encke) might’ve made it A Whole Thing and held up any attempts at doing anything constructive, had it gotten said aloud: Murikabushi didn’t want Jet, Faustite, or any of the Negas to die, same as he didn’t want Kerberos, Encke, or Miss Angel Dust to die. He may not have known half of them, but any pointless death bothered Muri, even when it happened to Negaverse officers. Anything he could do to avoid that, he wanted to do.
He intended to roll his eyes, because Jet’s current idea felt ill-conceived enough to deserve that, but Murikabushi stopped when he’d only half-started. As his gaze drifted up, he caught sight of……something. Tilting his head back, so he could look up more fully, he stared up at the dark haze that distinctly didn’t look like a normal ceiling.
“Gurl, what the ******** is that,” Muri said, gesturing at the others like hey, will you all look up, already.“I’m assuming nobody has a Bat-Signal level spotlight in their subspace, yeah?” Even if they had, it might not have worked right now. “D’you think enough of us standing closer together and combining this illumination game we’ve developed might help? Like, maybe create enough light to help give us a better view of that?”
Quote:
ooc edit note, Feb. 10th: I misread Sei’s intent with some of Encke’s dialogue, so Muri’s shade at Encke over the “Maybe my last act” line has been edited out!
Guinexx
Strickenizedxx
xxSeiana_ZI
The Space Cauldronxx
For Muri addressing the group/trying to draw attention upward!
With enough light to see by, Helio studied Faustite carefully. They had just been dealing with the storm in Destiny City and now this? While Helio didn’t know the extent in why the General Soverign had such a dislike for lightning, he had be willing to help ease any discomfort or panic. While the darkness had been a welcome reprieve to the flashing of electricity, it had definitely posed a problem for the mute half-youma. One that the Eternal was becoming increasingly aware of at all times.
“One for yes, two for no.” He whispered as he leaned in, unperturbed by the heat eminating from Faustite. “If the lights go out again. Tap me, snap or flare your fire?” He pressed his lips in thought as he began signing with care. I’ll do my best to give you voice, here even in the dark. He was curious why Faustite hadn’t called Headache yet.
Helio hadn’t bothered to reach for his magic with the darkness so heavy around them. Who knew who would get stuck in the crossfire, after all. Tossing attacks in random directions on where he thought people were according to their voices was not a bright move. But, as the darkness lifted and light finally illuminated where people were in the room, Helio reached for his magic to send at a specific winged senshi (Solaris). Fortunate for her, nothing was there except the fluttering of something in his chest for the attempt as he touched the skin just below the hole there. “I can’t call my magic.” He murmured in frustration and understanding. If he couldn’t use his magic, was that why Faustite hadn’t summoned Headache? Were the others experiencing the same?
He turned his attention to Faustite as he shifted himself to try and block the view for Solaris just in case she somehow knew how to read ASL. The winged one. She was there in the house. One of the ones who spoke to me.His signing was not the smoothest, but he hoped that it could be read well enough.
People were starting to discuss their surroundings. Jet was making a go at pushing Order to do as he wanted. A well enough tactic that might have worked, but Muri was proving why it might not work with this specific group. Perhaps with Order who were less ... .opinionated and obstinate it would have worked, but with Encke and Muri here that seemed highly unlikely. But, to be fair, it had been the one Jet named as Kerberos that suggested the truce.
Honestly, the only order member Heliodor cared to see leave this place in once piece was Muri. The rest could rot in the chamber for the rest of their lives for all he cared.
He glanced upwards at Muri’s suggestion. The darkness clung to the ceiling like an undulating fog devoid of color. It was eerie to see. But that darkness only seemed to emphasize the light when it grew and waned. Helio turned to stare down a hallway near him and Faustite then to the walls around them. “They’re different. Watch when they light up.” He couldn’t make out what it was though with how faint the light actually was. Curiosity led him to move closer to one of the walls, placing a hand on the stones to try and feel around for any possible signs or indents that allowed the light to show from.
Quote:
To avoid over tagging, going to just tag those Helio directly speaks/interacts with beyond whole group things.
