Finding a Secret
Setting: During this rp
Word Count: 1581
Antares watched as Sig started to explore the temple. After a moment she turned away from the colorful, and awe inspiring, space. She went to a hidden corner and pulled out some simple cleaning supplies, supplies she had ferried up here over quite some time years ago. They were a bit battered now, and dusty, but they would do for now. With the supplies in hand she started to clean.
It wasn’t anything fancy, she wasn’t scrubbing away the dirt, but she was sweeping as much of the blown sand into piles to remove. In the alcoves she wiped down the murals and then swept. Making sure that the fountains that were still flowing were clean. Just basic and general tidying up. It was the least she could do since this place, this temple, deserved so much more.
She had gotten around one of the sets of carved wooden doors that opened up to a shallow pond filled garden, doors that she opened for more air flow. The garden was, or at least had been, a true oasis in the dry heat of the city. Even now the pond had water in it, murky and mostly empty, but it was still there. Even the lush greenery that she knew was meant to fill the space was primarily dead or a sad brown color. It was meant to be a calming space of plantlife, and yet now…. Now it was just one more worn down part of the complex. If Antares felt she had any type of green thumb she would have worked to get at least that place presentable as well. Sadly, she stunk at it. Plants just didn’t seem to like her. So the blonde stuck to keeping the interior of the temple at least presentable.
In one of those tucked away alcoves ment for private contemplation, as far as she figured, was a complex and colorful mural. A rather dusty one in fact. Antares absently frowned, trying to remember the last time she had at least given the space a wipe down but was honestly coming up with a blank. She personally preferred the fountain alcoves, the burbling of the water helped drown out her own thoughts. The blonde studied the dusty mural, noting the symbol embossed on the wall in some kind of dark stone. It dominated the mural. A huge stylized scorpion in swirling and twirling colors. Antares’ symbol. Her symbol. Looking at it closely it even seemed as if the claws of the mural were holding a red ball.
Not quite sure what to make of it all, the senshi decided to just rush through the wipe down, no point in lingering. She took her rag and after damping it, started to wipe down the wall until everything was clean except the scorpion itself. That part she carefully cleaned off, revealing the sparkling onyx the symbol was made out of. The real shock came when she swiped the damp cloth over the red orb, her fingers brushing over the raised stone.
When Antares’ calloused hand touched the stone it flared with a red light before an audible click echoed around the alcove. Before she could even move the stone fell out into her hand, a golden chain following behind it. Pale blue eyes took in the object, quickly deducting that the red orb was just a stone set into a golden necklace. A rather intricately carved necklace really. Waiting to see more the young woman stepped out of the alcove and was about to take it outside when shadowy movement out of the corner of her eye had her glancing up just in time to see a ghostly figure pace out of the alcove she had just left. A figure she recognized, even though she rarely actually ‘saw’ her.
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A small petite black haired woman drifted from the alcove, head turned towards the closed temple doors in anticipation and nervousness. Her name was Rashida and she was the guardian of this world. But still, she couldn’t quell the rapid beating of her heart, nor calm the growing sorrow.
Antares blinked as the phantom sound of the temple doors being thrown open. Logically she knew that the door was open already, propped open when Sig and herself first entered the building. But what she was ‘seeing’ and ‘hearing’ defied all logic. A memory of the past. A fragment of her past.
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A tall man strode into the temple, his face in shadows at first but soon it became visible as he came to a stop in front of the much smaller senshi. His intimidating presence faded as he called her name, “ Rashida.”
“Ammon. I’ve just heard.” Rashida reached out a pleading hand, “Must you go?”
“They need me in the west. I must.”
“Ammon. I’ve just heard.” Rashida reached out a pleading hand, “Must you go?”
“They need me in the west. I must.”
His ghostly figure was turned away from Antares but she can see Rashida’s face fall and tears start to fill her eyes. Her own heart ached at it all. The memories tugging away at her heart strings.
