Though the information was not new to her, Lucasta listened — because she was a lady and it was polite to do so, and she thought, if she gave Alastor the attention he deserved, perhaps others would follow her example. Even so, she kept an eye out for trouble makers, for any who might not be treating this situation with the seriousness it called for. She would bite their ankles if she had to, give them a lecture on manners, on the importance of their duties.
Fortunately, she did not yet see any behavior that required correcting.
With another glance toward Ephesus and Amarynthos, she caught the latter’s wave, as well as the presence of another Mauvian (Realta).
Lucasta waited for an appropriate moment to approach, once Alastor had paused at the end of his introduction. As she went, she kept an eye out for anyone who looked as if they might leave, but was not immediately disappointed.
“And you must be doing a fine job to have become Squires already,” Lucasta said to Ephesus.
She gazed upon the other Mauvian (Realta) in a quiet moment of careful study, before offering the simple introduction, “I am Lucasta.”
To some, she might seem cold and aloof, perhaps even abrasive.
Lucasta liked to view it as protectiveness. (Not that another Mauvian couldn’t be trusted with the boys, but… Well, perhaps Lucasta could be a bit territorial.)
Guine
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Kaefaux
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 2:50 pm
Chaos.
Even though he knew that was why he was called here, Erytheia couldn’t help but frown. Not as much as Alastor, but very close.
The senshi needed help fortifying this area. And suddenly, the knight was reminded of his own world. Was not this tower and the Core akin to the tree and the Code on his own world? It had taken many to protect it then; it would take many here, too.
But there was still one thing that Erytheia didn’t understand.
“You say Chaos has been on your world for many years. I have not heard of anywhere that had held off Chaos for that long. I’ve found dormant Chaos Seeds that reawaken, but never an active one… you’ve… did you… have to fight the Chaos by yourself all this time?”
Daphne had become used to odd comments being flung in her direction over the past few months. People obsessed over the fact that she was a foreigner. People obsessed over the fact that she had a tail. Sometimes people were even convinced that she was a Mauvian, which made her roll her eyes more than just about anything else they could say.
She'd never been called old.
She couldn't help but blink her slitted eyes at the foxlike senshi a few times. Her tail froze behind her, confusion obvious in her body language.
"My name is Daphne," she told him. "Senshi of Kinship. I'm nineteen, though. I don't know how far removed that makes me from a child."
Yes, it was possible that she'd been asleep for a while before coming to Earth, but she didn't know how much life experience that gave her.
"Still, I'm ready to try to defeat Chaos."
Sleet Tempest Snape
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 5:19 pm
Quote:
Though Ymir is a Deep Space Senshi, he looks human and wouldn’t be distinguishable as a DSS by appearance alone.
Unlike Surtur, Ymir was in no way excited for what was to come. The warnings given… Ymir was not afraid of danger, but he didn’t like to think of what the Chaos might see in his heart. After all this time, he had to hope he was no longer so easy to manipulate.
Regardless, he would do what he must. Even if his help came by way of curiosity more than care.
“Do you doubt me?” he asked Surtur, staring up at him challengingly.
Ymir was aware that he had not been at his best while on Astraya, but he was a Senshi. He was no stranger to battle. He would fare better here, he was sure, even at his weakest. He didn’t need all of his potential power at his disposal in order to hold his own.
“You won’t be the first,” he decided. Then, with a bit of an irritated quirk to his brow, Ymir added, “Not in that respect, at least.”
If there was any humor in his voice, it would be difficult to detect.
Before Surtur could respond, Ymir cast a glance toward the Page he had greeted (Rainier). Ymir studied the woman, but other than the symbols which adorned her clothing, nothing about her stood out as familiar.
“A friend of yours?” he asked Surtur. “Old or new?”
There were other Senshi whose circumstances matched their own, but Ymir knew of no knights that could claim the same.