Strickenized
Kaefaux
amorremanet
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 9:29 am
Aquamarine took a single step away from Jet, rubbing the lingering soreness from his chest as lights began to spark into existence. The room held little of interest except for the lights themselves, at least as far as Aquamarine could see, from the flooring, to the walls, to the black fog up at the ceiling. With many of their abilities suppressed and their devices malfunctioning, Aquamarine settled for gathering information the old fashioned way—by sight, by sound, by touch.
Unfortunately, his attempts to hear anything of interest were disturbed by the Senshi with an apparent love for his own voice.
“Murikabushi,” Aquamarine recited the name like he was trying to place it. Though he wasn’t the type to divulge how well informed he may or may not be by virtue of his relationship with Jet, Aquamarine at least kept up with the database enough to recall what information it provided. “You’re only breathing right now because we have a use for you. Obviously we won’t be taking any unnecessary risks, which is why you and your allies will be going first.”
Whatever this place was, or what purpose any of them had there, was not immediately apparent. What was immediately apparent was that the White Moon had not been fortunate enough to arrive with their best or brightest.
“Let me spell it out for you, since you’ve got no ******** sense of your own. There are—” Aquamarine paused long enough to make a quick count now that he had a better view. “—six of us against two of you. You and the girl don’t have the same protection they do.” He gave a careless flick of the hand to indicate the two who didn’t glow quite as bright as usual (Kerberos and Encke). “How well do you trust either of them to protect you? How well do they trust you? You seem so concerned for Faustite.”
Aquamarine maneuvered his hands to repeat some of the same gestures Murikabushi had only just made. Are you and Heliodor okay.
“Suspicious, considering his history. One would think a self-admitted Mirrorspace-hater would reserve some of that hatred for who I assume many of you would consider to be one of the worst of us.”
Aquamarine didn’t always expect fear from the White Moon, but he did expect a certain amount of sense. None of them should care for the well being of a General King or a Corrupted Senshi. Even those who couldn’t interpret the signs should be able to read into the softening of Murikabushi’s expression enough to have an inkling of doubt. Aquamarine had his own doubts about his own allies. Loyalty didn’t seem to mean much to many of them.
amorremanet
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Sleet Tempest Snape
Noble Vampire
Offline
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 10:42 am
Watching as light suddenly started making it's presence, like the cracks in the walls were giving a peek at the light just beyond - outside of the room. But with it he didn't feel a shift in air, though maybe he was too far away, and as things started to change he kept closer to Chalcanthite. The other was family, or close enough, that not knowing if they were out numbered had him getting closer to help Chalcanthite if they got into a fight. He didn't trust the idea of a truce, especially not if order found themselves with an advantage in numbers, he wouldn't trust a truce on either side to be honest.
Sparks....not lightining, thankfully, but little sparks of light lit up the darkness and provided some light. It left little spots dancing infront of his eyes but his eyes adjusted to the bright little sparks, not quick enough for his liking though, this was all rather interesting as he still didn't feel any familiar aura. Something was behind this, and he could feel it, the idea of not being able to place it was bothersome.
As might lights appeared, under their feet, following them as they moved the general was soon enough able to see just who else he was sharing his space with. Oh what an interesting group this was, and in the favor of chaos as well - how nice. He could feel the smile forming, something not so much nice as it was preditory, as pale eyes looked over the senshi gathered. A few he knew, on sight, though the one with the flare for dramatics he did not know...perhaps a good thing.
Blocking out the nonsense being talked about, or at least some of it was nonsense as he wouldn't classify Jet's words as such, he focused on the lights and what was around them. There had to be a reason for it all...a cause. He did wonder, briefly, what Chalcanthite thought of the one who claimed to hate the dark mirror court, a traitor to the court, considering the taller general was engaged to a senshi who served that court loyally. Benitoite assumed the other would be talking to their partner later tonight or whenever they got out of here, hopefully tonight. He knew he would if he in the same posistion, just to see if they knew anything about this one, honestly though they were proclaiming such things in a room full of chaos. Either they were an idiot or they were sure of their safety...that no one would harm them for such things.