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“Rashida, don't cry. I am doing my duty, just as you are. Don't worry I will be fine.’ He reached out and gently tugged her into his embrace, placing her head on his shoulder.
Rashida looked up and obviously tried to smile confidently, instead looking worried, however her gaze clears as a thought noticeably occurs to her. “Ammon I know you must go but there is something I can give you that will call me to your side if ever the need arises.” She gently taps a necklace hanging around her neck.
Rashida looked up and obviously tried to smile confidently, instead looking worried, however her gaze clears as a thought noticeably occurs to her. “Ammon I know you must go but there is something I can give you that will call me to your side if ever the need arises.” She gently taps a necklace hanging around her neck.
The same necklace that was currently in Antares’ hand.
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”I can not ask you to use your magic for me. I can take care of myself.” His hands shifted from holding Rashida close to pushing her free, crossing his arms in a defensive motion. Anger and pride written all over his rigid stance.
“I am not saying you can't. Only that I will feel better if you had it with you.” Rashida reached out and gently touched Ammon’s crossed arms. “The gods themselves approve or else this mission would have been given to you another day.” Her small hand slipped from his arm and gestured to the moonlight filtering through the temples’ windows.
“I am not saying you can't. Only that I will feel better if you had it with you.” Rashida reached out and gently touched Ammon’s crossed arms. “The gods themselves approve or else this mission would have been given to you another day.” Her small hand slipped from his arm and gestured to the moonlight filtering through the temples’ windows.
Antares narrowed her eyes, knowing that it was daylight right then… not moonlight. And yet she couldn’t, wouldn’t, turn away from the memory that was quite literally playing out in front of her eyes.
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”Please Ammon. For me?” She turned pleading eyes on him.
Ammon stiffened briefly before his stance relaxed and his arms dropped to his sides, nodding in assent. He followed her as she headed outside into a garden.
Ammon stiffened briefly before his stance relaxed and his arms dropped to his sides, nodding in assent. He followed her as she headed outside into a garden.
Antares also followed, her steps stirring up the dust and sand she had just swept into a pile. She stood in the garden doorway, witnessing a vibrant and life filled garden bathed in moonlight for the first time in the many years she had been visiting her homeworld. There, in her memories, she watched as Rashida created a golden token, explaining to Ammon what it was and warning him about destroying it. It all seemed to fade in and out, like an old movie, but Antares was able to get the gist of what was going on. Her past life was using the necklace to make a safety device for Ammon. Blue eyes watched on as the duo began to talk about the mission that he was being sent on, the details staticy and too faded for Antares to make out, when a voice from behind her called out for Ammon.
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”Rashida I must go. Thank you for this, I will not need it but it comforts me to know you are there with me in spirit.” He kissed her briefly before turning and walking towards the doors back into the temple.
Antares, who had remained by that very door, witnessed as Rashida watched Ammon walk away, tears welling in her dark eyes. Right before the ghostly Ammon would have passed by Antares he paused and looked back. In one final gesture he kissed the token before fading away into the shadows of the temple… but Antares could have sworn that she saw a smirk on his face and a dark look passing over his face right before he left. Even as her heart ached at the ‘loss’ of Ammon, her mind wondered about that final moment. What was that look? What did it mean?
“-res!… DESSIE!” The loud shout of her name had Antares startle some, blinking rapidly as her head whipped around, her vision desperately trying to acclimate from the bright garden that she had been staring absently into, back to the relatively shaded interior of the temple.
“Dess? What the hell just happened?”
The blonde absently frowned at the knight who had nearly shouted in her ear, pulling her from not only her thoughts but from the flashes of her past. “I… um… well,” not entirely sure herself Antares could only drop her gaze and stare at the necklace in her hands in bemusement. She didn’t even fight it when the knight gently led her further into the temple and urged her to sit on one of the intricately carved benches.
“Just tell me when you're ready, no rush at all.”
Pale blue eyes met the green eyes of Sig before drifting over towards the dilapidated and dying garden. “I think… I just saw the past.” She answered quietly.