Perdita was attentive. She listened to Alastor like she would listen to a lecture from one of her professors, or to guidance from her coach. The Chaos here intrigued her more than it frightened her, though she knew better than to take it lightly. Still, she didn’t know what it could possibly see in her heart to use against her. Having not been as active as some of the others, she had much less weight on her shoulders.
More than anything, she worried for Oberon. He was a bit like his old self again, especially in a crowd of people, but she wasn’t so foolish as to think he wasn’t still grieving.
Grief didn’t just disappear. It didn’t lessen either. One simply learned to live with it.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked, keeping her voice low. She didn’t want to embarrass him around other people.
Maybe she had already, simply by questioning him. She didn’t want to bring his mood down when none of them could afford to be distracted. Perdita frowned guiltily. She touched his hand in comfort, but didn’t quite hold it.
“I know you can handle yourself, I just meant… if you need anything while we’re here, you know you can tell me. Or… if you want to make sure your brothers are okay, I’ll be fine with some of the others. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Palatine tried to smile as Lysithea introduced herself and Varuna introduced the rest of her friends in turn, but she was fairly certain the expression sat awkwardly on her face.
They were all so young. Not as young as some of the Senshi she’d known over the years (certainly not as young as Oberon had been), but still… young. A bunch of twenty-somethings. Which made sense, given Varuna’s age, but it made Palatine all the more aware of her own advancing years.
A part of her almost wished Paradise were there instead of babysitting the kids. At least then Palatine wouldn’t be the oldest person in the room. (She had no verification on this fact, but she was nonetheless quite sure that was the case.)
“Nice to meet you,” Palatine said to them all, once there was a suitable break in Alastor’s speech. She took Lysithea’s hand and shook it briefly, and offered another smile for Adria, Malus, and Soleiyu. Since Varuna had already offered her name, Palatine left the introductions at that. “Varuna was just telling me about you. You’re part of a court?”
The only court she knew was the Jovians, but their numbers were not as robust as she knew they’d once been. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t even know if they considered themselves a court anymore.
If she took notice of the Jovian Knight’s lack of response to her greeting, she certainly wasn’t going to comment on it. Not when things were as tense as they were. It wasn’t the time to nit-pick or cause any friction. Though, she certainly gave him a good look, memorizing what she could of him so she could just be an annoyance after everything was happy and safe. The smile from the pretty red and black Eternal (Ganymede), though, just lit Solaris up.
As she looked around the gathered group, though, her eyes darted among a few… not so human looking figures. Her pulse fluttered. More like them? She shifted foot to foot, annoyed she couldn’t just go… talk right now. Features fluffed, and once more Solaris had to put away some faces in the back of her mind to look up later. When there was more time to chat, and Chaos wasn’t breathing down their necks.
As Alastor spoke, Solaris was quiet. Her smile remained, but in a way that was more of habit than anything. She knew why she was here. Oh sure, when he described how this Chaos worked, she took in a deep breath, her smile becoming a bit more brittle as she clenched her jaw briefly.
When one knight spoke up (Erytheia), Solaris tipped her head in a faint motion of fair play. It wasn’t a bad question to ask—but boy did she want to laugh. Kept it contained, of course. She knew better than that. But what did he call Earth? It wasn’t dead. Chaos hadn’t ripped away all life from their home. So, someone was doing something right out there, she’d say.
She looked to Alastor and exhaled slowly through her nose. ”How are we fighting it? Does it take on a physical form that we can blast? Or do you need something else from us?” Solaris’ tone wasn’t nearly as bright and warm as before—old, old lessons seeped into her mind, straightening her back and bringing back the composure she usually had zero interest in drawing upon. Once upon a time, it was to avoid lectures or deal with politicians. Chaos could do far worse than scoldings and making her recite scriptures.
It wasn’t at all a problem that the knights didn’t get a chance to respond to her first—she appreciated their focus on the matter at hand, and she listened intently to Alastor as he began to divulge the operation to those gathered. That he gave them a choice was commendable, though as she glanced about, she was all the more pleased to not see anyone immediately trying to head for a proverbial exit.