Looking back to the lights around them, as Aquamarine decided to verbally slap the traitor, he took to spelling out words on Chalcanthite's arm again. 'The lights seem odd - off. Opinion?" Not waiting to find out the others answer, wondering about something else, the blond made his way slowly towards Jet and Aquamarine. Kicking up purple lights as he moved with measured steps, his heels hitting the floor with light sounds. His voice was low, a whisper, as he stared up at the two. "I take it no magic, of any kind, nothing works." Or things barely worked, like flashlights. "Could the room be blocking things to feed on the power?" It was a speculation, with not much to back it up, but what was powering this room? It seemed untouched by time and the lights just seemed...off somehow? Like they didn't have as much power, and strength, as they should. It was like when a lightbulb dimmed, it still gave some light but clearly it couldn't give all it should.
Then his voice got lower, shifting his eyes for a moment, before he spoke again to the two. "Who is keeping that one safe? To speak so openly, in this company, does someone assure their safety?" Someone with power, a lot of it, or a lot of individual people, either was possible and he knew what he was questioning. But if they had someone helping a traitor, even if they hadn't been a corrupt senshi, it was worth knowing. He had heard bits and pieces of Aquamarine's words and he was adding to it, he agreed, something was going on and it didn't sit well with him.
Sunshine Alouette
Guine
Sara Draconia
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 1:54 pm
Kerberos swore he knew one of the voice that called back, and it set his teeth on edge. Familiar, he'd definitely heard it before.
And then Muri handed him his phone, and he read the notes, and his heart sank. He only had a moment to type back an answer and hand it back, and the message was short and simple.
text at the bottom of muri's messages
Last I saw Jet, he killed someone right in front of me, and I don't think he'll be happy to see me.
And when the lights came up, of a sort, spotlights like they were all on a stage, and--yes. There he was.
A head, rolling away from the body of a newly purified Senshi. Sheikh, so brave, who had been bright for such a short time before being cut down. A ruthless General who had been trusted with guarding the generators that had fueled Lyndin's machine, the one that had pumped so much Chaos into the air that night on the hill that people had spontaneously changed, without the usually required touch of a General-Sovereign.
When he was already on edge from the oppressive darkness (he was not back in that awful little room in the Dark Kingdom and he would never be back there again, he had to remind himself) it was not exactly pleasant to be 1) spotlit, and 2) confronted with that particular awful memory.
Kerberos could make peace with Lyndin, who was stuck in an untenable position and looking for any solution to save his people. It was much more difficult to make peace with Jet.
Worse, they were outnumbered. He knew Encke, but not the (alien? probably? she had wings?) Senshi with him, and it was the four of them against one General-King, one probably-a-General-King because Muri was right and Jet's outfit did seem different than he remembered, and several other officers, at least one of whom Kerberos knew for sure was a General (Jet's blond companion), plus a Corrupt Eternal. <********> His greeting was all cheer and false bravado. "And I see you've got your partner with you. So thrilled you're both still kicking. " Never let them see him sweat. Never let them know that he was nervous at all. Whatever Muri thought of Jet, and maybe all of that was also true--Kerberos had seen how he treated traitors. And here he was, a traitor, outnumbered and with his magic inaccessible.
Not the best position to be in.
His eyes cut to Faustite--he'd thought, perhaps, that he saw the flicker of a fire in the darkness, but now he could be sure. Another dangerous variable. Great. Fun.
But someone did have to investigate.
Encke and his alien friend were already poking around at the walls, and Kerberos let his eyes drift to the hallway where lightning flashed and wind whistled.
"Look," he told Jet, "I'm not walking down that hallway without knowing more. You and yours are also not doing that. Do we have any way to test it? Toss something down there?" Because, well, ******** it. They were all stuck here and Kerberos was disinterested in cutting off his nose to spite his face. He had a bakery to open in the morning.
Still, Muri's comment did draw his attention upward, and he frowned.
"Whatever that is," he said, "it's like it's resisting being lit up. I wonder..." He glanced down at his own glowing arm, at the energy sputtering through the floor, the way the lights seemed to be struggling to come on.