So, she turned her attention back to the Squires (Ephesus and Amarynthos), moving a tad closer to them to speak quietly. The lilac Savannah bowed her head in greeting to them both, chuckling. "I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to make your acquaintance." Knights. New knights. Ephesus’ explanation was insightful and intriguing. The Code… requested their aid? Was she understanding that correctly?
Before she could introduce herself, incoming movement caught her eye, and she paused, nodding her head again though this time to the other Mauvian (Lucasta) that was joining them. She smiled warmly to the introduction, always pleased to meet another guardian. "Pardon my manners," she said first to the squires, then directed to all three, "I am Realta. I’m afraid my excitement to meet you both overshadowed my manners to introduce myself properly. Goodness, Squires of the Moon…" She felt in awe saying that. It hadn’t been that long since she’d seen the Code piece in the Theatre. This was a good thing, right? Her tail swayed somewhat as her mind whirled, but she took in a slow breath, shelving the thoughts.
This wasn’t the time to be so focused on other interests.
Instead, she sat down, her tail curling up around her paws. "I’ll admit this is my first encounter with a form of Chaos like this. It’s good to see so many people here who are able to support Alastor in this battle." She’d only heard bits and pieces from Solaris, and mostly through the lens of her own world. The idea of taking back a world from Chaos was… immense. But they’d be fools to not try, if he had a plan.
"Nineteen? How is that so?" He asked, wondering about her words. How was she only nineteen when clearly she was not from Earth, like himself, when as far as he knew worlds fell over a thousand years ago...unless her world had only just recently fallen.
"Did your world only just fall?" He questioned her, in a whisper so no one else heard their conversation.
Nodding his head at her final words. "That is the important thing tonight - that we are ready to defeat chaos." Here and now they would face off against chaos and they needed to come out on top. They coiuld not afford to lose...to let one of their fellow senshi lose their homeworld for good - to let the world die.
When their, for lack of a better word, "host" started to speak to them, Voyager turned to listen from looking at one of the tiles on the floor. He had been told by Alastor that his Homeworld was in danger and he could definitely feel the chaos all around them, but for this to be the last bastion of non-chaos? To be the heart? He wanted to explore it even more! What was it that caused it to stand up to chaos so well? Was there anything in particular that had pushed it away for so long! Voyager could feel himself almost twitching with excitement trying to figure out what was going on in the building that protected it so much. Magic? A machine? HE WANTED TO KNOW?!
But helping Alastor first was the main concern. He couldn't be off wandering around the building attempting to find it's secrets if they were all in danger of being taken over by chaos. He had nodded to Rainier when he saw her and he had seen a few other familiar faces, but did not know many in the room.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Drombeg was nervous. He wasn't sure how wild chaos, as much as chaos that wasn't controlled by an Agent could be named, would be able to do to him. To them. To everyone. Could it make them into Agents? Would they turn into mindless Youma? Drombeg would have preferred the latter to the former of those two options. He wouldn't let himself become a Captain, or if it could, even a General. Not again. He would never let himself be filled with chaos. And there would be only one way to stop it if it started to happen...
So he had to stay. He knew how much chaos effected someone. How awful it was. What it would do to everyone. And they couldn't afford to lose any more Homeworlds or others to it. All of those Corrupt Senshi were already lost. They couldn't let another planet be consumed. Drombeg waited for the next instructions. Alastor seemed to have some idea of what he wanted to do. Perhaps if they figured out how to do it for one Homeworld, they could do it for others.
Caliban sighed as he ran a hand through his hair at the information they had received. Of course it was obvious there was chaos all around them, but for this to be the last spot without it? That was a lot of pressure. He couldn't help but wonder how long Alastor had been fighting all of this himself. Did it take a long time for a Homeworld to be infected with chaos? Did it happen quickly? He wouldn't ask these questions of Alastor, at least not yet. But for other Deep Space Senshi whose worlds were filled with chaos, it may be a good idea to take notes to see how to fight back against it and see how quickly it could spread in case they could fight it back a bit.
For right now, they clearly needed to deal with the main threat. Whatever was the cause of this chaos. Alastor had a plan it seemed, though Caliban was unsure if he knew what was the cause of all of this chaos. They would just have to wait for the next steps and see where to go from there. Caliban, at least for now, didn't think it was the time for pleasantries even if he did see some that he recognized.
It didn't take long for the hall to fill up with more and more individuals. With each new glance of the hall's interior did more and more faces appear that Meissa did not seem to recognize. While it was true that she hadn't taken her senshi duties the most seriously, there ought to have been at least one familiar face in the crowd. These people where seemingly all strangers to her. Meissa sighed before coming to another realization. Besides herself there didn't seem to be a lot of auras that were similar in rank to her own. Oh, there were a few but mostly the gathering consisted of those that had higher ranks then she did. Was it a fluke that she was even here then?
Shaking off that thought the bobcat senshi gave the room a more thorough glancing over. It was a magnificent room. Sure the fountains weren't running water and those dead plants almost cried out for her attention but other than that, this world seemed fairly benign.
That perception of a benign world soon faded when it seemed their host for the evening spoke and addressed those gathered for the first time. Feeling herself shrink back a little did Meissa wonder if maybe she had the wrong idea of being so quick to have acquiesced to this calling of many individuals. Chaos infected this world and they'd been summoned to help fight it?
Taking a moment to acknowledge that this Alastor had no qualms about them leaving if they didn't want to be here was appreciated. Inwardly the senshi hemmed and hawed about what it was that she should do versus what she wanted to do. Basic senshi protocol told her that she should stay to help out but yet her common sense once again reminded her that she was still just a regular senshi. What was it that she could offer in this fight? Would it be wise to find out?
With a resigned sense of duty did the senshi of bobcats ignore her common sense to take the opportunity to leave before she folded her arms across her bare midriff. It probably wasn't the greatest move but she wouldn't be able to call herself a senshi if she kept neglecting the overall goal of vanquishing evil.
In another time, before Astraya, Illyria would have been pleased to have experienced the chance to visit another's homeworld. Of course that brief trip to the moon didn't count as it wasn't really a homeworld but more of a central base that all senshi and knights could access. Even she could have gone back there if she had wanted. Astraya seemed to have changed her perception on things a little though. While it was true that there would probably not be robots on any other worlds the Mauvian was becoming more and more anxious about experiencing another likely scenario that would end in something similar occurring again. Even as her violet orbs closed in a slow blink did Illyria find herself on the prowl. Her senses were slowly acclimating to this strange place and now she wanted more than ever to at least find someone that she knew in the crowd.
Her small size didn't make this particular feat easy as she had to prowl around various sets of feet to peer up at all that were present. Finally though Illyria found a small amount of success in locating at least one person that she recognized. Was it strange to find continuous contentment when she was in the presence of this individual? Even knowing that this person was here had Illyria shaking off the continued sensations of unease that she was experiencing.
Primly she sat her rump down on the floor of the hall before Ida's feet before realizing that what she wanted most was for the Orchid Senshi to just reach down and scoop her up into her arms. Her ears caught the voice that addressed the crowd gathered before she felt her whiskers quiver in contemplation. The situation that was spoken of was of a world that seemed to be in peril. Chaos was threatening to consume this Alastor's home world. They had been summoned en mass it appeared to help fight back. Illyria's eyes took in the assembled group before knowing that she'd be staying put. Knowing that Ida was present meant that she would stick it out. Even after the warning about what this Chaos was able to do as self-preservation didn't deter the Mauvian. Although somewhere deep down she felt anxious. If the Chaos could see into all their hearts in an effort to stop them from succeeding, did it bode well for all those that had answered the call?