No, stupid idea. That only worked on people, not machines. And his magic felt sludgy, stuck--like it wouldn't come even if he tried. He was willing to bet that attempting to transfer energy would go the same way, even disregarding that it just probably wouldn't do anything.
"Unfortunately, all the light I've got is what's on me, so that's not gonna work." He tapped his foot against the ground, and then moved towards the middle of the room--maybe just existing here would give it power, do something to light up the ceiling.
Focused as she could be on two general sources--the imagery somewhat formed by the lights on the walls, and trying to keep an eye on the rest of the room considering the amount of Chaos she had no interest keeping at her back.
While she appreciated no one had drawn weapons, or was trying to shove a hand into her chest, she knew her own magic was nada here, and judging by the lack of lighting around Encke...
More gentle this time, she pulled at his shoulder to again whisper at him (Encke), "You able to tap into any juice? I'm fighting a wall."
Most of the voices that continued to speak were unknown to her, but she had heard one before that made Solaris want to start cursing the universe itself. It was only because she'd been told his name as a senshi that she was able to connect the sounds now, having only spoken to him as a civilian before, the glamor undone by such simple things. Heliodor got a brief glance when she'd registered his voice among the room, and she kept herself from laughing outright with the boiling disbelief that wanted to burst from her.
Why the <********> was he here, too?!
As if s**t wasn't bad enough with Faustite, and--
Uh. Apparently another General Sovereign. It'd taken her a longer moment than she'd like to admit that she finally understood what Encke said. When he first said plurl, she'd thought she'd heard wrong, but nope. One of the agents spoke up, naming the other senshi--suppose she could thank him for that, weirdly, though the noted in white was impossible to ignore on the first--and addressed Encke about someone she could only assume was a friend, given the response.
Blue eyes were cool as she turned enough to face the man (Jet) addressing her, a dark brow raised quietly at this notion of things here being her realm of expertise.
But the man that must have been a purified senshi spoke up--she'd assumed the agent's comment had meant the one he called Murikabushi had been a Negaverse-aligned senshi. The Eternal cleared that right up and Solaris blinked a few times in confusion as she processed this. Left the uh…. Dark Mirror Court, another group affected and fueled by Chaos from what she'd heard since arriving on Earth, joined White Moon Order-side and…
While he made a fair point about the problem of just walking into the darkness of any of the hallways, he kept making references here and there she had no concept of. In any other circumstances, she'd have been smiling and pestering for explanations to understand the meanings and such. Right now? She wasn't sure that energy and fire were being directed in the best way. Especially when he pointed out the ceiling and a hypothesis that was certainly worth testing, a way better focus, in her opinion--
And there went another agent (Aquamarine) running his mouth. The fact he was so open with his hostility wasn't a surprise--well-worded though it might have been--but he did share some very interesting info she decided to file away. Why was an ex-Chaos agent concerned for Faustite, if what he said was true? She wasn't familiar with the hand movements she briefly glimpsed the second man using, unsure if it was his own nervous gestures or something else, but she chocked really everyone in the room except for Encke into her do not trust file very, very quickly.
At least the two White Moon Eternals were doing something to try and investigate the room they were in, and the more flowery one (Kerberos) also made reasonable points. Threats and stating the obvious of the situation, and the numbers, wasn't changing anything.
So, turning so part of her back was only facing Encke or the wall, she looked to the one the uh… talkative senshi referred to as Jet. The General Sovereign Encke pointed out. "My expertise as you say, which while flattering might be debatable, is what I'm acting on right now." Solaris gestured to the various images that seemed to struggle and glitch on the walls to show themselves, the lighting on the floor beneath each of their feet. "I'm familiar enough with technology from other worlds than Earth. Test out their ideas on gathering the lights, or see if these images might have additional information. They could be a map right out of here, for all any of us know. Or they could show us how to turn on the lights to make that passable." At their ideas she motioned to Murikabushi and Kerberos, and that passable was said in motioning to the darkness within the halls.
"If none of that pans out, then yes, I will walk down the hall. Though why you would think someone as much smaller than you as I am would be a better first out, I'm not sure. Anything that might attack or be a trap would likely fly right over my head and into one of yours. As it is, you'd be better off saving the canon fodder for when you know it'll actually be effective and not just risking us an advantage. If that darkness is anything like what it was just like in here, it'd be a lot easier to slip away. Better to just see if we can power something up," she added with a shrug and a light exhale, turning her attention somewhat back to the images on the walls.