Already she had a feeling that she would be one to stay. She'd be there to watch Ida's back just as she knew that the Orchid senshi would watch hers. With that knowledge of certainty in her mind did Illyria relax, albeit only slightly.
Whimsical Blue
Illyria's finding Ida in the crowd and sitting herself down at her feet.
Athene had been sitting atop a rooftop with a takeaway cup of hot chocolate and quietly looking out and across the city when the call came.
He'd been out for a bit, but the evening had so far seemed to be shaping up into a quiet one–
Enough so that he'd thought that taking a small break wouldn't hurt.
He'd been out on his own, the takeaway cup warm against his hands as the rich scent of chocolate tickled his nostrils.
The call had been.. Unexpected. A slight tug against his senses. A feeling of an outstretched hand.
It had been a long, long time since he had experienced a call like that.
Years.
But now as he had then, Athene had accepted the call and had let that 'hand' whisk him away.
The cold, electric atmosphere had been jarring and for a moment Athene had found himself quietly mourning the cup of takeaway hot chocolate that sat abandoned on the Destiny City rooftop.
A moment and then he had shook the thought away - because he knew that he had been called here for a reason even if he wasn't sure how much he could be of help.
He had recognised Valhalla and Ganymede amongst those gathered and thought that he had spotted Selinur too. Some of the others had also seemed vaguely familiar too, although not quite familiar enough for him to put a name to.
For his part Athene had stood where he was and quietly listened as Alastor explained why they all had been summoned–
And he had listened too as Alastor had also offered them all an out, although he personally wouldn't be taking it.
Acrucis followed Rainier’s gaze and took note of the man that returned her greeting. “Friend of yours?” she asked. Her tone hinted more at mild curiosity than suspicion or accusation of something more.
“Mmm, kind of-?” More like acquaintances since they’d only met each other the one time which was a couple of weeks ago by now. “He helped Beira and I when we were called to the underground tunnel to try holding back the swarm of Blight.” While she had done her best to defend the staircase so that the creatures didn’t reach the streets above them, Rainier felt incredibly underpowered in comparison to the other Knights and Senshi who had come to offer aid.
Having no magic did make fights more difficult.
“His name is Surtur. I feel like you might get along with him, both of them actually if ever feel inclined to meet Beira.” Part of the problem that Surtur illuded to stemmed from a lack of proper network, at least in her mind anyway. If she could at least get Acrucis to meet more Senshi like her then perhaps the Senshi of Prayer won’t feel so alone. “They were very kind and helpful after the battle was over and we were taken to Ida’s world.” Rainer then nodded in the direction of the Eternal who had, in the end, saved them all with the surge of power that had granted everyone the ability to fight just a bit longer.
Acrucis nodded pensively, her gaze drifting between the basic Senshi to the eternal. “I see…” she responded rather absently. “It looks like at least two princesses were summoned then.”
“Two?” Rainer’s voice rose in surprise.
“The woman standing beside Alastor. Her name is Ganymede, she’s the only princess I’ve ever known or seen.” She heard whispers of others but in times of larger battles, Gany is the one that usually came to the call. There had been a prince at the battle with the vanguards but she was too far away and too busy trying to fight for her life, and Sidouer’s, to witness how he had contributed to the fight. “If all else fails, their strength is what we’ll have to rely upon to save us.”
On Earth, Cosmos had been the one to pull Order from the bowls of chaos, from the ruins of the Dark Kingdom, and placed them on the Moon, a temporary sanctuary for those injured. Out here on a homeworld, Acrucis wasn’t sure that she could be counted on to save them if the chaos of this world overtook them.
The warm that seeped through her boots from the weight of a small body called Ida's mind back from where it wandered, studying the tall walls and fantastic ceiling with awe at its beauty. This whole place was beautiful, even in its disrepair. Maybe more so, for it. Age had worn it down, damaged it, but it still stood testament to the world that had been here before. When she looked down finally, it was to find a familiar little form and she couldn't help her soft smile as she crouched down to scoop Illyria into her arms.
Lightning flashed in eery silence outside the windows as she scratched under the kitten's chin, finally taking in the others around them. The man who had called them here, Alastor?, was explaining the situation, something she knew only a little about. Was this what all the new senshis' worlds looked like now? She knew Selinur had his own kind of chaos infestation from their discussions about it, but so far, they were the only ones she'd had a chance to see. Was Fang's like this too? Would they all need to face that chaos some day?
Part of her was glad it had never reached her world... or, once drained dry, had left it to slowly, gently recover. She'd arrived to warmth and soft grass, not... this.
"Please stay close, ok?" She murmured softly to the cat in her arms as she rubbed between her ears. "We'll do our best to help out. This world deserves to be free of Chaos and have a chance to heal."
The lack of people leaving was a great relief to Alastor, and though he didn’t say it, the muscles on his face relaxed significantly. They would have the advantage of numbers, if nothing else.
Most of them here looked as though they were prepared for the worst of it, and he was more grateful than he could say. Erytheia asked a question he saw no reason to avoid; he nodded. “It is deep rooted, and old, and powerful, now. I let it go unchecked for too long, and the time when I might have been able to destroy it myself is long passed. I’ve held it bay, but that’s hardly saying much. I don’t know if there are others out there that have been fighting it too, but I’ve had no connection with anyone else on my world. All I know is that I am here, and I can only imagine that it is because my world needs me to destroy it. The Hall of the Ancients,” he nodded to the ceiling, “Is well fortified. It’s withstood every attack. So far.”
He had a feeling his luck had run out on that front, though.
With Solaris’ question, he expanded, “It can be fought physically. Last time I had a torch and my magic. Now, we have brighter lights to weaken it. When they are shadows they have no form, they cannot be fought except with the light. But when the shadows manifest as an illusion, it pours its strength into it. It becomes real, something that can be hurt. Destroying the illusions might not destroy the Chaos altogether, but it will weaken it. There are several Chaotic anomalies we’ve picked up in the area. I think those are where the Chaos is going to be strongest. There might be a core there to destroy, or the shadows might have just gathered with more fervor there. I don’t know that for certain, but I know there’s much magic in there. If it fights too hard, it will burn itself out. You just have to put up a good enough fight.”
Which was all he could ask of them.
He looked at the group that had stayed and exhaled.
“With this many of us, I don’t think it stands a chance. We’ll wear it thin. And we’ll destroy it. I’ll need people willing to investigate a few of the anomalies, and I’ll need people to defend the Hall of the Ancients while I’m gone. I’m going into the forest–not alone–to find the source.”
They could weaken it. They could destroy it. The more spread out the Chaos was, the less of a threat it was to any individual. It couldn’t be everywhere at once, and he was counting on it trying to be.
“I’ll give you all a few moments to get comfortable, we’ve got lights to help protect you. I don’t want anyone going off alone, we’ll be safer in numbers.”
And, in a few minutes, they’d be sorted into groups. They’d disperse together, and they’d prepare for battle.
Quote:
As of this point there are no more IC plot points intended to be covered, but players can continue to post or join with their characters as they please! Questions can still be asked and will be answered. ICly Alastor would have worked with everyone to make sure they were with a group that could support them; everyone will be offered a specific task to help. Everyone has an important role and is planned to support each other during these missions. Players will be quoted into their assigned threads with partners who chose a similar RP style and have characters whose skills are similar or might be beneficial in the task they are assigned!
If players want to roleplay on Alastor, either to talk with others, investigate anything, have past life memories (if you are interested, please let me know and we can figure something out!) be promoted, etc. this would ICly be done between this roleplay and the next roleplay. There is about fifteen minutes between the end of this roleplay and the beginning of the next. If players would like to interact somewhere other than the lobby of the Hall, please let me know and I can provide a description of somewhere for them!