Was it smart to point out such facts to him? No. And she knew it. But she was hoping the reality of situations would get the General Sovereign to back off a little and let them figure s**t out.
Wasn't like any of the Chaos agents were doing jackall in that regard, from what she could see--wait no, Heliodor was at one of the walls. Insert internal groan at needing to correct herself cuz of him.
But if during all this she conveniently didn't provide her name, oops. Distractions and the like. To be fair, she'd answer to anything not vulgar, offensive, or clearly trying to pick a fight.
Seiana_ZI
Guine
Kolina
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 6:11 pm
Faustite tl;dr: Sharing his speculation, making a request that everyone either give their names or pick up code names
Faustite caught his breath in the darkness, though a measure of relief only came for his nerves when the room brightened enough that he could surveil the others in a dim glow. He knew or recognized everyone in the room. He knew the Negaverse had the upper hand in terms of power — if they could ever access it. Much as he would happily get his hands dirty by breaking his knuckles on Encke's face and bones until the man was an unrecognizable, bloody paste, he wasn't certain that the others had a similar drive or disregard of cleanliness to do the same. They had other issues to worry about, too, like whatever may happen if they got their enemy's blood in a wound.
Murikabushi's signs caught his eyes and Faustite clenched his jaw. A faint tremor remained in his hands as he signed back frenetically. If 'okay' means 'I want to kill everyone in the room and then myself', then yes, we're ******** okay.
He wanted to pace. However, the mutable light in the room had him questioning whether he should. Thus, he shifted his weight back and forth uneasily, never settling into anything close to a comfortable disposition. He harbored no surprise for Muri's sharp tongue and quick wit about Jet's statements, and given that neither (presumably) he, nor Faustite, could draw their weapons on the group, they wielded less influence over the others to coerce Jet's expectations into reality. And if the General-Kings could not summon their weapons, he guessed that the Generals could not, either, and Heliodor likely faced as much trouble if expected to call upon his magic.
Otherwise, at least Encke would have tried to ******** bomb them with his bullshit plasma rock from space by now. Faustite heaved a smoky sigh when looking at that eyesore of a senshi.
When Heliodor got his attention with a suggestion, Faustite nodded. It would work. Not like he could summon that otherwise useless ball of fireflies to do any work for him out here, and he would guess that most of the room would ignore him or have no ******** clue what he said if he tried to sign to any of them.
He did glance up, then paused for a moment to formulate his thoughts before he began to answer. He considered prefacing his signing to Murikabushi with the implication that he could share aloud what Faustite was about to convey if he wanted, but since Aquamarine caught onto Muri's signs, Faustite figured his inferences would get out to the group one way or another. Suspect that 'goth soup' was what we were sitting in moments before, Faustite gestured before he pointed up at the pit of darkness above them. And I've always been the ******** spotlight, so I don't have one tucked away in my a*****e. He shrugged, still feeling petulant that his own flames cast half past nothing in this oppressive location.
Pausing to take stock of the room, he counted the heads present. Ten were there, and in his basest categorization, six of them were cannot kills. Two were prefer not to kills, on account of one being a Boy who was also an informant, and the other being a Boy with no better excuse to avoid killing but to spare himself a run of heartache about it. One was a kill once it exhausted its usefulness, which was the winged one who was present for Heliodor's capture and whose memories he still needed to harvest. Lastly, there was one kill with extreme prejudice as soon as possible, which was Encke. Statistically, he needed to keep the group alive based on his simple categories. And if he found an opportunity to turn Encke and his ******** shock magic into a floor full of barbecue sauce, he suspected that it would create enough tension in the room to start more fights or render the White Moon completely noncompliant.
What a damn drag. Faustite's shoulders sagged in mourning for his robust and omnipresent drive to commit murder. Then he clapped — once, loudly — to gather the room's attention. His signs were directed at Heliodor as a translator, though either Murikabushi or possibly Aquamarine could read them.
I don't give a s**t if anyone here wants to be proprietary about their names. We are stuck here. We will need to call on each other at some point. Everyone pick a codename that we can use to refer to each other. Something short, pronounceable, and easily remembered. Call me Furnace, he added as an example, though no one in the room looked like they were overheating from him.
If that s**t up there is what we were just in, then I don't want to spread our resources too thin by illuminating it right now. Think the two senshi have the right of it for now. Better that we figure out what the ******** is on these walls and — if they're some archaic language — whether the alien (Solaris) can read them or not. Don't have the rapport for us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder holding hands, regardless. He would probably cannibalize Encke to the horror and dismay of half the room if the man came within three feet of him right now.
And if anyone is still curious about the hallway with all the ******** lightning in it, I suggest they push Encke down it. Or throw this, he finished, then unbuckled his pauldron with the attached cape and tossed it near the center of the room. He had to cast it at a bit of a cant to avoid taking out Kerberos's ill-guarded ankles.
Then he half-turned toward the wall nearest him and reached out a clawed hand to search the stonework. To feel for a hum of energy, or some sort of magical braille, or anything that might come up while he waited for the light beneath his feet to illuminate whatever was trying to display on the wall.
Quote:
Faustite is addressing the group. The crux of his statements are bolded for easy sight reading!
kolina
amorremanet"[/quote][quote="sleet tempest snape
sunshine alouette
guine
noir songbird
kaefaux
seiana_zi
sara draconia
the space cauldron
for Faustite trying to examine the stone wall / flickering images
Strickenized
Garbage Cat
Offline
Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
Online
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 6:41 pm
Being silenced wasn't something Chalcanthite liked but given the situation, he wasn't going to openly argue with the short blonde. But the message they scrawled on his arm left him both confused and partially mortified. It wasn't quite a surprise that Melody would choose that path of least resistance to reach a higher standing with more connections. It was more the abruptness that it seemed to lump him into that whole mess and it wasn't something he quite liked or wanted. Not especially after the incident with barging into his home.
Shaking his head for a moment before things started to brighten, he didn't quite like that quickly warming feeling against his chest. The medallion of his was getting awfully warm and he was glad to have more than a few layers between it and his skin. If it worsened he just hoped it didn't decide to actually burn him through it all.
The lone earring he wore followed suit, growing so hot as he tried once again to reach out for his fiance, to at least reassure them he was fine. But all he got in return was an unsettled sound of breathing and unintelligible words, coming from someone he didn't recognize and it left him tense beneath the surface. Reaching up, he felt at his skin, checking to see if the seeing heat had done anything but for now, it felt fine behind the long strands of hair that covered it.
Listening to the dramatic one (Muri) go on about mirror space, he decidedly didn't like their opinion of his pleasantly peaceful getaway location. It was one of the highlights of his week when he got to go with Melpomene. But he didn't disagree with working together in a way, as long as it was anyone else other than himself going down that hallway.
Looking at the wall behind himself and Benitoite, he wondered what those sparking images were even as they seemed to struggle to exist. As Faustite clapped, he watched them sign and recognized it from the aid who translated during his lessons. It wasn't perfect, but he got the gist enough to get the standard terms and some of their intention.
"Captain for me I would say should suffice." And with that, he turned back as well to examine the wall again. He did pull the small notebook from his breast pocket, wincing as his hand brushed against that medallion again. He tried scribbling down some of the symbols he saw on the first blank page he flipped to, after leaving some space to write whatever names down and some descriptions of those present.
He wasn't pleased that one of them was the one who had zapped his mauvian but he did like the idea of sending them through the hall first just to get a little shock from it maybe. Nudging Benitoite slightly, he nodded toward the symbols on the floor before they decided to wander off.
"I doubt they can manage much at a disadvantage but still perhaps keep an eye out while we see what we can gather from the spots of light. No contact with the outside, I tried through less conventional methods." Keeping his voice low as he spoke coldly, mostly to himself as the other had walked away, he was less than pleased knowing the face that matched the name Desiree had mentioned to him, that Encke, or bug-zapper as his mauvian had called them.
